Romans 5:9-10
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
I’ve always wondered why a church can be packed on Easter Sunday and then half full the following week. Easter serves as our reminder that Christ has overcome the grave and this gives us a great reason to rejoice. But why do we place so much excitement on just one day? Is Christ’s death and resurrection only worth rejoicing in one day a year? Definitely not! Christ’s resurrection is something that we should only grow in appreciation of. We can’t let it be something that we focus on once on Easter morning and then immediately toss that aside after Easter dinner. The glory that Christ received at His resurrection, He continues to receive. Generations of Christians have looked at the cross and the empty grave and have seen it as the ultimate source of joy in their lives. So, how can we rejoice in the miracle of the Resurrection throughout the year? What has been of great help to me is the reminder that Christ continues to save me even now. The salvation that He secured for me on Calvary’s hill, He secures it even now. Christ has not saved you once, He continues to save you even now. What comfort we can have in our salvation! The God of the universe not only saved you once, He will continue to save you! Notice what Paul says in Romans 5:9-10. He says that we have been justified by His blood. This means that our justification is a past event. The moment that we come to Christ in faith, we are completely and fully justified in God’s sight. He no longer sees our wickedness when He looks at us, He sees Christ’s righteousness given to us. Paul knows that justification is something that happens once and for all in the life of a Christian but then at the end of verse 9, he says that we shall be saved. Now Paul is saying that salvation is a future event. Not only is it a future event, it is something that is in the Lord’s hands. Paul says that it is by HIM that we will be saved from the wrath to come. Again in verse 10, we see past, present, and future salvation. Paul points to our past when we were enemies of God and we see that we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Even before the cross, God had set forth His plan for salvation. As we come to faith in Christ, we know that we have been reconciled to God the Father, through the work of Christ the Son. Because of that reconciliation, we know that we will continue to be saved by His life. So, salvation is rooted in the past, pursued in the present, and guaranteed in the future. Why should we rejoice in the miracle of the Resurrection on that first Easter Sunday? Because it changed history in such a tremendous way, that we cannot limit its importance to one day. Christ’s resurrection is our reminder that He has made us into a new creation. Watchman Nee said, “our old history ends at the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” If you are in Christ, remember that Christ has saved you, He is saving you, and He will continue to save you in the future. I think that is something worth remembering and rejoicing in past Easter Sunday.
-Brady
