But Love Forgave and Overcame All

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:22-24)

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

For God, who is love, was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us (1 John 4:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19).

The Second Death is the Death of Death

“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:13-14)

“Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be eliminated is death. For he has put everything in subjection under his feet. But when it says “everything” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to him. And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

When Creation Came Into Being

Christ is the Lamb Slain from
the Foundation of the World.

An Announcement, Not An Argument

“Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling death by death,
And on those in the tombs
Bestowing Life.”
Paschal Troparion

Because of Our Justification

The Heart Coming Alive With Christ

 

The Death and Regeneration of Human Being

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

If We Do Not Understand the Incarnation

The Incarnation is integral to the Cross and the Resurrection.

“Consequently, just as one trespass [Adam’s] resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act [Christ’s] resulted in justification and life for all people.” (Romans 5:18)

“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Death Has Been Swallowed Up In Victory

The Gates of Hell have been destroyed.
The Strong Man has been bound.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Jesus is What Happened to the Cross

 

The Place of Our Resurrection

 

Only As We Truly Love

Love is the heart coming alive with Christ.

The Creation and the Consummation of All Things

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20)

Freedom From Fear, Death and Sin

The Incarnation, the Cross, and the Resurrection

Christ Trampling Down Death, Bestowing Life

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life.

I love the icon of the Anastasis (Resurrection). Beneath the feet of Christ are the broken gates of Hades (the place of the dead) which could not prevail against him and his body, the Church.

See, at the bottom, that the “strong man” has been bound and his house has been plundered (Luke 11:21-22).

Christ has destroyed the one who held the power of death (that is, the devil) and set free those who were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15)

See Christ taking the hands of Adam and Eve, lifting them from their graves — and with them, all humankind. “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Rejoice! And believe the good news of the gospel.

A Cross-Shaped, Resurrection-Shaped Life

The Christian life 

is one shaped by the 

death and resurrection 

of Christ.

Your Life in Me

Lord Jesus,

help me today to walk in the reality of 

Your resurrection and of 

Your life in me. 

Amen.

All of Time

The death, burial and 

resurrection of Christ 

played out in history but 

affects all of time, from 

eternity to eternity.

The Cross is Not Subtle

The cross is not subtle, nor is the empty tomb. 

Both declare the victory of King Jesus.