Daily Bible Verses for 3/22/2016

Bible Verse
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Reading Notes
The resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord is essential to our Christian faith! It is the bedrock upon which our faith stands! Therefore, its importance cannot be overstated. The resurrection of Christ proves Jesus was who He claimed to be, that is very God. Moreover, His resurrection proves that He Himself was sinless and His sacrifice for us on the Cross did indeed provide the propitiation for our sins. The word “propitiation” means that Jesus’ sacrifice for us was perfect in every way. More importantly, it was perfect according to God’s standard. And by God’s standard it paid the price for our sins, all of our sins. Jesus sacrifice for us, was so perfect that it paid for our sins past, present and future. And it will do so for those who place their faith in Him alone for salvation. And that is why it’s so very important, we understand the true meaning and importance of the resurrection of Christ. This is what Easter truly means to us. As the Apostle Paul stated above, “if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we are still in our sins!” The resurrection of Christ is our guarantee that Jesus is who He claimed to be, that He indeed is fully God an fully man. It’s our proof that Jesus possesses the power over death and sin.

It shows that Jesus had the power to lay down His life and pick it up again. It proves that He alone has the power to save our souls. That’s why the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatian churches stated, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” When we accept Jesus by faith, our sins, our old sin-nature is once and for all crucified with Him. And because our old sin-nature has been crucified with Jesus, we have also been raised with Him in His resurrection. Through Jesus we are a new creation of God in Christ, and through His resurrection and our faith in Him, we become children of God, adopted into the family of God by faith. And that is why it’s so important to understand that the resurrection of Jesus was a real historical event. An event which has been historically documented. Many historians, including Josephus have written about it. And that’s why Satan will target his attacks against the resurrection of Christ. A world at enmity with God, hates the resurrection of Jesus. This world understands the crucifixion and resurrection pinpoint the exact moment in human history when Satan lost and sin was defeated. The exact point in time when Christ won. Therefore, we who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior are alive to God and dead to our trespasses and sins.