The Resurrection in Romans

How important is the resurrection of Jesus Christ? In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 the Apostle Paul tells us that the resurrection of Christ (along with His death and burial) is “of first importance” (ESV).

The Apostles were first and foremost to be witnesses of the resurrection. Acts chapter one tells us that this was not only one of the main qualifications in order to be an apostle (i.e. to have been with Christ throughout His earthly ministry and to have been a witness of His resurrection); but it was also in another sense a summary of their calling – an apostle was called to be “a witness to his resurrection” (v.22) – that is, to bear witness to it!

Acts 4:2 tells us that the priests and the Sadducees had Peter and John arrested “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” It wasn’t just that they told people about the Lord Jesus Christ in general, but that they preached His resurrection, and the resurrection unto life of all who believe in Him for salvation. Acts 4:33 later tells us, “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

So in some way the message of the apostles could be summed up as their testimony to Christ’s resurrection. It was of primary importance in their teaching and preaching. Read through the epistles in the New Testament and you will find a vast multitude of references to Christ’s resurrection, both to the truth of it, as well as to it’s significance for all who believe in Him.

For example, if you read through the book of Romans with an eye toward Paul’s references to Christ’s resurrection, you may be surprised at how often he brings up that very subject. He does so practically throughout the entire epistle!

Paul all but begins his great epistle of the gospel with a reference to Christ’s resurrection. In Romans 1:1–4 he writes,

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,” (ESV)

First, he tells us that he was “a servant of Christ Jesus” (v.1). This obviously implies that Christ Jesus was alive. (One really can’t be a servant of someone who is dead and in the grave.) But then he adds that he was “set apart for the gospel of God” (v.1). And what is the gospel about? He says that it concerns “his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (v.3-4, Italics added). So the gospel is about the risen Christ!

In Romans 4:25 Paul tells us that Christ was “raised for our justification.” Christ’s death on the cross atoned for our sins, and is the basis of our justification, but we are not justified by a dead Savior – He had to be raised from the dead in order for us to be justified in Him! As Herman Bavinck puts it, Christ’s resurrection is “the Amen of the Father upon the Finished of the Son” and “the public declaration of our acquittal.” (The Wonderful Works of God, p.351)

In Romans 5:10 he writes, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (ESV, Italics added) When Paul speaks there of our being “saved by his life,” it is clear that he has Christ’s resurrection in mind, and His ongoing life and ministry on our behalf. The writer of the book of Hebrews makes a similar statement when he writes, “Consequently, he [that is, Christ] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25, ESV)

Then again in Romans 6:4 Paul adds that “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Here we see that it is not just our justification which is closely related to Christ’s glorious resurrection, but our new life and sanctification as well! Believers are raised with Christ in His resurrection to new life, so that we now “walk in newness of life.”

Paul goes on in a similar line of thought in the very next chapter, where he writes, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:4, ESV)

And then in Romans 8:11 Paul writes, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Simply put, Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our own future resurrection for all who are in Christ. Or as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, “the resurrection of Christ is the sure pledge of our own blessed resurrection” (Q/A 45).

But wait – there’s more! In Romans 8:33–34 he writes, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (ESV) The resurrection of Christ and His ongoing ministry of intercession on our behalf at the right hand of God, makes our salvation in Him all the more sure!

Lastly, Paul reminds us that true saving faith in Christ involves a sincere belief that He has been raised from the dead! In Romans 10:9–10, he writes, “[B]ecause, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (ESV, Italics added)

So the gospel, from beginning to end, has to do with, not just Christ’s death on the cross for our sins, but also with His glorious resurrection! Christ’s resurrection makes all the difference in the lives of believers. It is involved in our justification, sanctification, and future glorification! And it is a wellspring of comfort and assurance for believers, because it means that our Redeemer “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25, ESV)

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

The Benefits of Christ’s Resurrection (Heidelberg Catechism Q.45)

Every Easter Sunday Christians all around the world turn their attention to what the Scriptures say about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and with good reason. Without the resurrection of Christ on the third day, there really is no Christianity.

In 1 Corinthians 15:17 Paul goes so far as to say, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”(ESV)  Faith in a dead Savior is useless because a dead Savior is no savior at all, and saves no one!

At Easter we often spend time thinking about the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ, which is a good thing – Paul says that it is one of the truths of the Christian faith that is “of first importance” (v.3-4). The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are essential to the gospel itself.

In his book, Christianity & Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen wrote the following:

“What was it that within a few days transformed a band of mourners into the spiritual conquerors of the world? It was not the memory of Jesus’ life; it was not the inspiration which came from past contact with Him. But it was the message, “He is risen.”” (p.42)

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of the resurrection of Christ.

But have you ever wondered how Christ’s resurrection actually benefits you as a believer in Christ? The Scriptures actually have quite a bit to say about that too. One of the best examples of this is found in Romans 4:25 where Paul says that Christ was “raised for our justification.” (ESV)

What does this mean? What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ have to do with the justification of believers? And what else does the resurrection of Christ mean for us as believers? 

