Names of Jesus: Risen Lord

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and of all mankind. Throughout scripture we get to learn more about Him, what He has done, what He will do, and how it applies personally to each and every one of us. The Bible teaches us of countless promises as well as events that have already been. The main theme of the entire Bible rests on the truth that Jesus is the Risen Lord. The entire message of the gospel, the events of the New Testament, and even the foreshadowings, prophecies, and promises from the Old Testament all rest on the pivotal truth that Jesus Christ is in fact the Risen Lord. What does it mean that Jesus is the Risen Lord and why is it so important? That is what we will be diving into today.

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Jesus Christ literally rose from the dead

The book of 1 Corinthians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Corinth was an important trade and commerce hub located in ancient Greece, and had a diverse population well known for idolatry and sexual immorality. Paul had heard about some members of the Corinth church behaving in ways that are not in accordance with godly living, and wrote this letter to remind them of the importance of godly living and the reason for it.

• Read more: Main Themes of the Book of 1 Corinthians
• Read more: Main Themes of 2 Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is teaching and reminding the Corinthians, and all believers, of what it means that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He explains that if Christ did not really rise from the dead, everything that has been done in the name of Jesus is for nothing, faith is meaningless, and godly living is empty. He goes on to explain that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead and was seen alive by hundreds of people after being seen dead and buried. Paul himself also had an encounter with Jesus which transformed him from being a dangerous persecutor of Christians to writing the majority of the New Testament with fierce conviction and faith in the gospel of Jesus.

Because Christ really did rise from the dead, we are all called to believe in the Risen Lord and live our lives by His example and teachings in faith. Our faith in His death and resurrection should have a personal impact on us and our lives. His message to the Corinthians is just as relevant and applicable to us today as it was to the worldly Corinthians back then.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by ^[a]Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have ^[b]fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹ Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

1 Corinthians 15 NKJV

Jesus came to earth and lived a sinless human life, glorified God through his ministry on earth, and then went to the cross to die in the place of all mankind. He was crucified and three days later, after being buried in a tomb, rose from the dead and spent 40 days on earth after His resurrection. After 40 days, He ascended back up to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father to prepare a place for and intercede with God on behalf of all who would believe in Him as the Risen Lord. Luke 24:1-53 tells us more about the events around Jesus’s resurrection and how His disciples saw Him alive again and provides witness to the fact Jesus did in fact rise from the dead by the power of God.

• Read more: Names of Jesus: Holy Servant
• Read more: Warning Signs: Don’t Sin Willingly
• Read more: Warning Signs: Don’t Neglect Your Salvation

¹⁴ But you rejected^[a] the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed^[b] the Originator^[c] of life, whom God raised^[d] from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses!^[e]

Acts 3:14-15 NET

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Why is the resurrection important?

It can be difficult to fathom the reality of Jesus being literally dead and then later being literally alive again, but the reality is there. This is a true story. It really did happen, and the resurrection is important because it is why we have the promise of eternal life and how we, being sinners unworthy of the grace and mercy of God, can receive forgiveness for our sins, receive salvation, be freed from the penalty of our sins, and enter into a personal relationship with our Creator.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26 ESV

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Jesus not only died and then came to life again, but He did this to pay the price for our sins that we could never pay on our own. We could never be enough on our own, and knowing this He became our spotless sacrifice, dying the death we deserve for our sins. When we have faith in the Risen Lord, we have Jesus interceding for us with God. He is at the right hand of God and for those who believe in Him He essentially tells God “I paid the price for this one, their sins are forgiven” and we then get to have personal access to God. We are saved, redeemed, restored, and then transformed by God because of the works of Jesus Christ.

³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.^[a]

Romans 8:34 ESV

²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NKJV

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 ESV

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

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Belief in the resurrection should change you

Those who believe in Jesus as the literal Risen Lord will one day also be resurrected from the dead and given new, perfect, spiritual bodies. Paul explains in detail that those who believe in the Risen Lord will share in the resurrection as well one day. He explains that God has created many different kinds of bodies on this earth, and one day will create for us new spiritual bodies suitable for spending eternity with Him. The way to inherit this new spiritual body is by faith in the Son of God as the Risen Lord. Faith in Jesus should transform us in this life in order to inherit this promise of a new body later.

