Christ Vindicated.

     Who was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.
                                       Romans 1:4 NASB

     By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
     He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
                                    1 Timothy 3:16 NASB

     The fact of Christ's resurrection gives great hope to those who have placed their trust in Jesus; for if Christ had not been raised from the dead, there would be no hope, we would all be lost, dead in sin (1 Cor 15:14, 17). This is good news. We can find salvation through Christ's offering of Himself on our behalf. He bore our sins, and the resurrection is proof that God has accepted that sacrifice.
     There is another aspect to this as well, and it should cause us to carefully consider our lives in view of the teachings and claims of Jesus. You see, Jesus made claims that were either true, or else He was a liar or insane. For example He stated that "Before Abraham was, I am" , or, "I and the Father are one." By these statements He was declaring Himself to be equal with God (John 8:58, 10:30). Whenever He referred to God as His Father, or to Himself as the Son, He was affirming His deity (John 5:18). Once again, He was either lying, mad, or He was telling the truth.
     Consider the statements He made about being the only way to the Father (John 14:6), of being the source of eternal life (John 6:40, 51, 8:36, 10:10). He has been vindicated by the resurrection. His words are true, there is no other way to God the Father, but through Him.
     When He says we are to enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow road to life, that is what we must do (Matt 7:13-14). He calls men to repent (Matt 4:17). If we are to be saved we must humble ourselves (Matt 18:3-4), how dare we cut out repentance from the message of the gospel. Jesus sets a high standard for discipleship. It will cost you everything. He calls us to lose all for His sake, and we ignore this to the peril of our souls (Matt 10:34-39; Mark 8:35-38; Luke 14:26-33; John 12:24-26). All these words spoken by Christ have been validated! They are the very words of the Son of God, and we must heed them if we would find life.
     He warns us about false professions, telling us that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter heaven. Only those who obey Him will enter (Matt 7:21-23). Our love and commitment to Him is shown by our obedience to His words (John 14:21-24). Everything that Christ has taught us in His word is true. He is the risen Son of God, and His resurrection justifies His words. Everything that Jesus taught concerning sin, the heart, hell, and the judgment is true, and should deeply concern us.
     One day we will all stand before Him to be judged for the deeds we have done in this life.

     Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
                                             Acts 17:31 NASB

     The risen Christ will be our judge, and He will judge in righteousness. He will be perfectly just in His judgment. There will be no injustice, no bribes, no excuses. We have the opportunity now to put our trust in Christ; to turn from our sin, and surrender our lives to Him. Someday it will be too late.