“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8:11 NLT)
Jesus wasn’t the only person in Scripture to come back from the grave, so what’s so special about His resurrection?
In Acts 26:8 Paul is giving his defense for being arrested for being a Jesus follower. He stands before King Agrippa, his sister Bernice, military officers, and prominent men of the city when he says: “Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?”
In John 5, early in His ministry, Jesus called God His Father, which His audience accurately understood that He was making Himself equal with God. Then in verses 28-29 He said: “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.”
Why is that significant? Because Jesus was revealing what would be happening in the three days He was in the grave. He wasn’t just lying around waiting for Sunday, His Spirit never died. He was visiting Sheol, the place of the dead, as David prophesied in Psalm 16:10, while at the same time declaring Jesus’ resurrection. David wrote: “For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow Your Holy One to rot in the grave.”
Ray Comfort in his book Faith Is For Weak People (page 70) wrote in reference to Jesus’ resurrection: “It was incredible, marvelous, and unique because of what it signified. It was more than a demonstration of the miraculous power of God; it was a confirmation of the approval of God. It was a statement that the redemption of lost sinners was indeed ‘finished’ (John 19:30), as Jesus said it was when He was still on the cross. His resurrection permanently turned on the light in the darkness, and the darkness fled at the speed of light.”
Unlike any person who ever lived or will live, Jesus died and rose again NEVER TO DIE AGAIN! Every other person who was brought back to life only lived to die again – UNTIL JESUS! Why is that such good news? Because death no longer holds any fear for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection led the way for every person who has placed their faith in Him, though their body will die, their spirit, the essence of who they are, will never die, but be united with Him forever.
Listen to the beautiful words of Charles Spurgeon speaking of Christ’s resurrection: “But it was more than a miracle of power, for all the attributes of God united their glory in the resurrection of Christ. God’s love came there, and opened those closed eyes; His delight *bejewelled those deadly wounds; His wisdom set in motion that pierced heart. Divine justice claimed His loosing from the grave, and mercy smiled as she lit up His face with an immortal smile. There and then did Jehovah make all His glory to pass before us, and He proclaimed the name of the Lord. If you ask where God’s glory most is seen, I will not point to creation, nor to providence, but to the raising of Jesus from the dead.”
Listen child of God! Death has lost its grip on you! Rejoice in God your Savior! Let the words of the author of Hebrews reverberate in your spirit when he wrote: “Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”
HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!
Blessings, Ed 😊
*“bejewelled” means “to cover or decorate with or as with jewels” (Websters)
Walking With Jesus 