Category: Resurrection

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Saved Through His Life

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10)

An examination of Romans chapter 5 reveals our need of salvation, and what God in Jesus Christ has done to make it possible for us to receive salvation. It says that sin renders us alienated from God and helpless to do anything about it (v. 16).  It says sinners are enemies of God (v.10).

Furthermore it says that the Lord Jesus solved the problem of our alienation from God when he died on the cross. He made it possible for ungodly people to be objects of God’s love (v.8), justified by his blood (v.9), saved from God’s wrath (v.9), and reconciled to God (v. 10).

Added to all this is the promise that “we shall be saved through his life” (v.10). This means that the Jesus who died for our sins was also raised from the dead. His resurrection life is given to his people now and in the resurrection on the last day. This is salvation.

Consider some practical implications of the phrase “saved through his life.” Think of it this way: Christ outside the empty tomb, Christ inside our hearts, and Christ beside the Father in heaven.

Outside the tomb

We are saved by believing the gospel, the message of Jesus’ death, burial and  resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is the basis for our assurance of resurrection life. The resurrection was prophesied in the Old Testament, recorded by eyewitnesses in the New Testament, and is the reason for the existence of the Christian faith today.

The empty tomb challenges philosophy: “explain this event.” It challenges history: “repeat this event.” It challenges time: “erase this event.” It challenges faith: “believe this event!” We  are saved through his life.

Inside our hearts

“Saved through his life” means that those who believe the gospel have the living Christ living in them. Paul the apostle wrote, “You, however, are controlled, not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).

This verse, and many others, tell us that we are being saved by the power and presence of the risen Christ in our lives, This union with Christ is our hope of eternal life. So, when the Father judges us, he does not look on us alone. In God’s sight the believer is one in union with Christ. Believers are declared righteous by faith in Christ. This is a new legal standing or position before God. We are justified by faith. We are saved by his life. “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Beside the Father

“Saved by his life” also points to the present ministry of our risen savior at the right hand of God the Father. This means that believers are kept saved by the intercessions of Jesus our great high priest, who prays continuously on their behalf. It is through him that we are invited to draw near to God in prayer. He is the guarantor of our forgiveness and of our heavenly inheritance.

The Bible records numerous instances of Jesus praying for his disciples. One of my favorite examples is when our Lord spoke directly to Peter and warned him that Satan desired to claim him and sift him like wheat. Then Jesus gave Peter an assuring word, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32).

Peter failed the Lord when he denied him. But through the intercessions of Jesus God brought him through the failure to restoration and fruitful ministry. I believe this is how Jesus is praying for his people now at the Father’s right hand. He is seated in the presence of God  on our behalf as advocate and representative (1 John 2:1-2).

In the future, as you read the phrase “saved through his life” in Romans 5:10, think of the living Christ outside the tomb, inside your heart, and beside the Father in heaven interceding for you.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Good News on the Third Day

“He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.”

These words from the Apostles’ Creed are good news. They recognize the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the centerpiece of Christian faith.  The Creed is the oldest confession of Christian faith not found in the New Testament. It was not actually formulated by the apostles of Jesus, but it is based upon their teachings. It was used to instruct new believers in the essentials of the faith. It was their personal confession at baptism. The Apostles’ Creed brings us back to the true gospel as it is revealed in the New Testament.

Jesus was crucified

“Crucifixion” is related to the Latin word for “cross.” There is a word which captures the torture involved in this form of death. It is the word “excruciating,” which literally means “of the cross.” Think of Jesus’ excruciating agony  the next time you see a cross atop a church spire or worn as a piece of jewelry.

Jesus’ enemies hurled insults and mockery as he was dying. They challenged him to come down from the cross if he was really the Son of God. “It is because Jesus did not come down from the cross that we believe in him,” wrote William Booth. He stayed there to complete his rescue mission.

There was once an eccentric preacher named Alexander Wooten. He was approached by a young man who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” “It’s too late,” Wooten replied.

The young man became alarmed. “Do you mean that it is too late for me to be saved? Is there nothing I can do?”

“Too late!” said Wooten. “It’s already been done. The only thing you can do is believe.”

Jesus completed what he had come to earth to do. It was a demonstration of love so great that Jesus was willing to suffer for our sins so that we might be forgiven and accepted by God the Father. This forgiveness is offered to us. All that remains is for us to receive it by believing in Jesus. He died that we might live.

Jesus was buried

This detail is important because it is evidence that the human Jesus actually died. He was not in a death-like coma and later revived. His disciples did not stage these events in an attempt to contrive a phony resurrection. Everyone involved knew he was really dead.

The Roman governor Pilate sent a message to the centurion asking if Jesus was dead. The chief Roman executioner confirmed that he was dead. Joseph, a prominent member of the Jewish high council, and a secret disciple of Jesus, secured permission to bury the body of Jesus. With the help of Nicodemus, another Jewish leader, he wrapped the body of Jesus in a linen cloth with a large quantity of spices.

