The Resurrection: Why it matters (Small Group Study)
Small Group Study, week commencing 23rd November.
Click here for a PDF version of these questions.
The Resurrection – Why it Matters
1. “A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus” a survey commissioned by the BBC in 2017 suggested (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39153121). Does it matter?
2. Have you ever fallen for, or nearly fallen for, a hoax? What were the consequences?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.
3. “If Christ has not been raised … we are then found to be false witnesses” (verses 14-15). What would you say to someone who claimed that Christianity was an elaborate hoax?
4. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (verse 17). Compare what Paul is saying here with John 8:21-24; Ephesians 2:1,4-5; Colossians 2:13-14. What do you think it means, “you are still in your sins”?
5. Imagine that you overhear the following snippet of conversation.
Person 1: “What if you get to the end of your life, and find out it was all fiction?”
Person 2: “I would say that I’ve enjoyed being a Christian anyway, so I’ve not lost out.”
How do you reconcile the second statement with Paul’s words in verse 19, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied”? What does Paul mean?
6. In his talk, Roger argues that, if the dead don’t rise, we are faced with five dilemmas:
· An intellectual dilemma: Christ hasn’t been raised, despite the evidence to the contrary
· A spiritual dilemma: You are still in your sins
· An emotional dilemma: Those who have died are lost
· A practical dilemma: The gospel message is worthless
· A moral dilemma: The gospel messengers are liars
Which of these dilemmas would you wrestle with the most if the dead don’t rise?
7. Flip the above five statements around to their opposite meaning. For example, Christ has been raised; You are no longer in your sins; and so forth. Affirm those statements together as a group and turn your affirmation into thanks.
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