The Heidelberg Catechism has a really helpful question and answer on the resurrection of Christ in its section going through the Apostles’ Creed:

“Q.45. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? A. First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He might make us partakers of that righteousness which He had purchased for us by His death; secondly, we are also by His power raised up to a new life; and lastly, the resurrection of Christ is a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.”

Partakers of Christ’s Righteousness – Justification

What is the first benefit that we as believers in Christ enjoy by God’s grace because of the resurrection of our Savior? It is because of Christ’s resurrection that we are made “partakers of that righteousness” of Christ that “He purchased for us by His death.”

In other words, in some sense we are justified because of Christ’s resurrection.

And isn’t that what Paul says here in Romans 4:25? For there he tells us that Christ “was raised for our justification.” No less a theologian than Charles Hodge (1797-1878) calls this verse, “a comprehensive statement of the gospel” (Romans [Geneva Series of Commentaries], p.129).

Now Paul is not saying that it was Christ’s resurrection on the third day that atoned for our sins – that is properly said only of His sufferings and death on the cross.

So why (or in what sense) does Paul link Christ’s resurrection from the dead to our being justified in Him, and so having all of our sins forgiven and being accepted by God as righteous in His sight?

Hodge himself offers two (2) reasons: First, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was just as necessary as for our justification as His death was, because it was the “proof that His death had been accepted as an expiation for our sins.”

In other words, Christ’s resurrection was the proof that the penalty for or sins was paid in full, and that Christ’s atonement had been accepted by God as the payment for our sins. Christ was “raised for [or because of – dia] our justification.”

The second reason is that Christ’s resurrection was “in order to secure the continued application of the merits of his sacrifice . . . .” In other words, no resurrection would also mean no ascension, and no ascension of Christ to the right hand of God the Father Almighty would then mean no intercession of Christ for us!

Most of us probably do not fully appreciate the importance of these things. We think of Christ’s death, but don’t give much thought to Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God. But Hebrews 7:25 says,

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (ESV)

Why is the Lord Jesus “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him”? Precisely because “he always lives to make intercession for them.” Christ’s resurrection and ascension are vital to His intercession, which is vital to both the application of the benefits of His redemption to believers, even to our perseverance (or preservation) in the faith!

And so Christ’s resurrection on the third day is just as important to our justification in Him as is His atoning death on the cross. There is no justification for sinners without the resurrection of Christ!

Raised with Christ to New Life– Sanctification

The second way that Christ’s resurrection benefits us as believers is that by it “we are also by His power raised up to a new life” (HC Q/A 45). The Scriptures clearly link Christ’s resurrection from the dead to our new life in Christ.

In other words, in some sense we are sanctified because of Christ’s resurrection.

Is that not precisely what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:1-4? There he writes,

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (ESV)

Baptism is the sign and seal of union with Christ; being united to Christ by faith into both His death and into His resurrection. And that means that our new life in Christ (both regeneration and the ongoing work of God’s grace in our lives in sanctification) is a part of sharing in the resurrection power of Christ!

Paul goes on to spell this out for us in the very next verse. In Romans 6:5 he writes,

“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (NASB).

This is why Paul says elsewhere in Ephesians 1:19–20 that he prayed that believers might know:

“ . . .what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” (ESV, Italics added)

See how often the Scriptures link Christ’s resurrection to the power of God at work in us as believers! In fact, if you read through the book of Romans (Paul’s magnum opus on the gospel of Christ), you may be surprised to find just how often Paul brings up the resurrection of Jesus Christ – it is practically throughout the letter!

• In Romans 1:4 he tells us that Christ was “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead . . . .” (ESV)
• In Romans 4:25 he tells us that Christ was “raised for our justification.” (ESV)
• In Romans 6:4 he tells us that we were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection so that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (ESV)
• And finally, in Romans 8:11 he tells us that “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (ESV) In other words, the resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of our own future resurrection in glory!

Clearly the resurrection of Jesus Christ really is one of the things that is “of first importance” to Paul’s preaching and teaching of the gospel.

A Sure Pledge of Our Own Blessed Resurrection– Glorification

And that leads us to the third way that the resurrection of Christ benefits us as believers that the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us of in Q/A 45, that it is “a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.” As the old hymn puts it, “Jesus Lives, and So Shall I.”

Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our own future resurrection in glory!

If you are a Christian, does that not bring you great comfort? Does that not give you real hope for the future?

In 1 Corinthians 15:20–23 Paul writes,

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” (ESV)

Christ’s resurrection was the “firstfruits” of the resurrection of all His people. The idea of “firstfruits” is a farming term of sorts. To offer the firstfruits of your harvest to God is to trust that the rest is sure to come. As Proverbs 3:9–10 says,

“Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (ESV)

The firstfruits is connected to the rest of the harvest, and is the sign and pledge of it! In the same way, our Lord Jesus’s blessed resurrection is the guarantee of our own future resurrection in glory!

And notice what else Paul says about the sure hope of the resurrection there in that passage at the end of the chapter. In 1 Corinthians 15:51–58 he writes,

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (ESV)

The sure hope of the resurrection is rooted in Christ’s own glorious resurrection, and it is because of that sure hope that we can “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (v.58).

