Living in the reality of Christ’s resurrection

Every year on Easter Sunday, Christians all over the world rejoice together to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was certainly my experience growing up in Mount Hermon as we celebrated this annual affair as a church. While I was probably unable to grasp the true magnitude of its significance when I was younger, even as a young boy, I could clearly recognise the importance of the resurrection as I was taught its centrality to the gospel and how it formed the bedrock of the Christian faith. But, what did the resurrection of Christ really mean?

Over the years (and by the grace of God), I have come to personally acknowledge the truth of Christ’s resurrection and have grown in my understanding of what it truly means, and this has only served to deepen and strengthen my faith in Christ, who I now follow. Allow me to share some of these amazing truths.

1. Confirmation of his divinity as the Son of God (Romans 1:4). Jesus made many bold and outrageous claims about his identity during his ministry on earth, and even foretold his death and resurrection. Had He remained dead, he would only be proven to be a liar, and more importantly, a mortal man who was unable to escape the curse of death (like the rest of us)!

   
   

2. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has fully paid the debt of our sins and satisfied the wrath of God, that we might receive forgiveness, redemption and everlasting life with Him (1 Corinthians 15:17; Romans 4:25). This means that we can be assured in our 1. salvation, not because of what we have done, but because of Christ’s work on the cross.

   
   

3. Jesus’ resurrection reveals that death has been conquered and we, who put our faith in Him, can now share in this victory over sin and death as well (Colossians 2:12). We are no longer dead to sin but now have a living hope that is secure, and we can confidently echo the words found in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

Indeed, the weight of these truths is one of cosmic proportions, with far-reaching and life-altering implications for those who profess to follow Christ. How, then, should we respond? How can we reflect these truths in our lives today?

1. Rejoice, rejoice and rejoice again! What is your outlook in life today? Are you choking on the worries of this world and struggling to endure through grief and pain? The resurrection of Christ gives us reason for rejoicing because of the glorious hope we have received from a loving, merciful and just God. It is “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). As the song, “I serve a risen Saviour” goes:
   

   Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing.

   Eternal hallelujahs, to Jesus Christ the King!

   
   

2. Because Jesus is who He claimed to be, we ought to make Him known. The reality of the resurrection is our confidence in proclaiming the good news of Christ to all (1 Corinthians 15:14), so that the grace of God that has been given to us might be extended to others as well.
   

3. Having died to our sins, we now share in Christ’s resurrection and have already been raised with Him to the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). We have been born again and can experience new life in Christ, gifted 1.      with a new status and a new identity. Therefore, Paul instructs believers “to seek the things that are above” (Colossians 3:1), and “to be steadfast, knowing that our faith and labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). This means even as we strive to do good works and persevere through earthly sacrifices and persecutions, our efforts are not futile and have eternal consequence.

Truly, the resurrection of Christ not only brings joy and hope for the Christian, but also demands that Christians grow and persevere in Christ-likeness. Let us therefore live our lives in the reality of Christ’s resurrection and let its truth transform our lives. Allow me to conclude with two verses from the song “See, What a Morning” which I think summarise Christ’s resurrection beautifully:

See God's salvation plan

Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice

Fulfilled in Christ, the Man

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead

And we are raised with Him

Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered

And we shall reign with Him

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead.

Deacon Tan Jiayi