DECLARED TO BE THE SON OF GOD WITH POWER

He, who during his sojourn upon earth walked in the weakness of the flesh has been powerfully declared to be the Son of God through the resurrection from the dead, says the apostle Paul. The Lord Jesus, who on Good Friday was the cursed and impotent One, proved on Easter morning to be the true God and eternal life.

From this resurrection it was evident, that Jesus was the Son of God. Since God did not leave Him in the grave, it was clearly shown that according to the Spirit of holiness, that is the Spirit of sanctification, Jesus was God’s Son. It is apparent that the debt was paid, the iniquity has been propitiated, and that before God’s judgment-seat holiness and righteousness is in order. This has been powerfully demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ.

It cannot be denied that He who arose was the Son of God. When on Good Friday He was upon the cross, they had called to Him, If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross, but He did not come down from the cross. The chief priests and the Pharisees saw a decided proof in that, that He was not which He had claimed to be. They mocked Him in His woeful cry, Eli, Eli lama Sabaghtini. When they heard this cry they said: “This man calleth for Elias,” and said to one another: “Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.”

Even the thieves upbraided Him, — “If Thou be the Son of God, save thyself and us.” In that light we may understand with Paul the significance of Easter and say of it — “He is declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead.” In order that we may rightly understand the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we must first fathom the cross. He who as a stranger, still wanders around upon Golgotha, cannot understand Easter at the open grave and resurrection. It must first penetrate to us what Golgotha really signifies.

What then does the sinner say after he has been instructed by God’s Word and Spirit when he beholds Golgotha and Gethsemane? Such a sinner tells us: Golgotha and Gethsemane is the sinking down of Christ into death, yea into eternal death. Whosoever does not behold this in Golgotha and cannot be thankful for that with a broken spirit does not understand Golgotha.

Zion beholds that in Golgotha. Their own agony of death and anguish of soul enabled them to understand Golgotha. They know themselves personally to be worthy of death and damnation before God. God’s justice demanded death for them. Their sins made them guilty to sink eternally into death. That is the sentence which rests upon their conscience and causes them to cry out, “I wanted to flee, but did not know where to go, since death was before my eyes.” Having been placed before their own guilt, there is nothing left but to perish forever, for no mortal creature shall descend into death and after that come up again. The creature which descends into that shall never experience a resurrection. That becomes the experience of the one that is convinced of its guilt. He realizes and knows, I cannot deliver myself from that. That ransom is too heavy for him; here legal currency is of no avail. To the creature it is only an eternal sinking away into that ocean of wrath, without ever rising again. Good Friday, however, tells God’s church that Jesus Christ the Son of God as their surety has sunk down into that ocean of God’s wrath toward sin. That was the cup of Gethsemane. That was the significance of Golgotha’s dying.

On Good Friday we see Jesus Christ sink down into eternal death. But when at Easter we see the same that sank down, rise again from the dead, then we may join with Paul, — “Who is declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead.” Therefore, Easter is a glorious evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. But there was nothing of that to be seen on Good Friday. Then we see Jesus sink down into death. There is heard, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me?”

There He appears to be conquered by death as a mortal creature and not as the Son of God. There He was worsted by death and the violence of hell. On Good Friday Jesus, the Mediator, lies down sunk into death. There Christ went down. The enemies cried out, “If Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.” But, nothing happened on Good Friday. Jesus did not come down. He gives no proof of His divinity. To the eye which did not see Easter morning beyond Good Friday, nothing else was to be seen than the destruction of Jesus. Since the disciples lacked the sight of that Easter morning, which nevertheless had been foretold by Him, therefore they saw not only their Master succumb to the power of hell and death, but they themselves went down with everything which they had hoped of Jesus.

It seemed that the case of Jesus of Nazareth was closed. All their hope and faith perished with Him. On Good Friday the disciples went down too with all their hopes that this was the Christ which would come into the world. This going down with all their hopes and experiences preceded the glorious Easter morning.

Whoever never perished with all his own, and that is not only with his goodness, works and complements, but that is at the same time with all his hoping, praying, knowledge, ability, love and enjoyments, cannot receive the blessing of Easter. Easter is the acquittal and salvation of a people consisting of only sinners. It is the acquittal of sinners and the ungodly, only because of the merits of Christ which were finished upon the cross.

God permits us to perish purposely with that which is our own to give us the glorious Easter blessing. As long as we may keep ourselves standing, then there is no room for the message of Easter, which proclaims to us that the work of the Messiah has been accepted by God and, therefore, God will no more be wrath with, nor rebuke the entire church of the Messiah.

Just like everything of the disciples suffered shipwreck on Good Friday, we must likewise suffer shipwreck with which is our own. So long as that is not practiced during our life, we are like a Mr. Facing-both-ways, viz., work and grace.

