Sin, Death, and Resurrection Life

In The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus introduces a whole new way of life. But the starting point of this new way of life is not the adoption of a new set of rules, morals or guiding principles. The starting point is that Jesus has ushered in a new reality. Jesus’ teaching is punctuated with references to “the Kingdom of God” and “the Kingdom of Heaven”. Both terms refer to the same thing: the intrusion of God’s presence and God’s restorative power into human space. Jesus’ physical presence on earth initiates a process of world transformation whereby the old rules of death and decay have been replaced with renewal, reconciliation, and resurrection. So when Jesus says, “This is how you must live,” he does not mean, “If you do the right things you will bring heaven to earth.”  He means, “Heaven has come. This is what it looks like to live at the intersection of Heaven and earth.”   

Jesus begins to illustrate this new reality when he turns water into wine, heals the sick and disabled, feeds thousands, and walks on water. “See?” he says, “The old rules no longer apply.”  But Jesus’ words don’t fully make sense until his ultimate sign: Jesus goes to the cross. Is buried, having incontrovertibly been killed. And Jesus rises from the dead. All of a sudden the world has a crystal clear image of the new life Jesus has been talking about.  Resurrection life. Life that death cannot touch.

One of the witnesses of the risen Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul, devotes a chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 to talk specifically about the resurrection of Jesus.  He concludes the chapter with these words:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 5:54-57)

What is the connection between sin, death, the law, and Christ’s victory? It’s this:

The inevitability of death has shaped human life for most of our history. In reaction to death, our every instinct is survival – the preservation of our own flesh.  But almost every action made in response to the fear of death puts us at odds with each other and with God. In other words, actions made primarily for self-preservation are almost always sinful.  You can act out of nothing but self-interest until you are unconcerned for your own life. The only way you can be chronically unconcerned for your own life is if you are convinced that you won’t die. Nothing in this world can convince you won’t die except the introduction of a person whose life is untouched by death.  Enter Jesus.

Paul says it is only the victory of Jesus over death that sets us free to live without self-interest and therefore without sin.  Prior to Jesus’ victory over death, overcoming personal sin was seen as the only way to gain salvation.  But that pursuit was impossible.  God’s law, which once and for all made clear what is and isn’t sin, proved to be too high a standard for any human to meet unassisted.  The law served the cause of sin, that is, to force people to be preoccupied with their own survival and self-interest. 

And yet, through Christ, two things become possible.  The first is a life that isn’t ruled by self-interest and personal survival.  The second is true observance of God’s law, summarized in two simple commands: love God with your whole being; and love other people as yourself. Love is nothing if not the willingness to set aside your needs for the needs of someone else. You and I can love with abandon because someone has already set down his life to secure everything we need for body and soul, in life and in death. This is the power of Jesus’ resurrection, his victory over death.