WORD From The Woods
1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 12-17
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
Christmas is just over a week away! As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth, I think it’s important to stop and think about the resurrection and what it really means. If it wasn’t for the resurrection of Jesus Christ , there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas at all. As the apostle Paul put it to the Corinthian Christians, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” In light of Paul’s words, it’s vitally important that Christians proclaim the truth, that the Christ of Christmas had the power to lay down His life and the power take it up again, demonstrating that He is God in human flesh. God alone is the only one who could ever accomplish what needed to be done to bring salvation to sinful mankind. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas, the fact that the Son of God came down to us in person as a baby in a manger to live among us and bring salvation! If each and every one of us had to to die to pay the price for our sin, we would just die and stay separated from the love and presence of God forever. But, when Christ died to pay the price for sin in our place, He broke the power of death by walking out of the tomb on the third day, forever victorious over death! I don’t know why we always wait until Easter to talk about the resurrection, it really is the most incredible part of the true Christmas story! As you gather together with family and friends to celebrate, share the whole Christmas story with them. The nativity scene is only the beginning, it’s what that baby laying in a manger came to do that really matters.
God bless, have a great week and Merry Christmas! -Terry-
1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 12-17
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
Christmas is just over a week away! As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth, I think it’s important to stop and think about the resurrection and what it really means. If it wasn’t for the resurrection of Jesus Christ , there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas at all. As the apostle Paul put it to the Corinthian Christians, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” In light of Paul’s words, it’s vitally important that Christians proclaim the truth, that the Christ of Christmas had the power to lay down His life and the power take it up again, demonstrating that He is God in human flesh. God alone is the only one who could ever accomplish what needed to be done to bring salvation to sinful mankind. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas, the fact that the Son of God came down to us in person as a baby in a manger to live among us and bring salvation! If each and every one of us had to to die to pay the price for our sin, we would just die and stay separated from the love and presence of God forever. But, when Christ died to pay the price for sin in our place, He broke the power of death by walking out of the tomb on the third day, forever victorious over death! I don’t know why we always wait until Easter to talk about the resurrection, it really is the most incredible part of the true Christmas story! As you gather together with family and friends to celebrate, share the whole Christmas story with them. The nativity scene is only the beginning, it’s what that baby laying in a manger came to do that really matters.
God bless, have a great week and Merry Christmas! -Terry-