For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Thoughts for Today:In our passage today, is a very subtle truth: Since death came by a man, the resurrection had to come by a man. There was no other way for humanity to be redeemed except by another of our kind. Why? Because it was a man who abused and misused his God-given authority and caused the human race to be in this mess in the first place. Therefore, it had to be a man to redeem the situation. Jesus had to come in the flesh so He would have authority. (John 5:27: "And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.")
However, we need more than just a payment for our past sins -- we also need deliverance from the present and future power of sin. Without it, in a very short time, we would have voided any forgiveness we received. The resurrected Jesus provides us with that power because it went far beyond the simple forgiveness of sins. As believers, through His Resurrection, we now have new spirits and new life that cannot be corrupted when we sin. (Romans 6:4-7: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.")
Questions to Ponder:Are you living the new life promised by the Lord? Have you left your old ways and the old self behind? We no longer have to be slaves to sin. Are you living as someone who has been set free from sin?