The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ brings such comfort and hope to all who believe in Him. The hope it brings is, in fact, so big that it allows us to hope for life beyond the grave:
"For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable." (1 Corinthians 15:16-19)
Many of us Christians, however, tend to forget that Christ's resurrection is proof that God is more powerful than anything, even death. We tend to lose hope in the face of troubles, we tend to get depressed when we face times of sadness.
What we forget is that Christ's resurrection enables us to hope in the face of hopelessness, be brave in times of trouble, and dream when the circumstances seem bleak.
Yes, His resurrection allows us to hope in our unshakable and immovable God.
To help you find comfort and encouragement in times of distress and sadness, here are a few facts about the resurrection that you should know and meditate on.
1) Christ rose from the grave as He promised
We need to keep in mind that Christ rose from the dead just as He said He would. He suffered and died just as He said, and He also rose from the dead just as He said.
Let me emphasize that: "Just as He said."
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (Matthew 28:6)
Christ said it; Christ did it. He never lies and doesn't turn His back on His words, no matter how impossible they may seem.
He said He'd rise again, and He did. If He promised something to us, He'll make it happen.
2) He rose by the power of the Holy Spirit
The Bible tells us that Jesus rose again by the power of the Holy Spirit. This should encourage us. And why is that?
Romans 8:11 tells us,
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
He is able to give us life, the kind of life that God wants for us. If He raised Christ from literal death and give Him life again, how can He not raise us from our spiritual death and give us abundant life that lasts for eternity?
3) Christ's resurrection proves that He has fully atoned for our sins
All of us can rejoice in the fact that Christ atoned for all our sins. He was nailed to the cross for our sakes, so that our sins could be forgiven. His bloodshed allowed for the forgiveness of our sins.
His resurrection proves that He has fully atoned for all our sins.
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us a very liberating truth:
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Because of Christ's finished work, we can now rest in the Father's love with no need to prove ourselves to Him. He knows that we were sinners, but He loved us anyway (see John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
Isn't that amazing grace?
