Devotional

LIVING PROOF

"And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!"

- 1 Corinthians 15:17 (NKJV)

Let's play devil's advocate. Let's pretend we're not convinced about everything we've learned so far. For the sake of argument, let's just concede there was a man named Jesus who at least thought He could save people from their sin by dying for them on the cross and followed through with it.

Again, we're playing skeptic here, and at this point all we have is a very well-intentioned man who's now dead. What reason do we have to believe otherwise? Was there real weight behind His claims, or was He simply self-deceived? How can we know whether or not Jesus' death actually dealt with the issue of sin?

These are monumental questions, and if they don't have a good answer then everything we've discussed up to this point falls apart.

Without answers, we don't have a substitute for sin, and we're still stuck right where Adam put us.

Cue the drum-roll, because there is something that answers all these questions, and answers them emphatically: the resurrection. When Jesus was raised from the dead it was living proof that His sacrifice was fully accepted by His Father, and the debt of man's sin was cancelled out.

A remarkable claim was made: "I will save you from your sin." And it was backed up by something even more remarkable, something unique in human history. A man stood victorious over the grave. That fact, alone, validates the argument that our sins were forgiven on the cross.

But maybe you're not a skeptic. Maybe you're a believer who wants to believe your sin has been washed away, but you still struggle with doubt. All any of us needs to do is to go back to the living proof of the resurrection, for it's there that we find all the proof we could ever need.

Discuss, Dig, Decide

Discuss the power of the resurrection. How would you have responded if you had witnessed the empty tomb that first Easter morning? What questions or doubts do you currently have about the resurrection? Share honestly with your group.

Dig into 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. What point is Paul pressing here? How does He explain the purpose and significance of the resurrection? Why do you think he says what he does in verse 17? How do these verses shape your understanding of the resurrection?

Decide with your group to share this tremendous truth with others who need to hear the good news. What creative way can your group come up with to invite people to consider the claims of Christ and His resurrection?

Brainstorm some ideas, and take on the challenge together.