He Rose Again

This post is part of a series of communion mediations working through the Apostles’ Creed. You can read the creed here. He Rose AgainWe believe that on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Having just finished the Easter season, wherein we celebrated Resurrection Sunday, we remember that this is the central confession of all of Christianity. Yes, Jesus died in our place. Yes, he bore our sins. But this is only good news because of what came next. Three days after his death, Jesus rose again from the dead. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that it is by virtue of this resurrection that Jesus was shown to be the Son of God in power. Jesus is the Son who saves.His sacrifice was sufficient. When he cried out from the cross, “it is finished,” he was not joking, he was not mistaken, he was not overstating the case.He drank the cup of the wrath of God down to the dregs. He emptied it, and God proved that by raising the physical body of Jesus from the dead. This is good news because all of those who are united to Christ by faith will receive a resurrection like his. This is the point the Apostle Paul made in 1 Corinthians 15, which we read two Sundays ago. Christianity is the religion of Resurrection. We live in a world of sin, we live a life marred and broken and ultimately ended because of sin. But as believers, we have hope for a resurrection. We have hope that one day a perfect sinless body will be reunited with a cleansed spirit, and we as living souls, body and spirit united forever, will live in the presence of the Lord. We know that this is our fate, this is our destiny, this is our future, if we have trusted in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ in our place.This death and this resurrection are what we remember—and what we proclaim—as we corporately join at the Lord’s table, sharing in these symbols of his body and blood.If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord, let the elements pass by. There is no magic here which brings salvation. But there is spiritual nourishment for the child of God who has received the gift of the Spirit through faith in Jesus. And so if you know this hope, then this table is for you. It's where we remember. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willdole.substack.com/subscribe