Verse-a-day 11 April 2012
Jesus' resurrection gives us hope
Quintus Heine
1 Peter 1: 3,4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.
Jesus Christ's resurrection changed our lives. Because of it, we don't only have a past, but a future as well. If we say we believe that Jesus died for our sins, it is a statement of a past event. If we say we have hope, it is what we believe about Jesus in the future.
Faith in Jesus' crucifixion describes both our past and our new beginning. Hope in Jesus describes our daily continuation of our new life and new future. Our faith has no hope unless we believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Faith and hope are inextricably linked. One cannot exist without the other!
Since the resurrection of Christ, we having been living in the time of hope! For Christians, the resurrection is a fact, a historical event that took place. It is also the highlight and the symbolic starting point of our new lives as Christians! This is one of the cornerstones of our faith! Without hope, we cannot believe.
If you say you believe ‑ it is because you trust and believe that Jesus has already paid for your sins. If you say you have hope ‑ t is because you trust that the Lord will still be king in your life in the future and you will get part of his inhertiance.
You see, hope is trusting in the future! But it starts now. You already now have hope in all your circumstances! You trust that Jesus will live each day with you. You trust that you can leave your life, your country, your family, your everything, in the hands of King Jesus. Jesus' resurrection gave believers a new future; the future that they will live, although their bodies will die.
There is only one reason for Christian hope – the resurrection of Jesus. Without the resurrection we have faith with no hope (a hopeless faith. Jesus broke the bonds of death and hoplessness.
Prayer: Thank you Lord that we have hope and a future, because you rose from the dead!