Although the concept of a resurrection is not natural, it is spoken of repeatedly in the New Testament, and is often connected with Jesus Christ. Many of the letters explicitly mention it. All the Gospel accounts share testimonies of the Lord after He rose from the dead. As we know, the apostle Paul used Christ’s Resurrection in many of his teachings too. One place where he does so is at the end of the fourth chapter of Romans.
This is the verse we studied last time which read,
[W]ho was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
Romans 4:25
In my previous article I stressed the importance of standing firm in our convictions that Jesus died for our sins. We now move on to the event that happened three days later. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like Jesus’ death, our belief in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead is required for us to become Christians.
While the Lord’s death is connected with our sins, His resurrection is linked with our justification. Through this most pivotal moment in history, we are able to be declared righteous in the sight of God. This is an awesome display of His mercy, for He makes us free from the guilt of sin even though we deserve punishment. This relationship between the resurrection and the forbearance of God is also mentioned by another apostle.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3
It is magnificent that Peter refers to the raising of Jesus. Not only does he highlight how God’s mercy is seen in allowing us to be born again, but he also speaks of a living hope. Both of these are described in other books of the New Testament as well. For example, Jesus famously taught Nicodemus about being born again at John 3:3. Paul wrote to the Colossians about Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27-29).
In addition to mercy and the new birth in Christ being mentioned, 1 Peter 1:3 also encourages us with reference to a living hope. As the apostle goes on to say, this is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This hope we enjoy is so intertwined with God raising Jesus that he refers to it a second time in the same chapter.
[W]ho through him [Jesus] are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 Peter 1:21 (Clarification added)
From all this we understand that numerous blessings are given to us through the Resurrection. Without it, we do not have a living hope, the new birth, or justification before God.
No Justification Without the Resurrection
Sadly, if there is any event that is often rejected by the world, it is the resurrection of Christ. I write this because many may be comfortable to say that Jesus was a great moral teacher, had followers, and was a prophet. Some may also admit that He died. However, it is more common for religious groups to not believe in His resurrection as taught in the Bible (Source below).
It is through these contrary perspectives that we recognize the tragedy of such positions. Although it is tempting to devise different ways to God, and other versions of Jesus, doing so will always result in failure. While such viewpoints seem to be more loving and tolerant than what the Bible teaches, they are paths of vanity. They do not deal with the problem of sin or our need to be declared righteous in God’s sight.
The apostle Paul is obvious when he connects the resurrection with our justification. There’s no way around that. Likewise, the apostle Peter writes of us having been born again. This is totally in line with Jesus’ incredible statements from John 3. Being born again and justified are both available in Jesus’ Resurrection, as taught in the New Testament. They have nothing to do with false teachings promoted by some other religions.
Because of this, such religious adherents need to come to God through His Son, and be born again (John 14:6, 3:3). As upsetting as that may sound, it is one of the most loving things that I can say.
Source Used
“Compare Religious Views of Jesus.” ReligionFacts.com. 10 Apr. 2017. Web. Accessed 16 Aug. 2020. <www.religionfacts.com/charts/jesus-world-religions>
Image Used
Three Crosses With a Sunset Behind Them by geralt from Pixabay.
James L. Hutton 