Easter Devotional 20th of April 2025
by Bruce Billington
Easter Devotional 6: Easter Sunday
Romans 6:9 – “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;death no longer is master over Him.”
Death was overcome; death could not contain Christ. Therefore, we no longer have to fear death, as Christ has triumphed over it.
Paul asks, “Oh, death, where is your sting?” It’s gone. We may face physical death, but it holds no power over us; we transition directly into the presence of God for eternity. This affirms that Jesus is the Son of God and, in Christ, we become sons and daughters of Him as well.
Romans 6:5 – “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,”
While we must always embrace the cross, we are also called to rise above it and live a life grounded in the resurrection. The resurrection stands before us as our hope for both today and the future. Although the cross establishes a relationship with God, it lacks the power to change the world. Only the resurrection holds that power, and its primary expression is through the body of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Through His death and resurrection, Christ has ushered in a time when all things are made right or freed—this includes people, regardless of their entanglements. We live in an era characterised by the Holy Spirit’s presence, which indicates that a liberating war initiated by Him has begun. This war is where Christ confronts the fallen world through the power of the resurrection—exerting most of His strength through His people or bride – that is us!
Romans 8:11 – “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Note that this refers to our “mortal bodies,” indicating life today rather than in the next age. We are able to experience the life of the resurrection in the here and now. A fullness is yet to come, but we can access it in the present.
Resurrection power is available to us, and new life can emerge. We can face hurdles again with renewed hope—not in ourselves, but in Christ. The Spirit of God can resurrect us from the death that arises from failure and breathe new life into us—life that will grant us freedom and empower us to overcome obstacles and temptations.
The resurrection can never be just historical because God isn’t historical. He is forever in the present, and so is the resurrection. It is a creative act from God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
We can say, “I know God is calling me to do this. I failed last time, so I will seek a completely new approach. Lord, bring new life.” God is the life-giving energy who enriches the poor, uplifts the downtrodden, and raises the dead. Jurgen Moltmann refers to the resurrection as the first act in the new creation of the world.
In the resurrection, there exists a power that goes far beyond merely solving problems. As powerful as that is, the resurrection unlocks within us something even greater – the ability to create. We don’t have to focus solely on fixing things. In fact, there are times when it’s better not to repair something that’s broken; instead, we can create something new.
For thousands of years, God has been working on a plan not to repair what was broken — His original covenant with Adam — but to guide us toward something entirely new—a completely new covenant where a brand-new people, empowered by His creative force, can be unleashed onto planet Earth.
Romans 6:3-5 tells us that we have been brought into Christ’s death so that we may experience resurrected life – new life – the same life that Christ possesses – a life that cannot be extinguished – a life that not only brings us joy – but also offers hope to the world.
We praise God that 2,000 years ago, Jesus died and rose again. However, greater still is the fact that the new life, the resurrection, remains an ongoing process even 2,000 years later. We must ensure that we are walking in it.
Hebrews 2:10 – “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”
Hebrews 2:11 – “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from oneFather; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”
May God bless you.
Bruce Billington