Liars!
Spermologos. A seed picker.
That is what the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens called the apostle Paul when he spoke to them of the resurrection of Jesus. It was a slang term used to refer to pseudo-intellectuals who picked up bits and pieces of knowledge from different sources, weaving them together into a hodgepodge philosophy that was ludicrous to true thinking people.
The paradox of it all is that the Greek philosophers in Athens considered themselves to be tolerant pluralists, open to any and all ideas. But the idea of someone being raised from the dead - a god, no less, was a bridge too far for these mighty minds.
This was one of the problems in the church located in the Greek city of Corinth. There were evidently some members of the church questioning the resurrection of Jesus. This issue was of such importance that Paul saved it for the end of his letter. And, as he says in I Corinthians 15:3, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are of first importance to Christians.
Paul goes on in this chapter to point out at least five consequences for Christianity and Christians if the resurrection of Jesus never occurred.
We looked at the first of these consequences yesterday. If Jesus was never raised from the dead then Paul says we are wasting our time. Our faith is meaningless, useless, and vain.
But worse than that, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ never took place, those who teach that it did are LIARS!
“We are found to be false witnesses of God,” he says in I Corinthians 15:15.
Have you ever been snookered? You know, ripped off. Maybe you paid a lot of money for something you thought was valuable only to find out it was pretty much worthless.
I saw a show on the Discovery Channel some time ago. It was about a young man who was conned by some charlatan who promised to lead him to buried treasure and sunken ships with valuable artifacts.
This con artist collected large sums of money from this gullible young man and repeatedly led him on bogus expeditions at sea to find lost artifacts. But on every occasion, the artifacts found were basically worthless.
If Jesus Christ was never raised from the dead, you and I are just as foolish and just as deceived.
And for me, one who claims to have a divine calling from God to preach the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, I am, at best, just another seed picker or worse yet, a liar.
I want to return to Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15:3, where he says the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are the foundation of our faith. They are the foundation of the church and its preaching. And any pastor and teacher that does not regularly and consistently point people to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is wasting his time and the time of the people who attend the church.
The church is a great place to meet new people and make new friends, but the church is not primarily a social club. Neither is it a community service center. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, I believe churches should be actively involved in serving their communities. But that is not the foundation on which we base our existence.
And there is something else I need to say: the church is not called to be in the entertainment business. This is why Kerey Smith, who served as both Executive Director and Worship leader when I was pastor of Seoul International Baptist Church, refused to promote hype and showmanship in our worship services. At one time, Kerey served as the lead guitarist in a large mega-church worship band. The spotlight would shine on him as he cranked out his lead licks. And he was very uncomfortable with it.
The proclamation of a blood-stained cross and an empty tomb is first and foremost. It is not redundant. It cannot be overemphasized. It does not grow old or stale. It is never too much of a good thing.
The old hymn says it all - “And when in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song, twill be the old, old story that I have heard so long.”
In Christ,
Dan