Rising to the Occasion (That Occasion Being the Defeat of all that is Dark and Evil, Of Course)

Well, so far this week, we’ve discussed the love of God (awesome), our sin (icky), and why Jesus died on the cross (amazing sacrifice). Today, I’m ready for some good news. Did you know that the word “gospel” actually means “to speak good” or “good news”? The message of the gospel IS good news! Great news, in fact! Easter is the celebration of the best news of all. Jesus died on the cross, paying the debt for our sins, and after three days, He rose again. He came back to life from the dead! Why is that so significant? Because He proved that He alone has the power to overcome sin and death! He took on the sin of all humankind and died. Then He kicked sin and death in the butt. (I seriously don’t mean to sound irreverent. I’m sorry if I do.) He rose to new life! That is so incredibly significant because that means that we can rise to new life as well! I’m talkin’ ‘bout Heaven, people! When Christ died, he paid for our sins, and when He rose, He overcame them!

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (The Bible, Romans 6:8-11)

Check out the same verses in The Message (a modern day paraphrase of The Bible):

"If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did."

Now that is some good news!!!

P.S. If reading the Bible seems overwhelming to you, I would highly recommend getting yourself a copy of The Message. It is very user-friendly. I also recommend it to those of you who have been reading the Bible for years. It will bring the Scriptures alive to you in a fresh, new way! (At least, it does for me.) :)