He Is Risen! I’m Risen Too!

We all love to exchange the traditional Easter greeting:                              

“He is risen.”

“He’s risen indeed!”

The Bible suggests that Christians add another greeting:

“He is risen.”

“I’m risen, too!”

Resurrected with Christ

The Apostle Paul says it plainly. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above” (Colossians 3:1).

In Ephesians, Paul goes even further in applying Christ’s resurrection to the Christian. He prays that we might know, “His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20).

The same power that resurrected Christ resides in every Christian.

Tapping into Our RPMs

Of course, any honest Christians has to ask, “If I’m raised with Christ, if I have the same power implanted in me that raised Christ, then why don’t I live like I’m dead to sin?”

The answer is simple, yet profound. Instead of living victoriously in Christ, we live defeated lives because we try to live in our own power.

Paul tried the same futile approach before he became a Christian—placing his confidence in his own strength (Philippians 3:1-6). That’s why as a believer his focus was laser-like. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).

Paul understood what we must understand—we have to tap into Christ’s resurrection power. We have to avail ourselves of and apply the empowerment that’s already in us.

We don’t do that alone. In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we, “may have power together with all the saints” to know Christ’s love, to be filled with God’s fullness, and to experience the immeasurable power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:17-21).

We need “RPMs.” No, not Revolutions Per Minute. But Resurrection Power Multipliers. (Which explains why I call my ministry “RPM Ministries.”) As we commune with Christ and connect with Christians we tap into Christ’s resurrection power. As we cling to Christ the Vine, His power flows into our lives so that we can produce fruit to His glory.

Applying Our Identity in Christ

One of the most powerful ways we can “tap into Christ’s resurrection power” is through knowing, memorizing, meditating upon, and applying the truth of our new identity in Christ. We are co-crucified with Christ and we are co-resurrected with Christ. We are more than conquerors in Christ. We are saints with a new nature and sons and daughters with new power.

To help Christians to apply these truths, I’ve created a five-page resource Who I Am In Christ  (excerpted from Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction). It paraphrases over 150 verses about your new identity in Christ. Applying these truths to your life will help you to personalize the reality that, “He is risen. So am I!”

Join the Conversation

Which of the verses concerning your identity in Christ will you apply in order to tap into Christ’s resurrection power?

Tags: Easter, Good Friday, Resurrection, Soul Physicians

He Is Risen!

“He is risen!”

“He’s risen, indeed!”

The Fountain of Life Opened Up

Just what happened at Easter? What difference does Easter make?

Easter changes everything. Easter makes all the difference in the world.        

John Flavel’s (1671) Easter sermon, The Fountain of Life Opened Up, teaches us what happened to Christ and what happened to us because of Good Friday and Easter. May his words pierce our hearts and prompt praise for the glorious Easter exchange.

The Glorious Easter Exchange

Lord, the condemnation was yours, that the justification might be mine.

The agony was yours, that the victory might be mine.

The pain was yours, and the ease mine.

The stripes were yours, and the healing balm issuing from them mine.

The vinegar and gall were yours, that the honey and sweet might be mine.

The curse was yours, that the blessing might be mine.

The crown of thorns was yours, that the crown of glory might be mine.

The death was yours, the life purchased by it mine.

You paid the price that I might enjoy the inheritance.

Join the Conversation

Which aspect of the glorious Easter exchange are you most rejoicing in right now?

Tags: Easter, Good Friday, Holy Week, Passion Week, Resurrection

Reivew of Adrian Warnock’s Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything

Book Details

• Author: Adrian Warnock

• Publisher: Crossway Books (2010)

• Category: Christian Living, Theology, Christ

Reviewed By: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, Author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships, and God’s Healing for Life’s Losses. Find all of Bob’s book reviews, blogs, and free resources at www.rpmministries.org.

Recommended: Adrian Warnock’s Raised with Christ presents theological truth in a first-rate communication style. His compelling message is straightforward and profoundly life-changing. Jesus is alive. His resurrection changes everything for everyone.

Review: Resurrection Power

The Christian community knows Adrian Warnock as an avid Evangelical Christian blogger. With the release of Raised with Christ, Warnock will also be known as an accomplished theologian who understands how to relate truth to life. What Warnock shares in his Conclusion, aptly summarizes the power and point of his entire book.

“Christians have the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead living inside them. One day that power will complete the work of saving us, but in the meantime the normal Christian life can be one in which we are very aware of the change that the resurrection brings. We are citizens of the age to come, living in a world that is dead to God. But we are not dead to him. We live to him. May God help us live in the light of that fact more each day. One day we will all see that, thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus, everything really has been changed. The whole creation will have been renewed, and we will be like him.”

In Christ

Warnock’s consistent message proclaims that because Christians are in Christ, Christ’s resurrection implies our resurrection. Raised with Christ unpacks the massive implications of this spiritual reality. His commensurate premise states that while the early Church and believers throughout Church history emphasized Christ’s death and resurrection, Christians today tend to highlight Christ’s death for our sin, while minimizing the importance of, or being ignorant about, the implications of Christ’s resurrection.