Often criminals who were crucified took several days to die. Their bodies were usually dumped unceremoniously into the public garbage heap to be burned or to be food for scavenging birds or wild dogs. Instead, the body of our Lord was treated with respect and care by two of his secret followers.

The New Testament tells us that they buried the body in a new tomb cut out of rock which was near the place of execution. Matthew’s gospel says that this was Joseph’s own tomb. If you go to the Holy Land today you may visit a first century tomb called the Garden Tomb. It matches the description we read in the gospels. It is cut out of solid rock. It has a trough in which a  stone could be rolled in front of the entrance. There is a chamber for visitors and a chamber with a ledge where a body could have been placed. It is near a hill called “skull hill” which many believe to be the place of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Whether or not this is the actual burial place, it is very much like the place we see described in the Bible.

He rose again

William Barclay wrote, “If Jesus had not risen from the dead we’d never have heard of him.” Indeed, the resurrection is absolutely essential to the Christian faith. If it did not happen, Paul said, our faith is empty, void, vacuous.  Biblical scholar C.H. Dodd said that this is “not a belief that grew up within the church; it is the belief around which the church itself grew up, and the ‘given’ upon which its faith was based.”

Novelist John Updike put it poetically: “Make no mistake, if he rose at all / it was as his body; / if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle, / the Church will fall.”

The New Testament gospels tell of events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. The immediate response of his disciples was alarm, amazement, and unbelief. The news spread rapidly of the presence of angels, the empty tomb, and the subsequent appearances of Jesus to his disciples. “By far, the best proof of the resurrection,” wrote William Barclay, “is the existence of the Christian church. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and flaming with courage.”

This is what believers celebrated last Sunday in Easter services all over the world. “He was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). “He was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). This is why the Apostles’ Creed insists, “On the third day he rose again.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

A NOTE TO READERS: If this article is helpful to you, please consider passing it along to others. Reposting this on your favorite social media platform may be a way for you to join me in bearing witness about our faith in Jesus.

 

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Not Where, but Whom

The highlight of my visits to the Holy Land was always the Garden Tomb. It is a  place of quiet reflection and prayer. The garden surrounds a first century gravesite that was discovered in the late 1800s.

My first time there was on a Sunday morning over forty years ago. A minister led an outdoor worship service attended by hundreds of people from all over the world. He faithfully proclaimed the gospel of Christ, emphasizing the resurrection of our Lord, from a tomb like the one before us in the garden. That worship service left a lasting impression on me.

The site was made famous by a British military officer, General Charles Gordon. He was taking a year-long retreat from his duties in 1883. He was a well-known and successful soldier and also a devout Christian. During that year in Palestine Gordon did research on various sites associated with the ministry of Christ.

He became convinced that a rocky bluff on the north side of Jerusalem was “the place of the skull,” or Calvary, or Golgotha, the place where the Lord was crucified. His writings about the place influenced many others to agree with him. Indeed, observers could see in the rocky face of the cliff what looked like the eye sockets and mouth of a skull! Visitors today are shown the same formation in the cliff. Ever since, the hill has been called “Gordon’s Calvary.”

Nearby is the tomb cut out of the rock in the other side of the same hill. This matches the description in John’s gospel: “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid . . . the tomb was nearby” (John 19:41-42). The New Testament tells us that this was outside the city of Jerusalem. “Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy” (Hebrews 13:12). The Garden Tomb lies just outside the city wall of Jesus’ day.

While there have been many such tombs unearthed in the region, few could fit the biblical requirements: proximity to Skull Hill, outside, but close to the city of Jerusalem as it was in the first century, and the appearance of the tomb itself.

Another supposed site of the Lord’s crucifixion and burial is covered by an historic church maintained by priests representing Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Coptic traditions. Its buildings are furnished with religious artifacts, symbols, and icons. This ancient burial place was identified by pilgrims in the fourth century. It has the weight of tradition to support its claim to authenticity. It has testified to the resurrection of Christ for more than 1500 years.

Multiplied millions of pilgrims have come to this ancient place to worship and remember the sufferings and the resurrection of Christ. This testifies to the timeless significance of the resurrection and its importance for believers century after century.

But what really matters is not the place of the resurrection, but the person who was resurrected. Not where, but whom. Disagreements about the location of Jesus’ tomb will fuel religious debates for a long time to come. No one can say with absolute certainty where Jesus was raised from the dead.

What is certain, however, is that it happened. In the words of Peter Walker, “As far as believing Christians are concerned, the historic reality of the Resurrection itself is a fixed point in their faith. Without it, they would not be Christians.” He added, “No Resurrection, no Christianity!”

Paul said as much in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.” If Jesus did not rise from the dead there would be no Christian faith and there would be no hope of eternal life or resurrection for us.

