HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2009 / MARCH/APRIL / BADENHORST

MARCH/APRIL 2009
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2

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A R T I C L E S

 

Chris Badenhorst

 

The Christian faith stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ from the dead.1 If there is no resurrection, there is nothing salvageable in Christianity. Furthermore, the authenticity of the resurrection depends on the essential veracity of the resurrection record. This is vouched for by the apostles who were eye-witnesses of the resurrected Christ.2 Paul could confidently state that "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Cor. 15:20) because the risen Christ appeared to him personally as He did to many others.3

The early apostles and disciples took seriously the fact that they had been commissioned to be "witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:46-48). That is why the book of Acts is filled with declarations testifying to the Lord's resurrection from the dead.4 Paul wrote to Timothy, "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead…This is my gospel" (2 Tim. 2:8). The resurrection of Christ is therefore part of the Gospel. Without it there would be no Gospel or good news. Paul states: "If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe" (1 Cor. 15:14).

 

God's Foundation

Before we consider Christ's resurrection and its fruit in the life of the believer, we need to look briefly at the bigger picture—the foundation that God laid for the salvation of man 2000 years ago. This foundation consists of Christ's death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension to the right hand of the Father "with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him" (1 Pet. 3:22).

This foundation constitutes the gospel, or good news. It is clear and certain as well as final, complete, finished, and all-sufficient as a basis for our salvation whether we believe it or not. Our faith does not produce it, but when it is preached "by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven" (1 Pet. 1:12b) faith is created in us to accept what God has done for us in Christ.5

 

1. The Death of Christ

The first aspect of the Gospel foundation mentioned above is the death of Christ which can be examined in two parts: a) the blood He shed, and b) the death He died. By means of His shed blood, Christ made atonement for all the sins of mankind—sins in thought, word and deed. Because of these sins man is guilty before God and held accountable by Him for the payment of the penalty He has levied against man for them. The good news is that, by His blood atonement, Christ redeemed (paid) man's debt with God in full (Rom. 3:24), thus solving the problem of his guilt before God.

When a person believes Jesus shed His blood for him, the benefit he receives is justification—the verdict of acquittal by God the Judge.6 Paul says, therefore, that believers are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus [because] God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement…in his blood…[Therefore], we have…been justified by his blood" (Rom. 3:24, 25; 5:9).

Additionally, Paul states that "The death [Jesus] died, he died to sin once for all" (Rom. 6:10). The sin here is the one sin behind the many sins people continually commit. Sin in this context is personified as a master that has dominion over its slave7 or a king that reigns over its subjects.8 By dying "to sin" on man's behalf, God solved the problem of man's enslavement "to sin."

The person who believes Jesus died "to sin" is now "dead to sin" (Rom. 6:2). In being dead "to sin," therefore, he "has been freed from sin" (Rom. 6:7)—freed from its reign, freed from its power, freed from its control, and freed from servitude under its dominion.9 As a result, the believer is no longer the slave of sin,10 and sin is no longer his master.11 He therefore need no longer obey its dictates or do its bidding as before. Thus the question posed by Paul, "shall we go on sinning…? By no means!" is his answer. And the reason? "We died to (the reign of) sin" (Rom. 6:1, 2, 12).

 

2. Christ's Resurrection

We now come to the theme of this article—the resurrection of Christ from the dead—the second aspect of the Gospel foundation mentioned above. Paul gives two reasons why the justified believer will not continue in the service of sin. The first reason is that he "died to [the reign of] sin" (Rom. 6:2, 12). The second reason is that "just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Rom. 6:4).

Based upon the resurrection of Christ, therefore, the believer enters upon a new kind of life—a new lifestyle. Paul continues: "If we have been united [with] Christ in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection [thus beginning a new life]" (Rom. 6:5). "Now if we died with Christ [thus ending the reign of sin in our lives], we believe that we will also live [a new kind of life in our faith union] with him" (Rom. 6:8).

What Paul is saying here is that just as the death of Christ "to sin" is followed by His resurrection, so will the believer's death "to sin" be followed by a new kind of life; just as the believer benefits by the death of Christ by receiving freedom from guilt and the reign of sin, so he will benefit by the resurrection of Christ by receiving the start of a new life.

 

The Divine Purpose

In order to better understand the meaning of this "new life", we need to understand God's purpose behind it. Paul states: "The death [Christ] died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God" (Rom. 6:10). Then follows the exhortation to believers: "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God with Christ" (Rom. 6:11).

In view of this, Paul gives another exhortation: "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God…and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness" (Rom. 6:13). By this Paul is telling us that God demands an unreserved and unconditional commitment from every believer. Therefore, this new life the believer has entered is not dedicated "to sin", the old master, but dedicated "to God", the believer's new Sovereign.

Based on the resurrection of Christ, therefore, God imparts to the believer a new life enabling him "to serve [God] without fear in holiness and righteousness" (Luke 1:74, 75). Paul says, "But now that you have been set free from sin [you] have become slaves to God" (Rom. 6:22). This was the original plan of God for man—a plan He has never abandoned and which, through the Gospel, is still being realized.

How important, therefore, that we understand the purpose of God in our salvation: it is not only to save us from hell and eternal death, but more importantly, to save us for His purpose where we will again be under His reign and authority, doing His will for His glory. For this purpose man was created and saved, and only in this purpose will man find fulfilment, contentment, and happiness.

