“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14
Do you have siblings? What would you think if one of them told you that they were the one and only son or daughter of God? Would you believe them?
This was the case for James, the brother of Jesus. Before Jesus’ resurrection, his brothers and sisters didn’t believe him. We could probably relate to them a bit, couldn’t we? It was a hard claim to believe—especially coming from your own brother.
The Romans were very good at putting people to death, and there’s no doubt that Jesus was as dead as dead could be. The only thing that could have radically converted many, including James, was seeing Jesus resurrected.
If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he was just another religious teacher persecuted by the Jewish leaders and put to death by the Roman government. But this persecution and murder were completely unique in all the history of the world; Jesus was the only one who ever came back from the dead.
This truth changed James’ life; he went on to become one of the founding leaders of the early church. Shouldn’t it also change our life as well?
Read
- What is Paul’s point in these verses?
- Is there anything that that causes you to struggle with believing in the resurrection?
- In what ways do believing and meditating on the resurrection strengthen our faith in God?
Pray
Jesus, thank you for changing James’ life through your resurrection. Thank you that we can experience the same thing today. Help our unbelief when we waver and struggle. We need you and the power of your Spirit. In your name we pray. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from the James Study Guide. Pick up a copy today for only $9.99. The Study Guide includes a 15-week curriculum, a small group study, a group inductive study, as well as 75 daily devotions for your personal or family worship.
