I Am the Resurrection and the Life
Jesus’ statement, “I am the resurrection and the life,” is found in John 11.
Because this passage is forty-five verses, I’m going to send you to Bible Gateway to read it. Everyone should take a moment to read it, but especially if you aren’t familiar with the passage.
I’ll wait.
Okay, I trust that you’ve read it. Let’s continue.
In this passage, Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. It is appropriate that Jesus would be talking about resurrection, but there is more in His statement than simply bringing Lazarus back to life.
I feel like the idea of resurrection has two truths for us.
1. Resurrection in the afterlife
Jesus’ resurrection gives us the promise of life after death. Sin brought death to us. Even though we still have physical death, we know we have victory over sin and death. We will have eternal life with Jesus in heaven.
Even Job realized this:
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
“Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.”
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
“Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.”
Jesus raised Lazarus, but eventually he died again. He’s not still walking around the planet. But even though Lazarus died again, we can believe that Lazarus was promised an even better resurrection than the one he received in John 11.
2. Resurrection in the now
We do not have to wait until after death to live a resurrected life.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-7
I love this verse because it says He seated us with Him in the heavenly places. Past tense. I haven’t studied this verse a lot yet, though I intend to, but my first thoughts about it have me thinking about living a resurrected life.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
While you’re waiting for heaven, learn what it means to live a resurrected life right now. And start living it.
What does the resurrected life look like to you?
Full of hope and peace, gaze fixed firmly on God and not getting caught up in the cares of this world- that's what a resurrected life looks like to me.
ReplyDeleteLet us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
DeleteGreat answer. Thanks for coming by!