24 lines
4.5 KiB
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24 lines
4.5 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">March 15</div></div>
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<h2>The Resurrection Essential to the Gospel of Grace</h2>
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<div class="block"><i>And <b>if</b> Christ is <b>not risen</b>, then our <b>preaching</b> is <b>vain</b> and your <b>faith</b> is also <b>vain</b>…And <b>if</b> Christ is <b>not risen</b>, your <b>faith</b> is <b>futile</b>; you are <b>still</b> in your <b>sins</b>…But now <b>Christ is risen</b> from the dead.</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Cr',15,14,17,20);">1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 and 20</a>)</div>
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<p>The early church persistently proclaimed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was not an option for them; neither is it an option for us. The grace of God that is available in the gospel for both justification and sanctification requires a risen Lord. The resurrection is <b>essential</b> to the gospel, which is the new covenant of grace.</p>
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<p>The Spirit of God emphasized this strongly, as He inspired Paul to write: <i>"And <b>if</b> Christ is <b>not risen</b>, then our <b>preaching</b> is <b>vain</b> and your <b>faith</b> is also <b>vain</b>."</i> If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, our preaching would be empty. If Christ were still in a tomb, His salvation mission ended in failure, not victory. Jesus is the object of our faith. If He is not alive, our trusting in Him would be fruitless. Jesus frequently taught about the <b>necessity</b> of His death and resurrection. <i>"The Son of Man <b>must</b> suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be <b>killed</b>, and be <b>raised</b> the third day"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Luk',9,22);">Luke 9:22</a>).</p>
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<p>Furthermore, Paul wrote: <i>"And <b>if</b> Christ is <b>not risen</b>, your <b>faith</b> is <b>futile</b>; you are <b>still</b> in your <b>sins</b>."</i> The gospel of forgiveness of sins includes the resurrection. <i>"I declare to you the <b>gospel</b> which I preached to you…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that <b>He rose again the third day</b> according to the Scriptures"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Cr',15,1,3,4);">1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4</a>). Faith is only as effective as its object. If our Lord is not resurrected, it is useless to place our confidence in Him. If we are trusting in a dead Savior to forgive us and set us free, we are still guilty and bound.</p>
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<p>However, our Lord is not in an ancient tomb. <i>"But now <b>Christ is risen</b> from the dead."</i> He rose victorious over sin and death, bringing everlasting righteousness to all who believe. <i>"It</i> [<b>faith</b>] <i>was accounted to him</i> [Abraham] <i>for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us</i> [credited to our account] <i>who believe in Him who <b>raised up</b> Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was <b>raised</b> because of our justification"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom',4,'22-25');">Romans 4:22-25</a>). Thus, all of the <b>grace blessings</b> of the <b>resurrection</b> are ours by <b>faith</b>. <i>"Therefore it is of <b>faith</b> that it might be according to <b>grace</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom',4,16);">Romans 4:16</a>).</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Dear Father, I rejoice in the resurrection victory of Jesus, my Lord! I praise You, Jesus, as my risen, living Savior. What a mighty salvation You have secured through Your victory over sin and death. Glory be to Your name for providing it all by grace through faith. Teach me to trust in You more and more, in Your holy name, Amen.</div></div></div>
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