#335 If Jesus Did Not Rise

Program #335 “If Jesus Did Not Rise” – 4/1/2018 – Synopsis

In view of the celebration of the resurrection, this week’s program looks at Paul’s
Reductio Ad Absurdum argument in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul challenges the doubters to follow their unbelief to its logical conclusion. If Christ did not rise, then we do not rise; if we do not rise, then vanity of vanity – all is vanity.

In John Lennon’s song
Imagine he sang, “Imagine there is no heaven . . . nothing to kill or die for and no religion too.” Did Lennon ever consider the logical end of his dream? If there is nothing to die for, then there is nothing to live for.

Social leaders in our culture espouse many ideologies and policies while failing to deal with the ramifications. People promote abortion or euthanasia yet do not consider the logical conclusion of the right to kill unwanted people. People believe in gender fluidity without considering the logical conclusion of eliminating of all gender distinctions. People believe in communism without considering the logical conclusion of taking from the workers and giving to the non-workers. People believe in all sorts of false religious dogmas without considering the logical conclusion to their pantheism, hedonism, materialism humanism, Darwinism, etc. Why do people fail to see the logical conclusions of their positions? We are not honest in our reasoning because we want to suppress the truth. We are sinners, and we want to believe the lie so we can fulfill our lusts. We will not admit where the lie will lead us.

The apostle Paul challenges the critic to consider a world in which there is no resurrection. The problem with atheism is that not only is it untrue, but it is also unliveable.

Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 15; Matthew 22:23,29; Isaiah 22:12-13; Isaiah 1:18 Isaiah 41:21;
Haggai 1:5; Acts 17:2