Big Ideas1. God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of the world.
2. Jesus has conquered death, now gives new life, and will return to judge.
2WTL Narrative
God accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full for our sins, and raised him from the dead. The risen Jesus is now what humanity was always meant to be: God’s ruler of the world.
As God’s ruler, Jesus has also been appointed God’s judge of the world. The Bible promises that one day, he will return to call all of us to account for our actions.
In the meantime, Jesus offers us new life, both now and eternally. Now, our sins can be forgiven through Jesus’ death, and we can make a fresh start with God, no longer as rebels but as friends. In this new life, God himself comes to live within us by his Spirit. We can experience the joy of a new relationship with God.
What’s more, when we are pardoned through Jesus’ death, we can be quite sure that when Jesus does return to judge, we will be acceptable to him. The risen Jesus will give us eternal life, not because we have earned it, but because he has died in our place.
Well, where does all of that leave us? It leaves us with a choice of only two ways to live.
Biblical Reference
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. -1Peter 1:3.
Theological Truth
The main theological truth established here is the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection proves that Jesus paid the penalty for sin and defeated death. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, we would have no idea if his death was successful in bearing the punishment that we deserved. The resurrection also establishes Jesus as judge. He will return one day to judge the living and the dead.
Transition
Well, where does that leave us?
