As I write this post, it is almost Easter, Resurrection Sunday, and I am reminded of the traditional Christian greeting at this time of year: One person says, “He is risen,” and the other person responds, “He is risen indeed!”
Indeed.
According to the dictionary, this word is used to add emphasis or to confirm agreement. Indeed. In the Christian Easter greeting, it serves both to confirm agreement and to emphasize this truth: He IS risen! We might say we believe this about Jesus and respond with “He is risen indeed!”, but do we live like it is true, like He is risen INDEED?
As we reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection this year, let’s do some self-evaluation. Consider these questions:
- Do I really believe Jesus died and rose again, and that He did this to free me from sin because He loves me and desires to have a relationship with me?
- Have I responded to His infinite, steadfast love by trusting Him to be my God, my Leader, and my Savior?
- Do I love Him more than anything or anyone else in the world?
- Am I trying to work my way into His good graces, to earn my salvation, to prove that I’m good enough, strong enough, smart enough, or at least that I’m not as bad as the next person?
If you have ever felt the weight of your sin or the pressures of anxiety from the cares of this world, maybe you can relate to the desire to be free, to just enjoy life. Well, it is possible! That’s the good news of the Bible! We can be free…in Christ alone.
Second Corinthians 3:17 tells us, “…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free…” John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Indeed.
If you are in Christ, you are free indeed. How do we walk in that freedom, day by day? What is required of us to do His works? This was exactly the question posed to Jesus in John 6:28, and His answer was: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). This kind of faith is described in 2 Corinthians 3:18. Right after verse 17 which says freedom is where the Spirit of the Lord is, verse 18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Beholding Jesus in all of His glory, with “unveiled” faces will change…our… lives.
Indeed!
How do we behold Him with “unveiled” faces? 2 Corinthians 3:16 says, “When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” Turn to Jesus. See Him for who He is: God. Trust what He tells you in His Word: He loves you. He died for you. He has a plan for your life that includes freedom, joy, peace, and abounding love, grace, and mercy. He also has prepared good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), and when we trust Him and fall in love with Him, doing those works will become an expression of our love and devotion, not chores to be dreaded. He gives our lives meaning…we matter in His Kingdom!
The transformation produced by the Spirit as we behold Jesus for who He is will be noticeable: Others will see us becoming more like Him, in character (changing inside) and in behavior (changing outside). We don’t have to work at becoming like Christ: Our work is to believe in Him and to behold His glory. The result will be a covenant love relationship out of which flow the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23) and abundant fruit that brings glory to God (John 15:8).
The truth is: Jesus is risen INDEED!
The question is: Has He set you free yet? If so, you are free INDEED!