What is your understanding of the act of resurrection? Most
people, I am sure, would agree it is the act of bringing back to life someone
or something that was dead. So the verb 'resurrect' conveys the thought of
bringing back to life, or raising from the dead. The noun 'resurrection' conveys
a finished act.
What then is the power of resurrection? Surely it is
something completely outside the scope of a dead person! A dead body conveys a
stark reality; the complete absence of life! A dead person is utterly unable to
resurrect himself. So this leads us to the question; why do we die? Why must we
die? Death is universal; why is this so?
The answer is in the Holy Scriptures. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God." Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death..."
If we work diligently for an employer or a boss we expect a
just and equitable reward for the work we have done. This principle carries
over to our personal standing before God. Ezekiel 18:4 tells us, "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul
of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall
die," So death is the just reward for sinning!
Let's now look at the full verse in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So we all deserve
death for sinning! But God in His grace and mercy offers us the gift of eternal
life! If someone gives you a gift all you have to do is receive it. You can't
pay for it, or work for it. You haven't earned it. If the gift was consequent
on you doing any of those things then it is no longer a gift but a reward.
To receive God's gift of eternal life it can only be
received from one person - Jesus Christ our Lord.
OK what if we reach out and receive the gift of eternal life and
God gives it to us. How come I die and they bury my body? Surely eternal life
means that I will live forever in eternity? The answer is Yes, Yes, Yes - I
will live forever in eternity; but not in this body I am presently in, which is
made for me to inhabit the earth.
That is God's power of resurrection, when He resurrects my
earthly body He will give me a new spiritual body fit for heaven and eternity
with Him.
Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17:
"(14) For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so God will bring with Him those who sleep [have died] in Jesus.
(15) For this we say
to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
(16) For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
(17) Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord."
Here is the awesome power of resurrection on display! This
is the resurrection of life spoken of by the Lord Jesus in John 5:28, 29,
"(28) Do not marvel at this; for the
hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (29) and
come forth - those who have done good, to the
resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation." Two resurrections
- the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation!
Don't be like the Jews that Jesus spoke to in John 5: 40,
"But you are not willing to come to
Me that you may have life [eternal]."
They will be in the resurrection of condemnation [judgement].
There is new life in Christ and it is abundant and it is free - it is the gift of God!
Jon Peasey
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All
Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted.
Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted
for clarity. Words in bold type
emphasise a point. You may
notice some verses are quoted with ...
at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or
parts of the verse that relate directly to the current subject matter is
quoted.]
[If you have any questions or comments you are
invited to contact me via the comments section below.]
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