Verse 26

"The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

A few months ago, I wrote a post as a part of this series on death as an enemy (see here), so I won't be discussing that aspect today, but instead the concept that death will be destroyed.

What does it mean that death will be destroyed? What are the implications of that strong of a statement? What basis is there to believe such a thing?

The power of this statement is explained and based in the resurrection of Christ.

The perfectly Law-fulfilling life of Christ when coupled with the perfect, substitutionarily-atoning death of Christ does not, on its own, make an end of death. This is demonstrated by the restored resurrection of Christ.

Christ's rising again shows not just his trustworthiness in keeping his promise, not just his provision of hope for his followers, but his total, complete, and unhindered mastery over the grave, over sin's power, and over death itself.

Complete. Total. Unhindered.

This isn't zombieism. This isn't defibrillator paddles. This isn't even the version of resurrection you see in other parts of the Bible.

Take the account of Lazarus' resurrection from John 11 for example. In John 11 (a chapter itself that should be gone through verse-by-verse), Jesus hears the news that his dear friend has fallen ill. Jesus travels to the place where Lazarus is, but the man has been dead for four days upon his arrival. Faith follows, doubt follows, crowds, intrigue, God's tears, God's glory, and Messianic prediction all follow. Great stuff. It's really, really worth reading the whole chapter, people. Go do it.

Then in the culmination, Jesus goes to the tomb where Lazarus was laid and commands him to come out. And sure enough, out comes a living Lazarus wrapped in linen grave clothes. Risen. Alive. Restored.

Amazing.

But Lazarus would and did die again. His resurrection wasn't final. That resurrected body decayed, broke down, and eventually succumbed to the forces of death. Lazarus was raised in grave clothes that would one day be re-applied. Lazarus emerged from a tomb that he would one day re-enter.

Christ is a different resurrection.

Christ has no need for grave clothes. Christ has no need for a tomb. His body was raised to never die again. Never to decay. Never to suffer the ill-effects of age.

A complete, total, unhindered resurrection.

A blazing sign pointing to a King who in His resurrection declares the power to destroy death.

Verse 25

"For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet."

I once had a conversation about the best form of government. Correction: I was a Political Science major with a concentration in political philosophy so I've had dozens of written and spoken conversations about the best form of government.

And tonight, I'd like to change my position.

I'd always argued for democracy from the Churchill-ian perspective: "It's the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried." Well stated. Democracy is so great because it relies to the masses to control and counter the pride, self-centeredness, and entrenchment of individual rulers (monarchs, elected officials, oligarchs, etc). From where I and you stand right now, this is a pretty good argument. Hooray for democracy.

But, in reality, there can be a better form of government.

It's dependent on a different kind of ruler. A ruler who isn't infected with pride, selfishness, faction, or any sort of fallenness at all. If you had an all-benevolent King (especially one with tremendous power) the need for checks and balances would disappear altogether.

That King could be trusted. That King would always choose right. That King would always be just, fair, and serve the best interests of the people.

That King would know who his enemies are. That King would know the best course of action to deal with them, not too harsh, not too soft, not influenced by any outside factors.

That King could reign absolutely with my wholehearted support because his choices would be undeniably Good and Right.

In my philosophical papers I always argued the need for checks and balances, separation of powers, and free elections because I worked off the assumption that men and women with bent hearts and minds were making the decisions.

But there's another King. And he's coming back.

And when he does, I won't be wearing an "I voted" sticker anymore.

Verse 24

"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power."

I dive into this next set of verses with some trepidation because I am definitely in over my head for at least the next six posts. A surface reading reveals what appears to be discussion of eschatology (the end times), the Trinity, and baptisms for the dead. Simplicity defined.

I make no claim of expertise in any of those areas (and I'm pretty sure only Mormons claim to have a clue what verse 29 is about, and I'm not buying their explanation). In fact, I don't have a firm position in eschatology at this point and like what Pastor H.B. Charles (of Jacksonville) has to say about it, "I'm no expert on eschatology, I'm not on the planning committee, BUT I am on the welcoming committee." Sounds good to me.

So as I dive in and hopefully don't drown or suffer brainsplosion, I'll begin with a word on scope.

