How to Experience the Resurrection Life Everyday – John 5:25

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. John 5:25

When Thomas the disciple witnessed Jesus’s death on the cross, his hope in Christ was buried as Jesus was sealed in the tomb for three days. Thomas- the zealous disciple who was willing to die with Christ- surely thought Jesus was no more. But after Jesus appeared to Thomas after rising again from the dead, Thomas believed, confessing Jesus as his Lord and his God. (Jn 20:28)

The reality of Jesus’s resurrection means that He is actively living, able to show Himself to us. But in our actual lives, shadows of doubt often weaken our convictions of the presence of the risen Lord. What then is the solution to bring the reality of Jesus’s resurrection into our ordinary lives? How can the resurrection remain central during hardships and suffering? We can experience the resurrection life as we understand and recollect the biblical description of salvation, as it is laid out in John 5:25.

You must recollect who Jesus is. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is…

What Jesus is about to say to the crowd is a truthful statement, its importance emphasized by Jesus repeating “Truly, truly…” In order to live a life centered on the resurrection, we must first know who Jesus Christ really is. Jesus is the divine Savior, who was sent by God the Father, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) Jesus proclaims now is the time for salvation. He is God, the Lord of all, who came to redeem sinners. The way of salvation is narrowed down to one name- Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12) We must first know the biblical, historical Jesus in order to live in the reality of HIs resurrection.

You must know who you are. …when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God…

Many fail to deeply understand who they were before they were saved. They may have emotionally experienced hitting rock bottom, sensing their need for God, but this mere self-conviction can be easily placated with morality and religion. Jesus says everyone is spirituallydead. You can not be saved unless the Holy Spirit convicts you of being dead in spirit. Man’s sinful nature becomes apparent when his sin is pointed out. Sinners hate talking about their sin. They feel no burden of sin; they have no guilt. They reject the gospel, because it points to their unbelief, which is the most damning sin of all. (Jn 3:19; 2Thess 1:8) In God’s mercy, He will often strip them away of everything before their conversion, because without this understanding of being dead in spirit, none can be holy.

We must always recollect how we were dead in spirit before God made us alive in Christ. We fail to be driven by the resurrection when we fail to repent. Being ignorant of your sin leads only to pride. As we know and remember our true state before our conversion, we will be humbled, knowing our need for a Savior. (Lk 5:8) Deeper repentance leads to deeper love for Christ. To know you’re a sinner is to know you are nothing without Jesus.

We must recollect our faith. …and those who hear will live.

To hear means to obey, trust, and believe. When we heard the gospel, we felt in our hearts that Christ is our only hope, and we believed in Him. Just as how the dead girl rose from the dead when she heard the voice of Christ, so we heard God’s call at the time of our salvation. (Lk 8:54-55; Rom 10:17) The voice of Jesus is in the gospel- it is truly the good news, the pearl of greatest price. There is nothing good we have done before God, but in His love He offers us salvation through Jesus Christ. Salvation begins with a change of mind as we hear and believe, and consequently, our actions change by faith.

Those who hear Jesus will live with an unrivaled love for Jesus. (1Pet 1:8-9) As we love Christ, we will live by faith, praying to Him through suffering, praising and Him through the cheerful times. (James 5:13) We will serve the lost souls around us, knowing that Jesus has called us to make disciples of all the nations. (Matt 28:18-20). Recollecting how God saves will keep Jesus’s resurrection central to our lives, leading us to depend on the living Lord to empower us to live by true faith.