Vital Resurrection

1st Corinthians 6:14

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

One of the great joys of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the blessedness of being partakers of the very power that raised Him from the dead. This personal resurrection is not merely theoretical but experiential. The true celebrative spirit of Easter far transcends the pastel colors and long eared varmints that seem to capture our festive thoughts.

It seems to me that the common perception of the resurrection of our Lord had been reduced to a mere historical acknowledgement in contrast to a vital experience that transforms the total life. The purpose of the resurrection was more than an expression of divine love providing a means for sin-slaves to inherit a heavenly home in the hereafter, even though this is true.

The resurrection of our Lord holds duality in wondrous redemptive love towards the contrite followers of Christ. Indeed those redeemed have a heavenly home awaiting them following their victorious pilgrimage upon this earth. But the commonly overlooked wonder is the operative power of God available towards His elect in every day practical living.

Therefore it is not only the resurrection of the Lord that we commemorate or celebrate; it is the resurrection of our Lord and thereby a vital resurrection of His people. The divine purpose in the incarnation is the lively hope of a people living unto God as a chaste virgin, separate and holy. A remnant seed upon the earth that do not live according to the spirit of the world nor the lusts thereof but unto God - wholly and exclusively by His glorious power.

The superlative benefits of Christ's resurrection are activated inwardly through the new-birth and continue through eternity. The wondrous crowns and provision awaiting the believer in our futuristic heavenly estate are enjoyed inwardly through the new birth as a foretaste. The resurrected life makes these bounties an inward reality as God's power is actuated through a manifestation of sovereign love.

The joys and the beauties of the Christian life are expressions of the resurrection; directed towards and imparted into redeemed humanity as beneficiaries of Christ's resurrection. One of the most uncelebrated provisions of Christ's resurrection is the availability and extension of God's power towards redeemed humanity enabling us to partake of heavenly benefits such as love, joy, peace, and provision but also to experience this power inwardly, not only as a transforming agent but an indwelling Person. This redemptive benefit enables the child of God to have access to the fullness of the Godhead and thereby totality of sufficiency for every lack and need accrued through every day living.

Therefore the power of the resurrection is not displayed through Christ's triumph over the grave and death exclusively; but co-joined together with the tangible manifestation of God's power towards degenerate humanity expressing itself and annihilating enmity and restoring fellowship by overcoming dissimilarity.

Hence our celebrative spirits express with duality, in the event of Christ's resurrection actually, and thereby towards and within humanity experientially. This simply implies that Christ has risen from the grave, having overcome death and defeating all of the adversaries of God and because of this victory humanity has access to the power of God to experience personal resurrections in the deep and dark corridors of our hearts thereby imparting light, life, hope, strength and all of the beauties of the Godhead collectively.

The chief purpose in the incarnation is to restore the creator - creature relationship. Hence, the expression of this purpose is found in the inward resurrection of God's people. This gives significant meaning to our celebrative hearts; we are born of God and have overcome the world! Hallelujah.