Jesus the Risen Lord

The third discourseman

The following are all the direct references to Jesus’ resurrection that I could find in Romans. I’d recommend picking just a few to meditate on and read slowly. You can then read my bullet-point thoughts below. You can either go through them quickly, and get a sense of the overwhelming strength and depth of the theme of ‘resurrection’ in Romans, or pick a few to match up to the corresponding verses, and again spend a bit more time pondering.

‘and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord’

‘in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.’

‘It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.’

‘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.’

‘We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.’

‘Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.’

‘Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.’

‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.’

‘Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.’

‘But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’

‘For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.’

There are even more references to our resurrection, to life and death more generally, as well as references to Lordship, Sonship, hope, glory etc that are intimately linked to the resurrection. So it turns out that the resurrection is quite an important idea in Romans. From the above quotes, here are an assortment of reasons why:

1. The resurrection is the key declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, and is right at the core of the message of the gospel.
2. One of the key things that marks God out as the unique creator is his ability to give life to the dead, to give existence to that which does not yet exist.
3. And that is why Abraham was right to be fully convinced that God could bring life from the deadness of his old body and his wife’s dead womb, and why we can trust God to keep his promises to us.
4. It is the resurrection that justifies us. The resurrection declared Jesus to be righteous, innocent, the kind of man who deserves life and not death. And we share in that verdict.
5. If Jesus’ death could reconcile us to God, his life assures us that we shall be saved on the day of judgement.
6. Our union with Christ in his death and resurrection reassures us that we now live to God, not sin, and that one day we will be raised bodily.
7. We know that having been raised, Jesus will never die again. He has broken the dominion of death.
8. If the same Spirit through whom God raised Jesus dwells in us, we can be sure that God will give life to our mortal bodies in the future.
9. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension means that he sits at God’s right hand, interceding for us. So no one can condemn us.
10. We do not need to go anywhere or do anything to find the message of salvation. God has sent his Son to us. The word of the gospel is near.
11. And all we need to do to be saved is to confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead! The resurrection is at the core of what we must believe to be saved.
12. Jesus’ resurrection means that he’s Lord of all, both the dead and the living.

Happy Easter! Christ is risen!