"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures..."
1st Corinthians 15:3-4
The central theme of Christianity is the resurrection of the dead. Only Christianity can promise it because only Christ has the power to deliver it.
When Adam rebelled against God and brought sin into the world, it brought in the death principle. Death entered the world and took over all life, even plant and animal life. The death principle is behind all disease as life spirals downward, not upward as evolutionists teach - and that illustrates the great deception in the "theory" of evolution. It is genetically obvious that things deteriorate, they don't evolve. Genes mutate under the death principle, and that brings disease, and disease, and more disease, and innumerable afflictions.
Evolution is a lie. The very motive behind the lie of evolution is to prevent man from realizing that death is the result of sin and the only solution is Jesus Christ. Satan HATES that, and he is behind every deception leading people away from faith in Christ. In Christ alone is the hope of mankind.
vs 14:
"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain
and your faith is also in vain."
Jesus Christ came into the world to reverse the corruption that came upon it through sin and the death principle. At the appointed time, Jesus will return to the earth and put an end to Satan, his kingdom, and his agenda. For those in Christ all the effects of sin and death will be reversed when Christ comes. They will enjoy heaven for all eternity. This is the Gospel.
vs 19:
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men the most pitiable."
Those who walk through life just trying to be good and to do good works thinking that's what the story is all about, have really missed it. The Gospel is the greatest love story ever written, the love of God for fallen man stuck in his sins and helpless because he lives in a fallen human nature prone to sin. That God would care, that he would go to such lengths to redeem man, is love beyond anything the world has ever known. He could have wiped us out and would have been justified in doing so. But no, instead he came and sacrificed himself for each one who would receive him.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that God doesn't love you. Don't let Satan accuse God to you as a merciless tyrant who let this, that, or the other terrible thing happen to you. KNOW that that is one of Satan's main methods of turning people away from God, lying to them about God. No, it is not God who caused your pain, it is Satan who seeks to steal from you, to destroy you, to kill you if possible, mainly by turning you against your only hope - the Lord your Creator.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...."
John 10:10
"BUT," Jesus said...
"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
Why then does God allow suffering? Because he has not yet reversed the sin-death principle, he has not yet destroyed Satan's agenda, and he has not yet destroyed Satan's kingdom. Those things are set for a predetermined time, and be assured, they will happen. For now, God is demonstrating a story so that the great truths of his Word will be not only told us but demonstrated for the sake of all who will live in the ages to come. In the meantime, let us rejoice who have found shelter in him, and who have come to know the hope and peace and joy that only can be found in a daily walk with him.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation,
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
"A righteous man hates lying, but a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame." Proverbs 13:5 When a person is born again, his nature is changed and that becomes obvious to all. He suddenly loves God and is filled with love for the things of God. He has come to love what God loves, and hate what God hates. And among the things God hates is lying. Throughout his Word God repeats again and again his hatred for lying. "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him: a proud look, a lying tongue..." Proverbs 6:16-17 "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are his delight." Proverbs 12:22 Why is that so? Well one reason is that lying is the very character of the enemy of our souls. Jesus said of Satan: "When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar AND THE FATHER OF IT." John 8:44 The FATHER ...of lies. So when one lies, he can be sure that it is prompted by Satan himself. He puts himself in league with Satan. Because the liar is under the influence of Satan, the ramifications are severe: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all LIARS shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 That doesn't mean that every person who has lied is going to hell, because everyone has lied. What it means is that the person whose nature is to lie - is of the devil and you can't walk with Satan your whole life and then think that you'll go with Jesus when you die. The nature of Jesus is truth: “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.'" John 14:6 Truth is the nature of God. He who is born again will love truth by nature. His nature has been changed, and he is drawn to truth because that is the nature of God. "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." John 18:37 This is not to be taken lightly, because God does not take it lightly. If you see in yourself that there isn't a love for truth, it might be a good idea to go to the Lord and ask if you really have been born again. Not being drawn to truth might be an indication to you that though you might be religious, your nature hasn't been changed and truth is a dispensable commodity to you, a good thing to have maybe, but not crucial. The point is that the nature of God is truth and the nature of Satan is lies, therefore look at your nature and see which one best describes you. What Does Born Again Mean?
