Resurrection Blessings

God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification; nevertheless, they are not justified personally until the Holy Spirit in time does actually apply Christ to them.

-Second London Baptist Confession, 11.4, Of Justification

The  Blessed Benefits of the Resurrection

Yes, we celebrate the resurrection every day of the year. We also celebrate the incarnation every day of the year. Still, I am thankful for the seasonal reminders that reinforce these truths because they tend to point me to celebrate the resurrection in thought and deed instead of merely professing that I do. A confession without action is of little use. One way we can realize our confession is by meditating on the wonderful benefits that the resurrection bestows upon believers and worshipping God for those benefits. In an effort to guide our hearts in this direction, here are four Scriptures on the benefits of the resurrection.

The Benefit of Salvation

“So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

 -Acts 26:22-23

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The corpus of Scripture is an account of God’s self-revealing historical redemptive plan to restore mankind unto himself, for his glory. Paul’s reference to “the Prophets and Moses” as he witnesses to King Agrippa in Acts 26 confirms this notion. Both Moses and the Prophets pointed the Jews to the reality that their Messiah would suffer but that he would be victorious in his suffering. His resurrection and ascension proclaim this victory until he comes back a second time “in the same way” that he went into heaven (see Acts 1:11). It is the resurrection of Jesus that motivated his disciples to take the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). John, Peter, Thomas, Paul, and over 500 brothers saw the resurrected Jesus and they believed. This belief led them to spread the Gospel of their Savior across the known world despite slander, persecution, and great trials. Most were ostracized and many were killed because of their belief in the resurrected Savior. The power of the resurrection spurred them onto obey the commission to teach the nations to observe all that their Savior had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20). Through various generations from the Patristics to the Puritans, from Luther to Calvin, from Spurgeon to Sproul, we stand in the 21st century as recipients of the message which is “the light” that Christ sent out to both the Jews and the Gentiles because of the resurrection. O, what a benefit! O, what a Savior!

The Benefit of Justification

“He was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

 -Romans 4:25

Romans 4 is a powerful display that faith in the One who raised Jesus from the dead is counted as righteousness toward the believer. This chapter ends revealing that one benefit of the resurrection is the believer’s justification. That God would declare a sinner righteous is worthy of worship indeed. But before moving to the next benefit, look at Romans 4:25 again and note that just as his resurrection is the basis for our justification, so our transgressions serve as the basis for his deliverance to a band of captors. He took what we deserved in death (the consequence of our transgressions) and gave us what we do not deserve in his resurrection (justification). This exchange makes me cry, “The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious” (Exodus 34:6).

The Benefit of Blamelessness

“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.”

 -Acts 24:14-16

In this text, Paul confesses that the reality of the physical resurrection of the righteous and the wicked reminds him to live blamelessly before God and men. The resurrection of Christ makes the resurrection of Christ’s people imminent. This truth served Paul as blessed motivation to remain blameless between the time he walked the earth and the time he will resurrect in the likeness of his Savior. Like a guardrail for holiness, our imminent resurrection motivates us to appear before our Bridegroom clothed in fine linen, “bright and clean” (see Revelation 19:8).

The Benefit of Eternal Life

“For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

-1 Corinthians 15:21-22 

Adam’s sin resulted in death for those alive, however, Christ’s resurrection resulted in life for those who die. Therefore, Paul can declare “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55; cf. Hosea 13:14). For the believer, death is nothing to fear. Perhaps, we may sense trepidation in the process of dying, which may include temporal suffering. But death leads to life which in one respect is the perfect comparison of Adam’s work to Jesus’. Paul notes that this benefit of life, tied closely to the resurrection comes from the Life-Giver, saying, “‘The first man Adam became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). That God would give his Son’s life that we may too arise from the dead as he did to receive an imperishable body is worthy of worship.

Conclusion

For ease of remembrance, we may think of these four benefits in the order they occur in the life of a believer. At the benefit of salvation, one receives the benefit of justification. Then, throughout the sanctification process, one lives a life that looks more and more blameless as he conforms to the image of Christ until the day that he realizes the benefit of eternal life. We are the recipients of salvation, justification, blamelessness, and eternal life. Among others, these benefits beckon believers to rejoice in the resurrection all the days of our lives.

Sola Gratia