“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.” II Corinthians 4:13-14
One of the most foundational truths of our faith in God is encapsulated in these two verses—that Jesus is no longer in the tomb borrowed from Joseph of Arimathaea. He has been raised to life again by the command of God and the power of the Holy Ghost! This is such a fundamental principle of Christianity, but for some of us, we’ve heard it so often that we can lose sight of its importance and its impact on our lives.
Not too long ago I was reminded by the Lord how significant this message of the resurrection was to the early church, and why it should still be one of the most significant messages for the church today. Do a word search through your Bible on “raised” and see what I mean. Over and over in the book of Acts it’s recorded how the earliest believers spoke of Jesus being raised from the dead. It was their central theme in convincing others to accept Jesus as the Savior of the world. Mind you, to this day, the earliest church was the most successful in bringing souls to Christ. I don’t think their passion and sacrifice have been matched, and neither has their effectiveness. Could this consistent message of the resurrection have been a key to their conversion success? Of course!
Friends, that resurrection truth preached two thousand years ago is still powerful today. Sure, we live in an age where “scientific” facts are elevated beyond the more sound truths of faith. And so many are inclined to reason that the Resurrection was a fairytale, but that’s all the more opportunity for God to show His power and wisdom to mankind. We need to keep it in our minds and hearts and be forward about sharing it with others. By doing this we will be reminded, especially when this world begins to wear on us, that if God raised Jesus, He’ll raise us too! Not only do we need this encouragement, so does a hope-starved world, grasping for a better day ahead.
With all that in mind, let’s ponder for a few minutes on the Resurrection event itself, in particular, the Holy Spirit’s role in this most powerful moment in Earth’s history. Throughout the New Testament we read how God raised Christ from the dead, but did you ever notice in some of these accounts that the individual agent that did that work was the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Godhead?
Romans 8:11 states, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Which Spirit lives in believers? The Holy Spirit! Which Spirit raised Christ from the dead? The same Holy Spirit!
Just as the Holy Spirit was actively involved in the Creation of this world as we know it, and in the creation of mankind, so also was He actively involved in raising Jesus from the dead. He was the power (the dunamis/dynamite), the light that shined in the darkness, that rejuvenated the body of Jesus, and brought the life of God to the pits of Hell.
Imagine, all the demons of Hell, high on their accomplishment of killing Jesus, dogpiled on our Savior, doing their best to inflict as much torment as they could, only to hear a rumble that third morning, and then to see a brilliant light, and then to feel a power unleashed greater than ten thousand atom bombs as the third part of the Godhead empowered Jesus to come forth! Wow, right? I can only imagine the joy in Heaven at that moment, for just then, the fate of all that would believe on Jesus as their Savior was forever sealed and millions were provided with an eternity of grace, forgiveness, and life forevermore!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.