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In our passage today, Paul was writing to people who were confused about the resurrection... They couldn't make sense of it -- they wanted it to make sense, they needed it to be logical and needed to rationalize it. They need hard proof. If this sounds like you, keep reading.
The Bible is full of events and happenings that, by their very nature, can't be explained by logic, science or natural means. Our God is a supernatural God. It will never make complete sense -- hence faith.
And when we start talking about a man who was also God who was killed but came back to life and promised that anyone who believes in him will also be resurrected, given eternal life; let's face it, to most of the world that is just plain weird, and it raises questions.
To the people in Corinth Paul said, if you don't believe me go ask them -- go ask Cephas, Peter or the 12 or the 500 other people Jesus appeared to. Paul is essentially giving them a list of people they can go ask if the resurrection is true. Paul is saying go ask what they saw, go ask what Jesus did in their lives, go ask, and they will tell it, that it is true.
And to the people who don't believe in the resurrection in our day, there are 66 percent of Americans who believe in the resurrection -- that is a lot of people who could be added to this list who could testify to the work of Jesus in their lives. Go ask for yourselves.
If Jesus didn't come back from the dead, that means that the apostles were all liars, all the people who Jesus went to were part of the most elaborate conspiracy in history. Every single person had to be in on the hoax. It also means that all Christians in our world today are wrong.
So, to the people who don't believe, I say it is not a sham, it is not a hoax, but we are all living testimonies that Jesus is alive and active. I know what His love feels like.
I know His peace, His forgiveness and His grace. I know what it means to be a new creation -- because of Easter, because of the resurrection, all people have the option to know... and if you're waiting for it to make complete sense, you will be waiting forever. It just takes a little faith in a big God.
So, our option is to believe, and experience it for yourself. Christ has been raised from the dead; He is risen... He is risen indeed.
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Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week's column comes from Captain Kendall Stout of The Salvation Army Church, Lock Haven.