Offered to All

The Apostle Paul's "Magnum Opus," or the highest message of a writer, is found in 1 Corinthians 15.  In this chapter of his letter to the Church in Corinth which was struggling with many issues not uncommon to the current Church in America, we find his declaration that the doctrine of the "risen Christ" is essential to our faith.  The "Bodily Resurrection of Jesus" was placed into that necessary status when he wrote, "For if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins...But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead..." (vss. 17,20) 

Jim Richards, executive director of the SBTC, or Southern Baptist of Texas Convention, wrote, "The testimony of Jesus Christ is found in every book of the Bible. The Bible is our only reliable witness of the historicity of Jesus and his words. Five times Jesus was seen on the Resurrection Day: Mary Magdalene, the women, Peter, the eleven, and the two disciples traveling to the village of Emmaus."  He went on to say, "The resurrection is the foundation of the gospel. Without the resurrection, the cross is a sad ending of a good man; with the resurrection, the cross is the sufficient sacrifice of the God-man."

There are other essentials which are foundational to our relationship to God, however it is the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, "victorious" over death, which completes the plan of God allowing all who will accept His grace gift to become "children of God."

As we enter this last week of Jesus' ministry called the Passion Week, we see Him continually calling people to Himself as their only hope of salvation.  He is, as John wrote, "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), and all who will come to the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14), will be honored by the Father, given a white robe wedding garment, and treated to an unending celebration. For those who refuse to come, specifically Israel as a nation and generally all who reject Jesus as the propitiation for sin, there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vs. 13).

Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary on Matthew's Gospel, Be Loyal, "Israel's leaders were guilty of spiritual blindness, hypocrisy and deliberate disobedience to the Word.  Instead of accepting this indictment from Jesus, and repenting, they decided to attack Him and argue with Him.  The result: judgment.  We  should be careful not to follow their example of disobedience."

Faith and Trust in Jesus resulting in eternal salvation is waiting for all, Jew and Gentile, male and female alike, who by their individual confession that Jesus is Lord, will be ushered into the presence of that Kingdom of Heaven as His bride.  Adorned in "white" we will be forever with Him who was the Lamb of God and is now the Groom.  To Him be all power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing both now and forevermore! (cf. Rev. 5:13)