The Resurrection and Christian Hope

This weekend, Christians around the world are celebrating Easter, commemorating the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead to bring eternal salvation to His people. Easter is a time of glorious celebration, because we are remembering the fact that Jesus’ resurrection is the actual conquest of death. The great reformed theologian, John Owen, once wrote a book called The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. And, that is what is so wonderful about Easter: it celebrates the end of death’s domination through the resurrecting power of Jesus the Savior.  

Christ has conquered death through His resurrection. This is a glorious truth! And, it also gives us hope. What is it that men fear most? It is death. What is it that removes all hope and brings despair? It is death. When men lose all hope, and seek to flee this world, they seek death. Yet, as the Lord Jesus has conquered death, He has brought us eternal life and the hope that is grounded in the resurrecting power of the Savior. The Resurrection brings us hope, hope that is beyond the frailty of this present age, and hope that is greater than the grave.

Hebrews 2:14-15 says that, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death, that is the devil: and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage.” When the Lord arose from the grave, He conquered our greatest enemies: sin, death, and the devil. He displayed His power and authority and dominion by defeating our most powerful enemies.  

The reason why this is so important for us is because we realize that death does not rule. Satan does not rule. Sin does not rule. Christ rules. He rules and reigns even over death and hell. The dominant force in this world is not death. Rather, it is God the Son, Jesus, and His resurrecting, life-giving power. This gives us glorious hope because although we still experience death, it is not the ultimate answer: we will be raised again.  

One of the reasons why this is so significant for us, as Christians and Southerners, is that we know that the forces arrayed against us are not, ultimately, in control. The Lord is in control. The peddlers of death, darkness, and the petty tyrants of this world, ultimately, have no dominion. To put it pointedly, not Lincoln, not Soros, not antifa, not the United States government, nor any other human force, ultimately, rules over this world. Jesus Christ is King, and He rules and reigns over everything. If even death and the devil are defeated and subject to Christ, how much moreso the little tyrants of this world!  

This is why we should not get caught up in conspiracy theories or focus upon the devices of demons too much. Certainly, we should know our enemies, and we should shine light upon the darkness. But, we should not make them our focus. Our focus should be upon the Savior Jesus, and His glorious resurrection power. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” (John 1:4-5).

This should bring us great hope! Our Savior reigns. Yankees, for all of their apparent power and mammon, do not rule. The merchants of death, such as Planned Parenthood and the like, do not rule. Jesus the Lord of life rules! Christ the King shall judge the wicked justly and give the ultimate reward for wickedness. In turn, those who choose life, and who pursue holiness, will be rewarded by Christ as well.  

The Resurrection is the great triumph of Jesus Christ the King over the wicked forces of this world. Therefore, we should not fear or despair, though we face the coronavirus, or Yankee hatred, or terrorists vandalizing sacred memorials. Rather, we should keep our focus upon the great Savior Jesus, and the fact that He has conquered death! The Resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate “white pill” because it reveals the fact that the true, dominant force of reality is the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let us live and work in hope, knowing that our Savior has defeated the darkest foes arrayed against us. And one day, His reign will be consummated, and every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

-By Thorkil