Christ is risen

The Christian faith stands or falls with the resurrection of Jesus. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” (1. Kor 15,17)The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a doctrine to be defended, but must make a practical difference in our Christian lives. How is this possible?

The resurrection of Jesus means that you can trust him completely. Jesus told his disciples beforehand that he would be crucified, die, and then rise again. "From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly. He would be killed by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and on the third day rise again." (Mt 16,21)If Jesus spoke truthfully about the greatest of all miracles, then this shows that we can be sure that he is reliable in all things.

The resurrection of Jesus means that all our sins have been forgiven. Jesus' death was foretold when the high priest went once a year, on the Day of Atonement, to the holiest place to offer a sacrifice for sin. The time when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies was followed with great anticipation by the Israelites: Would he return or not? What joy there was when he came out of the Holy of Holies and pronounced God's forgiveness, because the sacrifice was accepted for another year! Jesus' disciples hoped for a savior: "But we had hoped that he was the one who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is now the third day since these things have taken place." (Lk 24,21).

Jesus was buried behind a large stone and for a few days there was no sign that he would reappear. But on the third day, Jesus rose again. Just as the high priest's reappearance behind the curtain showed that his sacrifice had been accepted, the resurrection of Jesus proved that his sacrifice for our sins had been accepted by God.

The resurrection of Jesus means that new life is possible. Christian life is more than just belief in certain things about Jesus, it is participation in him. Paul prefers to describe what it means to be a Christian by expressing it "in Christ". This expression means that we are connected to Christ through faith, the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, and all of its resources belong to us. Because Christ has risen, depending on His living presence, we live in Him from our union with Him.
The resurrection of Jesus means that the last enemy, death itself, is defeated. Jesus has broken the power of death once and for all: “God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to hold him.” (Apg 2,24)As a consequence, “As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1. Kor 15,22)No wonder Peter could write: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, and is kept in heaven for you.” (1. Petr 1,3-4).

Because Jesus put down his life and accepted it again, because Christ rose and the grave was empty, we now live in Him, depending on His living presence, from our union with Him.

by Barry Robinson