XW

Happy Easter

12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15We 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. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

The entire validity of Christianity hinges on this one point: the reality of resurrection. The Bible does not hide behind smoke and mirrors, and it does not endorse blind faith. It does not move the goalposts with new discoveries, nor does it repurpose itself with new mores. On the contrary, the Bible confronts its opponents by laying out this most vulnerable claim: that in the presence of witnesses, a man was crucified, buried, and raised to life. In this claim the Bible is confident, and by this truth it is authoritative.

Happy Sunday.