Now
may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His
will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews
13:20-21, NKJV).
Nearly
2000 years ago, on this very day according to the Lunar Calendar,
Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is fitting that our journey
through Hebrews lands us here and now.
He
rose, not as a zombie, and not via resuscitation, but through
Resurrection, never to die again – unique in all Cosmic history. He
is rightly called in Scripture, the first born from the dead, and all
those who believe in Him will follow in His footsteps.
A
careful study of the Bible indicates that all three Persons of the
Trinity were involved in this momentous event, with the Father, our
God of peace, detailed here, while in the Gospel of John, Jesus
speaks of the laying down of His life in this manner:
“No
one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I
have received from My Father.” (John 10:18, NKJV).
And
the Apostle Peter informs us of the Holy Spirit's part:
For
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made
alive by the Spirit, (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV).
There
are other similar tripartite citations, as well, and this is also
true of all the key elements of our redemption in that all three
Persons of the godhead were involved in our creation, in forgiving
our sins, in indwelling us, and in providing us eternal life.
While
a profound mystery, it is clear that we mere humans are of
immeasurable value to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. It is equally clear that these and other revelatory aspects
of our Christian faith are from God Himself, rather than inventions
of man, for no man could conceive of such things, nor would he
envision such “complications” if he were attempting to “fabricate
the faith”.
As
C.S. Lewis has written, the very improbability of Christian doctrine
lends it credence.
The
word resurrection, from the Greek, anastasis
(an-as'-tas-is), appears 40 times in the New Testament. It's meaning
is simply the opposite ('ana') of being still or unchanging in
death ('stasis'). The dead, by definition, are without life.
Those who are resurrected as Christ was, are forevermore without
death, in His company.
This
is our destiny as followers of Jesus by faith, an astounding
inheritance.
While
it is true that all who are in the graves will come forth at
His summons on That Day, only those who have believed will be brought
into the resurrection of life, with the rest relegated to the
resurrection of condemnation, an unthinkable alternative of
eternal pain and suffering.
What
does this mean to us today, this entirely unique past event?
Among
many other things, it means that death has been conquered on our
behalf. We were bound by the wages of sin, which is death,
until Christ, the Sinless One, died in our place. Because of His
righteousness, death could not hold Him, and because of His willing
sacrifice, that righteousness is imputed to us by the only means
available, faith. With that righteousness comes eternal life –
the life bestowed upon us by Christ, who is the
resurrection and the life.
It
means that our sin is taken away and we are justified,
just-as-if we were innocent of the rebellion and evil, which is
inherent in our fallen natures.
It
means that we need fear nothing in this life, or the next, because we
are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself
for us.
It
means that the last enemy, death itself, simultaneously the
greatest offense and the greatest mercy in all existence, is
powerless over us. It is the greatest offense because it is the
antithesis of God's purposes in Creation, although the divinely
anticipated result of sin. It is the greatest mercy because, through
Christ's death, that un-payable debt of sin has been paid.
We
know deep in our hearts that we are intended to live forever. From
the age when we are first able to think, our own mortality is both
always in front of us, and yet, on a fundamental level, unimaginable.
The sight and experience of human death for the living is of
monumental significance precisely because it is so alien to our
innermost being.
No
other religion requires the death of God to redeem His creatures. No
other religion resolves the helplessness of man in the face of sin in
such a way. No other religion demonstrates the boundless love and
mercy of God in that when we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.
But
it is not only His death that is meaningful, but even more so His
being raised to life again. For that is the proof of the efficacy of
His sacrifice.
He
partook of flesh, because we are flesh. He died because we are
subject to death. But He rose again because He refused to lose us to
the rebellion of sin. He loves us too much to see us lost forever.
Take
advantage of that love today. Be shamelessly opportunistic and ask
His forgiveness in sincere belief. It is your only hope.
Otherwise,
the resounding cry of HE IS RISEN, is for you of no effect, and you
will die in your sin.
