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Without the Resurrection, Our Faith Is In Vain
A meditation on the resurrection of Jesus I gave at a funeral
On August 2, 2024, my cousin Danny passed away. A funeral was held on August 9. I was asked to speak. Funerals always get me asking myself whether I believe in eternal life, i.e., whether I will see them again or not. For those present, I gave the best reason I have for answering yes to that question.
In First Corinthians, chapter 15, Paul gives an extended explanation and defense of resurrection, first of the resurrection of Jesus, and then of the resurrection that awaits us when we pass from this life. I won’t read it all, but among the claims he makes is that the dead will be raised incorruptible. The perishable must put on imperishability. The mortal must put on immortality. This mortal body will die and eventually waste away. But our soul — our consciousness, our personality — will be given a new body that is immortal, imperishable, and incorruptible. This is a bold — I would even say audacious claim — Paul makes. And it is just one of many times in the New Testament we are promised eternal life. But how do we know it’s true?
Paul was confident in that promise because he had a vision where he saw Jesus, who had been crucified, dead, and buried, now risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” On top of that, he was able to talk to the disciples, who were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. He had no problem believing Jesus rose from the dead, and we cannot overstate the importance of that. Without the Resurrection, our faith is vain, Paul says. But what about us?
Is this a game of Telephone?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a vision like that. And if you have, please tell me about it after the service. Here is how Paul says he started to understand that life-changing vision, from First Corinthians 15, verses 3–4.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.
