Power

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you (Romans 8:11).

We have been exploring the comfort Christians have because of the salvation God gives us in and through Jesus Christ. The Heidelberg Catechism ends its first answer about this comfort with this declaration, "Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him" (Answer #1). It echoes our text.

This is extraordinary! The same Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in everyone who belongs to Christ. Let us pay attention to a few things.

First, the power of God is at work in us. The resurrection of Jesus was no small miracle. God overcame the power of sin and death and raised his Son to new life. The power that raised Jesus from death to life is the Spirit of God, whom we often name the Holy Spirit. This same Spirit now lives in believers. We may feel weak, discouraged, or even spiritually lifeless at times, but our hope does not rest on the strength of our faith. It rests on the mighty power of God, who has made his home in us through the Holy Spirit. Amazing!

Second, the Spirit is already giving us new life. Romans 8 responds to our struggle against sin as Paul personalized it in the previous chapter. The Christian life is not a matter of trying harder in our own strength. The Holy Spirit is at work within us, renewing our hearts, helping us put sin to death, and shaping us into the likeness of Christ. We will not be perfect in this life, but we are not left to fight our battles alone. God himself is at work in us. Amazing!

Third, Paul speaks of giving life to our mortal bodies. Our bodies remain subject to weakness, sickness, aging, and death. Yet death will not have the final word. The God who raised Jesus will also raise those who belong to him. Our hope is not simply that our souls will survive death. It is that God will redeem us completely, body and soul, in the resurrection.

What a wonderful comfort this is! The Spirit who dwells in us today is the guarantee of the life God will give us tomorrow. And he is the same Spirit working to make us willing and ready to live for Jesus today. The Holy Spirit provides peace and comfort by reminding us that we no longer stand under the power of Satan but belong to Christ, who freed us with the incalculably high cost of his blood. His Spirit now moves us to genuine, ordinary Christian faith and life.

So, whether we face the struggle against sin, the burdens of daily life, or the prospect of death itself, we can live in hope. Our future is secure because the Spirit of the risen Christ lives in us.

Let us therefore walk by the Spirit, trusting not in our own strength, but in the God who raises the dead.

As you journey on, receive Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).