Reflection on the Resurrection and What That Means for us as Believers

The Resurrection is not a victory limited to the generation living in the First Century AD, nor is it something to only celebrate once a year. Jesus is the great I AM, and in and through that, His Victory on the Cross is for the past, present, and future for all eternity. As believers, we too can stand in His Victory and take hold of all the Resurrection means for us, past, present, and future.

God is Faithful to His Promises

We see the tangible evidence that God is a Promise Keeper to each and every promise He makes through the Resurrection. 2 Corinthians 1:20 shares,

“For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” 

Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus. From His birth by a virgin, through His life, His death, and His rising from the dead, we see all that God spoke to and through the prophets was not hollow hope. Scholar J. Barton Payne found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that alluded, directly connected, or pointed to the Messiah, all of which Jesus fulfilled. (2). Because the character of God is never changing, we can then stand firmly convinced that the same God Who rose Jesus from the dead will fulfill each and every promise given.

Christ is Truth

Throughout history, several came before and after Jesus claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah. Because Jesus rose from the dead, it proves that He indeed is the true Savior, the Only Begotten Son of Yahweh, and He is the truth, the life, and the hope of all mankind. Paul also reminds us that through Adam all men die, but through Christ, we are made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:14-22 explains,

“14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified ]against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied. But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man death came, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” 

Jesus validated that He is the Messiah because He rose from the dead, and because of that we can believe all that He said as verifiable truth.

Freedom and Forgiveness

The death of Christ serves as atonement for our sins. Before Christ died on the Cross, the requirement for atoning for one’s sins was a sacrifice of an animal. The timing of Jesus's going to the Cross was very intentional, for it was during Passover. As The Rooted Truth’s How Jesus Fulfilled Passover shares, “Christ Jesus served as the ultimate Passover Lamb, for He was without sin, blemish, or stain. Because He had not soiled Himself with sin, He was the One Who could be given over as sacrifice, He was the Only One Who could, for He was blameless.” (Rooted Truth Blog, Source 4). Because of His sacrifice in dying for us, He bore the burden of our sin once and for all. When we ask Him to be our Savior, our Lord, we are then forgiven. As John Piper shares, “This means that by his death he paid the penalty for our sins and purchased our acquittal, our justification, our forgiveness. And since the achievement of the cross was so complete and the work of our justification so decisive, God raised Jesus from the dead to validate our forgiveness and to vindicate his Son's righteousness and to celebrate the work of justification.” (5). This forgiveness grants us the freedom to live a changed life. This freedom is not limited to this earth alone, but extends into eternal life in Heaven to love, serve, and worship God for all of time.

New Life Here, Eternal Life in Heaven

Through Salvation in Christ, we are not solely granted new life here on Earth, but we can claim the victory of Christ for all eternity. As John 3:16 explains,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” 

This truth gives us hope that all that we see in the natural is not all that there is, and the troubles of today are truly temporary. When we let this hope sink in, what we will find is that the struggles we face in the present are not the final say, and that there is a Kingdom, a life, and a glory that awaits us in Heaven. As JRR Tolkien said, “The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.” Because of this hope we can live with a different perspective and outlook when storms come, for we know that this is not the end of the story.

Ultimate Victory

The Resurrection of Christ means countless things for believers today, but one of the most vital aspects we must root in is that of the ultimate victory over death. What man lost in the Fall of Eden through sin, Christ has redeemed through His death and resurrection. In John 19:30, when Jesus says, “It is Finished.” the word in Greek is tetelestai, meaning that all was paid in full. legally, spiritually, and eternally, all has been paid by Christ. What the Deceiver thought he won in successfully tempting Eve to sin was all at once shattered. The curse has been reversed, and in Him we can truly, wholly, completely live. As we discovered earlier in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” So let us hold firm to this Victory and steward lives here on earth worthy of such a calling to be called His own. Truly, life is worth the living because He lives.

Sources:

1. NASB
2. htps://www.gotquestions.org/prophecies-of-Jesus.html
3. https://shema.com/counterfeits-a-study-of-israels-false-messiahs-346/
4. https://www.therootedtruth.com/blog/how-jesus-fulfilled-passover-part-2
5. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/six-gifts-of-the-resurrection