This coming Sunday we will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 15.12-20. The meat of verses 12-19 indicates that if we do not believe in Christ's resurrection, then in essence all of our faith and hope has been in vain. But then in verse 20 the Apostle Paul writes: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died." We can find our hope in the one who overcame death and the grave. One thing that sticks out to me is the word "fact" that is used in this translation. This quote comes from the New Revised Standard Version [NRSV]. I did a quick search on other translations, and I found that the CEB and the ESV also use the word "fact". But the NIV, KJV, and NASB do not use the word "fact". When that word is used, in regards to the resurrection, how does that change your understanding of the resurrection in regards to history? Do you believe that the resurrection is a historical fact? I think the word "fact", truly conveys Paul's emphasis on how important the resurrection is for the life of the Christian. But oftentimes, people get a little nervous with the word "fact" when it comes to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Because we do not open history books and find pictures of the tomb empty ---- or Jesus standing with his disciples looking into his pierced side. So how does this word "fact" differ from our 21st century understanding of "fact"?
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