"For the enemy has persecuted my soul,
he has crushed my life to the ground,
he has made me dwell in darkness,
like those who have long been dead.
Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
my heart within me is distressed."
Psalm 143:3-4
Every believer is going to walk through times so painful that it will cause him to stagger. He feels absolutely crushed, and it seems like all is darkness around him. He is overwhelmed.
Why is this so?
Well, for two reasons. First, Satan does all he can to destroy the believer, and he very nearly succeeds; do not underestimate him. The believer can be brought down to where he is totally helpless, and he's shocked, having never expected this. He staggers under the weight of the emotion that engulfs him, whether it be through loss, rejection, death of a loved one, illness, loss of his/her job with no other recourse, the unexpected turn-around against him of someone in the family or someone he thought was a close friend. The stories are endless but the bottom line is that every believer will pass through a time when the rug has been pulled out from under him and he is left reeling. Because the enemy causes it. To destroy the believer.
The second reason is that there are things we need to learn that we can learn only through suffering. Suffering changes everything. It sobers one up. The lessons learned through suffering are deep and profound, and the believer will never be the same afterwards.
When I was new in the Lord, I told him that "I want it all, Lord," I wanted to grow as close to him as one can be close to God. I realized that this passage through this lifetime is boot camp, a preparation, and I trusted the Lord to the degree that I wanted anything and everything that would conform me to his image. At that time I had no idea how much pain would be involved in the answer to that prayer.
As it turned out, I journeyed through every one of the things listed above, every single one of them, one at a time. Had I known how painful it was going to be, I wonder whether I would have prayed that prayer. But ...it brings me to the bottom line and that is that I wanted all that is needed to mature me to the greatest level I could attain to, because we only get one passage through this life, and then it's eternity. I was willing to invest all, for the sake of eternity. And now, years later, I know I'd do it again, for the treasure gained is incomparable, indescribable, and it is eternal.
So how does one walk in times of great suffering? One thing that helps greatly is to bring back to mind all that the Lord has done in one's life in the past. We go on day by day, and we seldom stop and remember the great stories in our lives, and how the Lord made all the difference in our world. It's a time to think back. For those who keep a journal, it's a time to go back and refresh your mind on the stories you might have forgotten if you had not written them down. Rereading what the Lord did in those stories will refresh one's awareness that we never, EVER, walk through the stories of our lives alone.
vs 5-6:
"I remember the days of old,
I meditate on all your works;
I muse on the work of your hands.
I spread out my hands to you,
my soul longs for you like a thirsty land."
When we're in a time of great learning, we are to pray that the Lord lead in every aspect of what we're going through. He is our source, sometimes our ONLY source. It becomes very clear that it matters not what anyone says, only what HE says. The counsel of friends is unsure, but HE is sure. It strengthens our faith, and solidifies the knowledge that this story is between him and me, and only between him and me. The only role friends may play is in the sympathy they offer, but that is moot compared to the knowledge that this is between me and my God alone. It has to be this way. All others will fall short, only he has the knowledge of all that has made up our lives, only he has the perspective and understanding of the goal this story is leading to. He is the ONLY one who can bring us through to the desired end.
vs 8:
"Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
for I lift up my soul to you."
Later, when the story is complete and we are returned to some semblance of peace, we look back and see what the Lord accomplished even though he seemed so absent at the time. He never was absent, but when darkness overwhelms us it SEEMS that he is absent. When he does not speedily solve the problem, it SEEMS that he is absent. When the time through suffering is long, it SEEMS that he is absent. But later we will come to see that he was very, very present, and we rejoice in the changes that our passage through suffering brought about in us and in our lives.
vs 10:
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Your Spirit is good, lead me in the land of uprightness."
Yes, teach me Lord. Teach me all I can know about you. Teach me, because truly you and you alone are my God. You are everything to me and I surrender all to you because I have learned to trust you, and you alone ... and gladly so.