We all have significant moments in our lives: graduation, marriage, a promotion, or the birth of a child. These events can have a significant impact on the direction of your life. But according to the Bible, there is one moment that has the potential to change everything, and in a far more profound way: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How can something that happened 2,000 years ago make such a difference in your life?
Jesus Can Make You a New Person
It’s very easy to go through life and feel like you’re just missing something. As you get caught up in the daily grind of life, you can often feel unfulfilled, like you lack a real purpose or that life just isn’t working out the way you hoped. This was never what God intended for us, but it is so common because of something the Bible says every human has in common: sin. Sin is when we choose our way over God’s, and it messes up everything in life. You will never experience the life God envisions for you if keep doing it your way. The good news is that the resurrection of Jesus has the power to defeat sin in our lives and make us into brand new people.
2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
This means that you don’t have to remain stuck in those same old patterns that lead to dissatisfaction and frustration in this life. You can be fundamentally new because of the power of the resurrection.
Jesus Can Provide You a New Family
Whether you have a good relationship with your family on earth or not, many people go through life feeling lonely, isolated and wondering if anyone truly loves them for who they really are. Yet the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus demonstrate how much God truly loves you because he did it all so that you could be adopted into his family. He didn’t have to do this, he chose to, and wants you to be in his family. God could choose anyone in the world and he wants to choose you.
Galatians 4:5-6 God sent his Son…to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’
One of the beautiful results of the resurrection is that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, you can have a relationship with God where you are fully known and fully accepted as one of his children.
Jesus Can Give You Assurance of Eternal Life
The truth is that the death rate for humans is right about 100%. That means we’re all going to die someday and, if you believe the Bible, we’re all going to end up in either Heaven or Hell. This can be pretty scary for many people because they are hopeful about their eternal life, but not completely confident. Thankfully, the resurrection is powerful enough to give us total assurance about our eternity.
1 John 5:13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
God says that he wants you to know that you have eternal life and that everyone who trusts in Jesus can have this assurance. Even if you have messed up you can be sure you will make it to heaven. This is because the Bible teaches that your eternal destiny is not determined by what you do, but by your trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
None of This Matters Unless You Have Your Defining Moment
All of these great things were all made possible by the resurrection of Jesus, but none of it applies to you until you have your defining moment. This is when you, having recognized your sin and need for forgiveness, put your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. When you do that, the most important moment in history becomes the most important moment in your life.