So far as I've tackled this chapter I've discussed a lot of individual-level topics: the effect of sin on you as a person, the results of Christ's justifying work on the believer, and the individual decision to turn to Him. But, here it's good to see that the Gospel isn't a story, but it's the story. And it's not just about your soul, but the whole of the Earth.

This verse talks about when "the end" comes, "the kingdom", and the destruction of "all" current powers worldwide.

It's significantly larger than you and me.

It's necessarily larger. Because the scope of sin is larger than you and me. The breadth of redemption is larger than you and me. The reach of restoration is larger than you and me. Because God is larger than you and me.

Sin isn't just the individual actions of moral agents past and present. It is also a web of interrelated actions throughout history, societies, cultures, and nations. Bigots and trans-Atlantic slave trade. Dishonest bosses and $1.25 per day poverty. The war criminal and the war. Sin is larger than you and me.

But, gracefully, redemption too isn't just Christ interceding for my sinful choices. The full expanse of redemption will, yes, see individual sin forever removed, but also will see Japanese and Chinese, Armenian and Turkish, and Hutu and Tutsi living and experiencing God together in perfect harmony. It will see all economic injustice undone. It will see disease banished and death forgotten. The scope of redemption will be larger than you and me.

Restoration will be complete. Not partial. No more insecurity, no more lack, no more struggle. The level of this restoration is truly incomprehensible. I can no more realistically imagine that world than I can imagine a square circle, that is the staggering difference between my current and future reality. Because restoration will be larger than you and me.

And all of this, because God is far, far larger than you and me.

So, while the individual level is good and necessary, don't forget the step back, way back, and gaze upon the big picture.

'No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him'

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit

-1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Verse 23

"But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then,when he comes, those who belong to him."

Those who belong to him.

Belong to him.

What a thought.

In this book Paul is writing to a seriously dysfunctional group of Christ-followers who he at one point tells, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price."

I am not my own?

Really?

This isn't an idea, that I frequently dwell on. It's not comfortable. It's not easy. It carries baggage. In our highly individual centered culture, the idea that anyone else can tell me what I should do, where I should go, or if I'm wrong is taken as a major offense. So how much moreso the claim of belonging to anyone but me, myself, and I.

And, I'm not just talking post-modernism, what about classic American values like "you control your own destiny" and "pull yourself up by your bootstraps." These, too, leave no room for the concept that someone else could possibly make any claim on my self or personhood.

But when you know the experiential meaning of the phrase, what could be more wonderful?

What could be more wonderful than to belong to Jesus. To belong to him who is not just omniscient (so he knows what I need), and not just omnipotent (so he is able to meet those needs), but is omnibenevolent and all love (so he will gladly, lovingly take care of us).

I can trust that, I can trust Him far more than I can trust myself. I would far rather belong to Him than belong to myself. Because the more I get to know myself, the less impressed I am.

Thanks be to God that life can be about falling deeper and deeper into His leading, direction, and identity that we might belong more and more to him.

Verse 22

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."

It ought not be that way.

It will be set right.

This verse tells us that death enters through Adam. Our first ancestors brought all death into the world. This is important to remember. Death isn't a part of life. It's not a force we should honor, respect, or easily accept.

It is an enemy.

It ought not be that way.

God created a world based on immortality, but with sin mortality entered. It's foreign. It's outside. It's enemy.

But . . . it will be set right.

Because, "in Christ all will be made alive." To be made alive again that is a reversal of the first death. To be made alive again is a setting right of the wrong. To be made alive again is the only answer to this world. Not coping, not accepting mortality, not embracing nihilism.

In Christ all will be made alive!

Unlike the "all" connected to Adam however, this "all" is not without exception. The first "all" is clearly stating that all who die, die through the death of Adam. The "all" found within "in Christ all will be made alive" is not inclusive. Rather, from the context of Paul's argument it can only rightly be understood to mean that "all who will be raised will be raised by Christ and by nothing else."

And, only those who are in Christ are those who will be made alive in that way.

So, the question becomes clear. The death of Adam is universal. There's no avoiding it. But, Christ's offer of resurrection is conditional. We need examine ourselves and ask what to do with this.

When it comes down to it, there's only a few important questions in life. Here's the top three.

Is there a God?

What kind of god is this God?

Am I in Christ?

Verse 21

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man."

Where were we?

