ROMANS 1:1-4; ROMANS 6:9; 1CORINTHIANS 15:20; REVELATION 1:18
Ephesians 1:19-20(KJV) "... 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 set Him at His Own Right Hand in the Heavenly Places...."
The Death of Jesus on the Cross would not have been as significant as it is with far-reaching implications for mankind if He did not rise from the dead. He conquered death and the grave because He knew no sin but was made to be sin for our sakes. (2Cor. 5:21) In other words, He bore our sin and their consequences so that we would not need to bear them.
This Victory over death and the grave has two major implications for the believer. One is that the consequences of the original sin of Adam's transgression, which is eternal damnation and separation from God, have been dealt with. (Rom. 5:17-19). All the sinner needs to do is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept the Price that has been paid for his sins and his sinful nature. He also has to accept the Free Gift of Righteousness which imparts to him the ability to live right. (Rom. 5:15-16). Once he does that, he's reconciled back to God with the full rights of sonship.
The second implication is that He also became the first to rise from the dead thereby purchasing for us the same ability. Not only are we free from eternal damnation and separation from God but we are also free from the corruption of sin and the hold of the grave. The same way Jesus rose from the dead is the same way all the saints that were dead will rise from the dead at the trumpet sound. (1Cor. 15:51-58).
PRAYER: Lord, You died for our sins and You were raised from the dead for our justification. Please cause us to experience in full the Freedom and Victory that Your Death and Resurrection purchased for us in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
