Pulpit Notes: The Most Important Doctrine

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ which we will celebrate this coming Sunday is one of the most common beliefs of the Christian faith.

We believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This is, in my opinion, the most important doctrine of the Christian faith because everything else we believe as Christians depends upon it. Paul spoke to this when he wrote to the church in Corinth:

“… and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. … If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (1 Cor. 15:14, 19)

The Resurrection tells us, and we affirm in what we profess and how we seek to live, that God’s love and redemption are more powerful than sin and death.

God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Our faith as disciples truly begins with this affirmation. For Christians, the Resurrection is the one and only event in all of history that can give meaning and purpose to all the rest. In order to understand life in all its joy and sadness, pain and pleasure, we must view it through the perspective of the Resurrection. The empty tomb is the very basis of our hope. We have hope for life abundant and life eternal.

What do you face this Holy Week and Easter? Is your journey difficult or full of joy? No matter what your answer — and even if you made your profession of faith years ago — consider reaffirming it today. Yes, express your faith in Jesus Christ. Christ lives, and because He does, we can, too!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Conrad

Reverend Dr. Conrad C. Sharps
Senior Pastor