Death? Resurrection? Wait, weren't we talking about zombies?

Not quite, but I understand the confusion.

I'm back, so let's recap.

Death: An inescapable reality in a world broken by sin. The mortality rate is 100% and more deeply, this word isn't just the physical decay and decomposition all things are subject to, but biblically death is also a spiritual reality for those separated from God.

Resurrection: Not death. A reality in a world where sin has been defeated and done away with. Specifically speaking of the resurrection of one man (Jesus), but also speaking to a future reality for all who are "in Christ", a reality that they will rise from physical death and never experience alienation from God (again, this doesn't mean zombies).

In this verse, Paul is pointing to redemption. And a beautiful symmetry in that redemption.

Man's decision to walk away from God is the negative side of the redemption.

God's action to enter the world as man and set humankind right with God is the positive side of the redemption.

Man is on each side of the equation.

On one side, man's folly. On the other, the faultless man.

On one side, enslaved man. On the other, fully free man.

On one side, man who destroys. On the other, man who creates.

The divergent symmetry is profound.

Man's redemption required a human element, so man is on each side. Yet, the redeemed man, Christ, is far greater than the combined weight of all the sin created by humankind.

Which leads me to a question: Who do I think I am?!

I'm on the left side of this equation. I'm in the folly, weak, destructive category. Yet, for some reason, I think my problems are big!?

Somehow, I think, that the man of the right side, the faultless, free, creating Man cannot handle, redeem, fix, and overcome my issues?

That's foolishness. Of course he can handle them.

Moreso, not only has he promised to work all those things out (Romans 8:28), he's transferred me. I've been moved from the left side to the right side.

From slave to free.

From dead to alive.

From helpless to empowered.

From condemned to adopted son.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" John 5:24

Verse 20

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

I believe I have never used the word "firstfruits" in my entire life. My web browser does not even accept it as a word and wants to spell-check it.

But the meaning is simple enough, the first things to come, literally pertaining to crops, but useful in other ways too.

So why would Paul compare Jesus' resurrection to farm crops?

For comfort and confidence of course.

Not clear?

Well, that makes sense as most of us (but not all, SHOUT OUT to my Iowa family members!) don't daily live aware of our agrarian society. I don't grow food. I buy it. I'm not concerned about the height of the corn or the progress of the apple trees. I just pay for these things and usually don't even notice if the price fluctuates.

But in an agrarian society, people pay attention to all this. It is their livelihood. They need to be aware of it.

And to the original audience of this letter, they would understand all this.

So, what is the significance of the first fruits?

Among many things, a main connotation of the first fruits is that they are a-coming. The first fruits are assured. Seasons change, rain falls, the moon passes through phases, and the first fruits come. Even in a down year, something is going to grow and that first thing to grow is the first fruits.

In the same way, Christ's resurrection is an assured promise to those who have already died in Christ and those who will. It's a-coming.

There's comfort here. There's confidence in this proclamation. It's good news.

Just as the new crops will come, so too will we one day be raised in new glorified bodies free from fallen-ness and weakness and united with Christ.

Verse 19

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

Why would Paul say this?

Because if Christianity is false, he and I are propagating a lie?

Because a lack of an afterlife is depressing and sad?

Because Christ isn't supposed to be our hope for this life?

No.

No.

And no.

For the first option, the logic works, but furthering a lie would not be a reason to be "pitied more than all men". It would be a reason to called a liar and person of low moral character, but not to be pitied.

For the second option, a lack of an afterlife would be bad news for everybody, not just Christ-followers, so it too fails to qualify on the superlative-"all men" level.

For the third, no, that's just blasphemous. Come on now.

I think Paul is getting at something else here. He is telling the Corinthians they should be pitied more than all men because the way they have been called to live their lives.

The Christian life is one of total sacrifice. Paul lived a life of radical sacrifice, physically, mentally, socially, financially. And the fact he uses the plural pronoun, "we", rather than the singular, "I", shows he is expecting such sacrifice out of the Corinthians as well, not just out of those who are Apostles.

They are not to be pitied because there hopes and dreams fell short, they are the be pitied because they are people who gave up everything, who lived their life to serve others, and who humbled themselves for no good reason.

