“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:25-26 NKJV
One common thing about movie plots is that the main actor rarely ever dies in the movie. The death of the main actor very often signals the end of the movie.
In the story of our salvation, the main character died. If that were to be the end, it would have been a cool story of the death of a righteous martyr. However, the hallmark of our faith is hinged not only on the fact that Jesus died, but that He also resurrected!
The resurrection was prophesied before the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus Himself also made several references to it while He was on the earth. So, if the resurrection did not happen, it would mean that God lied. However, we know that it is impossible for God to lie; therefore, Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised as the fulfilment of God’s redemptive plan.
It is necessary to note that without the resurrection, there is no salvation for us as Christians. The risen Christ is our hope for resurrection into eternal life! (1 Corinthians 15:12-17). Jesus is the prototype. The Bible calls Him “the firstfruits” of them that will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20 & 23, Hebrews 2:10, John 12:24). This means that we are assured of being raised to life again on the Last Day because the captain of our salvation has done it already, showing that it is possible!
Jesus, who died for our sins, was raised by the same Holy Spirit we now have living and working within us (Romans 8:11). So, we know that although our earthly bodies might sleep someday, we will all one day be awakened and reunited with Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) What a hope to have!
In addition to the eternal life we now enjoy as a result of Christ’s death and resurrection, we have also received the shedding off of our sinful nature. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Our old self died with Christ, and we were raised new creatures who can live above sin (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20).
The resurrection of Christ proves that He defeated sin, death, and hell. Rejoice in this today!
Bible Reading Plan: Joshua 1-3