Paul said, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Yea and we are found to be false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if that be so then the dead do not rise. For if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised and if Christ is not raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. Then those that have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" 1 Corinthians 15:14-18.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of Christianity. You can believe that works save and you can believe in predestination, but if you do not believe that God raised Jesus from the dead you are lost.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? Simply because when Jesus died on the cross we died with him. We have been crucified with Christ, not only us that are Christians, but all of humanity was crucified with Christ. God put to death the whole sinful Adamic race in Jesus Christ, Romans 6:6. This is how God defeated sin, death and the devil, Colossians 2:15.
When Jesus walked out of Josephs new tomb our new humanity walked out with him. This is why Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation: old things have passes away; behold all things have become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
God and his Son Jesus Christ like new things. They were not interested in trying to re-habilitate the old sinful Adam which is religion, instead they put him to death and brought forth a new humanity in Jesus Christ. All things will be new. A new heaven, a new earth, a new kingdom.
Religion, especially the Catholic religion, believe that by the works of the law the old sinful Adam can be re-habilitated and can be made acceptable to God. If that were true Jesus lived and died in vain. This is why the Catholic church does not have a Gospel. They are busy, busy, busy trying to re-habilitate the old Adam.
If Jesus has not been risen from the dead all is lost. predestination is not going to save you. If Jesus has not been risen then you have been predestinated to death. If Jesus has not risen then your good works are not going to save you. There is no salvation in a dead and buried Christ.
We who believe are not only risen with Christ, we are in heaven with Christ at the right hand of God, "And has raised us up together and has made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:6. We don't need to be predestinated. We don't need to be re-habilitated. All that we need is Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of Christianity. You can believe that works save and you can believe in predestination, but if you do not believe that God raised Jesus from the dead you are lost.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? Simply because when Jesus died on the cross we died with him. We have been crucified with Christ, not only us that are Christians, but all of humanity was crucified with Christ. God put to death the whole sinful Adamic race in Jesus Christ, Romans 6:6. This is how God defeated sin, death and the devil, Colossians 2:15.
When Jesus walked out of Josephs new tomb our new humanity walked out with him. This is why Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation: old things have passes away; behold all things have become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
God and his Son Jesus Christ like new things. They were not interested in trying to re-habilitate the old sinful Adam which is religion, instead they put him to death and brought forth a new humanity in Jesus Christ. All things will be new. A new heaven, a new earth, a new kingdom.
Religion, especially the Catholic religion, believe that by the works of the law the old sinful Adam can be re-habilitated and can be made acceptable to God. If that were true Jesus lived and died in vain. This is why the Catholic church does not have a Gospel. They are busy, busy, busy trying to re-habilitate the old Adam.
If Jesus has not been risen from the dead all is lost. predestination is not going to save you. If Jesus has not been risen then you have been predestinated to death. If Jesus has not risen then your good works are not going to save you. There is no salvation in a dead and buried Christ.
We who believe are not only risen with Christ, we are in heaven with Christ at the right hand of God, "And has raised us up together and has made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:6. We don't need to be predestinated. We don't need to be re-habilitated. All that we need is Jesus Christ.
