Easter ReflectionsSample

Peter blesses the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, presenting Jesus as God and Messiah. God has caused us to be born again in his mercy and has withheld the punishment we deserved. Being born again reflects a change of status and participation in a God-given life. This is also called regeneration, in which God gives spiritual life to a spiritually dead person. At the point of new birth, the Holy Spirit is poured out into the hearts of those who believe and indwells them (Acts 2:33). The believer is born into a living hope. The hope we have in Jesus Christ inspires us to endure all sufferings and pain.

Some theorists argue that the resurrection was spiritual only, not physical. The body, they say, remained in the grave. They dismiss biblical accounts of bodily resurrection as mere attempts to illustrate the truth of the spiritual resurrection.

Such arguments undermine the hope we have as believers and are misleading. The resurrection is only real and beneficial for our lives today if it is an actual historical event. One counter to these theorists is to ask where the body would have gone if the resurrection were only spiritual. No one has ever questioned that the tomb was empty, and no one has ever produced a body in order to settle the argument once and for all.

One of the new birth results and characteristics of the Christian life is hope. This hope is living because it is based on a resurrected Savior. Therefore, there is nothing for believers to fear. Instead, we have a living hope that carries us through all seasons of life. The hope of the righteous shall never be cut off (Proverbs 23:18).

Easter reminds us that Christ died and resurrected, and now we have a hope that defies even death.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you for the living hope in my life that will never be cut off. In Jesus' name, Amen.