Acting in relation to Faith

Scripture Verse that Caught my attention today: 1 Corinthians 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Observation: For the Apostle Paul, Christ’s death and resurrection were more important than anything else. For him that’s how everything related to faith comes together.

Application: People who claim and/or are grasped by the Christian faith differ on many things—style of worship, interpretation of Scriptures, acceptable behavior, doctrinal matters, etc. Occasionally the Apostle Paul entered into the debate on such matters too. But at the heart of it all is the gripping story of the God/man Christ who both died and was raised again.

For Paul, this story of the death and resurrection of Jesus is so central to faith that, in his view, without it there is really no reason for faith at all. “Futile” is the word he uses.

This is an interesting perspective for Paul in particular because he was once a practicing Jew on the fast-track to positions of influence. Now he essentially says that the faith he once had was really no faith at all; everything of lasting importance hinges on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without that story humanity is still (I might use the word “stuck”) in sin.

With the story, however, each day is a new day.

There will likely be challenges to face of course, ranging from global issues to finding a way to get along with a co-worker or even a family member. But hope can no longer be lost. Indeed, never again.

Prayer: Lord, let us not forget that you accomplished something of lasting value through your death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead. And let us face the life we now live in such a way as to demonstrate that we believe it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Psalm 149, 1 Corinthians 15-16)