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1 Corinthians 15:19-20

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The resurrection is the center of Christian teaching. It’s the foundation on which our faith is built. It is the glue that holds our faith together. Jesus died for our sins; He was buried and on the third day He was raised to life. Then, as proof, He appeared – alive! – to Peter, the Twelve, a group of five hundred people, James, all the apostles and last of all to Paul. But the resurrection is more than a powerful doctrine or an Easter sermon. There are times in our lives when it gets very personal.

Gary Habermas is a noted theologian. He has written extensively about the proof of the resurrection. But the truth became very real to him when his wife, Debbie, passed away in 1995. Habermas explained how the resurrection became personal for him in an interview with Lee Strobel.

“Losing my wife was the most painful experience I’ve ever had to face, but if the Resurrection could get me through that, it can get me through anything.”

 Habermas locked eyes with mine. “That’s not some sermon,” he said quietly. “I believe that with all my heart. If there’s a Resurrection, there’s a heaven. If Jesus was raised, Debbie was raised. And I will be someday, too.”

 “Then I’ll see them both” (The Case for Christ, Zondervan, 1998, p. 242).

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to die for my sins. And thank You for Your glorious resurrection from the dead! Thank You that my hope is not only in You during this short lifetime but also through all eternity. In Your name. Amen.

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