Fridays with the Heidelberg

Lord’s Day 17

45. Q. HOW DOES CHRIST’S RESURRECTION BENEFIT US?

A. First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He won for us by His death. Second, by His power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection.

As we celebrated Easter with our local body of believers this past Sunday, our pastor commented that he was so grateful for Christmas because of Easter. Christ’s birth is great news because of the glorious news of the resurrection.

Today’s reading points to why Easter is so important. Actually to call Easter important is quite the understatement. While there would be countless opinions in the world about the most important day in history, for the believer, we rightly identify the resurrection of Jesus as the most important event in the history of the universe.

While in seminary, there were several lectures that I observed that left an indelible mark on my life. One in particular was when my theology professor shared that if someone proved to him that Christ had not risen, that his bones were buried somewhere in the Middle East, his immediate response would be to go off and engage in all sorts of sinful actions. This was initially shocking to hear. I wondered if it was acceptable for a seminary professor to speak like this. But, isn’t this response rooted in an accurate understanding of the apostle Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Indeed, the resurrection IS the most important event in the history of the universe.

Q/A 45 highlights this importance by providing three ways we benefit from Christ’s resurrection;

1- “He has overcome death, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He won for us by His death.”
2- “by His power we too are already now resurrected to a new life”
3- “Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection”

To God Be the glory, great things He has done!