³⁵ But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind ^[a]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also ^[b]celestial bodies and ^[c]terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, made^[d] of dust; the second Man is ^[e]the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[f]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we^[g] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

1 Corinthians 15:35-49 NKJV

There is a promise ahead for those who believe, and there is also a promise while we are still in this life awaiting the promise to come. Those who have faith in Jesus as the Risen Lord receive salvation and with it the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Our names are written in the Book of Life, and we are given spiritual life in this life by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who guides us, transforms us, and works to prepare us for the ultimate day of salvation at the final resurrection.

¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus^[a] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11 ESV

As the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are called to live lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ in which we believe and put our faith. We are instructed to be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh, that is to be led by God and not by our sinful human nature so that we can grow in holiness, learn to glorify God with our lives, and prepare for the days ahead of us.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 ESV

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How should faith in the resurrection change us?

By learning and growing in our faith, God works in us by His Spirit to produce the fruits of our faith in Him. As we grow in faith and understanding of the things of God, we grow in the likeness of His character and nature. We display His character more, and less of our sinful human character. We not only grow in godliness, but we are living testimonies for the world around us. As we bear fruits of God’s Spirit, we plant seeds for the gospel in the lives of the people around us because we are setting an example of Christ and drawing them to the Risen Lord.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24 NKJV

¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:17-20 ESV

We are called not to be idle while we wait for our inheritance, but to be like the good stewards who took what the Master had entrusted them with and multiplied it for their Master. While Christ is in Heaven preparing a place for those who believe in Him, we should be working for Him and preparing for His return, so that when He does return we have been glorifying Him with our lives and doing our part to help grow the Kingdom of God.

²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Matthew 25:20-21 NKJV

²³ Whatever you are doing,^[a] work at it with enthusiasm,^[b] as to the Lord and not for people,^[c]24 because you know that you will receive your^[d] inheritance^[e] from the Lord as the reward. Serve^[f] the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24 NET

It is important to recognize that He doesn’t need our help, but He chooses to include us in this important work. We should be so changed and grateful for our own salvation that we cannot help but share it with others and desire for others to come to the Lord to be saved as well. As the Lord sanctifies us, making us holy, transforming us to make us more like Himself, we should do all we do for His glory, serving Him in all things. We should be using the tools resources, skills, finances, time, and all that He gives to us to serve and glorify Him, and care for His Kingdom. When the day comes that we get to be with Him in Heaven we will get the joy of learning the impact we were blessed by God with the opportunities to make in this life.

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify^[a] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV

¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

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The promise for those who believe in the Risen Lord

Scripture is very clear that those who believe and have faith in the Risen Lord become part of God’s family. When we have faith, we are saved from the penalty of our sins and adopted as children of God who get to share in the inheritance of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. With this, God is teaching and correcting us and His children, giving us work to do for the Kingdom we are to inherit and bring God glory throughout our lives.

⁶ For I am sure of this very thing,^[a] that the one^[b] who began a good work in^[c] you will perfect it^[d] until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 NET

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 NKJV

⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:40 NKJV

One day, the Lord will return. We do not know the day or hour of His return, but we are instructed throughout scripture about how to prepare for His impending return. We do not want to be caught unaware, wishing we had taken this time to do the work we kept putting off for another time. He calls on us to be Kingdom-minded, not focused on the world. We should live in the world without being of the world – we should make the best of the time we are here in this life on this earth for the Kingdom of God, not our own earthly lives and desires. One day the Risen Lord will descend upon the earth once more and He will call on His faithful servants to join Him.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel,^[a] and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 NET

² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:2 ESV

How do you prepare for the return of our Risen Lord? I encourage you to be diligent in scripture, learn what He has to teach you through His Word, grow in your prayer life and develop a strong prayer relationship with the Lord. Surround yourself with godly people, seek godly counsel, and participate in the great commission to share the gospel with the whole earth. Let God lead you in the work He has prepared for you specifically to do for the Kingdom, and trust Him to provide for you in and through it all. If He calls you to it, He will provide for you through it. Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, is faithful and never leaves those who are known by Him.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go ^[a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ^[b]Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

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