At Easter our thoughts turn to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Often our focus is the resurrection as an historical event. We speak of the many historical proofs that Jesus rose from the grave. There is the testimony of the 500 that saw Jesus after He arose. Many of these faced persecution and death for their testimony. Yet, none recanted their story. Certainly, if the resurrection was some great conspiracy, at least one would have folded under pressure and admitted the truth.

A second great proof is the testimony of the guards at the tomb. It is said that the disciples snuck in at night and stole Jesus’ body. A Roman guard let a bunch of untrained fishermen and the like get away with this? The penalty for falling asleep while on guard duty was death. The “they stole the body” argument is pretty ridiculous in light of the facts.

The argument for the resurrection that most impresses scholars is the very existence of the early church. There were throngs of people who wanted to make Jesus their king at Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Where all these people were at the cross? Why didn’t they rise up in support of Jesus? The answer is really quite simple. The cross was the place for failed messiahs. The Jews thought if a would be messiah got himself crucified, it was proof he was not of God. Even Peter had trouble with a Messiah/ King dying at the hands of the pagans. If the cross was for failed messiahs, how do we explain the existence of the early church? There is only one explanation. The resurrection.

Christians say that because the resurrection is a historical event, our future is certain. It means we too will be raised at death to live with the Lord forever. But what about today? What meaning does the resurrection have for the living? We turn to Paul for the answer.

For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:7-11

If we study the scriptures, we see that the death and resurrection of Christ are not just things that happened to Jesus. Because we are in Christ, His death is also our death, and His resurrection is also our resurrection. We are participants in Christ.

Through the death of Christ we are now dead to sin. Unfortunately, there is much confusion among Christians as to what this means. Some say that it means that we Christians have the power not to sin. While this is true, that is not the only focus of Paul’s statement. Others say we are alive to God until we sin. Each and every sin takes us out of God’s presence, and we once again have to apply the blood of Jesus to get back in God’s favor. In my opinion, this second view is a gross misunderstanding of the gospel.

To be dead to sin means that sin has no more power over us. Yet, what power did sin have over us before Christ saved us? Paul almost personifies sin in his writings. He speaks of its power to enslave us, hold us captive, and even kill us.

We see a old testament picture of what this meant in the temple. God dwelt in the third court of the Jewish temple. It was called the holiest of holies. However, the dwelling place of God’s glory was veiled. No one could enter in under penalty of death except the High Priest of Israel, and he only once a year. This living illustration shows that the great power of sin was to keep humanity out of God’s presence. This power was so terrible, God called it death. A person that can’t go into the holiest of holies is dead in trespasses and sins. For 1500 years the veil stood until Christ died.

Now, being dead to sin does not mean that we no longer sin. It means that we are free from sin’s power to keep us from God. Sin has truly lost its hold on us through Christ. When nothing can keep us from God’s presence, we are free indeed.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:1-7

After Jesus had died, He rose from the dead. However, the resurrection was not just His event. It was ours too. When God raised Jesus to the right hand of God, the Lord took us with Him. We went together with Him into the heavenly places. The term “heavenly places” means the presence of God. The holiest of holies was called the heavenly place—the place where heaven touched earth.

Therefore, how do we get close to God? There is only one way. We go there together with Christ. The resurrection is the certainty of God’s presence in your life and mine. The death and resurrection of Christ are not just historical events. They are the basis and measure of our relationship with God.