On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful day this is for Christians to rejoice in union. The world does not understand it, and this is unfortunate because the resurrection resolves the three greatest problems of humanity: spiritual death, physical death and life without hope.
Life in Christ
All people have problems, difficulties and sufferings. But few understand the true source of them. The apostle Paul puts things in the following way:
"As for you, who were dead in their trespasses and sins, in which you walked according to the condition of this world (...) among whom also all of us once, according to the inclinations of our flesh, making the will of flesh and thoughts, and we were, by nature, children of wrath, as well as others "(Eph 2.1-3).
We are all born with an old nature, making us spiritually dead - cut off from the presence of God. We may think that we are free, but we are caught in the traps of sin. Some people perceive this fact when they face the Word of God and there they find the answers they were looking for.
When we receive the gift of spiritual life, we are set free:
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, gave us life together with Christ" (Eph. 2.4-5).
The resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for you and I to receive the gift of the spiritual life through the grace of God, which reaches us and restores our relationship with Him, providing us with the forgiveness of sins:
"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, this does not come from you, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast" (Eph 2.8-9).
Everyone can receive that gift. And I am happy that it is a gift, because without it, the only way we could pay for our sins would be to die ourselves for them. We must receive Christ as our Savior. He is the solution provided by God. Our sins were placed on Jesus. He died in our place so that we could receive the gift of eternal life through the grace of God. Jesus himself said:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, he will not come to condemnation, he believes, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
The life of John Newton was transformed when he discovered the grace of God. British captain of a merchant ship of slaves, Newton came to understand his sinfulness and need of a Savior. After his conversion, in 1748, he wrote the memorable hymn "Amazing Grace," celebrating what God had done for him.
The Life of the Resurrection
The second problem that everyone shares is physical death. We will all die. Not a single individual on this planet will escape death unless Jesus returns before.
Spiritual death caused physical death: "Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death passed to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). .
The day Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he died spiritually (Gen 2:17). That death predicted physical death. In Adam all die. Physical death, in fact, is the proof of spiritual death - that we are all born alienated from God.
Correcting the problem of spiritual death does not reverse physical death. We still have funerals, morgues and cemeteries. So, what is the solution to the problem of the physical death of humanity?
"If the transgression of one and through one reigned death, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through one only, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, God can now give us the gift of the resurrected life:
"For as in Adam all die, in Christ also all will be made alive" (1 Cor 15:22).
This is the promise and hope that Jesus gives us:
"I am the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live" (Jn 11.25).
Will you die? Yes. But if you received Jesus as your Savior, you will live again in a place of blessings.
Will you die? Yes. But if you received Jesus as your Savior, you will live again in a place of blessings. The resurrection is our future because of Him.
There were people who were resurrected during the time Jesus was on Earth. But all of them died again. Jesus was the first to physically die and rise in a glorified body. He is the firstfruits, and Christians will follow in His footsteps:
"But now Christ is risen from the dead, being the first fruits of those who sleep." Since death came for a man, so also for a man did the resurrection of the dead come, for just as in Adam all die, so also all will be vivified in Christ, each one, however, by his own order: Christ, the firstfruits, afterwards, those who belong to Christ, at his coming "(1Co 15.20-23).
The key words here are "in Christ." If you have received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, you have won the spiritual life for today and the life of the resurrection for eternity. There is no need to fear physical death. Jesus came to free those who live in fear of death throughout his life (Heb 2.9). If we accept Jesus as the final and perfect sacrifice for our sins, our bodies will come out of the grave and we will live wonderfully for all eternity. It is the resurrection of Jesus that gives us such a life.
Abundant and Free Life
Many people live a life without accomplishments, without a true purpose. Those who live merely to satisfy their own desires often feel empty. As King Solomon wrote:
"Whatever my eyes wanted, nothing I deny them or deprived heart of pleasure (...), and behold, all was vanity and run after the wind" (Ec 2,10-11).
Paul described the situation theologically:
"Because while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions that were by law worked in our members bearing fruit to death." Now, however, freed from the law, we are dead for what we were subject to, so we serve in newness of spirit and not in the expiration of the letter "(Rm 7.5-6).
The resurrection of Jesus solves the problem of despair. People who live without any eternal purpose often ask themselves: "What is the meaning of life?"
On the other hand, if you have Jesus as your Savior, you have been given a new life, which you can live for Him.
"And so if anyone is in Christ it is a new creation ..." (2 Corinthians 5:17).
"For we are buried together with him to death by baptism, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life" (Rm 6.4).
God wants us to live abundantly and have a life full of purpose.
If we are "in Christ," we have a new life because we identify with him in his death and resurrection. God wants us to live abundantly and have a life full of purpose:
"I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly" (Jn 10,10).
One day, everyone will appear before Jesus, and He will scrutinize our actions. What we did through our own efforts, separately from God's directions, will be destroyed. But what we did for Him will last forever (1Co 3.12,14). The resurrection of Jesus made it possible for us to have joy and sense of fulfillment here and now, and to live beyond death.
Friend, if you could only understand that the joy of living is in the dying of the "I", as Jesus did! When you die for yourself and give to others, God pours joy and feeling of fulfillment upon you, despite the sufferings that daily life can often bring. But first, you must acknowledge that you are a sinner and accept him as your Savior. Afterwards, you will have the heavens and will want to be there; In addition, it will have a purpose as long as it lives here on Earth.
Do not waste your life. The resurrection of Jesus makes it precious. Receive Him as your Savior, and who knows what great things God can accomplish through you!
Dear parishioners
Happy Sunday of resurrection
"To be a Christian is to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus, and it also means overcoming poverty, which is death, something inhuman, contrary to the will of God. If poverty is contrary to the will of God's life, fighting against poverty is a way of saying yes to the kingdom of God. "
God bless those who believe in him.