The resurrection means our labor is not in vain. If by faith in Christ we labor for the cause of Christ, we will not be disappointed.

So let the resurrection of Christ that we celebrate every Easter (and really every Sunday!) cause you to “abound in the work of the Lord,” for He is risen indeed!

And so our salvation in Christ – past (justification), present (sanctification), and future (glorification) – are all connected not only to the death of Christ Jesus, but also to His blessed resurrection as well!

O how many benefits and blessings we share in because of Christ’s resurrection!

He is risen. He is risen indeed! – Amen

Easter Every Sunday

Have you ever asked yourself why Christian churches gather for worship on Sundays, rather than on Saturdays? After all, doesn’t the 4^th commandment itself specifically state that it is the “seventh day” (Exodus 20:10) that is the Sabbath, rather than the first day of the week (i.e. Sunday)?

So why Sunday? The Westminster Shorter Catechism addresses that very question:

“Q.59. Which day of the seven has God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?  A.From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.”

Notice that the turning point is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, which took place on a Sunday, “the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1). The resurrection was such a momentous event that it ushered in a change in the very day of the week that we are to observe as the day of holy rest and worship.

In his book, The Ten Commandments, the great Puritan writer Thomas Watson writes,

“The reason why God instituted the old Sabbath was to be a memorial of the creation; but he has now brought the first day of the week in its room [i.e. in its place] in memory of a more glorious work than creation, which is redemption. Great was the work of creation, but greater was the work of redemption.” (p.96)

And so the Christian church started to gather for worship on Sundays, in celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This change took root very early on in the church’s history. Acts 20:7 tells us that it was on “the first day of the week” that the church in Troas gathered together for the breaking of bread (i.e. the Lord’s Supper) and to listen to the Apostle Paul’s preaching.

Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 16:2, when the Apostle Paul was instructing the church in the city of Corinth about their offering for the relief of the saints in Jerusalem, he instructs them to set it aside and gather it up “on the first day of every week” (i.e. Sunday). In other words, that was already the day of the week when the church regularly gathered for worship.

Lastly, in Revelation 1:10 the Apostle John mentions that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” when he received what he passed down to us in that book. Since the time of the Apostles, Sunday has come to be known as “the Lord’s day” and the Christian Sabbath. And so while the particular day of the week changed, but the principle involved in the 4^th commandment still abides and applies to us today.

Easter Sunday is the day in the church calendar when we commonly celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. But you really could say that every time we gather for worship on Sunday (the Lord’s day), we are celebrating and commemorating Christ’s resurrection. And so every Sunday is, in a sense, Easter Sunday.

He is risen. He is risen indeed!

The Fundamental Apologetical Fact of Christianity

How important is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? In his book, The Person and Work of Christ, B.B. Warfield writes,

“From the empty grave of Jesus the enemies of the cross turn away in unconcealable dismay. Christ has risen from the dead! After two thousand years of the most determined assault upon the evidence which establishes it, that fact stands. And so long as it stands,  Christianity too must stand as the one supernatural religion The resurrection of Christ is the fundamental apologetical fact of Christianity” (p.543).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the “fundamental apologetical fact of Christianity.” It is the evidence and argument for the Christian faith from which the enemies of the cross still turn away in utter dismay. Facts, as the old saying goes, are stubborn things, and the resurrection of Christ is still the ultimate immovable object.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Palm Sunday in Heaven

It’s easy for us in the church today to look around us and be discouraged. At times it seems like nothing much good is happening. At times it can seem like Jesus is not at work. Sometimes it even seems as if our Lord Jesus Christ is not in control. As Hebrews 2:8 says,

“Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.”

Everything really is now in subjection to King Jesus. Everything. But at present it doesn’t always look that way to us, does it? Sometimes it seems like evil is winning. Sometimes it seems as if the Lord is not blessing our witness to His gospel and working through it to save and transform sinners. But He is.

Even the original Palm Sunday seems like a failure in some ways, doesn’t it?. Upon closer inspection the triumphal entry doesn’t seem all that triumphant. After all, we know that the crowds didn’t actually understand who Jesus was and what He came to do; most of them didn’t actually believe, and many of those same people were probably among the crowds that within a week’s time would be shouting “crucify Him!” (John 19:15). Even His own disciples didn’t even understand until later (John 12:16)!

But in Revelation 7:9-12, John writes,

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.””

That is a picture of heaven. In a sense that is the real Palm Sunday. The triumphal entry of Jesus Christ was a preview of heaven. As Palm Sunday reminds us of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ, it reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ is even now at work in the world, gathering and defending His church. We may have trouble seeing it at times, but one day it will be clear as day that “the world has gone after him” (John 12:19) because the Lord Jesus was going after the world, seeking and saving a multitude of sinners so great in  number that no man will be able to begin to count them!

The Power of Three Little Words

What are the three most powerful words in the English language?

“I love you”?  Good guess, but no.

J.Gresham Machen writes,

What was it that within a few days transformed a band of mourners into the spiritual conquerors of the world? It was not the memory of Jesus’ life; it was not the inspiration which came from past contact with Him. But it was the message, “He is risen.” (Christianity & Liberalism, p.42)

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!  And the world has never been the same!