Jesus: Proof of the Power of the Passion

This week's Sabbath School lesson subject is The Power of His Resurrection (Lesson 11).

The big question of the week is, "Why does Jesus' resurrection matter?" The Study Guide asks the same question on Monday, "What is so important about the Resurrection to our faith?" The Study Guide makes the statement on Sunday, "It [the Resurrection] is the central doctrine of the Christian faith." Do you agree with it? Do I? If we do, then do we truly believe it and live it? Monday's lesson contains a quote by Alan Richardson from A Dictionary of Christian Theology, "All other Christian doctrines are dependent upon the proclamation of the resurrection..."

(An aside: I think that Seventh-day Adventists are considerably handicapped when it comes to the resurrection because of our historical/traditional aversion to anything that remotely touches Sunday. I think we need to get past the unreasonable fear of Sunday because I believe this fear limits our proclamation of the full gospel message.)

I think there are other ways of approaching the question, "Why does Jesus' resurrection matter?"

For instance, we might ask, "If Jesus wasn't resurrected, does His life and death make any difference to the world and to you?" Or we could ask, "If there is no substantial evidence and hope for a future resurrection, would you live your life any differently?"

In many ways, if Jesus was not resurrected -- if He is not alive today -- then Christianity wouldn't be much different from any of the other religions and philosophies that teach people to do good and live a life that contributes a net positive to the world. In that case, we are on our own. We may have substantial evidence of some divine being's love and compassion upon us, but we would be left with this being succumbing to the even stronger power of death. Ultimately, if we want to do any good, if we want to be remembered beyond our short lives, if we want to leave the world a better place, if we want to leave a legacy -- we have to do whatever it takes using our own efforts to accomplish that. Because without the resurrection, this world really is all there is.

It's really a pretty hopeless picture. The environment is deteriorating rapidly. Violence, crime, and chaos of all sorts are on the rise. Peace and security are found less and less. It seems that the world is beyond fixing. Even if a significant number of individuals come together to work towards a vision and goal of improving the world, it seems that would only serve to slow down the inevitable collapse and implosion of the world.

My response to, "Why does the resurrection matter?" is that I believe that the resurrection is the proof of the power of the passion of Jesus. The resurrection is proof that love is the greatest power in the universe. God's love cannot die. God's love brings life. God's love transforms. God's love offers new motivations for living.

Whereas people might live good, moral, upstanding, positive, contributing lives without God and without the resurrection; I believe that it would be essentially for selfish reasons. I think that the motivations generally will come down to self-preservation and self-perpetuation -- perhaps not the individual, but for the human race as a group.

But for the Christian who believe in a risen Christ, the motivation for living a good, moral, upstanding, positive, contributing life is because all of life and all that he or she touches is to bring honor and glory to God -- to make every part of life a means of revealing God's love of the world, to the world. Leaving a legacy, forestalling the collapse of the world, and other such motivations become secondary.

Christians try to leave a positive legacy so that those who follow can be encouraged in their journey with God. Christians try to leave the world a better place because that is how we believe we show God's love and care for the world. Christians care for one another, not for quid pro quo, but because the resurrection is proof and promise of an infinite abundance in supplying all our needs for eternity.

The cross of Christ was the exhibit of the depth of God's love and the power of sin. The resurrection is proof of God's love and His victory over sin and even death.