To reach the Resurrection (Romans 06:3-11)
I hope that the grace of resurrection life will be with you on this Easter, when the powers of death and sin are broken and the true life and truth are resurrected.
joy of resurrection faith
Resurrection faith is a special faith unique to our Christianity, and therefore this faith is central to Christianity. Resurrection faith is the belief that death is not our last, but that we live again. In that sense, resurrection faith can be called life faith. So what is resurrection faith?
First, the resurrection faith is the belief that the death that God condemned man for the sin of Adam in Genesis was withdrawn by the atonement of Christ's death on the cross. Death withdrew means that we can be reconnected to God and receive life from God. It means that God gives us grace and enables us to pour out all the heavenly graces we need in our lives, and it means that when we pray, God answers us, and that we can understand God's Word. It means that the fear of death that has entered our lives has disappeared. Therefore, faith in the resurrection cannot but be a source of endless joy.
So, secondly, faith in the resurrection is faith in a resurrection today, not a belief that we will be resurrected next. Not only will we be resurrected after this, but we are now resurrected. We believed that we would rise again at the second coming of Jesus, but we had no faith that those who live and believe will never die. Resurrection is today's event. We are the resurrected children of God. The Resurrection that will follow these last days is the result of today's Resurrection Faith. Those who have not been resurrected today will not be able to be resurrected even on the last day. Resurrection is a present event. Therefore, faith in the resurrection is the source of our endless joy today.
Third, the resurrection faith is the belief that we can overcome all forces of evil. It is the conviction that we can triumph against the forces of Satan that have brought death to us. If we have faith in the resurrection today, we will be able to face any evil forces and will not be afraid of their threats and persecutions at all. Therefore, faith in the resurrection is the source of our courage. Because I act in the conviction that God is with me, no power on this earth can break this conviction.
At the end of Matthew 28, the Resurrection Lord said to his disciples, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." The fact that the resurrected Lord has been given all authority in heaven and on earth means that now any authority in heaven and on earth is forced to submit before Him. So now you are commanded to go. Since the Lord, who has all authority, will always be with us until the end, we are convinced that the devil who has the power of the air or the power of this earth can't stop us as disciples of Christ.
Resurrection faith gives us incredible courage, so we can now boldly proclaim the gospel of the resurrection to the world with this faith. Therefore, the task given to us should not hesitate to go out to this world, and to show and testify that God's reign of life is being realized on this earth.
Resurrection through death on the cross
However, when we talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we cannot talk about the resurrection itself. His resurrection was possible because of his crucifixion. In the death of Christ on the cross, the power of all sin was broken and there was a resurrection. If resurrection is a medal of victory, it means that there was a fierce battle and victory in that battle until receiving that medal. Resurrection is therefore a decoration given as a result of death on the cross. Therefore, we cannot think of the resurrection in isolation. Resurrection is always linked to death on the cross.
Likewise, our resurrection faith today is rightly established in us when we have passed through the death of the cross. In order to participate in Christ's resurrection, we must first share in His death on the cross. It is impossible for us to experience the resurrection today unless we first experience death. So Paul makes this very clear in Romans chapter 6.
Therefore, we are buried with him by being baptized into union with his death. This is so that we may live a new life, just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father. Romans 6:4
To be baptized into Christ means that we die with him. This means that God counts all our sins as dead. But in reality, it means that we have to fight to crucify ourselves every day. Then we will also be united to Christ and share in his resurrection. We are saved when we receive the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through faith. However, we who have been saved must embody our own death and resurrection concretely in our lives. It's like students doing in a lab. It is a truth that has already been revealed, but it becomes clearer when it is confirmed through experimentation rather than learning only through theory. Likewise, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross atoned for all our sins, and his resurrection led us to eternal life, but we must test that truth in our own lives. Only then will we be able to know the meaning of death and the true joy of resurrection.
old man to be crucified
Therefore, in order for us to experience the resurrection now, our old self must die on the cross. Romans 6:6 says, ?쏻e know that our old self was crucified with Christ in order to put an end to the body of sin, so that we might no longer be slaves to it.??When the old man was crucified, it was said that he was not enslaved to sin. It means not being led by sin. Through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, we are no longer subject to sin. Our owners have changed. Therefore, we should be resolute and free from the sins that still try to dominate us.
Some experience the death of this old man in the midst of great tribulation. We see in Job his death and resurrection. When Job loses all his family and property for no reason and his body becomes ill, he experiences a lot of anguish and suffering. Only then does he discover his ignorance and the distance between himself and God. So he repents of claiming his own righteousness and shuts his mouth before a holy God. Through that tribulation, he found his old self, completely liquidated the old man, and was reborn as a new person.
Some people experience the death of the old person through serious illness and are resurrected, while others discover their arrogance and ignorance only after falling to the bottom of their lives and are born again. These people, God sent a storm into their lives, destroying the old people's lives and resurrecting them as new people. Such people can be said to have experienced the resurrection better than anyone else.
We will have to walk this way of the cross in any form. When we go about that day without thinking about it, we may face the Lord's second coming without realizing the true meaning of the Resurrection. In order for us to be resurrected with an immortal body, we must sow a perishable body. In order to be resurrected with a glorious body, you would have to bury your disgraceful things in the ground. In order to be resurrected with a strong body, the weak body must first be killed. In order to be resurrected as a spiritual body, the physical body must be returned to the dust. Jesus said that a grain of wheat produces much fruit when it rots. The process of rotting a grain of wheat is the death of the cross.
What we need to know for sure is that the Resurrection is the reward given after such a long struggle on the cross. Even in the life of Jesus Christ, his ministry continues until his death on the cross. Resurrection is not part of his ministry. Resurrection is the work of our Heavenly Father. Most of the records in the Gospels are about the way to the death of Jesus on the cross, and you can see that the resurrection is only the last chapter or so. Without experiencing the death of the old man, no matter how loudly shouting the resurrection, it will only be an empty echo.
This principle of resurrection applies not only to individuals but also to society and the nation. After liberation, the Liberal Party government could not follow the path of democracy properly because it failed to clear up the remnants of the Japanese colonial era. As such remnants continue to accumulate, great authoritarianism has dominated this land, and as a result of not burying it cleanly, we are suffering today as well. In order for our nation to revive today, we must crucify the corruptions, conflicts, and authoritarianism of the dictatorship that has existed since the 500 years of Joseon Dynasty and 36 years of Japanese rule and liberation. Our society will soon develop into a healthy nation when it achieves reforms that crucify the negative remnants of the past. These days, it is a problem that Japan has concealed or distorted past history while making history textbooks. Japan will not be able to stand upright in the world unless it candidly confesses past mistakes and clears them up.
Beloved, the Resurrection is the glory given at the end of a long, arduous journey towards Golgotha. We have followed this journey of the cross of Christ throughout Lent to taste the true joy of this resurrection.