Assurance in Believing
Then the other disciple, [John] who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. - John 20:8-9
Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians proclaim the hope of the Gospel message: “He is risen!” We celebrate the victory of the cross! Death and sin have been defeated (I Corinthians 15:54-56). Yet, many people wrestle with unbelief or doubt in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul made a clear defense for the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19:
Andif Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
He continued: … If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”(1 Corinthians 15:32). This is exactly the worldly philosophy of the world today. If there is no hope for life after death; we may as well live a life satisfying our fleshly desires.
Notice, ‘John the beloved’, believed when he saw the empty tomb but Thomas doubted when he heard. Jesus then appeared to Thomas and urged him to touch His scars from His crucifixion. Then He said to him:Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27). We may not be able to touch Jesus’ scars but we can handle the Scriptures for the needed assurance of the resurrection. Understand, your eternal destiny depends on your decision to believe or not to believe in the resurrection.
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
~John 20:31~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!