How Is Resurrection Spelled?
P-O-W-E-R! Three of the most powerful words in Scripture are “He is risen,” and the apostle Paul was driven to “know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).
Science has advanced in ways we never imagined, but science has never been able to overcome death. Only God has defeated death, and He displayed this powerful reality through the bodily resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, and this power is given to all His children.
What are some of the dimensions of resurrection power? Let me spell out five qualities of this P.O.W.E.R.
Pardoning power: The bodily resurrection of Christ brings forgiveness for every sin. Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17).
Overcoming power: The bodily resurrection of Christ can give us the strength to address challenging experiences like an addictive habit, a painful abuse, a broken relationship, a debilitating illness, a financial crisis, a difficult past, or a trying circumstance. Paul said, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you” (Rom. 8:11).
Witnessing power: The bodily resurrection of Christ bears witness to the audacious claims that Jesus made about Himself. He claimed to have authority to forgive sins, to be the only way to God, to be our final judge, God Himself. He “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:4)
Eternal power: The bodily resurrection of Christ generates a power that never ends. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26). This power is a quantity of life (being eternal) and a quality of life (Rom. 6:4: “In order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”).
Radical power: The bodily resurrection of Christ revolutionizes life. Peter went from cowardly denials of Christ to becoming a courageous proclaimer of Christ. Thomas went from a skeptical unbelief to saying, “My Lord and My God.” James went from being an unbeliever despising Jesus to proclaiming Christ as a church leader and author of Scripture. How can we explain these changes? Paul said, “Even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Eph. 2:5).
Pastor Jeff