During the Easter season, many celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And rightly so, for resurrection demonstrates the amazing truth that our life involves more than natural experiences.
Our Bible and millions of recorded near-death experiences confirm our consciousness continues beyond this life. Scripture notes that at our personal ‘last day’ in the earth, “in a moment” as “in the twinkling of an eye… (we) are raised incorruptible.” (a) [see endnotes for scripture]
Clearly, God has much more in store for us: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (b) While these verses speak of life in eternity, they also apply to a quality of life God offers us during the twinkling of our natural eye. So we ask, what is resurrection life?
Arising From Inactivity
The word resurrection appears in our Bible only the New Testament, 39 times. It is translated from the Greek anastasis, which means: to arise, get up. It is a contrast to falling or remaining inactive. Resurrection is widely acknowledged as arising out of the limitations of this natural life.
Jesus even applied it to life in this world: “I am (currently and for all time) the resurrection and the life (zoe – spirit life).” (c) The Message Bible translates it this way: “You don’t have to wait for the end. I am, right now, resurrection and life.” What is the resurrection Jesus spoke of?
Our Bibles note God saying: “For in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (d) The Hebrew wording of Scripture actually says: “For in the time that you eat from it you will be dying.” Rather than an immediate or eventual death, the error caused an ongoing deathly condition. Jesus spoke of this reality by saying: “allow the dead to bury their own dead.” (e)
The original sin in the Garden of Eden was the act of ignoring God’s input and breaking intimate interaction with our Eternal Father. All sinful activity is a consequence of the first actions, which were in contrast to God’s purposeful guidance. The story Jesus shared of a Prodigal Son also illustrates a picture of life apart from God’s insightful guidance. (f)
Resurrection is acknowledged as arising out of the limits of this natural life.
Rebirth
Our spiritual life (zoe) is not just reserved for eternity. When we ignore God’s input and only rely on the natural realm’s “good (productive) and evil (destructive)” processes, (g) we short-change the quality of life that God’s presence makes available to us during this natural life.
For: “While we are dead in our transgressions, Christ comes to us as a savior.” (h) Scripture even declares: “This is eternal life; that they may know (by experience) Thee and Jesus Christ.” (i) When we partake of the spiritual life God offers, we rise from our relational sleepy slumber, and experience resurrection. As we receive from God’s presence, we become more godly minded people.
While Scripture largely refers to 
resurrection happening after we physically die (our last day), it also speaks of us arising out of our inactive perceptions and deadly sleep-like conditions. We want to realize that God does not intend for us to wait until we die to experience resurrection life.
Our first stage of life is in a mother’s womb, where we are first formed and prepared for the enlarged experience of this world. Much like the first stage, this life is a preparation for the next. Our experience in this temporary world is preparing us for life in the enlarged eternal realm. We can experience elements of eternal life in this world as a precursor to the next life.
A “birth from above” (j) awakens us and energizes our consciousness to the ever-abiding presence of God. A rebirth raises our conscious awareness and invites our intimate interaction with our Eternal Father. This is the influencing reign of God’s Kingdom in lives. As we awaken from our spiritual inactivity, we receive better understandings of God’s intention for our life.
Our transformation into more spiritually minded people, (k) helps us become better expressions of God’s Love and Light. (l) Scripture encourages us to “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (m) How amazing is it that God invites us to partake of His abiding presence?
As we receive from God’s presence, we become more godly minded people.
Arise With Christ
The resurrection of Jesus included the natural body, to illustrate to all that he was alive. The anointed man Jesus was transformed into a ‘Spirit Being’, to abide with us as a presence. He is able to appear with the same look as before, with a different look, and as a spiritual presence. (n)
Scripture declares: “You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked… God being rich in mercy…even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places.” (o)
While we live in this world, God provides a quality of life that comes from above. He invites the comprehensions of our mind and the expressions of our heart to rise from this world’s deathly ways: “Arise, shine; for your light has come…the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (p)
Everyone can rise into a more heavenly mindset and be seated “with Christ…raised with Him above it all.” (q) When we are open to the insights and eternal perspectives God shares, we can arise and live in more heavenly places, day by day.
Our repentant attitude allows God to assist our delivering release from bad attitudes and patterns of behavior. We can mature into better images and likenesses (reflections and resemblances) of God’s heart, (r) and live by the eternal (ongoing) insights and perspectives He shares with us. (s)
The extent to which we experience resurrection life today depends on how fully we interact with God-in-Christ. This is true for us as individuals and as families, communities, and nations. So why wait? Let’s arise and partake of more resurrection life today and live above the fray of this temporary life.
“You don’t have to wait for the end (death to time), I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.” (t)
The extent to which we experience resurrection life today depends on how fully we interact with God-in-Christ.
a) 1 Corinthians 15:2; b) 1 Corinthians 16:9; c) John 11:23-25; d) Genesis 3:6; 1 John 2:16-17; Romans 5:12; e) Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:60; f) Luke 15:11-22; g) Genesis 2:17; h) Ephesians 1:3; 2:1-6; i) John 17:3, 6:47; 1 John 5:11; j) John 3:3, 7-8, 15; k) Romans 15:5; l) 1 John 1:5; 4:8; m) Ephesians 5:14; Isaiah 60:1; n) Luke 24:15-15, 31; Acts 26:15; o) Ephesians 2:5-6; p) Isaiah 60:1; q) Ephesians 2:5-6; r) 2 Corinthians 3:18; s) John 12:49; 6:63, 68; 8:47, 51, 54-55; t) John 11:25 ( The Message version)
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author