Following Judah's Lion

The Resurrection

I posted an article about a leading emergent’s presentation of the resurrection. You can read that post here.

And now I humbly ,and with an admitted incompetence, attempt to reveal the power and glory of the resurrection of the God/man called Jesus. But inherent within the glory of Christ’s victory over death are the sufferings endured upon the place of torture and death we concisely call the “cross”. That term, the “cross”, has become a word that many times engenders fondness, sentimentality, and even religious thoughts. It has become a cultural term that indicates a religion called Christianity, but it has effectively lost its redemptive quintessence which forms the entire embodiment of its eternal significance. And without that understanding, not only does the meaning of the cross lose its power and glory, but so does the resurrection.

To put it simply, to misunderstand, misappropriate, or even dilute the cross of Jesus Christ immediately compromises the colossal meaning of the resurrection which authenticates, validates, and eternally confirms what was accomplished upon that cross. Of course it is insignificant and unsophisticated to the fallen mind, but to those who have been enlightened by the Spirit and changed by that same power it is the source of our redemption. The cross to us is an ongoing exploration of an eternal mystery through which we see more clearly who Jesus is and what He has done in our place. That is why it is sacrilegious to present the resurrection as some form of “God hasn’t given up on the world”…whatever that means. I wonder how the starving children in Darfur can process that declaration in light of their present circumstances.

The gospel isn’t a message that God has a positive attitude about the world. The resurrection at the most basic level reveals openly that although God gave His Son for the sins of mankind that same Son did not stay dead. He is risen! And if Jesus rose from the dead then He is the Son of God and whosoever believes in Him is forgiven of their sins and has eternal life. As Paul said, if Jesus did not rise from the dead we are still in our sins. That is the message of the resurrection: We who believe are not dead in our sins because upon the cross they were paid for in full. How do we know this? The resurrection!!

How shocked must be the angels of heaven when they see that resurrection being manipulated to mean something other than what God has said in His Word. Think about the two angels whose message was to say, “He is not here…He is risen”. And why were the soldiers paid to lie and say His body was stolen? Not because people would believe that God hasn’t given up on the world, but that people might believe on Jesus Himself as the Savior of the world. Up until Sunday morning even His disciples saw the cross as a defeat, but when Jesus was raised from the dead He was declared to be the Son of God by the spirit of holiness. The resurrection eternally identifies He who suffered and died on that cross.

How dare we downplay and even ignore those precious wounds and those unimaginable sufferings. If we lose sight of what Jesus did upon the cross we lose our faith regardless of how many positive spins we put on the designs of God. Should Jesus tarry we can be assured that more and more false teachers will present another gospel that uses the same gospel words but are substantive departures from the faith of Christ. Those who refuse even a measure of discernment may fall prey to these teachings and not be aware of what they are believing. I have often said this to those entrusted to my spiritual care, “With the shallow spiritual state of the church, who do people believe? Usually the one they heard last or the one who has the most effective and creative way to present their views”.

But let us leave the comparison. I have personal reasons for loving and exalting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus rose from the dead for me. I cannot explain it and I cannot fully understand it, but when Jesus died upon the cross and then resurrected from the dead He was doing it collectively for all and personally for each. And I have never adequately shared how sinful I really am and what sinful thoughts I have entertained in unguarded moments in my 58 years including 35 knowing Christ. I am convinced that try as we might we all have a built in defensive mechanism that admits to depravity and fallenness while still retaining a significant and structurally sound wall of protection. I am far more sinful than anyone knows.

And even with that admission I realize that God knows infinitely more about my sin than do I. And even with my self serving compromised view of my own sin I cannot but embrace and love He who died and rose for me. Yes, the gospels were written for me to know how much God loved my and gave for me. And when I think of the implications of God Himself enduring the punishment for my sins, including all the sins I have committed after I believed in Jesus, I am undone.

I am undone. I deserved hell.

The only worth I have is what Jesus did for me.

The glory of the Risen Christ will be on display for all eternity and purely be God’s grace I will be allowed to see and worship Him.

Forever.

I am undone.