You might expect the cost of receiving the gift of atonement provided by the eternal Son of God to be high and costly. You might expect the requirements for exchanging your sin for the righteousness of Christ and being made heirs with Christ, adopted as children of God, to be complicated and difficult to achieve. However, in simple language, the Bible declares that to be saved from your sin requires the confession of Jesus as Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.

The last two names listed in Isaiah 9:6 for the Messiah are Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. These two names point to the eternal nature of the Messiah and the work of redemption he has accomplished.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the resurrection of Jesus is fundamental to the work of redemption and celebrates the victory over sin and death that Jesus' resurrection has brought. The redemption of Jesus provides eternal salvation and eternal peace to those who believe in faith in Jesus.

Paul had seen God move in mighty ways. Often when many were coming to salvation, it also was a time when persecution and hardships were the greatest. Fourteen years earlier, while he and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, Paul noticed a crippled man listening who had believing faith. He healed the man, and he immediately stood up and walked. When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they did not praise God but began to worship Paul and Barnabas as pagan gods. Both Paul and Barnabas pleaded with the people not to believe such lies, but scripture says that “they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” (Acts 14:18)

Jews from Antioch and Iconium convinced the people to turn on Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul until they were convinced he was dead, then drug his lifeless body through the streets and out of the city. Other believers gathered around his body, grieving and likely making plans for his burial. But while they were gathered around what they thought was the corpse of Paul, he rose up and returned to the work of the gospel. This event may be what Paul is referencing in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6. 

In recounting this amazing experience, we learn three characteristics of a true disciple:

• The mark of a true disciple

• The hope of a true disciple

• The desire of a true disciple

Leaders naturally want to project an image of power and strength. Any perceived weakness threatens their ability to command the attention, loyalty, and support of those they lead.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul makes a radically different claim. He does not claim strength, power, ability, intelligence, or any other characteristic of worldly admiration. Instead, he identifies himself with the forgettable, ordinary, and disposable jar of clay. His identification with such humility is not made in despair but in glorious hope. He recognized that God uses the powerless and ordinary to display His glory and power.

To be transformed is to be irrevocably changed. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it can no longer be a caterpillar again. Butterflies never return to being caterpillars, nor do those saved by the cross of Jesus go back to a life ruled by sin.

The end of Romans 5 says that where sin increases, so does grace. To the sinful mind, this sounds like an invitation to sin more to get more grace. In Romans 6, Paul responds by teaching what it means to be transformed. Yes, more sin equals more grace, but the response by one transformed by the gospel is not to desire more sin but more righteousness.

If you look for how Jesus preached at funerals, you will search in vain because when Jesus went to funerals, He did not just comfort the grieving; He raised the dead. Even before His resurrection, death could not exist where He was.

The hope of the gospel is not that we would cope with death. The hope of the gospel is that Jesus has defeated death. In sin, no one can escape death and its curse. But Jesus conquered death. And through salvation, we can know His resurrection.

If you fear the wrong thing, you will pursue the wrong thing. If you fear the right thing, you will pursue the right thing. In Luke 12:1-7, Jesus warns His disciples against fearing man and that they should fear the judgment of God.

The simple truth of this passage is a call to repent. This was the singular message of John the Baptist’s preaching. This was the theme of Jesus’ preaching. And this is the call of every faithful preacher of the gospel to this day.