Christian Living

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Do You Seek Resurrection Life?

Resurrection life is the centerpiece of any real walk with God. What is resurrection life? Is it something you attain to only after you die or can we walk in it now? Is there resurrection life on this side of the veil of death? Can we attain to it? The answer is an overwhelming YES we can have this life in the here and now.


Without Christ’s life we do not have life within ourselves. John said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). Jesus said: “I came that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). The life we live in the flesh is not life. We are dependent on everything around us to live. We must breathe, we must eat and drink or we die. Christ had life IN Him. He was only dependent on the Father to live and the Father has life within Him.


As Christians do we seek this new life or are we content with the fleshly life we have? Paul said: “…that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:10-14). Was Paul seeking for this new life so he could have it after he died? What would be the purpose of seeking it now if you get it automatically when you die? Paul expected to receive resurrection life in the here and now on this earth in his time. Forgetting everything else he sought for the power of the resurrection of Christ.


Paul presented a detailed look at resurrection life in the Book of First Corinthians. “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” Many today deny the resurrection of Christ and deny that those that are His also experience resurrection life. “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain”…For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still living in your sins” (1 Co 15:12-17). If you do not have Christ neither do you have life and do not belong to Him (Rom 8:9).


The truth is that Christ was raised from the dead, tasting death for all of us who follow. Upon being raised He spread resurrection life to all the earth to be appropriated by all who believe. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep [dead, resting]. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Co 15:20-23). Adam’s sin condemned all men to death. Christ, the acceptable sacrifice, made men alive. Until Christ, all men were dead spiritually even though they were walking around. Christ made life, resurrection life, available to all.


“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit” (1Co 15:42-45). We who live in the fleshy natural body have the promise of a resurrection body and not necessarily when we die.


“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly”.



“Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1Co 15:46-53). Note that not all will sleep (die) but all will be changed; both those who died and those who remain on earth. Paul distinguishes carefully between the dead and those who remain in the framing of this scripture. There are the dead who will come back with Christ at His coming and there are those who are living at the time of Christ’s coming. All will be joyfully united on that day of fulfillment.


This then is the basis for resurrection life. Are believers contending for this to happen in their lifetimes? Are we stuck in our fleshy natures, doing our best to be “good”, waiting to die and go to heaven? This resurrection life is available today just like it was available in Jesus’ today.


Matthew 27 says this: “And Jesus [on the cross] cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Mt 27:50-53). This is the power of the resurrection. The dead were raised and walked around Jerusalem. Just like them we don’t have to await some future event to walk in resurrection life. When Christ was resurrected He released the life abroad. It is still here today for anyone to pursue. It is our unbelief that keeps us from appropriating it. We have a natural tendency to put the promises of God off in the future somewhere.


In Mark 9 is a perfect example of how we deal with our unbelief. In 9:1 Jesus confirms what we have been saying. “AND He was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power”. Jesus went on to be transfigured as recorded in that Chapter (vs. 2-8). “And when they came back to the disciples, there was a man who said: “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” Jesus often rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. The flesh, without the Lord, has no real faith in it. Only the faith of the Lord (which we can have) has the ability to perform miracles and great works



“And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling about and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. “And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Jesus then healed the boy. (Mark 9:14-27). The father’s response here was the correct one. In order to get this resurrection life we must have faith. But since we all have unbelief in our flesh we must ask the Lord to help our unbelief.


As we've said if we are living in the flesh without Christ we are no better than living dead. Romans confirms this. “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:6-9). Humans exalt the mind and the intellect but here we find the mind is hostile to God. The mind is Satan’s playground. Resurrection life acknowledges only the Spirit of God which is in us.


Receiving resurrection life should come through the baptism experience. We should emerge as totally changed persons; not just “by faith” but we should have real palatable change. Romans 6:3-11 discusses the baptism experience as it should be. “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? As we are immersed in water or the Holy Spirit we participate in Christ’s death. Jesus died to the entire flesh nature being cleansed by the water of the word and the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:16-17).


“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”. As we immerge, having participated in Christ’s death, we come into newness of life or resurrection life. “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin”. When Christ was baptized He emerged from the water into resurrection life, the Father having raised Him from death. So it shall be with us believers. Our body of sin will be completely done away with. As Christ was crucified we are crucified with Him to the flesh nature. With the body of sin crucified we are no longer slaves to the demands of sin because having died to sin we are no longer subject to it.


“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him”. Resurrection life defeats death of any type (spiritual or natural). If we have died with Christ we shall also live with him in heaven or on earth. “For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” Whereas we once lived for sin we now live to God. This is resurrection life. As He was resurrected so too we if we believe.


Are you believing for resurrection life? It is the ultimate Christian experience. We literally become like Christ and live pursuant to His resurrection. John said: “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev 20:6). This resurrection life is available to all believers NOW. It does not take place at some time in the future. If we take the Word of God literally we can experience the death of the sin nature and the corresponding life of resurrection.

©Kenneth B. Alexander
Scriptures: New American Standard Bible, 78/86 ed. unless otherwise noted.

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