Scott called this morning to remind me that Paul was not the only "PhD" writer in the New Testament.  "You forgot about Luke," he said.  And he is right.  Luke was a physician.  I guess I was thinking about literary scholars?

One of the reasons that I really like to read what Paul wrote is because he was a non-believer of the utmost extreme.  Like Thomas--who said to the other disciples, "I don't believe that Jesus is risen from the dead.  And I won't believe unless I personally put my finger in the holes in his hands and thrust my hand into the wound in His side."  (My paraphrase.)

When you have people like Thomas and Paul, who were honest enough to publicly doubt the authenticity of the resurrection, who stood up to those claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead, you have people who are not susceptible to public opinion.  They don't believe it.  And publicly say so.  And act on their belief that He did not rise from the dead.  They are dead set in their rejection.  Until something happens that makes them realize that they have made a critical mistake.

But when their their minds were changed by meeting the risen Christ personally, their testimony became electrically charged.  They knew.  They knew they were wrong.  And they want everyone to know what they know.  He is alive.  They have seen Him.  Touched Him.  Spoken to Him.  And their words are awe inspiring.  You can't read the words of Paul without being inspired by his testimony.

The entire Christian experience is based on the Resurrection of Jesus.  Without it, He was just another great prophet.  A good man.  True, his miracles bear testimony to his ability to call on the power of God.  And there are dozens of other reasons to believe that he was God.  But the Resurrection is the key issue for our faith.  The linchpin.  He conquered death.

And He stands ready to give us eternal life if we believe.  If we trust Him.  If we give Him our lives.  What a deal.  And it's free.  Eternity with God in a place of peace and beauty.

I want  to have some of that.