Easter:  Resurrection in Jesus Christ

by David A. DePra

     Easter is resurrection day. It is the day we celebrate the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Of course, we should be

celebrating His resurrection everyday. For it is not only an event, it

is a reality in us. But it is good that we do set apart a special day

to highlight the resurrection.

     The resurrection of Jesus Christ was, in fact, the most important

event in the history of humankind. But why? What did Jesus'

resurrection really accomplish?  For us today?

The Importance of the Resurrection

     The fact is, if Jesus has not been raised, Christianity is a lie. It is

not only a lie historically, but it is a lie in every other way. Freedom

from sin, new life, and salvation itself, is a lie. It is all myth.

     Let's read a few passages of scriptures which show us the

importance of the resurrection:

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say

some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if

there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if

Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also

vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we

have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not

up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not

Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are

yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are

perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men

most miserable. (I Cor. 15:12-19)

     We see here the terrible consequences which the Bible itself

describes IF Christ were not raised. First, all of our faith would be in

vain. All of it in NOTHING. Secondly, we would all continue to be in

our sins. Third, death is the end. There is nothing but non-existance

waiting for us.

     Clearly, everything depends upon the resurrection of Jesus

Christ. And unless we understand that, it is doubtful we will really

understand the Redemption itself.

The Redemption

     The Bible reveals that we were NOT saved by the death of

Jesus Christ. Is that a shocking statement? Probably to some. But

it is the Truth. Paul says so in Romans:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet

sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by

His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if we were

enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much

more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom. 5:8-10)

     So we see that we were not saved by the death of Christ, but by

His life, or resurrection. This does not minimize His death, for He

could hardly be raised FROM the dead without first dying. And His

death DID "reconcile us to God," that is, take away the sin nature

in us -- which made it impossible for us to reconcile ourselves.

     So what did the resurrection do? Well, since the death of Christ

was the death of the sin nature, it was, in effect, the death of the

FIRST Adam -- the "creature" into which we are all born. Thus, the

resurrection, on the other hand, is a new birth as a NEW creature

in Christ Jesus.

     The Bible says,

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection

of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be

made alive. (I Cor. 15:21-22)

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things

are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Cor. 5:17)

     If we are "in Christ," we are NEW creations. Not just in theory,

and not just as merely a new classification. We ARE new. We

possess a new kind of life which we were not originally born with.

     But then why does it often seem like we are NOT new creations?

Why do we evidence so much of our old creation habits?

     Certainly unbelief and disobedience play a part. Because also

because we are hindered by our bodies -- which remain of the

old creation. But the real us, the inner man, is a new creation. We

need only await the day when even our bodies will come under

the power of the resurrection!

     Unless we see that the death of Christ ENDED the first Adam,

and that the resurrection of Christ began a NEW creature, we

cannot really grasp the Redemption.

     The Truth is, our very salvation depends on the resurrection of

Jesus Christ. If you are not raised in Jesus Christ, as a new

creation, you are not saved. And there is no "in-between" area

here. You are either one or the other. Saved or unsaved. A new

creature, or still the old one. Raised in Christ, or dead in sin.

A New Creation

     One of the road blocks to our understanding of the Redemption is

that most of us have been taught that God was PUNISHING Christ

for our sin -- that punishment being death on the Cross. We then

say that because Christ bore our punishment, God was able to

forgive us for our sins and classify us as "saved." But notice how

all of this necessitates NO new creation. There is no resurrection

necessary.

     If God merely punished Christ in our stead, and then, because of

that, merely "lifted" from us what would have been our punishment,

then we are NOT new creations. We are the same OLD creations,

as before, only now "forgiven." But things are even worse than

that. If, in fact, God merely took away our punishment for sin, then

sin itself is NOT removed.

     You cannot change the sinner by taking away the punishment

for sin. And if that is all God was doing in Christ -- taking away the

punishment FOR sin -- then God is guilty of making a way we could

remain sinners in Adam and be forgiven. That amounts to a

sanction of sin.

     The Truth is, Christ was NOT bearing the punishment of the

world. He was bearing the SIN of the world. We do not escape

the death of our old creation because of Christ. No. We must DIE

IN CHRIST, and be raised new creations.

New Beginnings

     When God says, "Behold, I make all things new," He is not just

being poetic. He is not just saying that we can put the past behind

us. We can. But He is saying that He is, right now, in the process

of making all things NEW.

     What this means is that there is always a new beginning in Jesus

Christ. No matter what I have done, or am doing, I can right now,

start over. And if I continue having failures, I can start over AGAIN.

It means that all of my mistakes and all of my regrets, while they

may carry temporal consequences in this age, are going to be

swallowed up in the new creation in Jesus Christ.

     The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that there is nothing that

God has not redeemed. There is nothing which has gotten the best

of Him. There is NOTHING -- no sin so deep, nor any condition so

hopeless -- that Jesus Christ has not fully redeemed.

      The real meaning of Easter, of resurrection day, is that the victory

is won. It is finished. Even the last enemy, death, is defeated.