Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which He was taken up from us, one of these should become a witness of His resurrection with us. Rom 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Since the basis of salvation is the death of Christ, why does the Bible tell us to believe not only in His death but also in His resurrection? The apostles were witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. The book of Acts is full of testimonies of the Lord Jesus' resurrection. Death is merely a process; whereas, resurrection is the fulfillment. Therefore, whenever the Bible mentions the Lord's death, His resurrection is also mentioned. The Lord frequently told the disciples that He was going to be killed. But He did not stop there; He always went on to say that He was going to be raised on the third day. Resurrection is the conclusion of death. Only in resurrection can the work of death be accomplished. The Lord Jesus died for our sins on the cross. How do we know that God accepted what He accomplished? We know because He was resurrected from the dead. This can be likened to a criminal who is sentenced to a certain term of imprisonment. How do we know that his term is fulfilled? We know because he is released from jail. Resurrection concludes death. Without death, there is no resurrection. With resurrection, death passes away. God has "furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). We cannot be saved by only believing in the Lord Jesus' death. We must also believe that the Lord Jesus has risen from the dead before we can be saved.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee. Concerning Believing in Resurrection. The Collected Works...vol. 29, pp. 71. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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