Comrie says of such people: They always walk between Sinai and Zion without falling toward either place. Their sigh is — “Now I am at my wits end.” But, they keep themselves standing with that which is their own. The true “it is beyond hope” is not heard. Who is there now that really suffers final shipwreck, with all his praying, knowledge, possession, enjoying and loving? The reason that it does not become Easter in the heart is because the praise of God who justifies the ungodly is lacking. But when God’s discovering Spirit uncovers the secret places of our existence and discovers the abomination of our wickedness, and besides it, is seen and experienced what sin is in the sight of an infinite righteous and holy God, yea then we must perish with everything which is our own and only a damn-worthy sinner is left. They must perish with everything which is their own. Then God’s waves and billows pass over us and with David we experience —

“With my burden of transgression,
Heavy laden overborne.”
Humbled low I make confession.
For my folly now I mourn.

When on Good Friday the disciples saw Jesus die they thought, “this is the end.” And a people that loses all hold of tears, experience, love and knowledge, think that too. Satan will call to them — “that is the end.” But, it is not the end.

Good Friday knows a continuation. Easter followed! Hear this, ye wretched who possess nothing else than an evil heart and a great debt before a righteous God.

Hear this, Good Friday is not the end. Christ has risen, after He perished in your place.

“Now death no longer terrifies,
Since everything is satisfied.”

On Good Friday the angels and God’s church were faced with the question — how shall Jesus ever be released from the bonds of eternal death? Was not Christ, according to His human nature, sunk down into death? His love had gone very far, yea so far that He entered into death for His own. But, of what use would that be? He did bear our punishment, but He would never get done with bearing that infinite punishment. God’s church would be free only if the surety could cry out triumphantly — “Now the punishment has been borne unto the end; now my sacrifice has been accepted.”

That is then also the glad tenor of Easter. God’s church is not free when Jesus, as the surety, enters into death, but when as the surety He rises from death. Without resurrection, Jesus would not be a perfect Savior. Then Jesus would be compared with a rescuer who swims to a drowning person, and who with the drowning person in his arms, himself drowns. Then He would have manifested His love by being willingto save, but He would have sunk into the depth with His church in His arms, and then it would have appeared as if He could notsave.

Just consider how true it is what Paul tells us about Christ: “It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again.” Truly, His resurrection is more than His death. That is how we must consider Easter to realize that without Easter we would be lost beyond repair.

Without Easter, Jesus would not have been a Surety and Savior. But, behold now that the opposite has happened, your Surety and mediator did sink into death, but on the third day He rose again from the dead. And to the question, how can that be? — How is it possible that such a thing could take place; that a person delivers himself from the power of death? Paul’s answer to this question is, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead.” No matter how holy a creature had been, it would have needed eternity to bear away the eternal death. But Christ the God-man swallowed up the power of death after having been in the bosom of the earth for three days and three nights. Were it not that He was the Son of God, He would not have been able to rise again. It would have been possible to be raised again like Lazarus from the temporal death, but after that — to die again like Lazarus.

But, the miracle of Christ’s resurrection is: here a person returns from the wrath of God and the power of death never to die again. Here rises One Who has satisfied. Here is One Who can say, “I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore.” Death has been swallowed up in victory. The wrath of God has been removed through atonement. God has seen and testified of the work of the Surety Jesus Christ, “Behold it is very good.” For that reason He was raised again from the dead. For that reason He has become Victor. Good Friday has a sequel, a beautiful sequel. Jesus Christ arose from the dead.

Whereas on Good Friday Zion with the disciples must perish in their guilt and their lost state and everything cries out — this is the end. You have no help with God. There God will provide a sequel.

Whereas ours has been cut off and we are worthy that there would never be a sequel. There Christ wants us to understand the meaning of Easter. In such dejected hearts He brings by His spirit the message of the resurrection. He wants to tell them: “on Good Friday I entered death for your iniquities, but at Easter I arose again for your justification. I was delivered up, but that was for your sins, but I also arose and that is for your justification.” Then in our life Jesus Christ demonstrates to be the Son of God. He breaks through all impossibilities within us and proves: I am the Son of God and have demonstrated this by the resurrection from the dead. He brings a sequel since everything with us had come to an end. The Jesus, Who had hidden Himself from us behind God’s justice and seemed to have departed from us forever, returns and brings us the gospel of Easter, that He was delivered up for our offenses and raised up for our justification.

The glad tidings of Easter is the sequel and new beginning after everything has come to an end with us. That sinner may say: also in my heart Thou hast declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. Such a sinner may sing:

The righteous then shall gather round.
To share the blessing I have found.
Their hearts made glad because they see
How richly God has dealt with me.

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