The Word of the Lord – Romans 6:4: “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

Jesus Lives!

Easter is the greatest day in human history because it proclaims the victory of Jesus Christ over the forces of sin, death, and the devil. Paul tells of this victory in Romans 6:4, when he says, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

When Paul testified to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he knew what he
was speaking about, for Paul had met the risen Savior face to face as he was on the road to Damascus. There Paul’s Lord and Savior confronted him and changed him from enemy into friend and from proud and arrogant Pharisee into a humble and devoted follower of Jesus. Paul had seen Jesus with his own eyes, so he knew that he was speaking the truth when he spoke of the resurrection. Paul was so certain of Christ’s resurrection that he consecrated his life to the service of his Lord.

Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest of all historic events. Because this is true, because Jesus came into the world to conquer sin and rise from the dead, therefore we celebrate Easter. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is so wonderfully confirmed, is a fact of unspeakable significance for us. First, we should arise to a new life because Jesus rose from the dead, for now we are clean from sin. The Bible says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
It was because of sin that Jesus came, and Christ came to save people from their sins. It was for this He lived and labored. It was for this He suffered unspeakable agony of body, mind, and soul and shed His holy precious blood. It is the resurrection on Easter Sunday that shows us that Jesus Christ was successful. Now we are saved by faith alone by what Christ has done.

No matter how many times you have been defeated in the past or how often you have fallen, just remember one thing: The eyes of the Heavenly Father are always upon you, and the loving hand of God is ready to lift you up and help you.  When the Apostle Paul declared, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life,” he not only meant that we are free from the penalty of sin, but Paul also meant that we should have a definite certainty of having eternal life.

Salvation Through Grace

Our hope for heaven does not rest on wishful thinking or reasonable arguments, but on the definite fact that Jesus Christ lives. Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). Your outlook and mine should be different from that of persons who do not know about the resurrection of Jesus Christ or its importance. Therefore, you and I should no longer be haunted by the fear of death or seek desperately to get joy out of life by devotion to things sinful and earthly. We should rather lift up our eyes and pin our hopes on that eternal goal for which each of us has been intended by the Creator. The resurrection of Jesus
makes for beautiful living. So it does, if you understand it and apply it.
Our lives will be expressions of love, and our lives will be outpourings of love for Jesus and in all our interactions with other people.

When the early disciples learned that Jesus was risen from the dead,
they began to tell the story to everyone who would listen. That still must
be the purpose of our lives. The world needs to hear the message of the resurrected Christ who has broken the seal on the tomb and who came forth as the victor. This story of the forgiveness of sins is one that must be told because it is the only way of salvation (Acts 4:12).

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). People everywhere need to know that Jesus lives, that death is defeated, and that there is an eternal hope. May God then, by the power of His Holy Spirit, be kind and gracious to us so that we will share this important message with everyone we meet. Amen.