Romans – Day 3
30 Sep 2009 | Karl Martin | Posted in RomansNo Comments
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. [Romans 1:4]
The Cross of Jesus Christ is right at the heart of the gospel (which is JESUS – see yesterday), but it is not the whole gospel.
If Jesus’ incarnation communicates His humanity and the character of Father God, if His crucifixion demonstrates His sacrifice and love, and deals with our sin (we know this is far too simplistic but true none-the-less), then it is His resurrection that shows His power.
Recently evangelical christianity has been deeply concerned with discussion and disagreement around the nature of atonement, but also appears to have a pretty impoverished understanding of the resurrection. Here Paul suggests that it is the resurrection that proves Jesus Sonship - His Godship. This is crucial logically. Only a King who has conquered death can live forever. Only if Jesus is alive can He fulfill the prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:13 and be the Messiah. This is also the prime evangelistic message of the early church: a dead man walked! He is God! (check out the early sermons in Acts)
For us today it means at least three things:
1. Jesus rising from the dead defeats not only death for us, but everything that surrounds death.
- Fear – when will I die?
- Despair – life is full of pain, and then you die
- Greed – I’ve got to grab all I can in this short life
(you add your own)
It’s true – it has been defeated by Jesus. These things need no longer win over you. Jesus is risen!
2. The risen Jesus means we have a living faith – not a dead religion.
He is alive! Now we get to walk as children of the resurrection – we get to walk with Him, co-operate with Him and relate to Him.
3. The risen Jesus means that the Jesus life is not just humility and sacrifice – it is POWER!
Today: ask Jesus if He would reveal His risen life to you – in your ordinary, HIS extra-ordinary risenness. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the presence and person of the risen Jesus.
- Karl