This was the testimony that I shared with my group at the conference!
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made
alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:22
In 1 Corinthians
15:12-34, Paul dissects the arguments for and against the resurrection of the
dead. He begins by asking the question - “But if it is preached that Christ has
been raise from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection
of the dead?” Why was the resurrection such a grave matter? Why was it so
important for Paul to address this problem amongst people in the church? The
resurrection of man (especially the resurrection of Jesus) was a theoretical
debate amongst different sects of Jews. Even when Jesus was alive, the
Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the death. However, Jesus’
resurrection is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. What is the
meaning of Jesus’ resurrection? As sin entered the world through Adam, the
relationship between man and God was broken - not only for Adam and God, but
for his descendant as well. God told Adam that if he ate fruit from the
knowledge of good and evil that he would “surely die.” Yet, Satan tempted Adam
and questioned if God really told them they will die, ultimately questioning
the consequences of sin. In the same way, there are so many temptations and
ways to sin in our world. College campuses are full of ways to indulge in our
sinful desires – and Satan continues to lie – “did God really say you’re going
to die?” We live in a really permissive culture. But while sinning can seem
exciting, thrilling, and fulfilling at the moment, in the end, it truly only
leads to death. The resurrection signifies Jesus’ power and reign. However, if
there is no resurrection – and Jesus did not resurrect from the dead, sin and
death continues to separate us from a relationship with God. Although the enemy
continues to lie, we know that Jesus has already conquered death. As Philip
Brown shared in his message (paraphrased) – if God has already taken care of my
salvation, I can entrust him to take care of the little details of my life.
Having a relationship with God is far better and greater than any pleasures
this world can give me. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made
alive.” God sent Jesus not to make bad people good, but to make dead people
alive. As a result, as Paul told the Corinthian church, in order to rid myself
of anything that separates me from God, I must “stop sinning” and continually
repent. I pray that as a church, that we may look to the cross, stop sinning,
and find our fulfillment and satisfaction in Jesus.
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I was really blessed this conference listening to all the messenger and testimony speakers. It was really refreshing! During praise night, I was just reminded that God has and will always be with me whatever I face in life. One word I received from God was the theme over my life - "grace over grace." I have seen his grace over and over in my life in the past and I believe that I will continue to see his grace this semester, next semester, and in the years to come. I'm also super proud of the youth group for the video they produced and can't wait to see where God takes us next!
