This weekend, believers from all over the world will come together in worship of the one and only true God who offers salvation through repentance of sin and faith in His Son Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose on behalf of sinners! Most call this celebration and worship “Easter” or “Resurrection Sunday”. It is fitting that we are reading through Romans 5 at Easter time. Just recently, we read,
“For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.” — Romans 5:10-11
In that devotional, we described the importance not only of Jesus’ death for sinners, but the undeniable necessity of His life and resurrection! Paul has pointed out that while it is true that we are reconciled to God in Jesus’ death, we are reconciled even more so in Jesus’ life and resurrection! If Christ came to die in our place, but had not lived a perfect life, God the Father would not have accepted His sacrifice, for it would have been tainted! If Jesus had sinned as we have, He would have deserved the punishment He endured and His death would have been for His own sin. He would be unable to save us.
This is why Christians need to be so thankful for the resurrection of Jesus! Actually, it’s more than that, we need not only to be thankful, but we must believe in Jesus’ resurrection in order to be saved!
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9
The resurrection of Jesus stands as proof that Jesus is who He said He was. It was a fulfillment of prophecy, and a validation of the accuracy of Jesus’ own statements. The resurrection assures Christians that Christ was in fact sinless. God would not have raised up a sinner to rule at His right hand forever. How could He? God cannot be in the presence of sin.
It is in light of this understanding that Christians all over the world should come together every Sunday and celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And on this special Easter Sunday, let us focus upon it even more so and worship God for the way of salvation He has provided through faith in His perfect, sinless, and LIVING Son! Praise the Lord! Enjoy worshipping with the body of believers this Sunday.