April 22 Devotion - Jesus' Resurrection

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Peter, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once.

 فَالْوَاقِعُ أَنِّي سَلَّمْتُكُمْ، فِي أَوَّلِ الأَمْرِ، مَا كُنْتُ قَدْ تَسَلَّمْتُهُ، وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْمَسِيحَ مَاتَ مِنْ أَجْلِ خَطَايَانَا وَفْقاً لِمَا فِي الْكُتُبِ، 4 وَأَنَّهُ دُفِنَ، وَأَنَّهُ قَامَ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ وَفْقاً لِمَا فِي الْكُتُبِ، 5 وَأَنَّهُ ظَهَرَ لِبُطْرُسَ، ثُمَّ لِلاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ. 6 وَبَعْدَ ذلِكَ ظَهَرَ لأَكْثَرَ مِنْ خَمْسِ مِئَةِ أَخٍ مَعاً مَازَالَ مُعْظَمُهُمْ حَيًّا، فِي حِينِ رَقَدَ الآخَرُونَ. 7 ثُمَّ ظَهَرَ لِيَعْقُوبَ، وَبَعْدَ ذلِكَ لِلرُّسُلِ جَمِيعاً. 8 وَآخِرَ الْجَمِيعِ، ظَهَرَ لِي أَنَا أَيْضاً، وَكَأَنِّي طِفْلٌ وُلِدَ فِي غَيْرِ أَوَانِهِ!

1 Corinthians 15: 3-5

The fact that Jesus rose from the dead matters because our justification depends on it. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). A dead Saviour cannot save, but we have a living Saviour who justifies us and makes intercession for us (see Hebrews 7:25).

The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is fundamental to our faith. First Corinthians 15 is a detailed explanation of the importance of Jesus’ resurrection. Verse 14 states, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” In fact, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (verse 17), and believers who have died are “lost” (verse 18).

Although denominations differ on the date of the resurrection of Christ, Jesus’ Resurrection is not a denominational issue or a point for theological debate. Either we believe Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven or we do not. If we reject His victory over the grave, we deny ourselves a place in eternity.

Believing that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead is essential for Christians. Merely recognizing that He died for our sins is not enough; we must accept His resurrection in order to receive eternal life. Christ paid our debt, but His sacrifice on the cross means nothing if He possesses no power over the grave. In vanquishing evil and death, the Lord made our salvation possible. Jesus’ resurrection proved He was able to remove sin and its penalty. 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Jesus I confess that You are my Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. Jesus I thank you for saving me through your atoning death on The Cross at Golgotha and for making me righteous in the eyes of God our Father. Thank you Jesus that because I believe in Your resurrection I am granted eternal life. Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me, Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name. I pray in Jesus’ holy name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion before all time and now and forever and ever, and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein