Denial of the Resurrection Equals Eternal Death
May God be merciful and grant us ears to hear and hearts to believe the truth He reveals today.
I'm going to start off by being just a little bit controversial. There are some doctrines within the Christian faith that are important but not necessarily crucial to salvation. Anyone who knows me understands that I fully accept everything the Bible says. I believe in a literal 6 day creation. I accept all the historical narratives as fact. I stand amazed at the wondrous miracles revealed throughout the entire Bible. However, I will say that if a person has faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior but does not believe in a literal 6 day creation, that would not necessarily nullify their salvation. While I would strive to help them see the wonder of God and creation, what determines salvation is faith in the blood Jesus shed upon the cross and in His victorious life.
This is where the rubber meets the road. There are many people who believed that Jesus was a figure in history. They believe He actually lived in the 1st century and that He was in fact crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem. This is where their belief ends. Because they deny the miraculous, the virgin birth of Jesus and His resurrection are considered by them to be myths which are intended to enhance the persona of Jesus. I must take my stand upon the truth. If Jesus is not the holy Son of God born into this world through the Virgin Mary, and thus without sin, and if He did not rise to life after his crucifixion, then He is not the Savior of the world.
This is the struggle the apostle Paul is facing as he writes the following words to the Christians in Corinth.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:16-19
We have already heard Paul express his dismay that there are those in the church who are teaching that there is no resurrection from the dead. Now I understand of all the miracles God performed throughout the Bible the accounts of resurrections are the most amazing. One of the reasons that belief in the resurrection is so challenging is that throughout the history of God's people there are only eight known resurrections of individuals who have died. That is not counting the amazing reference in Matthew's Gospel when he reveals the events that followed Jesus’s resurrection - Matthew 27:50-53
But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
The denial of the resurrection goes hand in hand with the denial of all the miracles of God. The moment we begin to question the authority of the Word of God we open the way to be led into disbeliefs of all kinds. The apostle Paul's point is that if Jesus is not raised from the dead then there is no hope of salvation for anyone.
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but we are as much to blame for the condition of the church in the world today as anyone. Yes, we can point to the fact that great theologians of the past have denied the authority of Scripture. But who really knows about them? Are your neighbors or even your children reading what those heretical theologians of the past wrote? Is it not that we have allowed these erroneous teachings to fill our pulpits? Have we not listened to what was being preached and taught in our churches, and simply turned a deaf ear, not wanting to make waves?
We find ourselves in a world today where those who believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead are a minority. And while people will not like what I have to say, truth is truth! If a person acknowledges Jesus as a real historical figure, that He was a prophet of God, a good man, a moral teacher, or anything else, but they deny His death upon the cross for the sins of the world and His bodily resurrection from the grave, that person will spend eternity in hell.
You can believe in Jesus all you want, but as you have heard me say in the past, if you don't have the right Jesus then you don't have the right God. The right God is the God who sent His Son into the world to accomplish salvation for all of us who are helpless. And our salvation is found in the blood He shed and the life He lives today, having defeated death for us.
Even common sense would tell us that if history records an event which is witnessed by multiple individuals, then why would we take the position that we would deny what eyewitnesses have testified to as true. Paul has already told us there were over 500 witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. I do not know of a single event in history where over 500 people testified to the event and then had their testimony erased from history. There is much more at play concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
The truth is that the devil does not want anyone to believe in the resurrection. While we know he is a defeated enemy because Jesus fulfilled the promise God made in the garden to crush the serpent's head, he has not fully expired. He is like a wounded animal thrashing about destroying everything in its path until his end comes. He is a being so absolutely filled with hate that he will stop at nothing to convince people that everything God has done is a lie. What is his end goal? He simply wants you to be separated from God forever.
The sad truth is that the day will come when everyone believes the truth of the resurrection. Listen to the words of Jesus recorded in John 5:25-29. “Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
I've said it many times, everyone is going to live forever. Eternal life is not the issue, what is at stake is the life you will have. Eternal life granted by God to those who have faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, which includes everything revealed about Jesus from His birth to His resurrection. For this person eternity is life in the presence of God. For the person who denies the reality of who Jesus is and what He did, most pointedly His resurrection from the dead, that person will receive the resurrection to condemnation. In other words this individual will live forever but it is a life so devoid of all that is good it is literally called eternal death. Eternal life is not the issue, it's a matter of where you will spend it.
The day will come when every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. For those who have had faith in His victory, we will joyfully celebrate our Savior. For those who have denied who He is and what He has done, they will confess Jesus as Lord because they will have no choice! The truth is the truth. But they will do so with a terrified heart, and only themselves to blame as they are escorted to the pits of hell.
