who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead~ Romans 1:3
Of God
Yesterday we looked at Jesus' humanity. Today it is his divinity, attested to by the resurrection.
The resurrection is one of those stand or fall doctrines.
Christ's resurrection is the ultimate proof both of his divinity and of his messsiahship.
If there is no resurrection then Jesus is just some deluded fool and his work and words nullified.
Theologically it says that Jesus was without sin. As death only has a hold on those who are under sin.
But as the sinless sacrifice death had no hold over him.
It is, as we will see later in Romans, God's vindication of his son from all charges.
That Jesus is God is the only explanation for his sinless life and for the resurrection.
And much is staked on it. Paul says, if Christ be not raised then we are fools and worse than fools. We are to be pitied above all people.
The resurrection is hard to comprehend. It ntellectuall challenging too. But not the hardest of all doctrines to believe.
We are told elsewhere that if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead we will be saved.
It's that explicit expression believe in your heart that gave me pause for thought yesterday.
I struggle against doubts.
I am pretty sure I am not alone in that.
Okay, I know I am not.
But I have all kinds of doubts. Persistent doubts that I try to swat away. And I concede, a lot of my beliefs don't always make sense...in that they are pretty hard to defend in this day and age. I have often to see my beliefs as truths that I hold to.
I don't believe in the resurrection like I believe in the bench I am sitting on right now. That is solid and material. But I hold to it as a constant that is true despite my inclinations.
And yet the truth I hold (in the resurrection) actually is the truth that holds me. Much like the bench itself. If I believed it or not, it would still support me.
And as I pondered these things the words came to me.
You have believed because you have seen me. I tell you, blessed are those that believe that have not seen.
Do you ever read those words and think.... Really??!
I suffer from chronic disciple envy. Yes, it is a very real condition.
The very reason they are apostles is because, in part, they are eye witnesses to the resurrection. We testify, they say, to what we have seen and heard.
So how blessed are they?
And yet they were not without their struggles initially. But they saw the miracles first hand. They sat and ate with Jesus. They blushed the breadcrumbs out of their beards after the five thousand were fed. You know!
How blessed are they.
And then I remember Jesus words 'The first shall be last and the last shall be first' and I wonder what we don't actually know about our heavenly reward. Will it be proportional to the circumstances with which we struggle?
I don't know.
But this I know.
Jesus changed my life.
And that, I believe without doubt.
I have tasted and seen that he is good.
And that he is alive. And that he is God.
And I will let that truth hold me, even when I can hardly hold it.
And doubt is the hill that faith must climb. It is the Pearl inducing grit in the oyster. What would faith be without doubt?
Its would be knowledge.
And faith is being certain of what what we do not see, the substance of things hoped for.
And I say with Peter, stood in the presence of Jesus, looking into his eyes,
I believe.
Lord help my unbelief.
This day,
And all days,
Amen.
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