Author: Rev. Lek Aik Wee

The resurrection Christ appeared to all the apostles including James and lastly by Paul himself on the road to Damascus:

Acts 9:1-6 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was seen of above 500 brethren at once. What a proof of the resurrection. Jesus is alive. And many of God’s people have seen Him personally. We receive this truth by faith in the infallible record of Scripture.

It’s so wonderful to consider the realities of the day that Christ rose and even more wonderful to consider the realities of all that has happened since He rose and happens every day as sinners are given salvation who believe in the risen Christ. If you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you’ll be saved.

The Apostle Paul testified the resurrected Christ appeared and was seen by Cephas or the Apostle Peter. This is the Peter who denied the Lord three times and yet the Lord was gracious to appear to him first. Jesus also appeared to the twelve disciples. It is proof of the resurrection by eye-witnesses. Jesus’ disciples testified of His resurrection. It is an eye-witness truth and is to be made known to the world. The resurrected Christ’s appearance to the disciples made them bold proclaimers of the truth of the resurrection from the Day of Pentecost.

Christ died and was buried and rose from the dead the third day. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead marks the greatest event in human history. Death was conquered when Christ rose from the dead. It was a historical event, the third day after Jesus died, He rose from the dead. By that power of the resurrection, the bondage of sin was broken.

The Scriptures predicted the coming of suffering Messiah – the Christ, the Lamb of God that will take away the sins of the world fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy:

Isaiah 53:4-8 (KJV) 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

The Corinthian believers are reminded of God’s grace that came to them through the preaching of the gospel by the Apostle Paul by which they were saved. He is reminding them of the power of the gospel that mightily shattered their bondage to sin and granted to them the freedom to choose not to sin. They now live as free men, by the merits of Jesus Christ, wherein they stand justified.

This is the first record of the gospel preached by in the city of Corinth – Acts 18:4-5 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.”