Ever since the serpent spoke his first words to Eve in the Garden, "Did God really say?" we have been wrestling with believing God cannot lie. This was a persistent problem on the island of Crete where Paul's son in the faith, Titus, finds himself. Titus is there to set things back into order, to remind the Cretans of the transformation that comes from salvation. This truth leads us to affirm that because God cannot lie, we can trust God's truth for transformation.

God's people are called to be different. Yet, rather than embracing our transformation, we assimilate into the culture around us, allowing it to dictate how we live. This was the exact issue facing the church in Crete. Paul writes to his son in the faith, Titus, about how to set God's household back into order and in alignment with the salvation won for them in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Today, rather than allowing ourselves to be more influenced by the culture than the word of God, the church must remember that Jesus has saved us to be a transformed community, faithfully living out her purpose.

How can God's people overcome the obstacles of division and disunity to achieve true and lasting unity? The answer, according the Ephesians 4:1-16, is found by healthy churches knowing her calling, remembering her confession, utilizing her gifts, and growing in maturity.

Throughout 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes the importance of the resurrection, how it connects to our daily struggle against sin, and what kind of bodies will inherit the New Creation. Paul now closes this triumphant chapter with the death of death. Because of this truth, Christians live faithful lives now, knowing Christ has defeated death and will destroy it at his second coming.

In our day and age, the resurrection of the body seems like a ridiculous idea. It's an idea that's roundly mocked in popular culture. Still, it was also mocked during the Greco-Roman period (Acts 17:32). The resurrection of the dead will always seem foolish to the world, but Paul wants to make the case for it in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49. This text shows that the resurrected Jesus gives us every reason to believe in our future bodily resurrection.

In his resurrection, Jesus reversed death, secured our resurrection, and enabled us to stand strong against those who seek to deny it. This is a constant danger for Christians as we seek to hold to the importance of the gospel. There will be those who deny the resurrection and attempt to dissuade us of its importance and power. But because Jesus has risen, we can stand strong on his victory over death and the power of his resurrection.

Many stories throughout history showcase the dangers of improper navigation. It's a danger not just to yourself but to everyone else around you. Having just uplifted the importance of the gospel, Paul goes on to detail what happens when we improperly navigate our lives and refuse to live out the implications of the gospel. If we deny one part of the gospel, such as the resurrection, we deny the whole gospel. That is why 1 Corinthians 15:12-20a reminds us to affirm the gospel by living in the power and hope of the resurrection.

No matter how long we live, we must never forget the fundamentals. This is where Paul begins in 1 Corinthians 15. For us to grasp and experience the power of Jesus' resurrection and the death of death, we can't forget the fundamentals of the gospel. When we do we lose grip on reality. It's that central. Without it, we give in to hopelessness and despair. It is the source of truth and transformation and because of that, we should never forget its importance.

Throughout the book of Malachi, we've seen how our hearts are prone to wander. We question God's love based on our circumstances, we give worthless worship to God, question his justice, fail to live as a faithful family, rob him through our tithes and offerings, and grow cynical about worshiping him. Despite this rebellion, God is faithful and unchanging towards his people. As Malachi closes his prophecy and anticipates a messenger to come, we see that because Christ lives, we know God is faithful.

Sin comes with a high price. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. Good Friday reminds us of the high cost of sin which took the life of the Son of God. But it also reminds us of the rest of verse 23, that the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus. While we could never pay the wages of our sins, Jesus came to pay every cent on the cross.