April 2 I Monday

Judges 16-18

Luke 7:1-30

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”   —1 Corinthians 15:14

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he lists several negative things that would be true if Christ had not been raised from the dead. He writes, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised” (1 Corinthians 15:13). He tells us our faith would then be futile, we would still be in our sin, the dead would be lost, our eternal destinies uncertain and our beliefs pitiable. But because Christ has been raised from the dead, the reverse is now true.

The word “faith” is used in two different ways in Scripture. When Jude speaks of “the faith”, he describes it as “the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 3). Within this context, faith is the body of Christian beliefs and doctrines. These do not hold together because Jesus was an eloquent orator but because the resurrection affirms and gives credence to everything else we believe about the Christian faith.

The far more common way faith is used in Scripture
              is in reference to where we place our trust. Everyone has something they put their faith in, whether their health, wealth, careers or relationships. The problem is that these things are inadequate as objects of our faith because they are inconsistent and fallible. Many people, for instance, had placed their trust in their businesses and investments and were devastated when the economy crashed in 2008. When a husband or wife places their faith in their spouse only to have their marriage fall apart, they are usually left broken and empty. 

We all long for someone we can count on through thick and thin, someone who will never leave us nor forsake us, regardless of circumstances, but the only one who will truly, fully and faithfully walk beside us in all things is God. Though sin is a barrier to our relationship with Him, Christ’s death and resurrection obliterated this barrier so we can now approach the God who proved His faithfulness by raising Christ from the dead.

Our faith is only as strong as the object we place our faith in. If Christ had remained dead, our faith would be useless for the simple reason a dead man is unable to fulfill his promises. As Christians, our faith is solid because we place it in a risen Lord who is now seated in glory at the right hand of the Father. Christ is alive and actively involved in our world, constantly interceding with the Father on our behalf. His resurrection is God’s affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God and worthy of our unconditional faith in Him.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, the things of this world will fail, but You are forever faithful. Thank You for being the rock in my life that is always with me and acting on my behalf.