Jesus’ Resurrection is Our Assurance

A Word of Truth #146  

When we make a purchase, we like to have the assurance that what we are buying is of good quality. The greatest purchase ever made took place when Jesus bought our souls back from sin, death, and the Devil by shedding His holy blood.

If you are looking for assurance that the forgiveness of your sins is of good quality you will find that assurance in Jesus’ empty grave. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead gives you the assurance that your sins are forgiven in the sight of God! “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins…but now Christ is risen from the dead!” (1 Corinthians 15:17,20).

Jesus’ resurrection gives you complete assurance that just as He rose from the dead to live forever, so you too will rise on the Last Day to live forever with Him in heaven. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:25). Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).

Jesus Ascended but Present

A Word of Truth #147  

Before His ascension into heaven Jesus made a promise, which is both comforting and yet seemingly contradictory. He promised His disciples, in spite of His pending return to heaven, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). How could Jesus both leave His disciples and yet remain with them?

The comfort of this promise and the resolution of its seeming contradiction lie in the fact that Jesus is true God. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He did not leave this earth, but rather withdrew His visible presence. He is still present everywhere. Consequently, while we can no longer see Him, He remains here with us. He is in heaven exercising His divine power over all things and still by our side during our times of trouble and distress. What a comfort to know that our Savior, who ascended to heaven, remains among us!