Paul is expecting a life of whole surrender from followers of Christ. A life where nothing is kept back for yourself, where nothing is "mine" but absolutely everything is offered to Christ for his use and his glory.

This life is challenging.

This life is serious.

But it's not risky.

Because Christ was raised, His promises are true, and when I stand before Him I won't regret the things I gave up, I'll only regret that I couldn't give him more.

So let's live like it's true. Let's give Him all.

Verse 18

"Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost."

I want to focus on the word "lost" here. And, I will resist all urges to reference the ABC television series, which could easily inspire a blog series of its own from me. But, let the record show I was right about Ben's potential to act with virtue.

Here the phrase "are lost" is actually a friendlier translation than other versions of the Bible which use words like "have perished" or "are in their graves." Or the direct translation of the Greek, which can mean "to destroy, render useless, put an end to, or kill."

Lost is light and airy comparatively.

But there's a hard truth here. The mortality rate is 100%. People will and do perish, get destroyed, and are rendered useless.

Now, due to Jesus Christ and his life, death, and resurrection there is hope. The passage suggests it, that "those who have fallen asleep in Christ" are not lost because Christ has been raised.

But what about that phrase, "in Christ"?

Biblically, there is no responsible position but to conclude that those who are not in Christ are lost. Without taking part in Christ and trusting in Him and Him alone for salvation, "you are still in your sins" (verse 17), "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and are not just "dead in transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1), but are "by nature objects of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3).

This is bad news.

But . . .

It doesn't have to be.

The greatest conjunction in all of eternity comes after that phrase "objects of wrath."

"Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alice with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved . . . For it is be grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works so that no one can boast" - Ephesians 2:3-5,8-9

That's good news.

Please let it be good news to you. Believe it. Own it. Live it.

Verse 17

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins."

The object of our faith is important. Daily and eternally.

Daily we make hundreds of faith decisions. This evening I placed my faith in my friend John when I let him drive my car. As a leader, I place faith in interns and volunteers dozens of times a day when I ask them to do things. It is important that the objects of my faith are trustworthy.

In the long term, the object of my faith is also important. I am currently preparing to place faith in a bank to loan me a ridiculous sum of money to purchase a home. I have faith that my decision to run will have long term health benefits for me.

Eternally, well, that's the trump card. Even moreso, because of two things that I strongly believe. I know that I am a profoundly flawed and sinful individual. And, I believe that this physical life is not the end of "me".

I am in desperate need of redemption. Of forgiveness. Of reconciliation.

And, all of humankind shares this desperation.

So, the object of my faith is terribly important.

I have placed my faith in Christ. I have placed it in Him and Him alone to be that redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

But, what if I've slightly miscalculated? What if Christ isn't quite the total answer? What if the story of his life, death, and resurrection isn't right? What if Christ died and stayed dead? What then?

Paul makes it clear.

If that Christ (an unresurrected Christ) is the object of my faith, then all is lost. That faith is futile.

Futile. The Greek word means, "devoid of force, truth, success, or result" or "useless and of no purpose."

There's no gray area here. If Christ is not raised, there is no forgiveness of sin, no power to save us, life is useless and of no purpose.

Thanks be to God the Resurrection is real. That's good news.

Verse 16

"For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either."

I want to focus on one of the implied truths in this verse today. In discussing the fact that Christ has been raised, this verse implies that Christ died. This is a huge idea. This is an idea we should have trouble wrapping our minds around.

And Paul is aware of this, in chapter 1 he repeatedly refers to his message as "foolishness." The story of the Gospel is wild. It's firmly in the "you can't make this stuff up" category.

First of all, the Gospel story starts with a God that loves people who have consistently, almost obsessively turned away from him. Second, the way the story plays itself out is through God being born as a human baby, God living among people in a specific town with no special treatment or honor or reverence, and God being killed in the most shameful way that was reserved for the lowest of the low.

To believe a story like this really is foolish.

And this was a prevailing opinion in many circles.

Pictured here is an inscription known as the Alexamenos graffito. It is basically ancient graffiti. It was found carved into the wall of a building excavated just outside Rome and scholars generally place it between the late 1st to early 3rd century AD.

The picture depicts a man's body with a donkey's head being crucified while a human figure looks on in reverence. The text below reads, "Alexamenos worships his God." The meaning is vastly agreed to be disparaging towards a specific Christian believer named Alexamenos.

