Resurrection: The work is done
During the spring festivals, we especially remember the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. These feast days encourage us to reflect on our Redeemer and the salvation He obtained for us. Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings could not reconcile us to God. But the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has brought about complete reconciliation once and for all. Jesus bore the sins of every individual on the cross, even though many do not yet recognize or accept this. “Then he (Jesus) said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ And he has set aside the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified once for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.” (Hebr 10,9-10).
The work is finished, the gift is ready. It's comparable to money already waiting in the bank; we just need to collect it: "He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1. Joh 2,2).
Our faith contributes nothing to the effectiveness of this act, nor does it attempt to obtain this gift. By faith we accept the priceless gift of reconciliation with God granted to us through Jesus Christ. When we think of the resurrection of our Savior, we are filled with the desire to jump for joy—for His resurrection opens up to us the joyful prospect of our own resurrection. So we already live in a new life with Christ today.
A new creation
Our salvation can be described as a new creation. With the Apostle Paul, we can confess that the old self has died with Christ: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2. Kor 5,17)We become a new person, spiritually reborn with a new identity.
This is why his crucifixion is so important to us. We hung with him on the cross on which the old, sinful man died with him and we now have a new life with the risen Christ. There is a difference between the old man and the new man. Christ is the image of God and we were created anew in his image. God's love for us is so great that he sent Christ to free us from our stubbornness and selfishness.
The wonder of our significance is already found in the Psalms: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the Lord and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Ps 8,4-6).
Contemplating the celestial bodies - the moon and stars - and contemplating the immensity of the universe and the awe-inspiring power of each star raises the question of why God cares about us at all. Given this overwhelming creation, it seems difficult to imagine that He would pay attention to us and be interested in each of us.
what is the human?
We humans represent a paradox, on the one hand deeply involved in sins, on the other hand guided by a moral demand on ourselves. Science refers to humans as “homo sapiens,” part of the animal kingdom, while the Bible calls us “nephesh,” a term also used for animals. We are made of dust and return to that state in death.
But according to the Bible, we are far more than just animals: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (1. Mose 1,27)As God's unique creation, made in God's image, men and women possess the same spiritual potential. Social roles must not diminish a person's spiritual worth. Every human being deserves love, honor, and respect. The first book of Moses concludes with the statement that everything created was "very good," just as God intended it to be.
But reality shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with humanity. What went wrong? The Bible explains that the originally perfect creation was perverted by the Fall: Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, causing humanity to rebel against their Creator and decide to go their own way.
The first sign of their sin was a distorted perception: Suddenly they felt their nakedness was inappropriate: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (1. Mose 3,7)They realized the loss of their intimate relationship with God. They were afraid of encountering God and hid themselves. True life in harmony and love with God ended at that moment—spiritually they were dead: “In the day you eat from the tree, you will certainly die.” (1. Mose 2,17).
What remained was a purely physical existence, far removed from the fulfilling life God intended for them. Adam and Eve represent all of humanity in rebellion against their Creator; Sin and death therefore characterize every human society.
plan of salvation
The human problem lies in our own failings and guilt, not with God. He offered an ideal beginning, but we humans have forfeited it. Nevertheless, God turns to us and has a plan for us. Jesus Christ, God in human form, represents the perfect image of God and is called "the last Adam." He became fully human, demonstrated absolute obedience and trust in his heavenly Father, and thus sets an example for us: "The first man, Adam, became a living being, and the last Adam a life-giving spirit." (1. Kor 15,45).
Just as Adam brought death into the world, so Jesus opened the way to life. He is the beginning of a new humanity, a new creation, in which all are made alive again through him. Through Jesus Christ, God creates the new human being over whom sin and death no longer have power. Victory has been won, temptation has been resisted. Jesus restored the life that had been lost through sin: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (Joh 11,25).
Through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul became a new creation. This spiritual transformation influenced his attitude and behavior: “I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2,19-20).
If we are in Christ, then we will also bear the image of God in the resurrection. Our minds cannot yet fully grasp what this will look like. We also don't know exactly what a "spiritual body" looks like; but we know that it will be wonderful. Our gracious and loving God will bless us with exceeding joy, and we will praise Him forever!
The faith of Jesus Christ and his work in our lives help us to overcome our imperfection and to transform ourselves into the being that God wants to see in us: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image from glory to glory by the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2. Kor 3,18).
Although we do not yet see God's image in its full glory, we are assured that we will see it one day: "As we have borne the image of the earthly one, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly one." (1. Kor 15,49).
Our resurrected bodies will be like that of Jesus Christ: glorious, powerful, spiritual, heavenly, incorruptible, and immortal. John says in this regard: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1. Joh 3,2).
What do you see when you meet someone? Do you see the image of God, the potential greatness, the design of the image of Christ? Do you see God's beautiful plan at work in giving grace to sinners? Do you rejoice that he redeems mankind that had gone astray? Do you rejoice that he redeems humanity that has gone astray? God's plan is far more wonderful than the stars and far more magnificent than the entire universe. Let us rejoice in the spring festivals, in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank him for his sacrifice for you, which is sufficient for the whole world. In Jesus you have the new life!
by Joseph Tkach
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