Today we celebrate the most important day of the Christian year, but what does the resurrection mean for us? Why is Easter so important?  

      On Good Friday, we remember the cross of Jesus on which he died for us, in our place, absorbing God’s wrath and bearing on himself the penalty for our sins. Jesus lived a perfect life for us and he died the death we deserved. He takes on all our sin and, in exchange, we receive his righteousness. The cross saves us.

      But what does this mean for us now? What does it mean for us in this life? Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching and our faith is in vain. If it ended at the cross, our faith wouldn’t make sense because we’d be following and worshipping someone who died.

      We know that it didn’t end there, because on the third day, Jesus rose to new life. Romans 6:4 says, "We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” It is a living Jesus who gives us the salvation he won on the cross for us. It is the living Jesus who enables us, by his Spirit, to share in the benefits of his death and resurrection. It is a living Jesus he grants us the opportunity to participate in his new life.  

      The power that raised Jesus from the dead is now in us because we are in Christ.

      John Stott says, "Christ died for me and I with him...then Christ rose again and lives, and I live through him, sharing in his resurrection life." We're not talking about a future reality when we will one day have new life in him. We are talking about new life now. There is power in the resurrection for life in the present, because Jesus lives in me and therefore his resurrected life lives in me.  

      To you who are discouraged or downcast, weakened or strong, there is hope - Christ’s resurrection means that you have new life in Christ not later, but right now.

      He is risen! He is risen indeed!

      今天，我們慶祝基督徒一年之中最重要的節日，但是復活對我們來說是什麼意思？為什麼復活節如此重要？  

      我們於受難節記念主耶穌為我們釘死在十字架上，代替了我們承受神的憤怒，並且為我們的罪孽擔當了一切的刑罰。耶穌一生聖潔無瑕，卻代付了我們因罪而得滅亡的工價。祂全然承擔了我們一切的罪孽，叫我們得稱為義，十字架上的恩典救贖了我們。    

      但如今，這對我們來說有什麼意思呢？對我們的人生又意味著什麼呢？保羅說：「若基督沒有復活，我們所傳的便是枉然，你們所信的也是枉然。」如果我們所信的結束於十字架上，我們的信仰就失卻意義了，因為我們所跟隨的﹑所敬拜的是一個已死的人。 

      我們知道事情並不是這樣完結，因為在第三天，主耶穌復活了。羅馬書6：4說：「所以，我們藉著洗禮歸入死，和祂一同埋葬，原是叫我們一舉一動有新生的樣式，像基督藉著父的榮耀從死裡復活一樣。」我們能得着救恩是因為活著的主耶穌戰勝了十架；是活著的主耶穌透過聖靈讓我們能夠分嘗到祂從死而復活所帶來的厚恩；也因為活著的主耶穌，我們得以有份於祂的新生命，叫我們也有新生的樣式。     

      使主耶穌從死裡復活的大能如今就在我們裡面，因為我們已經在基督裡。

      約翰·斯托特（John Stott）說：「基督為我而死，我與祂在一起....然後基督復活，我因為祂也活，分享祂復活的生命。」我們不是在談論未見的事實，指望有一天我們在祂裡面得著新生命。我們所談論的是現今的新生命；因祂活著，祂復活的生命就活在我裏面，祂復活的大能，此刻就在我們裡面。

     對於那些灰心喪志，或是軟弱，或是強壯的人，是有盼望的 - 基督的復活為你帶來在基督裏的新生命，是現在，不是將來。

     祂復活了！祂確實復活了！ 

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