The God Pause Daily Devotional - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, 28 March 2018 - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

The God Pause Daily Devotional - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, 28 March 2018 - 1 Corinthians 15:1-111 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers, I must remind you of the Good News which I proclaimed to you, and which you received, and on which you have taken your stand, 2 and by which you are being saved — provided you keep holding fast to the message I proclaimed to you. For if you don’t, your trust will have been in vain. 3 For among the first things I passed on to you was what I also received, namely this: the Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 4 and he was buried; and he was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the Tanakh says; 5 and he was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve; 6 and afterwards he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Later he was seen by Ya‘akov, then by all the emissaries; 8 and last of all he was seen by me, even though I was born at the wrong time. 9 For I am the least of all the emissaries, unfit to be called an emissary, because I persecuted the Messianic Community of God. 10 But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain; on the contrary, I have worked harder than all of them, although it was not I but the grace of God with me. 11 Anyhow, whether I or they, this is what we proclaim, and this is what you believed. (Complete Jewish Bible)
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Paul knew himself--he knew exactly what he was and he had no illusions. But he also knew that in Christ, God had made him Paul, a new being, a new creation. God knew him, and loved him anyway. God took a man who
persecuted the first Christians, an enemy of God, and turned him into the best witness the Christian gospel has ever had. Isn't it amazing what God's grace can do when it grabs a hold of a person? What happened to Paul can happen to you too. God can work in you with God's grace, and God can make you a new creation. As Paul puts it,
"God's grace to me has not been in vain." Christians pray every day, "God, make me an instrument of your peace."
Help us, Lord, to mold our will to yours, so that we too, may be transformed. Amen.
Mark Granquist
Associate Professor of Church History, Luther Seminary
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,
2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (New Revised Standard Version)

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