He is Risen
Tuesday, April 6
He is Risen
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. Ephesians 1:19
The words continue to ring truth even as we sit in the year 2021, He is not here for He has risen! I can only imagine the feeling of staring into the tomb on that day, feeling both afraid and filled with joy. Looking at the place where He lay to ponder afresh the incredible reality that Jesus died and rose again, and that one day He will return.
Yet we read how the early disciples were initially troubled, doubting, downcast and bewildered on the first Resurrection Day. They’d seen many miracles of healing as they followed Jesus, but the miracle of the resurrection was too incredible for them to believe. Then they met the risen Christ who walked and talked with them. He showed them the wounds of the cross in His resurrected body, and they were filled with overwhelming joy and peace.
We must understand there is no new covenant without the resurrection. Paul explains the consequences if there were no resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). He says preaching Christ would be useless, faith in Him would be futile, there could be no salvation and Christians would be deluded. But he exclaims that Christ has been raised from the dead; our faith is not in vain and one day we too will be raised to be with Him forever. This is hope that won’t disappoint. This is the hope that fills our heart and runs through the believer’s vein still today.
The truth is that without the resurrection we have no good news of salvation to proclaim. The life and death of Jesus alone couldn’t provide salvation. The full Gospel includes the resurrection.