Passion Week: Resurrection Sunday

The stone has been rolled away. Sunday has dawned with glory. The Savior is Risen – Risen Indeed.

After a silent Saturday, the King of Kings is ALIVE forevermore. The grave could not hold Him. Death could not defeat Him. Sin could not bind Him. The crucified King is alive triumphantly over death, Hell and the grave.

This is Resurrection Sunday. And for those who believe, it is the day that turns sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, and the cross into a crown.

From Adam to Adoption – Raised for Our Justification and Sonship

The resurrection of Jesus doesn’t just mean our sins are forgiven—it also means that we are given His righteousness in place of our sin. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus! We are justified, sanctified and one day will be glorified because of our savior. Part of the wondrous mystery in Jesus is we also become joint-heirs with Him!

Jesus, having risen from the grave, is called:

Romans 8:29 (ESV)

“The firstborn among many brothers.”

Those who were once children of Adam—fallen, broken, and enslaved to sin—are now FREE – through faith in the risen Christ, adopted as children of God.

Romans 8:15–17 (ESV)

“You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’… and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

This is staggering grace: not only are we redeemed, but we are made co-heirs with Jesus. When God looks at those who have placed their faith in Christ, He sees not their sin, but Christ’s righteousness.

The resurrection secures our eternal inheritance, and it confirms our new family identity. Jesus is not only our Savior—He is our elder brother and King, and we share in His victory. “Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever, he sought me, and he bought me with His redeeming blood!”

A Living Hope!

The resurrection of Jesus is not just a historical moment—it’s a living hope for all who trust in Him.

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

“He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

This hope assures us:

• Our sins are paid in full.
• Death has been defeated.
• Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Son of God, Savior of the world.
• We, too, will be raised to eternal life with Him.

May we fly the banner and proclaim this boldly: salvation is found in no one else but Jesus, and His resurrection proves it. The resurrection isn’t just something Jesus experienced—it’s something we share in. If we’ve trusted in Him, we are united with Him in His death and in His new life.

Romans 6:5 (ESV)

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

When we are born again, our old self—our sin nature, our guilt, our condemnation—is crucified with Christ. And just as Jesus rose to walk in newness of life, so do we.

2 Timothy 2:11 (ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him.”

This isn’t just about eternal life one day in heaven—it’s about resurrection power today. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in the believer (Romans 8:11), empowering us to walk in obedience, sanctification, freedom and victory.

This is the beautiful and beating heart of the gospel is not just forgiveness of the past, but new life in the present, and eternal life in the future—all because of Jesus.

Events of Resurrection Sunday

The Women at the Tomb

Luke 24:1–3 (ESV)

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb… And they found the stone rolled away… but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others brought spices to honor Jesus’ body. But what they found wasn’t death—it was resurrection.

Matthew 28:5–6 (ESV)

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”

This was not spiritual symbolism. It was a bodily resurrection, and it’s the cornerstone of our faith.

The First Witnesses of the Risen Christ

Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), then to other women, then to Peter, and eventually to all the disciples (Luke 24:36–43). He invited them to touch His hands, see His wounds, and watch Him eat. In first-century Jewish and Roman society, women were generally not regarded as reliable legal witnesses. Their testimony was often excluded or discounted in courts and formal settings. If the resurrection story had been fabricated or embellished, women would not have been chosen as the primary eyewitnesses. It would’ve been far more convincing (from a human perspective) to say Peter or John was first at the tomb. These witnesses remind us that God often uses the unexpected to declare the undeniable—that Jesus Christ is alive, and the world has been forever changed.

Luke 24:39 (ESV)

“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see.”

He was not a ghost. He had conquered death—body and soul.

We believe in the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus as a non-negotiable truth of the gospel. Without it, there is no salvation.

1 Corinthians 15:17 (ESV)

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

But He has been raised—and because of that, the believer is not under sin’s reign. Grace Reigns!

What Resurrection Sunday Teaches Us

1. Jesus is alive and lives forever—and Lord over all.
2. The cross wasn’t the end—He was raised for our Justification.
3. We don’t worship a master who remains in the grave—we worship a risen Savior.
4. Our faith is not futile—it’s anchored in victory.
5. Because He lives, we are now alive!

Reflection

The truth of Resurrection Sunday is the foundation of our faith. The stone was rolled away—not so Jesus could get out, but so we could look in and see that death has been defeated.

As Christians, we cling to the cross, live in celebration of the resurrection, and rejoice in our adoption as sons and daughters of God. We are no longer lost children of Adam—we are redeemed, raised, and made joint heirs with Christ because He was raised!

So today, and every day, we proclaim with joy:

“He is risen! He is risen indeed!”

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For further study here are some additional resources: