The Resurrection Dimension

By Pastor Jack Hayford

When Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also," He was declaring a     new dimension of life available to any who will receive Him and His.  Most believers in Jesus live an inferior quality of life simply because they have never come to terms with His full offer. Christ the Lord, the resurrected Son of God, has made available to us both forgiveness of sins and fullness of life. Forgiveness comes when we receive the offer of His life.

The Good Friday dimension of life says, "Christ died for my sins." I believe that, and I receive the payment He made for my sins. I acknowledge the penalty He suffered as a result of my wrongdoing. But that does not teach the full measure of provision which God has made possible through the redeeming work of our Lord. There is a Resurrection dimension of life also, and it is wrapped in the words of Romans 1: ...The gospel of God...concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (vv. 1, 3-4).

This passage clearly tells us that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was raised from the dead.  That Man who strode forth from the tomb twenty centuries ago is still speaking today: "Because I live, you will live also (John 14:19).  Look closely, now. Those words are not only a promise of an endless life in the glory of God's presence, they hold a guarantee of a present life in the glory of God's power. Jesus is telling you and me we can move out of the limits of mere human resources for living, into the dimension of the Holy Spirit's resources for our living.  Today, I invite you where Christ invites you: to live in the resurrection resources of the Spirit-filled life. Romans 8:11 says this is the present and fulfilling potential that awaits each of us who will receive Christ's life-power (fullness) as well as His love-power (forgiveness): "If, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will, through the Spirit that dwells in you, also make your mortal bodies live" (MLB).  Step to a new plateau! Let's stand together in the full possibilities of Jesus' life working in us. The Resurrection dimension is no twilight zone of mysticism, but a real, practical, and powerful dynamic for life in the here and now.

Pastor Jack Hayford is Senior Pastor of the Church on the Way and is a nationally known speaker and writer. Visit his website http://www.jackhayford.com

March-April '01 Table of Contents