The idea that someone's God of choice would be a man who was killed in the method reserved for lowly criminals and really the idea that his God could be killed at all was a point of mockery for the artist.

Paul knew this is how many would view the Gospel. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are bring saved it is the power of God." (1:18)

On its surface, a religion that worships a God who died (whether or not He rose again) seems to be tearing down the ground on which it stands.

But from the far side of the cross, this message truly is the power of God. The fact that God, the one true God, would come as a man, to substitutionarily take the place of bent, crooked, sinful mankind and pay their price on their behalf, resulting in physical death, is the power of God.

It is the power of a God who's "foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom" (1:25). It is the power of a God who knew this was the only way to rescue humankind and bring them back into a right relationship with Him.

It is a reminder that our "faith does not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

Praise him for that!

Disclaimer: This is not to be seen as an esoteric, "you have to experience it" argument. Nor is it meant to be a challenge to the value of human reasoning and knowledge. However, it is reality that the claims of Christianity come down to this: It's not an argument between people, the parties are not of equal standing, Man's reasoning and God's reasoning are the parties. And whether or not we choose to believe this God to exist, everyone has to and should wrestle with the questions of "Is this true?" and "If it is true, what does it mean?" From personal experience, I spend far too much time using my human capabilities and not near enough asking, "What has the God of the Universe spoken on this issue?"

Something to think about . . .

Verse 15

"More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised."

First, I quick reminder, don't be thinking zombies. The Christian doctrine of "Resurrection" is not a claim that the dead will slowly lurch out of their graves and march towards heaven is various states of decomposition. Resurrection is a restoration, a rising to a new body, that is free from any earthly defect or limitation and rising into a perfect unhindered relationship with Christ. No zombies.

As for this verse, while verse 14 I discussed how denying the resurrection can make Christ into a liar. In verse 15, Paul is defending himself against the claim that he is a liar.

Paul doesn't want to be accused of lying. He especially does not want to be accused of lying about God.

The things we preach, declare, proclaim, and speak about God are some of the most important things about us.

And it is essential that we get them right.

I don't want to be a liar (or to be accused of it). So, I regularly have to ask myself the question, "Is what I preach true?"

And the attached question, "Is what I believe true?"

We can't afford to be wrong with what we teach and believe.

So, go ahead. Ask the questions. Answer them. And live like it.

Verse 14

"And if Christ is not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

Yesterday on a five minute car ride I heard the following question asked on the radio, "Do I have to believe in the resurrection to be a Christian?"

It was good timing. The answer, too, was good.

The speaker responded, "You can be a Christian and not understand the resurrection, but no, you cannot be a Christian and deny the resurrection."

His reasoning was simple, Christ predicted and promised that he would die and rise three days later, so there is no room to claim he did not. To do so makes Christ a liar, thereby undercutting his moral authority, his integrity, and any reason to believe any of his other claims (Not to add, the implications for our eternities if Christ couldn't conquer death).

This reminds me of brilliant argument put forth by C.S. Lewis (who may be my all time favorite author in both fiction and non-fiction) popularly known as the Trilemma.

It is stated as so,

I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying a really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." This is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic--on a level with the man who says that he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any partonising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

If the resurrection isn't true, Jesus is either liar or lunatic, but if it is true, there is no option but to declare him Lord.

Lord over life. Lord over death. Lord of this world and Lord over the world to come.

That's good news.

Verse 13

"If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised."

Basics. People live. People die.

But that's not the end.

That doesn't mean people go into the clouds or have wings or float forever as spirits.

What the Bible teaches is resurrection. That people have eternities, but that eternity is in a body not in a white gown with a halo.

And Paul is getting into that idea here. Christ was resurrected into a physical body (without wings) and so too will believers. The resurrection is a real event both in the past (of Christ) and the future (of Christ's followers).

The more we understand that which is to come, the more we will live this life with right priorities and mindsets.

So let's pursue it.

Verse 12

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?"

The next several posts will all be about this concept of resurrection.

Resurrection in the past. And more importantly, in the future.

But I'll go a different direction with it before we dive into the raising-from-the-dead stuff next week.