I, for one, am glad for the empty tomb, whichever one it was. It is as the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘He is not here, for he has been raised!'”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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The Resurrection is No Joke

At this time of the year our thoughts turn to our Lord’s death and resurrection. Eternal life is offered to us because Jesus died for our sins and rose again in victory over death. This is what we celebrate on resurrection Sunday.

Yet there have always been those who deny the resurrection. The gospel of Mark describes an encounter Jesus had with some of his religious detractors. They did not believe in an afterlife or bodily resurrection. The way our Lord responded to them provides us with a reassuring basis for our own hope of life with God after death.

Jesus’ enemies wanted to do all they could to discredit him in the eyes of his followers. They tried to use the scriptures to disprove the resurrection. So they referred to part of the law of Moses which made provision for the care of widows in ancient Israel (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

They treated the subject as a riddle, stretching the law to a ridiculous extreme. “Suppose,” they said, “a man died, leaving his widow with no children to care for her. So, in accordance with the law of Moses, the man’s brother married her to continue the family line in his brother’s name. He also died, leaving no children. So she married a second brother who died, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth. The woman had had seven husbands, all of whom died” (Mark 12:20-23 my paraphrase).

Then they asked their big question. “If there is to be a resurrection, whose wife would she be in the hereafter?”  They thought they had outmaneuvered Jesus. We can almost hear them snickering at the ludicrous joke they made out of the resurrection.

Jesus’ answered that the resurrection is a certainty. It is not a joking matter. He said that they did not really understand the scriptures they claimed to believe. And in denying the resurrection they were denying the power of God (Mark 12:24). After all, the God who created the universe is perfectly capable of raising the dead.

He clinched his argument by reminding them that the God they claimed to believe in, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark12:27). The three patriarchs, long dead, were still alive in God’s presence. In heaven they continued to be who they were on earth, but without the limitations of earth.

Jesus also addressed the strange riddle posed by his adversaries. In the resurrection there will be an entirely new order of existence. “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage,” he said. “They will be like the angels in heaven” (Mark12:25). Now our Lord was not saying we will become angels. He was saying that in the resurrection God’s people will be like the angels. beautiful, powerful, created beings, engaged in the happy service and worship of God.

Marriage here on earth, as wonderful as it can be, will pale in comparison to the perfection of our relationships in heaven. Our relationships there will be unspoiled by misunderstandings, slights, frustrations and disappointments. There will be no jealousy, selfishness, offenses, or sin in heaven. In heaven we will know and love each other with a perfect love.

John Newton said, “When I get to heaven I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be to see many people whom I did not expect to see. The second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see. The third and greatest of all will be to find myself there.”

Jesus answered his critics who challenged his teaching on life after death. In his brilliant response he linked the resurrection to the existence of an all-powerful God and the authority of his written word.

In stating that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, Jesus is teaching us that those who die in faith will live with him forever. Is your faith in Jesus? In John 11:25 he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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More Alive Than Ever

C. S. Lewis had a profound influence on the life of Sheldon Vanauken. Vanauken became a Christian when he studied under Lewis at Oxford University. In his book A Severe Mercy he described their last meeting.

Over lunch at a pub in Oxford they had spent time pondering the nature of life after death. When they had finished eating, they stood outside for a few moments and just before parting ways, Lewis said to Vanauken, “I shan’t say goodbye. We’ll meet again.” Then the great scholar plunged into the traffic to cross the street while Vanauken watched his friend walk away.

When Lewis got to the other side of the street, he turned around, anticipating that his friend would still be standing there. With a grin on his face, Lewis shouted over the din of the passing cars, “Besides — Christians never say goodbye!”

During this season as we anticipate the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, it is important to remember that the hope of eternal life is not based upon wishful thinking. Our assurance of life after death is based upon the promise of Christ.

When Jesus was accosted by some of his detractors who denied that there would be a resurrection, he told them they were in error, badly mistaken (Mark 12:24). His opponents were religious skeptics who believed that this life is all there is. They believed the soul perished with the body. There would be no rewards or punishments after death.

This materialistic philosophy exists today. Doubts about life after death are widespread, especially now as our nation moves further away from biblical values. People seem to be pursuing pleasure and prosperity for the here and now, with little thought for a life hereafter.

The Lord Jesus answered his critics in Mark 12:25-27 by directing their attention to God. He is alive. He is the giver of life. Eternal life resides in God. Jesus quoted the Bible where God said to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5-6).

Then Jesus said something that is a key to our understanding of life after death. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:27). Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are alive! If they are alive with God, then my parents are alive with God. My brother’s baby who died is alive with God. My friend Stanley who was killed in Vietnam is alive with God. They will be resurrected when Jesus comes again.

That is why C.S. Lewis said what he did to Sheldon Vanauken, For a believer in Christ, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

The American evangelist Dwight L. Moody famously said, “Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal — a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto his glorious body.”

“He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” This brief statement of Jesus is proof that faith in him includes the certainty of overcoming death. It is a promise of eternal life.

Pastor Randy Faulkner