Understanding CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

This is a special day when Christians around the world gather to celebrate what is undoubtedly the most important and profound event in the history of all mankind—the RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The Resurrection will be proclaimed today from pulpits around the world on this powerful subject.  Yet, I am convinced that the true meaning of Christ’s Resurrection will be ever elusive without deep investigation and revelation into His death and burial, as well.  So, that’s the direction the Lord has given us to follow today.  We want to understand Christ’s Resurrection in context with His amazing death and burial, as well.  So, let’s begin this exciting Gospel journey.

The world is filled with multitudes of different religions, each claiming to know what they need to DO to please their god and win his or her approval.  Religion is always about DOING.  But Christianity is NOT a religion, but rather a personal RELATIONSHIP with the Most High God, built on faith and love.  When Jesus was asked, “What shall we DO, that we may work the works of God?”  He answered, “This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in Him whom He sent (John 6:28–29).”  Christianity is about BELIEVING that Jesus already did all the “heavy lifting!”  The trouble with religion is they don’t know what to do with man’s biggest problem—SIN!  Nor do they know what to do with the SIN NATURE we all inherited from Adam.  They either pretend sin doesn’t exist or try to divert everyone’s attention from sin by keeping them busy doing religion and good works, in the false hope they can atone and make up for their own sin by doing and being good.  Sin is missing the mark and not doing the will of God.

Last Friday, Christians worldwide celebrated God Himself taking the first step in the only way of freeing the entire world from their bondage of sin.  God sent His Son Jesus, who was without sin, to become the perfect sacrifice by taking upon Himself the sin of the world.  When John saw Jesus coming toward him he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).”  Paul described it this way: “He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21).”  When Jesus became sin for us, He not only took on the guilt of our sin, but also the sin nature of Adam which causes us to sin in the first place.  Popular Christian theology falls short by saying, “CHRIST DIED FOR US.”  If atonement (forgiveness) was the sole purpose of the crucifixion, then the forgiven murderer would still be a murderer, and the forgiven sinner would still be a sinner.  But Paul didn’t say Christ took my sin or paid for my sin—He BECAME SIN—He BECAME ME!  Like exchanging coats, He received my identity as a SINNER on that cross, so I could then receive His identity as the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in His resurrection.  He literally became WHO and WHAT I WAS, so I could become WHO and WHAT HE IS!  He became SIN (me) so I could become RIGHTEOUSNESS (Him).  The biggest mistake with thinking “CHRIST DIED FOR US,” is we think we didn’t need to die—we got a free pass, or thinking “Jesus died for us and without us.”  But the truth is, “CHRIST DIED AS US!”  When He became SIN as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, we were immediately IN Him—because SIN is who we were, not just what we did!   Then, when He was in the grave, we were IN Him (because the wages of SIN is death, Rom. 6:23) so that in the resurrection “we might become the righteousness of God IN HIM (2 Cor. 5:21).”  Remember, DEATH must precede RESURRECTION, and we were DEAD in our sins!

“Christianity is all about RELATIONSHIP!”

Paul understood RESURRECTION quite well.  In fact, he saw it as a major part of RELATIONSHIP with Christ.  Philippians 3:10-11: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”  Paul’s greatest desire was RELATIONSHIP with Christ!  The Greek word translated “know” in English is ginosko, which means to have deep intimate relationship, even as a wife knows her husband.  When Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to the Christ Child, she said, “How shall this be, seeing I know (ginosko) not a man (Lk.1:34).” 

Knowing the Lord intimately enables us to KNOW and SHARE in the miraculous dunamis power of His resurrection, but it also enables knowing every aspect of Christ—Who He is and all He has done.

We can’t know Christ without knowing, understanding and sharing in the fellowship (koinonia) of His sufferings.  Only then can we be conformed (summorphoo) to His Death.  Summorphoo means to take on the same form.  In this case it means I must finally stop trying to “save my life” and lose it to be one IN Christ.  Christ sacrificed His life unto death that He (and we IN Him) may attain (katanoeo – to perceive fully) the resurrection from the dead.  The final step in our complete salvation process, which culminates in resurrection, is “perceiving” which involves CHANGING and RENEWING OUR MIND to understand it.  Notice the context of Paul’s words:

Philippians 3:2–11  2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!  3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have SUFFERED the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found IN Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (When you were IN Christ, with Him in the grave!), if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead (Live as one resurrected IN Christ from the grave!) (NKJV)

NO SINNERS SHALL ENTER HEAVEN!

Ephesians 5:5–7  5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. (NKJV)

Living in the POWER of His RIGHEOUSNESS!

Romans 6:1–14  1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  2 Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.   

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  7 For he who has died (that’s us IN Christ) has been freed from sin.  8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  11 Likewise you also, RECKON YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD indeed to sin (you died with Him when you were IN Christ as sin on that cross), but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (you came to life when you were dead IN Christ and were resurrected from the grave with Him).

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NKJV)