The context here is helpful. From what we can piece together (remember, this letter is part of a larger conversation but we are only reading Paul's half of it, so it is kinda like hearing one end of a telephone call), it seems there have been other teachings preached in Corinth. In particular, on the issue of resurrection with some claiming that it was not possible.

We are given some hint at the motives for this argument, generally I'd say those making this argument were trying to rescue Jesus from himself.

This claim of resurrection was a bit too far. It clashed with reason a little too much . . . after all who had ever heard of the dead coming back to life. By experience the mortality rate had not flinched from 100%. People just simply didn't come back from the dead. It was that simple.

So to claim that they can and do, well, it's a little embarrassing. So, these preachers were "cleaning it up a bit."

And I think we do it sometimes to: we seek to rescue Jesus from himself.

It can be for a number of reasons. Some of them are even legitimate, but most aren't.

If I flee any discussion of the concept of Hell because it makes me uncomfortable or I don't want to offend anyone, I am acting out of pride and fear, not reason or kindness or love.

If I water down the definition of grace to allow that near-convert a slight feeling of accomplishment, I don't help them, I hurt them.

(Here's my biggest one) If I boldly can quote the first 10 words of a verse, then mumble through the antiquated sounding next 6 words, then raise my voice for the last 6 words, I'm being dishonest.

The fact of the matter is I didn't write the Bible. It's not my book. And if I had written it, it would be different. But it's not my book. It's His. And if he's truly my Lord, I'm going to act like its true and proclaim what it says.

Fact of the mater is, Jesus doesn't need me (or anyone) to rescue him. Come on, he conquered death after all!

Disclaimer: This doesn't mean we turn off our brains or mindlessly accept things, not at all. I have repeatedly found the pattern in my life to be: Trust God . . . things make sense and resolve well. Trust Marc . . . things swirl into confusion and chaos ensues.

Verse 11

"Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."

As Paul closes out the opening section of the chapter (more accurately, of his line of thought), he returns to the message he preached and the message the Corinthians believed: the Gospel.

In particular, Paul's credibility had come under fire in Corinth and the church there was filled with infighting about teaching, doctrine, and leaders, so Paul addresses the question of teachers, in part, here. He doesn't care who preaches the message, he doesn't care if the Corinthians give him his due respect. The message is too important to get caught up in all that.

So he says, "whether, then, it was I or they" . . . the messenger isn't of any consequence, but "what we preach" and "what you believed", that is of huge importance!

Paul lays aside his pride, his position, and his role because the message is the most important thing.

It seems simple, but I don't think it is.

How do you respond when your authority is challenged? By your toddler? Or your teenager?

When someone passes you over? At work? Or on the highway?

Generally, I don't take it so well. But, for Paul the message is more important. And wherever he went he carried the message of Christ, that Jesus came, lived a perfect life that we could not live, and died a death to pay a price we could not pay to bring us to God.

And the message is more important.

Verse 10

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

Grace is the most beautiful word in the English language. And when translated, in those languages too. It’s even beautiful in German.

And in this verse, God’s grace to Paul is at the forefront, in the middle, and at the end. Grace through and through.

Grace is a much misunderstood term. Paul is not claiming that God has helped him to become a more skilled dancer, but rather, he’s using a different definition of the word grace.

Grace as a free gift. Grace as unmerited good will and favor. Grace as not getting the bad things that you deserve and then further being given something positive that you had not earned.

Grace as the opposite of karma.

Karma says you get what you deserve. Bad things happen (or will happen) to bad people. Good things happen (or will happen) to good people.

Grace says no to this system.

And that’s fantastic news.

Because, can any of us, honestly, truly look at your own heart, examine your true motives, and monitor your own judgments, impressions, and thoughts and claim to be in the “good person” category?

I can’t.

I think I used to put myself there, but I was naïve and dumb. I didn’t really examine my heart and maybe I was using the wrong comparison.

Am I good compared to Hitler? Absolutely. Pol Pot? Yeah.

But, what about other comparisons? In my life context, I know a lot of people that have been to jail. A lot.

And honestly, I cannot tell you with any confidence that I’m a better person than most of them. In similar circumstances, with similar backgrounds, and if pride was just as arrestable as drug possession, I would have been locked up a thousand times over.

