“He Rebuked Their Unbelief and Hardness of Heart” #2180

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:14–16, NKJV)

Eyewitnesses told the apostles they had seen the Lord; Jesus was alive from the dead. He appeared to Mary Magdalene, but they did not believe (Mk. 16:9-11; Matt. 28:9-10). Peter and John saw the empty tomb but did not understand (Jno. 20:1-10). Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, but the apostles also refused their report (Mk. 16:12-13). Jesus did appear to His apostles, but He scolded them for their unbelief and hard hearts that prevented their faith (v. 14). Jesus commissioned the apostles to preach this good news to the world (v. 15). Jesus saved those who believed the gospel and were baptized (v. 16). He still does. But unbelievers remained lost in their sin, even to this day. No one living now has seen the resurrected Christ. We are dependent on the eyewitness reports of those who saw Him and interacted with Him after His resurrection to form the basis of our belief and obedience. Will you believe the apostles’ testimony that Jesus died, was buried and rose the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-5)? Or will you languish in unbelief? Will you soften your heart and be baptized to be saved? Or harden yourself against the Lord’s command to be baptized to be saved? Will the Lord rebuke your unbelief or bless you with salvation because you believe the apostles’ testimony and obey the Lord’s will (Jno. 20:29; 1 Pet. 1:8-9; 2 Thess. 1:10)?

God Raises the Dead #1949

“Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8, NKJV)

Paul posed this challenging question to Herod Agrippa II during his defense before the king (Acts 26:1-29). It is a question that still drives to the heart of faith or faithlessness of each person (the word translated “incredible” means “without faith”). Either God has the power to raise the dead, or He does not. The God who created life and sustains life has the power to resurrect life from the dead. That was Paul’s premise. Paul was imprisoned and under the threat of death from the Jewish rulers for preaching the resurrection of Jesus (through which God fulfilled His promise to the Jewish fathers, Acts 26:6-7). The evidence of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead includes 1) The empty tomb (Lk. 24:1-3), 2) Eyewitness accounts of resurrection appearances of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:4-8), 3) The bribes and lies of the enemies of Jesus (Matt. 28:11-15), and 4) The Old Testament resurrection prophecies and their fulfillment (Lk. 24:44-48; Acts 2:24-31). It is not faithless to believe God raises the dead. He raised Jesus. One day, He will raise all of us, too (1 Cor. 15:20-23). The faithful will be raised to eternal life, and the faithless will be raised to eternal condemnation (Jno. 5:28-29; Acts 24:15). This is our incentive to believe in Jesus, who is “the resurrection and the life” (Jno. 11:25-27).

If The Dead Do Not Rise #1702

30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Corinthians 15:30–32, NKJV)

Our hope in Christ transcends this life. His empty tomb forever declares Him to be the Son of God with power over death, assuring us that we will be raised by His power in the last day (Rom. 1:4; John 5:28-29). Lives lived without hope in Christ are pitiable. There would be absolutely no reason to suffer deprivation or sacrifice one’s safety for the sake of Christ if the dead are not raised. What a pitiful existence that would be (1 Cor. 15:19-20)! The hedonistic culture of Corinth indulged the desires of the flesh because, after all (as the unbelievers reasoned), “tomorrow we die.” Indeed, that philosophy would be appealing “if the dead do not rise” (v. 32). But, such a view of life cannot and will not satisfy the soul (Matt. 16:26; Psa. 42:1). Our longing for meaning in life is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jno. 14:6). So, be strengthened in your faith and do not give in to fleshly allurements. Neither yield to false doctrines that deny the resurrection of the dead. Jesus was raised, and we shall be, too. Suffer every danger and sacrifice every comfort necessary to gain Christ, and attain to the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:7-11).