Liberty In The Resurrection

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:5-6). This is what the angels say to the women who go to the tomb at first light the morning after the Sabbath. They brought spices and ointments for Jesus’ body. How did they think they were going to get to his body? Who was going to roll the stone away? Questions. One thing they knew about Jesus was that he was dead. They had seen him die an undeserving death. They certainly were not expecting to be the first to experience the victory of God in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Luke’s account of the resurrection we hear their response to the angels, “they remembered his words” (Luke 24:9). Imagine their astonishment when they realized, “He told us that he would be crucified and that he would rise on the third day! We didn’t understand it, but it’s happened!” 

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus’s death is our liberty (Heb. 2:15). In the victory of God over death we are freed from bondage to the fear of death. What’s striking is that when the women report the resurrection to the apostles, their response wasn’t rejoicing in the victory of God. Their response was unbelief (Luke 24:11). Do you ever struggle to embrace the reality of the resurrection? You’re not alone. There are any number of reasons why we may wrestle with belief.

Holy Week culminates in victory. Holy Week culminates in liberty. Even so, we are challenged to reject the things that tempt us to live in bondage and embrace what it means to live in liberty. This is Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians. “Stand firm,” he says. You’ve been in bondage. Live free. 

Because of the redemption that Jesus’s resurrection secures for us the apostle says, you are no longer a slave. You are a son. And if you are a son, then you are an heir through God (Gal. 4:7). This is the message of assurance. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, rest assured. Your days of slavery are in the past. There is only freedom in the risen Christ. And when you struggle, remember that God has sent his Holy Spirit into the very seat of your will and emotions, into your heart to assure you that he is your Father, and you are his special child.

Here’s our third invitation. Reflect on what it would mean for you to live with less fear and more liberty in Christ.

A prayer: “Father, you assure us that Christ has set us free to live a free life in him. Help me to resist the temptation to be bound by fear and live more fully into the liberty you have provided.”