Many people think that the most important and powerful moment of the New Testament is the birth of Jesus. It is not. Others think it is the crucifixion. But it isn’t that either. The most important moment of the New Testament -- in fact -- the most important moment of the entire bible, is the resurrection of Jesus.
By one scholar’s count, the New Testament references it more than 200 times. And even when there isn’t a direct verse related to the event, the concept is often explored obliquely by the New Testament writers. That is because the event was extremely powerful to those who witnessed it. It meant that the chief enemy of man – namely death – had been defeated by Jesus. He promised his disciples that he would die and be resurrected in a restored body (Matthew 17:22-23). When this event actually occurred, people understood the significance, because he had also promised that we would be resurrected and live with him, not just in some vague spiritual state, but with restored physical bodies (John 5:25-29). When they saw their Lord alive after the crucifixion, they knew that the promises of Jesus were true! It meant that death no longer had a sting, that suffering on earth was temporary, and that a real life in a real body with the real God of the universe was a real eventuality! Without doubt, it caused them to live differently! Since death was impotent, it caused them to live boldly! It caused them to come alive after the depression of seeing their Lord die. So powerful was the event that the Apostle Paul made it the linchpin of the Gospel, stating that if Christ had not been raised that everyone would still die in their sins and that a Christian’s faith would be worthless (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Resurrection revealed the nature of God as a deliverer, and validated all of the deliverance stories of the Old Testament. Resurrection is deliverance from death. But not only is resurrection deliverance from death, it is deliverance from sin and death. A person who places their faith in the God of resurrection dies to self and sin, and receives a better life marked by true joy and hope. God is in the business of resurrection and restoration.
The power that God uses to raise the dead is available to you right now. God has the ability to resurrect life in you. So if you feel dead in any area of your life, give that to God and let him work his resurrection power in you to make you newly alive again, and then live that life for his goodness!
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