Thoughts: To believe Christ is raised from the dead is not merely a matter of evidence. It is always a matter of faith- a faith based not in a vacuum but on history. If Christ did not ever live and die, to have faith in such a story would not make sense. If Christ did not promise the resurrection, and that the tomb was empty, and appearances made to many- then faith in the resurrection would be totally irrational. Christ has indeed been raised from the dead and our faith is not in vain.
Christ is also the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. This means that Christ is the first one through the tunnel of death to the resurrection. We have seen Him make it, and that should encourage us all. His resurrected life should give us hope for our own resurrected life. As when you see a fruit tree bear the first fruit- you obtain hope that other fruits will follow; so Christ's resurrection from the sleep of death is a promise of life for us all.
A word about the word "sleep." John Calvin's first authored book was debunking the claim that to die was to go to some kind of soul-sleep. To sleep was a common way for Christians to describe death. It was common because for those who have faith- we may go to sleep, but there is the promise of waking up on the other side. Death is a not a permanent or even a thousand year sleep. It is rather going to sleep on this side of heaven to wake up transported on the other side. This hope of waking up is made sure by the firstfruits of Christ's own resurrection.
Prayer: Lord, may I now lose my hope of waking up with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment