The resurrection can only be summed up in one word: Jesus. His life is truly different because He was brought back from the dead never again to die. Many miracles have been seen in which people are raised from the dead but nobody has been raised from the dead to persist in life and never feel the bitterness of death again. Further than this, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and everything was placed under His feet (See Eph. 1:18-23). Most importantly Jesus said that He, Himself, was the resurrection and the Life (See John 11:25). This is important because it has more implications on our life than simply the reflection of an event.
The cross and resurrection cannot be separated. The two are intermingled with each other. Without the cross, the resurrection would never have taken place but without the resurrection, the cross of Christ never would have had purpose. While these both can simply be events to reflect upon, there is a more profound depth to be found in them that bears upon our lives the most drastic of implications.
Before we can look at the implications of the cross and resurrection, however, we must first understand that it is only in righteousness from God that we can approach God. Paul expands upon this very well in the book of Romans.
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” -Romans 3:22-26
We must understand that our righteousness comes from God’s grace through faith in Jesus and not by any amount of our own works or achievements or “goodness”, for surely if we have all sinned and fallen short then it is as Jesus says and, “No one is good-except God alone” (See Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19). It is the righteousness from God that allows us to step into His midst and approach His throne with confidence because this righteousness comes from the grace of God by Jesus’ blood which covers us in all of our sins and unrighteousness (Eph. 3:12 and Heb. 4:16).
Since we know the foundation of our righteousness is from the grace of God on account of Jesus’ blood, we can look at the implications of the cross and resurrection.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” -Romans 6:4-12
We must daily find ourselves on the cross in order that Jesus may carry His work out in us and through us. We must be willing to give up everything that we cherish and hold dear in our lives be it physical items, selfishness, personal dreams and ambitions, our own intellect, or even our plans for serving God in order that Jesus might live. When we put these things to death on the cross of Christ, we find ourselves having died on the cross of Christ and Jesus lives in us and is shown in our lives. We become the fragrance of Christ. Service then happens through Jesus and for Jesus and to Jesus. Then Jesus will be shown as living and alive.
Just as Paul could not separate the cross of Christ and His resurrection, neither should we. Jesus died on the cross in order that He could defeat death and sin and be raised into life and be seated at the right hand of the Father. This same law is at work in us when we are found in Jesus. We who are in Christ were crucified with Him in order that sin may no longer hold power over us. It is in our death on the cross of Christ that we are freed from the power of sin. When we are freed from this power, we are raised into the life of Christ and He lives in us through the Spirit (see Eph. 2:4-10, Rom. 8:1-2).
Knowing this, then, it is safe to say that Jesus’ resurrection, carried out and exerted by the power of God, is the same resurrection that allows us to walk in newness of life and live in the mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory (see Col. 1:27). We are brought out of death and raised into a new life. This life is a life of freedom. As we have stated, this freedom is a freedom from the power of sin. This life also has nothing to do with guilt or condemnation because Jesus did not come for these things but rather to save us from these things and set us free from them (see John 3:17, Gal. 5:1). This life is not our own nor is it of our own effort but it is life in the Spirit. No longer are we living by our own natural efforts and understandings but we are walking in the Spirit of Christ to do the work that the Father has for us (see Eph. 2:10, Gal. 5:24-26)
“Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” -John 12:23-26
Jesus is the kernel. We are the many seeds. Jesus died so that He might live in us. May we find ourselves dead that Jesus’ resurrected life may be shown through us to the world. May we embrace the cross of Christ in order that we are raised to newness in life to be led by His Spirit. May we realize and embrace the cross and resurrection daily in order that we might not live for this world or anything in it but rather that He might shine His light into the darkness.
“Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”-John 11:25-26
