The Resurrection of Christ
There is so much to know about the significance of Christ's resurrection and what it truly means. I'd like to talk about a few.
The resurrection of our Lord was unique because of His deity.
The significance in the event of the resurrection is intertwined with the significance of the person who was raised. It was no mere mortal who rose from the dead on that Easter morning, it was the Son of God. Throughout His life, Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God, for which reason the religious leaders sought to put Him to death (cf. John 8:31-59). At the sight of our Lord’s death, a soldier standing nearby declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). Beyond this, the resurrection was proof positive that the Lord Jesus was the Son of God, even as He had declared (cf. Rom. 1:3-4).
The resurrection of our Lord was unique because of the death which preceded and necessitated His resurrection.
The death of Christ was the death of one who was sinless, on behalf of those who were sinners. It was not our Lord’s folly, but the “fickle hand of fate” or the “evil plots of a few threatened men” which brought about the premature death of Jesus, before He could establish His ideal kingdom on earth.
The death of Christ was unique, however, because it was a part of God’s eternal plan that Christ would die as an innocent sacrificial lamb, as a substitute payment for the sins of men. The sacrifices of the Old Testament system anticipated Him who was to come as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29; cf. I Cor. 5:7). From eternity past, Christ was designated as the perfect sacrifice, without spot or blemish, whose death could thus atone for the sins of others (Is. 53; Heb. 9:11-14; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 2:21-25).
The resurrection of our Lord was unique as an event which had no precedent.
Never before had anyone been raised from the grave in such a way as to be completely transformed and thus beyond the icy fingers of death. Our Lord’s resurrection was the first genuine resurrection in the history of man. His resurrection is referred to as “the first fruits,” for there will be many who will follow after Him (1 Cor. 15:23).
The resurrection of Christ was necessary to prove that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be.
Our Lord had clearly claimed to be the son of God, which was the reason why the religious leaders conspired to kill Him (cf. John 19:7). The resurrection was God’s proof that the Lord Jesus was Who He claimed to be: the Son of God.
The resurrection of Christ was necessary to prove that Jesus Christ had accomplished what He had promised.
The death of our Lord alone would not have sufficed, since it is by our identification with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection that we are saved.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:9-10).
The resurrection was a necessary in order to fulfill biblical prophecy.
In Acts chapter 2 Peter argued that the resurrection was biblically necessary, citing David’s words in Psalm 16:10:
“Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay” (Acts 2:27; cf. 13:33).
The resurrection of Christ was also a logical necessity.
In his message in the second chapter of Acts, Peter also contended that the resurrection of Christ, the Messiah, was a logical as well as a biblical necessity.
“And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24).
The resurrection of Christ is vital because it is a necessary element of a saving faith.
In both the Old and the New Testaments, a saving faith was a faith in a God’s who could and would raise men from the dead. A careful study of the 11th chapter of Hebrews will indicate that the faith of Old Testament saints was a resurrection faith.
The resurrection of Christ is not just a matter of fact, which can be taken lightly--it is literally a matter of eternal life or death. The resurrection is not simply a fact to be believed or rejected, it is a fact to which our response will determine our eternal destiny. The resurrection of our Lord was a kind of watershed event in the New Testament. It was an event which brought about some significant, but seldom considered changes. Here, I wish to underscore two changes which are the result of our Lord’s resurrection. These will be of particular concern to those who are not really born again Christians, and yet who falsely find the resurrection a source of hope.
The resurrection of our Lord assures all men, saved or unsaved, of being resurrected from the grave, but it in no way assures all men of experiencing the same blessings:
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).
1. First, we fail to grasp our own true condition as it relates to the death and resurrection of Christ.
Since our Lord was the innocent, sinless Son of God, His death was on our behalf, and not for His own sins.
2. Second, we fail to properly grasp the majesty, power, and awesome holiness of the Resurrected Lord as He presently is, and as He will be when we stand before Him.
3. Third, we fail to take the death and resurrection of Christ personally.
I pray you find the saving grace of Christ and His resurrection so that you too may spend eternal life with Him. It cannot be earned but rather is a free gift, given to you by God so you cannot boast of your own works.
No comments:
Post a Comment