Easter Must Happen Inside Us
Easter must happen inside us, or it is nothing more than a historical event.
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. (Romans 6:2-7 – NASB)
It is possible to believe in the death and resurrection of Christ and yet not fully experience the reality of it in a personal way.
God’s purpose is for Christ’s death and resurrection to not only believed, but also be re-enacted in us. I know this is an incredible thought and almost unbelievable if approached with human reason. It is, however the core of the Gospel message. If the death and resurrection of Christ happened to Him alone, then it is merely a historical event that has little impact upon our lives personally.
Jesus Christ did not just die and rise again for Himself. He did it for us, so it follows that what happened to Him ought also to happen to us – if we believe.
No other Scripture brings this out more clearly that the passage we have here before us.
There are two words we need to understand with regard to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first is SUBSTITUTION. It means when Jesus died on the Cross He was our substitute, that is He was punished for the sins we had committed. He paid the debt of sin we should have paid. Instead of us being punished for our sin, He was punished instead.
The other word that is just as vital is IDENTIFICATION. This word means that, by faith, what happened to Jesus in his death and resurrection also happened to me. He died, and spiritually I died with Him. My sinful life died as He died. It also means when He was raised from the dead, I was raised to newness of life. It is absolutely vital we understand this. Easter is not just a memorial service where we remember that Jesus died and rose again. Easter is a victory celebration in that we rejoice in experiencing the death and resurrection of Jesus in our personal lives.
- When HE died WE died.
That is, our old lives and our old sin nature died with Him.
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptised into His death?
…knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…
If we truly believe Christ died for us, we must also believe that something also died in us. The apostle called it our body of sin, also called our sin nature. That something in us that causes us to sin has been done away with. We no longer have to be slaves of sin.
- When HE rose WE rose with Him
For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection (v.5)
- We Must Appropriate the Death and Resurrection of Christ for ourselves
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 – NASB)
It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians. – Francis Bacon.
Unused truth becomes as useless as an unused muscle. A.W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian.
God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing. – Martin Luther.
Easter Happened in Me
© Friday 3rd April 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 – NASB)
Easter didn’t just happen to Jesus;
It happened to me and to you.
By our faith when He died, we also died;
And by faith we were raised up, too.
It’s not just a lesson of history,
Speaking of an ancient event;
It’s a living, present realty –
Straight to my heart it’s been sent.
Though I live in this present, evil day,
I was also there at the Cross;
By faith I died when my dear Saviour died,
By faith all my sin I lost.
I was also there when He rose again
And the stone was then rolled away;
I was raised again to a life of bliss,
And I’m living this life, today.
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