 

The Holy Spirit

This new life that we receive on the basis of Christ's objective resurrection is imparted to our spirits subjectively by the Holy Spirit. This impartation of a new life from God is referred to as a "new birth." The apostle Peter puts it as follows: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth… through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). Paul states that, because of Jesus' resurrection, God "saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Titus 3:5b, 6).

The apostle John recorded the words of Jesus to Nicodemus: "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born…of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to [man's] spirit" (John 3:5, 6). Thus could John say that those who are born again in this way "become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12, 13).12

Furthermore, just as children who are born of their natural parents partake of their life and nature, those who are born of God partake of "the life of God" (Eph. 4:18) and "the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4). This new spiritual birth is an inner work by the Holy Spirit13 which accomplishes a radical and complete transformation in the believer's spirit.14 And by virtue of this inner transformation, the believer becomes a "new man" (Eph. 4:24 KJV; Col. 3:10 KJV) or "a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17), which is "created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:24).

The believer's spirit is thus regenerated—made alive to the things of God—by means of the Holy Spirit's ministry—a ministry that is based solely on the resurrection of Christ from the dead.15 The fruit of this regenerating work of the Spirit is that "the righteous requirements of the law [God's will]…might be fully met in us who live...according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4). The apostle John explains this fruit by saying, "that everyone who does what is right has been born of [God]" and that "No one who is born of God will continue to sin".16

The results of this transformation of the believer yield tangible changes in his disposition—from one of lawlessness, godlessness, and self-seeking17 into one of trust and love, of repentance for past rebelliousness and unbelief, and of loving compliance with God's revealed will. This transformation also enlightens the blinded mind to discern spiritual realities18 and liberates the enslaved will, energizing it for willing obedience to God.19

The life of a child of God—one who has been born of God—is therefore characterized, not by continuing in the old life of sin,20 but by doing the will of his heavenly Father,21 by his love for his fellow believers,22 and by his experience of faith's victory over the world and the things of the world.23 In all this the believer is being "conformed to the likeness of [God's] Son".24 As a result he will seek to please God in all things25 as did Jesus,26 and God's purpose will be fulfilled in his life for the glory of God.27

We can say that in solving man's sin problem, God had a higher end in mind: imparting new life to him so he could become spiritually alive to God and to His will and purpose.28 Here we must also be clear about another fact: unregenerate man is not only a slave of sin committing all kinds of sins against God, he is also spiritually dead—a state in which he is totally unable to serve God and do His will regardless how religious he might be.29 God, however, solved this problem of spiritual impotency once for all by raising Christ from the dead so that, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, man might become spiritually alive to serve God and do His will.

Without this clear understanding concerning God's purpose for those He saves, many believers become backsliders instead of being dynamic Christians with a clearly defined purpose: to serve God and do His will for His glory.

 

Conclusion

The objective Gospel foundation which God laid 2000 years ago is the only basis for all the subjective spiritual blessings that we receive from Him.30 Christ alone is our foundation; Paul clearly states that "no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).

Paul further states: "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong…to him who was raised from the dead, in order that [you] might bear fruit to God" (Rom. 7:4), thus fulfilling God's eternal purpose for man.

"What shall we conclude then?" (Rom. 3:9): man does not merit justification from his sins because justification is based solely on the blood of Christ; he does not merit deliverance from the reign of sin because deliverance is based solely on Christ's death to sin on man's behalf; he does not merit the new birth and regeneration by the Holy Spirit because new birth is based solely on the resurrection of Christ from the dead. All our praise and worship go to Him who loved us and gave himself up for us (Gal.2:20b). †

 

Endnotes

1. 1 Cor. 15:1-4, 17-19.
2. Acts 1:22.
3. 1 Cor. 15: 5-8.
4. Acts 2:32; 3:15; 5:30; 10:39, 40; 13:30, 31; 26:16.
5. 1 Pet. 1:1.
6. Rom. 3:23, 24.
7. Rom. 6:14.
8. Rom. 5:21.
9. Rom. 6: 14, 18, 22; 8:1, 2.
10. Rom. 6:6c.
11. Rom. 6:14.
12. 1 John 2:29; 3:9, 10; 4:4.
13. Titus 3:5; Eph. 4:24.
14. Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23.
15. Rom. 6:4; 1 Pet. 1:3.
16. 1 John 2:29; 3:9; cf. 1 Pet. 1:23-2:1.
17. Rom. 3:9-18; 8:7.
18. 1 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10.
19. Rom. 6:14; 17-22; Phil. 2:12, 13.
20. 1 John 3:9; 5:18.
21. 1 John 3:7.
22. 1 John 4:7.
23. 1 John 5:4; 2:15-17.
24. Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 3:18.
25. 25 2 Cor. 5:9.
26. Jn. 8:29.
27. Eph. 1:12.
28. Rom 6:4b, 5, 8, 13b.
29. Rom. 7:14, 18-19; 8:6a-8.
30. Eph. 1:3.

 

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This new spiritual birth is an inner work by the Holy Spirit which accomplishes a radical and complete transformation in the believer's spirit.

Chris Badenhorst is a retired civil engineering technician who still works part time on one of South Africa's oil refineries in the city of Durban on the east coast. He is married with three step-children and one grandchild. His wife is also a former Adventist who shares his enthusiasm for the gospel of God's grace. Although they are not members of a particular denomination, they attend a local Baptist church for worship and fellowship.