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| The Double Rainbow-A symbol of Transformation |
Hallelujah! Jesus is Alive. Today is Easter 2021 and we are all celebrating the Miracle of the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty. The empty tomb and the appearances of the resurrected Christ fired up, encouraged the early believers and started a movement that has not ended since - the growth of Christianity.
What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to us?
The resurrection validates our faith. Consistently and unabashedly the early Christians cited the resurrection of Jesus Christ as proof of their claims and beliefs. It confirmed all that Jesus taught and sealed His work in the redemption and salvation of all believers.
'With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all.' Acts 4:33
The resurrection signifies victory over death. We now preach that Christ has triumphed over death, good over evil and hope over despair. Death is not something to be feared and the grave lost its power over us.
'Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life....Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.' Romans 6:4,8,9
The resurrection releases the stranglehold of Satan and sin in our lives; ushers in a new life in Jesus. We have just enacted the events of a holy weekend, contemplating through Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His torture and crucifixion on the cross, His lying in state in the garden tomb and finally His glorious resurrection on Easter morning. Paul in the book of Romans posited that this is the symbolism in every baptism of Christians. As a consequence, sin should have no influence in our new lives and Satan loses his hold over us.
'Shall we go on sinning?..... By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? For if we are united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly be united in a resurrection like His....we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.' Romans 6:2,5,7
The resurrection provides the certainty of eternal life for all of God's people. It gives Christians an entirely new perspective; no longer of time and space, no longer of the temporal nature of our existence but of everlasting life and eternal values.
'But now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:22-33
This eternity perspective is a very special gift for Christians. We focus not on the temporary but the long lasting and eternal. We see the world less selfishly and more patiently when we no longer have to measure our lives and achievements in time and the immediate circumstances.
'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.' 2 Cor 4:8,9
