Would Or Did?

[by Bill Crowder]



1) Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2) It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.[b]  3) I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4) He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5) He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. 6) After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7) Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8) Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9) For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 10) But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11) So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed. 1COR. 15: 1-11 (NLT)

Not many years ago, we watched as the “WWJD” craze swept through the Christian community. The bracelet-emblazoned theme “What Would Jesus Do?” was a valuable reminder to many people that we should consider the heart and mind of Jesus when making choices. As we seek to live in a way that honors the Savior, it is appropriate to measure our attitudes and decisions against the example our Lord set for us.

Recently, however, I was in a church where I saw a slightly different message. This church’s sign read, “WDJD—What Did Jesus Do?” That is indeed the more important question, because our salvation depends on it. Paramount among the remarkable deeds of the Son of God are the events described in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

What did Jesus do? He took the suffering and guilt for our wrongdoing and paid our penalty. He died and conquered death so we could live. And the fact is, we will never be able to fully consider what Jesus would do until we have embraced what He did do for us on the cross.



To follow Christ in all we do Can be a worthy goal If first we’ve put our trust in Him To save our sinful soul. —Sper



We are saved not by what we do but by trusting what Christ has done. We do what we do because we love Him.
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn