“Without the resurrection, there is no Messiah. One of the most significant ways Western culture has reduced Jesus from revolutionary Messiah to personalized savior is in our understanding of the resurrection. . . . The resurrection marked Jesus’ coronation as King. He didn’t just rise from the dead; he ascended to the throne.”- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
“If Christ had not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sin.”- 1 Corinthians 15: 14-15, 17 (NIV)
In Chapter 9 (“The Comeback That Proves His Messiahship”) of The Missing Messiah, Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore stress that the resurrection is not an optional add-on to Christianity. A belief one can politely set aside while still claiming Jesus. Put another way, the resurrection isn’t an elective to the Christian faith. Rather, it is the foundation for everything we believe about Jesus.
Furthermore, Kyle and Mark talk about a fun Latin phrase for linchpin: sine qua non. Thus, the phrase describes something necessary or essential. In other words, without it, the whole thing would fall apart. For example:
“Sarcasm is the sine qua non of surviving holiday dinners with extended family.”
Most significantly, the apostle Paul understood that the resurrection is the sine qua non of the Christian faith. Above all, Paul refused to sugarcoat the truth about the resurrection. Hence, the authors remind us, not to view the resurrection as an optional add-on to the Christian faith. Rather, it’s the essential foundation everything else stands on.
Today’s question: Do you agree with the authors that Western culture has reduced Jesus from revolutionary Messiah to personalized savior? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Abstract theology or linchpin?”