April 26, 2019
The Blessings of a Living Hope
Article by Dennis Call
Though the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday is behind us, it’s important to be reminded of the living hope we have each and every day. Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). It is this same resurrection power that brings us to life through faith in the risen Christ, being born again as Jesus describes to Nicodemus in John chapter three.
A Roadmap for Your Journey
In his new book The Apostle’s Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits, Dr. Albert Mohler describes 7 New Testament themes that are just a small sample of the blessings of the living hope we have in the risen Christ.
- The cross and the resurrection represent a unified saving action (Romans 4:24-25).
- As a promise of the future, the church preaches the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead (Luke 24:24).
- The bodily resurrection of Christ fulfills the promises if God in the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27).
- The resurrection of Christ from the dead provides the ground of our salvation since he lives always to make intercession (Hebrews 7:25).
- The resurrection of Christ is an incentive to repentance (Acts 10:39-43; 13:37-38).
- Christians experience the same resurrection power in sanctification (I Peter 1:3).
- The resurrection identifies Jesus Christ as the true Son of God (acts 17:30-31). The resurrection of Christ is not merely one doctrine among others—it is of the highest doctrinal importance.[1]
These precious truths should serve as tremendous encouragement in our daily lives. Encouragement that the same power and love of God in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is at work in us.
[1] R. Albert Mohler, The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits, (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books, 2019), 96.
A Final Encouragement
In his letter to the Ephesian Church, Paul prayed they would know, “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20).
This resurrection power transforms the life of each and every Christian through our union with and submission to the Lordship of Christ. It is in Christ’s resurrection that we find the foundation upon which the Christian experiences “forgiveness of sin, deliverance from death, and life everlasting. We can see why the empty tomb is the source of hope and assurance of our salvation.”[1]
[1] Ibid, pp. 101-102.
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Dennis Call
Author of Battle Hard Blog
Dennis Call joined the Army as an infantry officer shortly after the 9/11 attacks on our country, serving fourteen years on active duty. During his Army service, Dennis deployed for thirty-three months to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror. Prior to joining the Army Dennis served as the Director of College Ministries at First Baptist Church in Texico, N.M. where he mentored students at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, N.M. Dennis and his amazing wife Katie live in Colorado Springs, CO with their five children (four boys and one super sweet daughter).
