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| The Resurrection. This is what makes Easter Sunday a Holy Day (i.e. Holiday). Its not those gigantic chocolate bunnies (Good grief! they are hollow anyway), its not painting Easter eggs (I always get paint all over me), its not the rush of the Easter egg hunt (it’s so anticlimactic), its not wondering if the Easter Bunny is really real or not (though some places the jury is still out), its not the Cadbury Eggs (who can actually eat a WHOLE one anyway?). Easter is not really about any of these things. But, then again, you didn’t need to be told that. You know that Easter Sunday is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection on the third day after his Crucifixion. Even if you only attend church a few times a year, you understand that this day is considered a Holy Day because Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again. But, what does the resurrection really mean? What did it really accomplish? How come Paul says in I Corinthians 15:17 that our faith would be worthless and we would still be in our sins if Christ would not have been raised? This is quite strong language Paul us using here. What does he mean by this? How would our faith be worthless? Most of us have grown to understand the Resurrection of Jesus as the proof that He was really God. While this is true, there is so much more to it than that. In order to understand this, it is necessary to look at why the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were needed. MAN’S PROBLEM --> SPIRITUAL DEATH The fundamental problem with man is his spiritual death and total inability to free himself from it. All humans are born with a sinful nature because we are descendents of Adam (Romans 5:12-14) and therefore we are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-3). Thus, we are separated from God (Romans 3:23). Often we think of man’s main problem as being our sinful actions. But the reason we sin is because of our sinful nature. So, the problem is not so much that we have sinned, it’s that we are sinful. The Bible says that we are by nature (not action) under God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3). So, somehow we need to be made spiritually alive if we are going to have any hope of deliverance from God’s wrath. GOD’S SOLUTION --> DELIVERANCE FROM SPIRITUAL DEATH If the opposite of death is life, than the opposite of spiritual death is spiritual life. The question then is, how do we do get from spiritual death, to spiritual life? This is accomplished by our being united with Christ in His death and in his Resurrection. (Romans 6:5) > We can be freed from sin by being united with Jesus’ death on the cross. (Romans 6:6) But remember, being freed from sin isn’t our only problem. We still need to be made spiritually alive! That is where the resurrection comes in: > We can be made spiritually alive by being united with Jesus’ Resurrection. (Romans 6:8-11) MAN’S RESPONSE If we can be freed from sin and made spiritually alive by being united with Christ, the question is: How can I be united with Christ? > Acknowledge to God that you understand your hopeless condition – that you cannot make yourself spiritually alive. (Romans 3:10-13) > Ask God to make you free you from your sin by Jesus’ death and make you spiritually alive through His resurrection. (Romans 10:13, John 3:16) > Trust that God will save you and begin the process of making you more like Jesus Christ. And that he who promises to work in you, will continue to work in your life until the day you are united with Him in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I John 1:9) So, what is the importance of the resurrection? It makes us spiritually alive! Now, that is something worth celebrating! The reason our faith would be worthless is that if Christ had not raised, we would still be spiritually dead, and therefore still in our sins. This Easter, if you have already trusted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to save you and make you spiritually alive, then CELEBRATE! God has made you a new creation! You are a new person! There is nothing worth celebrating more! If you have never trusted in Jesus to make you spiritually alive and save you from your sins, then TRUST HIM TODAY. God is faithful. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED” (Romans 10:13). I pray that this devotional has been an encouragement to you during the Easter season. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated! Please send any thoughts, comments, or suggestions to TMHiestand@aol.com. |
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| "The Meaning of the Resurrection" by Todd Hiestand I Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” |