The Impact of the Resurrection: Romans 1:4
“who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 1:4
Paul now hits the nail on the head. There is one thing that separates Jesus Christ from every other religious leader and human being that has ever lived on earth. It comes down to the resurrection. He is alive. He conquered death. The resurrection proved his claim of being God. This may sound like a trivial point until you ponder its significance.
One evening during my Bible college days, we were conducting an “Open Air Campaigners Meeting” on the streets of Chicago. After the meeting concluded, I turned to engage the man next to me in conversation. I asked him what he thought of the message.
He laughed and said, “You Christians are all alike. You are fools. You have nothing to base your religion on. I am on my way to Mecca to see the body of Muhammad. It is right there on display. We have something solid upon which to build our faith of Islam.”
He then chuckled and said, “But when you Christians go to Jerusalem and look at the tomb of Jesus, it is empty. You have nothing to build your faith on.” I looked at him as if in wonderment and said, “What did you say?” He then repeated over and over again, “It is empty!” “Its empty!” “Its empty!” “There is nothing there… the body of Jesus is gone!” Just to make sure he was hearing himself, I asked one more time; “What did you say?”
He repeated emphatically twice more, “It’s empty!” “Didn’t any ever tell you it’s empty!” Suddenly it hit him. His eyes were opened. He repeated again very slowly and this time to himself; “Its empty!” “Its empty because Jesus Christ is alive. He rose from the dead. Muhammad is still in the grave because he was just a man.”
The Holy Spirit was driving the Gospel into His heart and mind. He suddenly understood what Paul was saying in Romans 1:4, “who was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” That night he trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior and changed his travel plans from Mecca to Jerusalem. He also changed his eternal destiny from hell to heaven.
Easter is much more than a fun holiday. It is a time the world stops to acknowledge the biblical message of the Resurrection. For those who’s eyes are opened, it is the heart of the Gospel and hope of a new life, because Jesus Christ has conquered death. He is alive.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
