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The Centrality of the Resurrection
by Bobby Bruno Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there would be no Christianity. If Jesus had not risen from the dead there would be no leader for us to follow. If Jesus had not come back to life we would still be dead in our sins for there would have been no atonement for them; there would have been no sacrifice to redeem them; and there would have been no perfect man to receive them. Also is the fact that without Jesus' death and resurrection there would be no church, and Jesus' message would have died on His lips. When Jesus had said "It is finished" on the cross, it truly would have been the end. But, most of all, in John 14:26, Jesus told His disciples, "However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you" (GW). If Jesus had not risen and gone back up into Heaven, then the Holy Spirit would not have come to us and we would still be lost without divine guidance, and the church would have died a quick death before it had even had a chance to begin. But, glory be to God that the resurrection occurred, and Jesus has risen. D. A. Carson, in his book "God With Us" (p. 163) tells us that the resurrection ended not with only a commission, but also with a promise from Jesus, who told the disciples that when the Holy Spirit came upon them they were to "Teach them (all other believers -- mine) to do everything I have commanded you. "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time" (Mt 28:20). Thank God that He raised His Son back to life, for we are now free from our sins and the bondage they caused us. No resurrection no life. References Carson, D. (1995). God with us: themes from matthew. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers. Scripture is taken from GOD'S WORD, 1995 God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. Comment: "The resurrection of Jesus Christ is pivotal in the Christian faith because without it, there is no hope, no expectations and nothing to look forward to." Author Response: Remember the time when your life had no hope, no expectation of a good life, and nothing worth looking forward to? I know that we all can. But isn't it wonderful to look back on that old life, now, on this side of our resurrection from the dead and see how the Holy Spirit guided our steps to bring us to Jesus just at that moment when all seemed lost and we wanted to end it all for good? The past was hard to live through (but did we really know that when we were going through it since we didn't know any other way?), and we did it through the strength of Jesus who followed us all of our lives to get us to that moment of despair and surrender. I am very thankful to Jesus that He obeyed His Father to the cross, for that made it possible for our terrible pasts to be used to show others the love, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus. How much He loves us to suffer in our place. His pain gives me a connection to His love because He suffered more than I'll ever have to. My pain has been freed because He took it upon Himself to suffer for me. What a gift we have from God in Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comment: "Without Jesus' resurrection we would not be resurrected, and would not have the opportunity for eternal life which is the ultimate promise to all those that are born again." Author Response It's amazing how many things Jesus did to show us how to live. The only thing Jesus never spoke about is how we will spend eternity because I believe that we wouldn't be able to grasp anything He could tell us about it. What will it be like when all suffering ceases? I believe that Jesus chose the time of the cross to die so that He could show us how to suffer properly no matter how great the pain of our suffering. Jesus also knew what it's like to have been in Heaven, so He knew that, at the end of the cross, He would go back there again to be free from the pain of an earthly existence. Yes, I believe that He still remembers that pain each time we sin against Him, but I also believe that it doesn't hurt like it did when He was still in His earthly body. His resurrection showed us that coming back to life is like being physically born again. Only, this time, we will know all things as He knows them for all of eternity. Miserable creatures we will no more be. Bobby Bruno was saved 15 years ago in a way that left him no doubt that Jesus wanted him to reach others with His great and abounding love. He started writing at the age of 12 and hasn't stopped since. He achieved Associates Degree in Biblical Studies from Ohio Christian University in early 2014. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |