1 Corinthians 15:19-28 (NLT)
19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
It is the work of the Spirit to help believers begin to experience resurrection existence here and now. Believers have already been raised with Christ; therefore, we have been given resurrection life. I believe it means the Lord desires for us to keep our focus on things above—the heavenly goals of the Father—and the ongoing work of Christ to deliver humanity from sin and death. Believers can participate in that process now; to make Christ known. We can share the Good News of the Savior and Deliverer and how he works in our behalf and on behalf of the world. We are delivered by surrendering to the authority of the Lord—the Living Word. For those who have trouble with authority, they will struggle with this requirement from the Lord. But we cannot oppose Christ and still call him Savior. We cannot practice what God calls sin and still call him the Deliverer. It’s like playing tug of war with God which is never wise. The Lord always wins and unfortunately our pride causes us to be pulled through the dirt and mud of sin further!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for delivering me from evil and giving me resurrection life. I accept your authority over my life. Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever! In Jesus’ name Amen.