May we stand firm upon the truth God has revealed. Jesus rose to life, and He is the Victor! May we always place our faith in the One who lives for us.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
I'm going to start off by being just a little bit controversial. There are some doctrines within the Christian faith that are important but not necessarily crucial to salvation. Anyone who knows me understands that I fully accept everything the Bible says. I believe in a literal 6 day creation. I accept all the historical narratives as fact. I stand amazed at the wondrous miracles revealed throughout the entire Bible. However, I will say that if a person has faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior but does not believe in a literal 6 day creation, that would not necessarily nullify their salvation. While I would strive to help them see the wonder of God and creation, what determines salvation is faith in the blood Jesus shed upon the cross and in His victorious life.
This is where the rubber meets the road. There are many people who believed that Jesus was a figure in history. They believe He actually lived in the 1st century and that He was in fact crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem. This is where their belief ends. Because they deny the miraculous, the virgin birth of Jesus and His resurrection are considered by them to be myths which are intended to enhance the persona of Jesus. I must take my stand upon the truth. If Jesus is not the holy Son of God born into this world through the Virgin Mary, and thus without sin, and if He did not rise to life after his crucifixion, then He is not the Savior of the world.
This is the struggle the apostle Paul is facing as he writes the following words to the Christians in Corinth.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:16-19
We have already heard Paul express his dismay that there are those in the church who are teaching that there is no resurrection from the dead. Now I understand of all the miracles God performed throughout the Bible the accounts of resurrections are the most amazing. One of the reasons that belief in the resurrection is so challenging is that throughout the history of God's people there are only eight known resurrections of individuals who have died. That is not counting the amazing reference in Matthew's Gospel when he reveals the events that followed Jesus’s resurrection - Matthew 27:50-53
But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
The denial of the resurrection goes hand in hand with the denial of all the miracles of God. The moment we begin to question the authority of the Word of God we open the way to be led into disbeliefs of all kinds. The apostle Paul's point is that if Jesus is not raised from the dead then there is no hope of salvation for anyone.
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but we are as much to blame for the condition of the church in the world today as anyone. Yes, we can point to the fact that great theologians of the past have denied the authority of Scripture. But who really knows about them? Are your neighbors or even your children reading what those heretical theologians of the past wrote? Is it not that we have allowed these erroneous teachings to fill our pulpits? Have we not listened to what was being preached and taught in our churches, and simply turned a deaf ear, not wanting to make waves?
We find ourselves in a world today where those who believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead are a minority. And while people will not like what I have to say, truth is truth! If a person acknowledges Jesus as a real historical figure, that He was a prophet of God, a good man, a moral teacher, or anything else, but they deny His death upon the cross for the sins of the world and His bodily resurrection from the grave, that person will spend eternity in hell.
You can believe in Jesus all you want, but as you have heard me say in the past, if you don't have the right Jesus then you don't have the right God. The right God is the God who sent His Son into the world to accomplish salvation for all of us who are helpless. And our salvation is found in the blood He shed and the life He lives today, having defeated death for us.
Even common sense would tell us that if history records an event which is witnessed by multiple individuals, then why would we take the position that we would deny what eyewitnesses have testified to as true. Paul has already told us there were over 500 witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. I do not know of a single event in history where over 500 people testified to the event and then had their testimony erased from history. There is much more at play concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
The truth is that the devil does not want anyone to believe in the resurrection. While we know he is a defeated enemy because Jesus fulfilled the promise God made in the garden to crush the serpent's head, he has not fully expired. He is like a wounded animal thrashing about destroying everything in its path until his end comes. He is a being so absolutely filled with hate that he will stop at nothing to convince people that everything God has done is a lie. What is his end goal? He simply wants you to be separated from God forever.
The sad truth is that the day will come when everyone believes the truth of the resurrection. Listen to the words of Jesus recorded in John 5:25-29. “Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
I've said it many times, everyone is going to live forever. Eternal life is not the issue, what is at stake is the life you will have. Eternal life granted by God to those who have faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, which includes everything revealed about Jesus from His birth to His resurrection. For this person eternity is life in the presence of God. For the person who denies the reality of who Jesus is and what He did, most pointedly His resurrection from the dead, that person will receive the resurrection to condemnation. In other words this individual will live forever but it is a life so devoid of all that is good it is literally called eternal death. Eternal life is not the issue, it's a matter of where you will spend it.
The day will come when every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. For those who have had faith in His victory, we will joyfully celebrate our Savior. For those who have denied who He is and what He has done, they will confess Jesus as Lord because they will have no choice! The truth is the truth. But they will do so with a terrified heart, and only themselves to blame as they are escorted to the pits of hell.
May we stand firm upon the truth God has revealed. Jesus rose to life, and He is the Victor! May we always place our faith in the One who lives for us.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
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