The Resurrection Related to Justification and Sanctification
The life of Christ in us is not merely a future hope—it is a present reality, a resurrection life we walk in today.
A Reflection on Day by Day by Grace – March 19th
When Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus, He wasn’t merely offering hope for a future resurrection. He was declaring Himself as the very source of resurrection life. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26) Martha saw resurrection as something distant, an event at the end of the age. But Jesus corrected her thinking—resurrection was not just a future hope; it was a present reality in Him.
This truth speaks directly to our justification and sanctification. Just as Jesus is our justification, bringing life where there was only spiritual death, so too is He our sanctification—the very life we now live. The grace that saved us is the grace that keeps us. The same resurrection life that brought us from death to life in Christ is the life that enables us to walk in righteousness. This is why the Christian life is not about self-improvement but about yielding to the One who is life itself.
To live as God intended, we don’t need more effort; we need more of Him. The resurrection life of Christ is not an addition to our own efforts—it replaces them entirely. We were never called to muster up a holy life but to abide in the One who is our life.
A Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
I have placed you into Christ, uniting you with Him in His death, that you might also walk in the power of His resurrection. You were crucified with Him, buried with Him, and now you live because He lives. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. This life is not sustained by your striving but by faith in the One who gave Himself for you.
Your old self was nailed to the cross, and I raised you in Him, seating you with Him in heavenly places. The same power that brought Him from the grave now works in you, not merely to secure your future but to transform your present. Do you see it? You are alive to God in Christ Jesus! No longer bound to sin, no longer a debtor to the flesh, but free to walk in the newness of life.
When fear tempts you to doubt, remember: you have already passed from death to life. When weariness whispers that you are not enough, rest in the truth that Christ is your sufficiency. My grace does not demand your strength; it supplies it. You need only abide in Me. For I am the resurrection and the life, and I live in you.
Scripture References: Romans 6:4-11; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10; John 11:25-26
A Prayer of Confidence and Trust
Father, I thank You that I have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection. I do not need to search for life elsewhere, for You have already given me all that I need in Him. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power at work in me today, leading me, sustaining me, and conforming me to His image.
I trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s life within me. I reject the lie that I must strive to produce what You have already provided. You have made me alive to You, and I choose to walk in the reality of that life today. Thank You for making me a partaker of Your divine nature, for securing my place in Your kingdom, and for teaching me to live in the freedom that Christ has won.
I rest in You, my resurrection and my life.
Amen.
Image Intent:
A sunrise breaking over a quiet mountainside, symbolizing resurrection life and the dawn of newness in Christ.