The resurrection of Jesus offers mankind both God and immortality. It is almost too wonderful, too incredible to believe. But the facts are there. God has revealed Himself in our history. The evidence is there for all to see. But there is one last most important question. How can I appropriate the immortal life God offers?

Firstly, God loves you, He created you, and desires a personal relationship with you. If you read His word, He will speak to you through it via the Holy Spirit. If you ask Him, He will guide your footsteps. Unfortunately, humanities own evil has broken the personal relationship between God and man. This has resulted in 3 consequences. The first of which is that all people stand morally guilty before God (our thoughts, deeds, actions and motives) and God must punish our failings. He cannot excuse them! As a consequence, on our own, we are without hope. The relationship has been broken – all have sinned (Romans 3:23). People often sense they are lost and without hope and try and get back to God by their own efforts. They invent religions and develop philosophies, meditate, take drugs,(transcendental medication) or choose any of a number of avenues to reach God, but it is all vain. The essence of the new age movement and all eastern religions is that you can somehow save yourself. Even false forms of Christianity are based on the doctrine of salvation by works. This can sometimes take subtle forms; like looking to yourself for some experience as evidence of your right standing with God.

Most importantly, through Jesus, humanity’s personal relationship with God has been restored. Jesus did what no man has yet done. He lived a sinless life, which means He was not morally guilty before God and therefore not obligated to be punished for sin. Because of that, only Jesus can offer Himself voluntarily to be punished for someone else’s sin – He did that on the cross for you! It was there at Golgotha, where He took upon Himself (the sinless Son of God), the punishment for the sins of all humanity. He took our punishment for sin at the cross. This satisfied and fulfilled God’s justice against iniquity and demonstrated His love for a lost world – a planet in rebellion against its creator.

It is at Calvary that we see His love magnificently demonstrated where he declares that we shall not be punished as we deserve, but rather we shall be gifted eternal life in Jesus. Jesus Himself, has paid the penalty that needed to be exacted because of our iniquity. That is why Paul could exclaim “the proof of God’s amazing love is that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) But that is not the whole story. Though He died, He did not stay dead. He was resurrected; thus, potentially, robbing the grave of you and I as well. The resurrection broke the power of sin, death and the grave over man, and was the victorious climax of Jesus life and ministry.

But here is the clincher; God does not force His pardon on anyone. God offers it to us as a gift, but it is up to us to reject or accept it. There-in lies the basis of our eternal salvation and thereby we become the master of our own eternal destiny. 1 John 5:11-12(NLT) declares, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” This is why Jesus could say that He was the resurrection and the life to all who believe in Him!

How then may we have the Son? By receiving Him. Where? Into our lives. “To all who receive comes the power to become the children of God.” (John 1:12-13) Adopted, says Paul – no longer cosmic orphans. This is the new birth experience. God saves us by His grace through faith on the basis of what Jesus has achieved at the cross and from the tomb. He paid our penalty on the cross and broke the bonds of death at the tomb.
There is life in the Son if the Son is in the life, but there is death in the life if you don’t accept His life and resurrection as yours.