Dwight Fletcher | The Spirit of resurrection: How the covenant of grace transforms us

HAPPY RESURRECTION Sunday! Today, we celebrate with Believers worldwide that Jesus is alive. The fact that He is alive means that everything He came to secure for us has been accomplished.

In fact, Easter is one of the most powerful reminders that incredible transformation is available to all who believe. Because when Jesus rose from the grave, He didn’t just conquer death, He opened the door for a new kind of life for every single one of us. That’s the heart of grace. And that’s the power of the resurrection.

Last week, we discussed the fact that grace isn’t a “get out of jail free” card or licence to keep living the way we always have. Because if the resurrection means anything, it means that God didn’t raise Jesus so we could stay the same. In raising Jesus, He sent that message that we could be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:11 NLT says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Think about it – if you are a Believer, then the same power that conquered sin, death and the grave is inside of you! Because of the Holy Spirit and His grace, you are transformed in the following ways:

BY GRACE, GOD DECLARES YOU PERFECT

The technical term for this is justification. Justification is the declaring of a person to be just or righteous. This is what happens the second you say yes to Jesus. God the Father declares you righteous, and your status instantly changes. You are no longer a sinner; you are a saint. Justification is a legal term, and it means the law no longer has the power to condemn you because your sin has been removed spiritually.

We see an explanation in Romans 5:1 (AMP), just to help clarify it for us. “Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).”

Justification brings us into a peaceful relationship with God. Sin no longer stands between us, and you can approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace in time of need. However, God’s saving grace is also God’s sanctifying grace.

BY GRACE GOD IS MAKING YOU HOLY

This side of eternity, for as long as you live in this body, God is working in you by His Spirit to walk holy. This is called sanctification. As Hebrews 10:14 referred to us as “ …those who are being made holy”. The basic meaning of ‘sanctify’ is to set apart to God, for His use. God works in those who love Him to conform them “…to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). Sanctification is a daily process of growing in Christlikeness by cooperating with the Holy Spirit and obeying God’s word.

This is the grace of God to us; this is all God’s doing. We cannot make this happen naturally in our lives, but God does the heavy lifting. So, this Easter Sunday, we can rejoice.

Hallelujah, Jesus You have won the victory! You are alive. You died as us and for us, but You did not stay dead. Death could not hold You down. You rose from the grave, and You are alive forevermore. You have secured victory for us and for our righteousness. We bless Your name.