Paul is now addressing the fourth and final big issue the Corinthians were struggling with. Don’t we all wish for a “Paul” to send us a letter personally dealing with the issues that are plaguing us right now? (Good news – we have the Bible with plenty of answers!)
Resurrection. What do you think about it? Most of us, if not all, have never witnessed it. Wrapping our heads around such a miracle of life and death can be tough. Is the resurrection of Jesus just one of those things that you totally accept because of your deep faith and relationship with God?
Paul gets our attention when he says, “It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe.” The resurrection is certainly “good news!” It means that Jesus is ALIVE! He defeated death and the grave. This passage is a powerful testimony to what Jesus did for us!
It’s the important news Paul had to pass on, and we are called to do the same. When we do share this news, we plant the seed of faith into another person who may have missed the opportunity to know Jesus. Talk about putting our own faith into action to further the kingdom! We can take Paul’s lead here. Paul simply uses the story, Jesus’ story that leads to our redemption.
Did you see what else Paul did that we can do, too? He inserted his own story to make him more believable or relatable. We can mix it up a little and put our own “come to Jesus” story or an example of how this “good news” has changed our lives. Have you ever tried that with someone? How did it go?
Every time we share the gospel with someone, we plant a seed or water a seed that was already planted. It’s up to the Holy Spirit’s work to sprout that seed. “For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.” God’s grace has a chance of grabbing on to someone looking for answers or something to believe in.
We’ll see later in this section on resurrection what the Corinthian’s problem or concern was with the resurrection. It wasn’t necessarily that it had happened, but more how it happened. Were they trying to picture rising corpses? That would have been a bit troubling!
What were your biggest take-aways from this reading? I’ve got several. One is to always be looking for the question burning in people’s minds. Is there some revelation I can point them to that will move the needle for them? Paul was modeling that well here.
The resurrection of Jesus is key to our faith. Without it, what kind of faith do we have? Take some time to re-read our passage and be thinking about what it felt like to be one of the first ones to share about such a pivotal event in history.
Let’s pray …
Father God, again I am in awe of the many ways your word speaks to me and directions my reflections can go. I pray for all of those reading these words they, too, will be filled with the Spirit and drawn into serving you on a deeper level. Getting to know you personally is the first step to a meaningful life. Thank you for what you’ve done for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
