What does the Bible say about the power of His resurrection? Many Christians know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead by the power of God, by the Holy Spirit. They say they believe in the power of His resurrection, while the power of His resurrection is not visible in their lives. So, what does it mean to know Him and the power of His resurrection?
If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain and you are yet in your sins
Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
In the church at Corinth, there were some, who preached Christ, but meanwhile they said there was no resurrection of the dead. Paul said, that if there was no resurrection of the dead, Christ has not risen and that their faith and preaching was in vain and they were valse witnesses of God.
Without the resurrection from the dead, the work of Jesus on the cross would be in vain and the faith and preaching of the cross would be powerless.
Without the resurrection from the dead, death would still reign over whole humanity and all the people would remain living as prisoners of sin and death, separated from God.
If Jesus was not raised from the dead, His sufferings and death would be no different than the sufferings and death of the prophets and all those, who lived in the Old Covenant and were persecuted and killed, due to their faith in God and their faithfulness to God.
But Jesus Christ didn’t stay dead; His soul was not left in hell and His flesh did not see corruption, because the power of God was stronger than the power of death. His faith and trust in God the Father and His obedience to the commandment and the words of His Father were not in vain and didn’t leave Him ashamed, because the Father stayed faithful to Him and remembered Him and did according to His promise. And so Jesus Christ rose as Victor from the dead.
Jesus Christ, the High Priest and King
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:17-23)
After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven after forty days, and presented His own blood to the Father and took place on the throne, the mercy seat, at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly places, above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name. God the Father had put all things under His feet and gave Jesus Christ as Head over all things to the church.
Jesus Christ became the High Priest and King and would be the High Priest and King to all, who would believe in Him and would identify themselves with His death and resurrection from the dead and through regeneration in Him become a new creation; a son of God.
The blood of Jesus made atonement. All trespasses of the old man would be under the blood, by the crucifixion of the flesh and would be forgiven and forgotten by God (Colossians 1:11-15 (Read also: ‘The circumcision in the New Covenant‘).
The resurrection of the new creation
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Through the disobedience of Adam, the spirit of man died and came under the authority of death. Everyone, who would be born of the seed of Adam would be born under the dominion of death and live as a sinner.
But through the obedience of Jesus Christ and by the power of His resurrection from the dead, the spirit of man, who was under the authority of death, would be raised from the dead, by faith and regeneration in Jesus Christ and the person would become a new creation.
The born again man would no longer be bound by the flesh to death and live under the authority of death and bear the fruit of death, which is sin,
But the born again man would be a new creation by the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and the abiding of the Holy Spirit and would be redeemed from death and no longer bear the fruit of death, which is sin, and after his or her life on earth wouldn’t enter hell, but inherit eternal life.
The new man, whose spirit is raised from the dead will live in unity with God in obedience to Him and do righteous works and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:13-23).
For as many as are led constantly by the Spirit, they are the sons of God
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ , he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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 (give life to) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are (constantly) led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:9-14)
The power of His resurrection shall be visible in the lives of those, who belong to Jesus Christ and follow and obey Him. They shall not live after the flesh under the authority of death and keep doing the works of the flesh.
But through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, the life of God has returned in them and the life of God will reign in them, so that they no longer shall live in the bondage of death after the flesh, doing the works of the flesh, which is sin and belong to death, but they will mortify the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Spirit and live.
Because those, who live after the flesh and keep doing the works of the flesh shall die.
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:3-5)
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:12-14).
Jesus has overcome the power of death, which reigns in the flesh, by the resurrection from the dead.
And so the power of His resurrection from the dead is visible in the lives of those, who are born again in Him; the death of the flesh and resurrection of the spirit from the dead, and have become alive in Him and walk after the Spirit in His will after His commandments and by the power of the Holy Spirit kill the works of the flesh.
As long as they walk after the Spirit and kill the works of the flesh by the Spirit, sin shall no longer have authority over them, but they shall have authority over sin.
The old man lives after the flesh in bondage to death
As long as a person is not born again and has not received the power of the Holy Spirit by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the person shall remain walking in weakness after the flesh, doing the works of the flesh (sin), whereby the person has not been made free (Read also: ‘The battle and weakness of the old man‘).
The old man, who walks after the flesh, shall obey the flesh and live in the bondage of sin and death in the kingdom of darkness. The old man belongs to death and shall not live in righteousness and shall not be happy and shall not experience rest, peace, joy, but shall live in iniquity and shall be unhappy and experience condemnation, anxiety, fear, and sorrows (depression).
Those, who are redeemed and belong to Jesus Christ differentiate from those, who belong to the world, because they live and walk in the will of God and live by His power and do righteous works.
If someone says, that he or she belongs to Jesus Christ and claims to be made free, but keep doing the works of the flesh, which are written in the Bible, and perseveres in sin and refuses to repent, then the person doesn’t belong to Jesus Christ, but belongs to the world and the ruler of the world; the devil and live in his will in rebellion against God’s Word (1 John 3:1-10; 5:1-3, 18-21).
The person is not redeemed and set free and transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, but still lives in rebellion against God in disobedience to His Word in bondage in the kingdom of darkness in obedience to sin and death.
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10)
Therefore repent to Jesus Christ and let Jesus Christ become your Savior and Lord. Let sin no longer reign as king in your life, but let Jesus Christ; the Word reign as King in your life.
Let the power of His resurrection become visible in your life, through the death of your flesh and the resurrection of your spirit from the dead. So that you no. longer live as debtor after the flesh, but as a debtor after the Spirit and honor and glorify Jesus Christ and God the Father through your life and your righteous works.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
