The Lord of Resurrection

[Bible Verses]

Matthew 28:5,6

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

Psalm 16:9,10

my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Romans 1:4

and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 11:25,26

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Romans 6:5

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

I Corinthians 15:20

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

I Corinthians 15:52,53

in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

[My Reflections]

When Jesus was on this earth, He performed many miracles. The greatest miracle of all was that after He died on the cross and was buried, He rose again on the third day. So Paul said that by this, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). This was also the reason why the apostles were not afraid of death in proclaiming that the Lord has risen. Resurrection was the center piece of the gospel message (Acts 1:22, 4:2,33, 17:18,32, 24:21).

Indeed Jesus' resurrection is wonderful. The reason why it is significant to us is that we also have the hope of the same resurrection on account of Jesus. Jesus became the firstfruits of resurrection (I Corinthians 15:23); next will be those who belong to Him, when He comes again. Our perishable body will disappear with death, but we will be raised with an imperishable body. What is dishonorable will go away and we will be raised in honor; what is weak will go away and we will be raised in power (I Corinthians 15:43). When we are resurrected, we will have the likeness of the man from heaven (I Corinthians 15:49). That is, God's image, God's likeness will be restored in us.

Taking one step further, we are already a new creation even in this world (II Corinthians 5:17). We are born again, born anew, born from above as children of God, with God's likeness, God's image. The possibility of tasting the glory and power of resurrection is already with us. Such a possibility is realized when we display the character of God in our lives. I pray that we will be able to lift up our praises and be triumphant with the hope of resurrection. In faith, we are convinced of the certainty of this hope (Hebrews 11:1).