The significance of the resurrection.

     Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.....
                                                                       Romans 10:9


     The fact of the resurrection of Christ is vital to our salvation. The Apostle Paul states that if Christ has not been raised from the dead our faith is in vain, we are still lost in our sin (1 Cor 15:17). The resurrection of Christ is God's stamp of approval on the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Had Jesus failed to be an unblemished sacrifice, there could have been no resurrection, therefore no chance of reconciliation with God.
     Jesus was vindicated by the resurrection as well (1 Tim 3:16). Jesus, the son of God, fully divine, became flesh and lived among us. He lived a sinless life, came in love, healed the sick, loved the unloveable, did good, taught the ways of God, exhibiting perfection in all He said and did. How was He received by men? He was despised and rejected, and put to death in a cruel way, after He had been mocked in an unjust trial! This only shows the utter depravity of the heart of man. Our sinfulness is magnified by the righteousness of the son of God. Peter stood up on the day of pentecost and proclaimed to the crowd that they had crucified Jesus, but God had raised Him from the dead and made Him Lord and Christ! They were cut to the heart with guilt and asked what must we do? They were brought face to face with the ugliness of sin. They saw that the sin in their hearts had brought them to the very point of killing Jesus, God in the flesh! The resurrection vindicated Christ. He was shown to be God. His ways and teaching were shown to be true, sin was exposed for how terrible it really is. We are shown the darkness inside of us when confronted with the death and resurrection of Christ.
     God demonstrated His hatred for sin by the crucifixion of Jesus, but He also demonstrated His love for fallen man by sending Him to die for us. Paul paints a picture of this in Romans chapter 6 when he explains that we must not take the grace of god lightly. We must not continue in sin. We have died to sin. Just as Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead, so we to have died with Him and have been raised to newness of life. This is a life of righteousness, a life lived in loving obedience to God. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. We have been set free from sin, and become slaves of righteousness (vs 18). The wages of sin is death, but God's gift to us is eternal life through Christ Jesus (vs 23).
     The resurrection of Christ was accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul, in Romans 8 tells us that the same Sirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us as believers. He will quicken our bodies, we will be resurrected as well, at Christs return(1 Cor 20-23).  The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us power to live for christ as well. In Ephesians 1, Paul prays that believers would come to know by experience, the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. This power is for us as we serve God. Power to overcome the world, power to face trials, power to witness etc.
     Death could not hold Jesus, He is a risen, living Savior. He is alive today making intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is alive today, at the Fathers right hand as our advocate (1John 2:1). He is our great high priest, we can come to Him for grace in time of need (Hebrews 4: 14-16).  We serve a living Lord, who one day is coming back for us (Hebrews 9:27-28).
      Jesus will also one day come to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17: 31). The resurrection stands as God's seal of assurance of this fact. He alone is worthy, and He will be completely just. God has been patiently dealing with the human race, but now is the time to repent, because some day it will be to late!
     Jesus lives! What does that mean to you?