Further, the determination of my moral value, is not comparison to authoriatarian dictators or other people, but comparison to the perfect holiness of God. And I know I do not live up to those standards. Not at all.

I’m not a good person.

And that’s why it is great news that grace not karma at work in the Universe.

God’s grace was big enough to redeem and wash clean Paul, who sought to murder, harass, and make lives miserable.

Paul didn’t get what he deserved.

And Paul didn’t fix himself. God rescued him from himself. God brought him into a place of relationship with God. God gave Paul’s life a purpose. And, God’s grace worked in and through Paul to make him an effective worker for the sake of the Gospel.

It is only by the grace of God that any follower of Christ can claim to be anything.

And that’s good news.

Verse 9

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."

I can't do this verse justice. If you didn't catch it on Friday, I suggest you read the context for what Paul is talking about here in Acts 9:1-19.

Click it!

I'm going to assume you did and this is what you found, a man named Saul (we'll know him as Paul later) is not a fan of these followers of Yahweh called The Way. He's overseen the murder of one of their members (Acts 7), he's chased them all around Jerusalem, and now he's taking his work on the road to going to Damascus to go after the Christ-followers there.

But, as he approaches the city, a bright light knocks him to the ground and before the day is over Paul is one of these Christ-followers and not just that, but he has been divinely appointed to be God's "chosen instrument."

This is evidence the Bible is not a collection of predictable, made up stories. Because no one would predict this story.

This story goes beyond our expectations. It goes beyond human expectations. And, rightly so, because people aren't the writers of this story, God is writing this story. And it shows the character of God.

He's not a God who acts in a predictable, scientifically-repeatable manner. He's not a God who manages a meritocracy, where people get what they have earned. He's not a God, who decides who he can or cannot use on our qualifications.

But, instead, he is a God who loves the terrorist (this is basically what Paul was). He is a God who comes down to rescue those who absolutely deserve punishment. He is a God who changes lives.

Paul's life changed that day.

Paul went from the chief persecutor of the church to the chief proponent of the church. Paul went from a man who would travel far and wide to imprison Christians to a man who would travel thousands of miles to release people from sin and death through the message of the risen Christ. On the micro scale, that day, Paul himself crossed over from life to death, from unknown to God to adopted son, and from vile murderer to perfectly, righteous saint.

This is the hope we have in a God who changes lives.

You are never too far gone.

You are never too deep in trouble.

You will never exhaust God's love, grace, or pursuit.

The God who rescues his own enemies in the same business today.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

Verse 8

"and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

The next few verses can be drawn from and recount one of the most unlikely stories in all of history. The narrative can be found in Acts 9 and you should go read it. It is a story on par with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad making a drastic change and becoming the U.S. Secretary of State or a former Imperial Wizard of the KKK being elected President of the NAACP. It's a crazy story.

But more on the specifics later. Today, I want to touch on verse eight in particular. Here Paul is wrapping up his list of people that were witnesses to Christ's resurrection and he ends it off quite powerfully, by adding his own personal testimony.

Not only was Christ's resurrection witnessed by Peter and James and the rest of the apostles and 500 others, but Paul himself also claims to be a direct witness.

The witness of personal experience is powerful. While we can argue philosophies and ideas all day long, stories are inarguable.

They can be disbelieved. They can be deemed unlikely. But they can't be disproved in the same way a 4 sided triangle, a victorious Cubs' roster, the concept of ineffability, and other logical impossibilities can be disproved.

So, here in this personal letter, to specific people, Paul is offering a reminder of his own testimony, a reminder of his story.

A story with bold claims like, "I was like that, now I'm like this" and "Even though I am like one abnormally born, he still came for me."

More on Paul's story on Monday. What's your story?

Verse 7

"Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles"

I considered trying to breakdown which "James" this verse is referring to as their are two prominent New Testament Jameses. Then I thought about just talking about each of them briefly biographically because they are both pretty awesome.

But instead, this:

The resurrected Jesus is appearing to people. This is incredible. The living God, now fully-known as who He is to His followers, coming to them and showing himself to them.

What would you do if you were numbered among these followers and he came to you?

How would you react?

What would you say?

Exciting! If you know him, you'll get to one day. And it can start now, because He has made a dwelling within you, his temple is now in the hearts of his adoptees.

You can start now.