Saturday, September 10, 2022

September 10, 2022

Acts 26: 8 (NIV)
“Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?”
If Christ did not raise from the dead a lie has done more to civilize our world than all the truth of history.*
Paul probably meant this as a rhetorical question when he addressed it to King Agrippa at his own defense. He didn’t pause for an answer; instead, he kept talking. But we can stop right now and ask it ourselves: Why should anyone consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

The first step in believing that God can raise the dead is to believe in God. Until that foundation has been laid, the discussion can go no further. Next step: believe in the God of the Bible. Many people claim to believe in God – or in a “higher power” – but to add to or take away from his attributes is to create a false god. When we design our own god, we can believe anything we want to about him but we can’t make him act on our behalf.

A god who is not God cannot generate life nor regenerate it. If someone considers it incredible – as in, unbelievable – that God raises the dead – he needs to meet God. Not “the man upstairs” who watches us benevolently while not really involving himself in our lives. He is God the creator, sustainer, and reanimator of life. Why should anyone find that hard to believe?
No other . . . creation of God rejects him . . . and denies his  . . . existence. . . . Yet God continues to love us passionately and to remain deeply involved in our lives.*

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