More on the Resurrection and Justification

I am no longer in the shadows of death—I’ve been raised with Christ, and I walk in the light of resurrection life.

Today’s reading takes us deeper into what it really means to have been justified by faith. Bob Hoekstra reminds us that justification is not simply a legal declaration—it is a resurrection. We weren’t just forgiven; we were made alive. In God's eyes, when we placed our trust in Jesus, something supernatural occurred. We were united with Christ—not just in His death, but also in His burial and resurrection. This wasn’t symbolic; it was spiritual reality.

Through identification with Christ, our old life was crucified, buried, and left behind. We were raised with Him into newness of life, alive together with Him, completely forgiven and declared righteous. Water baptism testifies to this miracle, but the miracle itself happened the moment we believed. Before that, we were not only guilty—we were spiritually dead. We had no capacity to relate to God, respond to Him, or live for Him.

But God didn’t leave us in that state. In the working of His mighty power, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, He raised us too. Now we walk—not in our old patterns—but in resurrection life. This is the foundation of our journey with Him: not self-improvement, but resurrection. Not trying to become alive, but learning to walk in the life we’ve already been given.

Journal Entry — In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

You were dead in your trespasses. Not struggling. Not wounded. Not lost but trying. Dead. But I made you alive together with Christ. I brought you through the grave and into resurrection. You were joined to Jesus—buried with Him, raised with Him, made alive in Him. You no longer live in the realm of trying to do better; you live in the realm of having been made new.

You did not climb out of death on your own. I did the raising. The same power that lifted Jesus from the tomb now flows in you. You are no longer separated from Me by guilt or shame. You are forgiven—completely. I see no blemish, no barrier, no distance. In My eyes, your old life ended, and your new life began when you believed.

Now walk in that life. Not as one still entangled in death, but as one alive with Me. Let your steps reflect the truth of what I have already done. You are not waiting to be raised. You have been raised. And as you rest in this truth, I will express the resurrection of Christ through your words, your hands, your thoughts. This is life by faith—faith in what I have already accomplished in you.

Scriptures Woven In: Colossians 2:12-13, Romans 6:4-5, Ephesians 1:19-20, Colossians 3:1-3, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Prayer

Father, thank You that I am not trying to resurrect some broken version of myself. You have already brought me into new life—real life—in Christ. I trust You that I’ve been crucified, buried, and raised with Jesus. My history in Adam is over. I live now as one who has been made alive by Your Spirit. And today, I simply walk forward in the reality of that resurrection, depending on Your indwelling presence to express the life of Christ in me. Thank You for making this my starting point. Thank You for making it true.

Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Image sourced from Unsplash.com