Jesus’s Resurrection and Our Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:20 – “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
What do you think will happen when you die?
To non-Christians, there are multiple beliefs on life after death. Some may say that death is the end and there is no afterlife. Others may believe that after death, we are reincarnated. Others still may believe that there is a “paradise” and a “dark place” without specific mention of heaven or hell.
Based on these understandings, how would one live their lives?
To those who believe that death is the end result of life, they live their lives based on their flesh. There is no understanding or belief in the soul or spirit. They live, eat, drink and have fun. The meaninglessness of life leads to a life of debauchery without discipline nor inhibition.
To those who believe in reincarnation believe in the existence of God (or gods) without knowing who God (or gods) is. They believe and live their lives believing in reincarnation based on good and bad deeds. In this system, they live their lives fearful of how their actions may reflect their next life.
To those who believe in the existence of a “paradise” or “dark place”, there is a belief in God (or gods) with an end destination after death. However, because of this belief, they may live their lives anxious about their end destination after death without any security of where they may end up.
To Christians however, our belief and faith is not based on our own works. By the grace of God and the sacrifice made through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will ascend to heaven with a hope in life after death.
Faith is a decision we must make. Our salvation is a gift from God, but it is also a choice that we must make whether to refute or accept this Gift.
Based on the understanding above, death can be meaningless, fearful, stressful, or hopeful.
This is something we must consider more deeply. If we believe in Jesus’s death and resurrection, when can we too, be resurrected? The resurrection of our bodies occurs in the future when Jesus Christ returns with a heavenly body while our spirit goes to God. What about our spirit and soul? We have been crucified for Christ already. As Paul said, “I have been crucified already.” While he was not physically crucified, his spirit and our spirit have already been crucified with Christ on that day and has been resurrected. It is both our hope and the reality.
Then what should we consider in the present life? If our spirit dies first, our body dies too. If spiritual death comes from disobedience and sin, then our body dies too. If we do not experience the resurrection of our spirit, we will never experience the resurrection of our body when Jesus returns.
To that, the question would be: am I living a resurrected life right now? If we had a new life, how would we live our life? We would be grateful to live our life a different way. But spiritually, this has already happened, and we have already received our second life, not by our own works but by the grace of God. How are we really living our second life as a new creation?
Reflection Questions:
What are your main takeaways from this week’s message?
Are we living a resurrected life right now?
What, if any, is keeping us from living a resurrected life now?
