Do You Believe This? - The Crosswalk Devotional - May 17
Do You Believe This?
By Emma Danzey
John 11:25-26 says, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
There is only one person who ever resurrected Himself from the dead. This means, there was no medical intervention or intervention from others. Jesus, Himself, brought His dead body back to life. It is an important thought to remember that had there just been a cross, we would not be celebrating. It is because of the resurrection, the empty tomb of Jesus that we have victory and life today.
Webster’s Dictionary defines resurrection as “the rising of Christ from the dead or the state of one risen from the dead.” When Jesus declared Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, He was telling HIs disciples, and the world that He was God and He was the Messiah that they were waiting on. It is because of His death and resurrection that we can all have eternal life. Although we are sinners, He bore our sins on the cross. Every thought, action, and sinful feeling, He took on for us and placed Himself under the punishment and judgment of God. He became sin for us, so we could have the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Whoever Believe in Me, Though He Die, Yet Shall He Live
Jesus makes a promise that whoever chooses to believe in Him will have eternal life. Yes, the reality of death still very much exists. There is a 100% death rate in the world because of sin. However, Jesus brings the message of hope that even though we each must face physical death, we can be spiritually made alive in Christ forever. We will never be separated from God again and His sacrifice covers us completely to enter into the holy presence of the Lord.
Everyone Who Lives and Believes in Me Shall Never Die
Jesus tells us that everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die. He is referring to eternal life. Although we face physical death, we will never face eternal separation from God when we accept Jesus. I was once encouraged to think of sin like the distance between the Grand Canyon from one side to the other. If God was on the other side, thousands of miles away, the gap would be too far to jump to in my own efforts. If I ran and jumped next to the best Olympic athlete, even though he would get closer to God, he still would fall short. In life, we cannot base our salvation on what we bring to the table. We cannot earn our way to heaven. A relationship with Jesus comes from accepting Him and the beautiful part is that He is calling everyone. He wishes that all the world would come to repentance.
Do You Believe This?
This is the personal section of this message from Christ. He can tell us all day through the Bible that He is the Way to having forgiveness and a relationship with God, but we each have to come to a point of making a choice. He asks, “Do you believe this?” Our faith cannot be piggybacking upon what our parents believed, it is not based on what country and culture we are from, it is the simple question of do I believe that Jesus, the Son of God died for my personal sins so that I could have a relationship with God? If the answer is yes, Scripture says if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. This means saved from hell, saved from separation from the Lord, saved from the identity crisis, saved from fear of life after death. Not only do you have eternal security and hope, you get to have a wonderful relationship with God through the Holy Spirit now. You will have the gift of God’s presence with you now and always. This is why we celebrate Easter. This is the joy of having life with Christ.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Have you made a personal decision to accept Jesus as your Savior? If so, thank Him for how He rescued you. If not, what’s stopping you from placing your faith in Him today? He is extending His great love and forgiveness for you.
Further Reading:
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/mbolina
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Related Resource: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Your Emotions