Of course, unless the tomb truly was empty, our claims of resurrection power today are equally empty. Thus, Warnock begins by exploring the biblical evidence for Christ’s resurrection. After this opening section, Raised with Christ addresses “two essential questions that will occupy us throughout the rest of the book: Can we believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ? And, what does it mean to live in light of the implications of that event?”

In laymen’s terms, Warnock addresses every common and uncommon argument against the resurrection of Christ. He concludes this impressive section with N. T. Wright’s conviction that, “The only possible reason why early Christianity began and took the shape that it did is that the tomb really was empty and that people really did meet Jesus, alive again.”

Sadly, those prone to disbelief will likely be left unconvinced by these two foundational chapters, no matter how well-written and researched. Nonetheless, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, Warnock builds the rest of Raised with Christ on this platform of biblical truth, reliable historical evidence, and logical rational suppositions.

Resurrection Accepted and Applied or Neglected and Ignored

Perhaps equally sad is the realization that motivated Warnock’s writing of this book. Even among those who accept the reality of Christ’s resurrection, our daily lives all-too-infrequently evidence a depth acceptance and application of that earth-shaking, heaven-invading actuality.

Warnock encapsulates his message beautifully and powerfully when he states:

“I am not concerned that there is too much emphasis on the cross. I am, however, anxious that as we “survey the wondrous cross” we also study the resur¬rection. We must remember that the cross is just as empty as the tomb, and Christ is now glorified, having completed his work. The truth is, we cannot be truly cross-centered without also being empty-grave-centered! Jesus was not just our prophet and priest—he is our reigning King.”

If you forget everything else, remember this about Raised with Christ. We must be empty-grave-centered!

After a brief summation of why we tend to neglect the resurrection, Warnock returns his readers to the first-century Church to expose their resurrection-centric theology and lives. Additionally, he traces the theme of resurrection throughout the Old Testament. Clearly, the Bible is resurrection-centric.

What Did the Resurrection Ever Do for Us?

To motivate believers today to become resurrection-centric, the rest of Raised with Christ emphasizes the with Christ aspect of the resurrection. Bravely, Warnock introduces this essential topic with an illustration from Monty Python’s Flying Circus (you’ll just have to buy and read Raised with Christ). He derives from this the principle that we can assume things without ever realizing their full impact on our lives.

So, for the next 150 pages, Warnock delineates the impact of Christ’s resurrection on our lives by answering the fundamental question, “What did the resurrection every do for us?” His answers comprehensively apply resurrection truth to our complete salvation. Unlike some Evangelicals who seemingly stop at justification (as vital as this spiritual truth is), Warnock addresses justification, reconciliation, regeneration, and redemption. What has the resurrection ever done for us? It has given us new pardon, peace, personhood, and power.

It is impossible in a review to capture all the theological truth packed in these 150 pages. Plus, it is important to realize that with each theological truth, Warnock offers not only personal application, but realistic biblical principles for practically applying the resurrection to our daily lives, relationships, and ministries.

One “motif” or running theme Warnock conveys throughout Raised with Christ is “revival.” Christ’s resurrection results in a revived new creation and it ought to result in revived prayer, revived relationships to one another and to Christ, revived application of the Word, revived unity in the Body of Christ, revived assurance of eternal salvation, revived filling of the Spirit, revived fulfillment of our mission, and much more.

The Resurrection of All Things

The Bible tell us that, “He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything” (Acts 3:21). Christ’s resurrection not only has individual and corporate implications; it has universal repercussions. Powerfully, Warnock tells the tale of those everlasting ramifications. Then, as he consistently does, he addresses the “So what?” question. How do we live today in light of our eternal resurrection living? In his own words:

“God himself is living inside us! We experience the power and pres¬ence of a Jesus who is living, active, and doing things today. In every cir¬cumstance of our life the resurrection can make the difference, bringing hope when things are hard and joyful deliverances when the power of the age to come breaks through. The kingdom really is now and not yet!”

Adrian Warnock’s Raised with Christ presents theological truth in a first-rate communication style. His compelling message is straightforward and profoundly life-changing. Jesus is alive. His resurrection changes everything for everyone.

Raised with Christ

Tags: Book Review, Books, Resurrection, Review, Warnock

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

Romans 3:21-26; 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22, 23, 24; 5:17, 19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:9—I have been credited with Christ’s righteousness.

Romans 5:17—I am a recipient of God’s abundant provision of grace.

Romans 5:18—I have new life in Christ.

Romans 6:2—I am dead to sin.

Romans 6:3—I am baptized into Christ’s death.

Romans 6:4—I am buried with Christ in His death to and over sin.

Romans 6:4—I have been raised to new life in Christ.

Romans 6:5—I am united with Christ in His resurrection.

Romans 6:6—My old self is crucified with Christ.

Romans 6:6—My body of sin has been done away with.

Romans 6:6—I am no longer sin’s slave.

Romans 6:7—I have been freed from sin in Christ.

Romans 6:8—I died with Christ to sin.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6