Now Is Christ Raised From The Dead

Of all of the Reformers, Martin Luther was one of the most quotable. One of those quotes is, "Because if this article [of justification] stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses." Or, as it was later summarized, "Justification is the article by which the church stands and falls." It was the biblical doctrine of justification which drove Luther to disobey the powers of the Church of Rome and to take a stand for the biblical doctrine of gracious justification apart from works, so it is understandable that the doctrine would be central to his theology and worldview. But was Luther correct in this? Luther was correct that the evangelical doctrine of justification is a cardinal and non-negotiable doctrine but, justification would be impossible without the resurrection of the Messiah. Or, as the Apostle Paul says in the text today, "your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." (I Corinthians 15:17)