Resurrection Reflections

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
Romans 4:25 

 

Praise the Lord that Jesus went to the cross and paid for our sins—paid the debt we could not pay—and then rose from the grave! And, as the Reformer Martin Luther says, the message of the Gospel brings joy because there on the cross Christ overcame sin, death, and hell.

As the Scripture above says, “he was raised to life for our justification,” which means to be made right— to be put in right stead with God. In fact, the Bible says we have been credited with the very righteousness of Jesus simply through faith in Him.

When we believe on Jesus and receive him as Savior, our sins are washed away and we are then credited and covered with the very righteousness of Christ—justifying us by grace— completely on the basis of what Jesus did and not on the basis of our own works or merit. “However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:5 

The Amplified Bible explains it even better: “But to the one who does not work [that is, the one who does not try to earn his salvation by doing good], but believes and completely trusts in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).” Romans 4:5 AMP

Christ paid for our sin once for all, and by simply believing in Him we are justified by His grace. 

Thus the resurrection of Jesus is joy, peace, and life!

Joy because he paid the price we could not pay! (Rom 5:8, Gal 5:22)

Peace because we now have peace with God having been justified by faith through his grace! (Rom 5:1-2)

Life because he has given us eternal life! (Rom 6:23, 1 John 5:11)

Happy Resurrection Day!

Happy Easter!

Ephesians 1:18-20: "I pray that...you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance...and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength which He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms..."

Praise God! Jesus rose from the grave! He rose having paid the price for sin, once for all! He went to the cross willingly, having offered Himself up as God’s perfect sacrifice for our transgressions. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life! (1) Christ has given eternal life to us who believe upon Him and received Him as savior. It is by grace you have been saved through faith, it is gift of God, not by works, lest any man should boast! (2) He came unto His own but His own did not receive Him, yet to as many as did receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. (3)

We are thankful every time we think of what grace and mercy God has given us, that through faith in Christ we have redemption and eternal life. We who have believed upon Christ and received Him as Savior have been made children of God. His resurrection power also lives in us through the Holy Spirit!

We were blessed to see that resurrection power moving so gloriously as the Holy Spirit poured out over the meetings we just did in Canada as we ministered in Victoria and Vancouver.

We did meetings at Salvation House and Miracle Café, as well as home meetings, and the Spirit of God filled and empowered many people as well as brining healing and deliverance. We saw that the Holy Spirit was breaking chains over people’s lives and setting them free and healing them. The Lord was also equipping people to “do the stuff” as John Wimber used to put it, equipping people to minister the works of Christ!

We felt blessed to be ministering there once again and rejoice that Christ’s resurrection power continues to move with such strength and grace! Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

(1) Romans 6:23

(2) Ephesians 2:8-9

(3) John 1:11-12