http://www.justworshipgod.com/2014/09/not-being-in-relationship-is-ruining-my.htmlhttp://www.justworshipgod.com/p/books.htmlhttp://www.justworshipgod.com/2014/06/money-on-my-mind.htmlhttp://www.justworshipgod.com/p/snapchat.html

pointless faith

In 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, then:
  • our faith is useless
  • the Bible is useless - (“we are misrepresenting God”, "our preaching is in vain")
  • We are still in our sins
  • We only have hope for this life
While most people reading this would probably say they believed in the resurrection of Jesus, are we actually living as if it didn't happen? We are living as if Christ has not been raised when:
  • We start relying on our own behaviour rather than the completed work of Jesus
  • We don’t trust the Bible - picking and choosing what we want to believe and reinterpreting things to suit ourselves.
  • When we are trying to beat sin in our own power - trying to change but failing and feeling condemned, or succeeding and feeling self-righteous, or exchanging one sin for another
  • We live as if our hope is only in this world - acting selfishly, getting frustrated that God isn’t meeting our immediate needs.
BUT... Jesus is alive!So...
  • Our faith is not futile - we are not trusting in a theory about death but trusting in some who died and rose, conquering sin and defeating death.
  • We can believe the Bible - the apostles preached about it and wrote about it because it happened. The challenges can be taken seriously, the encouragements can be received, the good news can be believed
  • We are not still in our sins - We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:4 "We were buried with him by baptism into his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God the Father, that we too might walk in newness of life."
  • we have a hope beyond this life - we can give generously, we can serve selflessly, we can invest everything we have into eternity. Suffering can be endured because we know its not permanent.
Examine your life to see where your actions and attitudes betray that you are living as if Jesus is still in the grave. Remind yourself of the gospel and ask God to embed it in your heart. And rejoice that you have a Saviour who died in your place and rose again, conquering sin and death!
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