Faith’s Reality

 "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NKJV

The risen Lord Jesus is the gospel for all peoples on earth in all ages and generations. It's because the Risen Christ is the reality of our faith. We Christians believe nothing but the Person of Jesus Christ. We don't believe sound teachings, but Jesus Christ. Even Sermon on the Mount itself cannot be the gospel. Only Jesus Christ who is able to help us out to love our enemies can be the object of faith. The risen Christ is alive and living in each and every genuine believer, relentlessly pouring out eternal life unto those who come near to Him by faith. Jesus Christ was the Word in the beginning, visibly manifested in the flesh, justified in spirit, seen by angels, preached to the nations, believed on in the world, and ascended in glory (1 Timothy 3:16). That risen Jesus has been working in Peter and the apostles in the first century, many thousands and tens of thousands of saints, and even you and me in this age and time.

The same Lord Jesus Christ who walked on the streets of the land of Palestine, healed the sick, drove out demons, touched the wounded, and preached the good news of the heaven, is still working mightily, doing exactly the same works he had done in the flesh throughout the centuries. All authority and power was given unto the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and on earth. "... and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21 NKJV)

That's the message of Christ Jesus forever. Everyone, if he is a genuine believer at all, has that power which is far above all power and principality and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the ages to come. Anyone who has Jesus Christ within has such an exciting and powerful dynamics of life, because He has risen. Christ in you, the hope of glory. So, we can live his life in full in the midst of ordinary days of lives. That’s what our God intended every believer to live even before the foundation of the world.