God's 'Amen' at Easter

In this Easter UPGRADE, Dawn Wilson encourages us to think about the "Amen" of the Resurrection.

Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her book, Found in Him,* wrote, "... the resurrection is God's 'Amen' to Christ's 'It is finished!'"

What a beautiful thought! Jesus accomplished our great salvation on the cross. Jesus paid it all! He satisfied the wrath of God as the propitiation for our sin (1 John 2:2). 

And then, we might say, at the resurrection God gave His stamp of approval on the finished work of His Son. Jesus finished all the Father asked Him to do, including becoming our sacrifice for sin (John 17:4; 19:30).

Fitzpatrick continued . . .

"But that's not all. The resurrection is also God's 'Amen' to OUR 'It is finished,' for I believe that when he died, I died, and when he rose, I arose; I believe that you have forgiven me and made me righteous and will raise me up on the last day."

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we stand in complete righteousness and holiness, no longer dead in our sins, but completely, eternally alive in Christ.

We are to consider ourselves "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). In God's eyes, we've already been to the grave. We've already died. And in Christ's resurrection, our loving Father has completely transformed us, our relationship with Him (Ephesians 2:1, 5).

"Rather than simply telling ourselves that we ought to do better, to resist temptation," Fitzpatrick said, "it is by remembering our union with Jesus on the cross that we are transformed: set at liberty to love righteousness and the God who has given it to us."

Paul thus encourages us:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).

"We are invited," Fitzpatrick said, "to live our whole life under his benediction, his smile, his love."

Maybe that is why I am smiling so much this Easter.

I know I am living under the blessing of God, resting in His love. I'm so thankful for the cross. But my delight today is in the resurrection of Christ . . . and my new life in Him.

 Do you know the Savior, Jesus? Are you living the resurrected life in Christ?   

 Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Ministries, is the creator of three blogs: Heart Choices Today, LOL with God (with Pam Farrel), and Upgrade with Dawn. She is the Director of the San Diego chapter of Network of Evangelical Women in MInistry (NEWIM San Diego). Dawn is the co-author of LOL with God and contributed "The Blessing Basket" in It's a God Thing. She and her husband Bob have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

* Elyse Fitzpatrick, Found in Him: The Joy of the Incarnation and Our Union with Christ (Crossway, 2013), Chapter 7.