Flourishing Through Resurrection Hope

I remember first clearly hearing the Gospel from a Campus Crusade intern when I was in college. She explained God’s good work of creation, the fall of humanity into sin, and the coming of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. She made it clear that if I repented and turned from trusting in my own works and myself, and instead placed my trust in Christ, I could receive His gift of eternal life and the hope of the resurrection.

For decades, this resurrection hope carried me through lean seasons in ministry, hardships in my marriage, challenges in parenting, battles in daily life, and health issues. But somewhere along the way, over the past eight years, it began to take second seat in my life to a cultural emphasis in America—the gospel of human flourishing.

Cultural Emphasis on Human Flourishing

What is the gospel of human flourishing? In reading on the topic recently, I’ve seen that there has been a shift in many denominations over the past several decades from a focus on the gift of Christianity as eternal life to a focus on life here and now and the blessings we can receive as we put our hope and trust in Christ. The purpose behind this teaching is logical, as it reminds believers of the essential truth that new life in Christ is much more than just waiting for eternity. I believe it has been developed to help Christians embrace the Gospel reality that when we receive the Holy Spirit and are brought into God’s family, we are called to work together in the Spirit’s power to build His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

This emphasis was much-needed. Previously, theological imbalances caused many believers to embrace an overly spiritualized focus on the eternal to the neglect of the practical. With this imbalance came an abandoning of practical wisdom for flourishing in marriage, work, finances, parenting, and even the stewardship of our bodies. Leaders developed Bible studies and seminars to help believers learn to apply Biblical truths and concepts to all areas of life.

This brought great blessings to the church and spoke volumes to the watching world about the redeeming power of the Gospel. However, by spotlighting the call to flourish in this life, the light on the hope of the resurrection was dimmed. Instead of holding these Biblical truths in balance, which is crucial, the pendulum swung to the opposite extreme. Flourishing, which is evidence of the Gospel at work, is not the whole Gospel message, and when separated from the hope of Christ’s resurrection diminishes the finished work of Christ.

Paul explains the essential role of the resurrection hope of the Gospel clearly in Colossians 1:5. In this passage, he shows that Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection with and in Him are foundational to flourishing in faith and love—which includes all that we do in this life. He also highlights that our Father is the very “God of hope” who fills us “with joy and peace as we trust in Him” (Romans 15:13). Paul continues to echo this reality when he says that our hope is in the resurrection, and that if our hope is in this life only, we are to be pitied above all people (1 Corinthians 15:19–20).

Flourishing Anchored in Resurrection

The blessing of flourishing in the Christian life, then, is not found in focusing on how we can thrive more in this life. Instead, as Paul reminds us, true flourishing—true blessedness—comes as we set our hope on the resurrected King, anchoring our hope in His resurrection, and setting our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1–2).

As I’ve been reading Colossians 1, the Lord is reminding me of this essential truth. One practical step that I’m taking—and that may help you—is taking time to daily meditate on the resurrection, along with Christ's ascension: “Keep seeking the things above not the things of earth, because you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Not only is the ascension essential, but His second coming and our coming back with Him in glory is vital to the Gospel (Colossians 3:4).

The more we set our minds on the hope of the resurrection, the more we will realize we are created for a relationship with the eternal, triune God. Just as light reflects off an object, the light of Gospel hope will shine into our lives, guiding us to live in a way that pleases the Lord and leads to genuine flourishing. Simultaneously, we will also see that all blessings in this life are preparing us to reign and rule with Him and will soon pass away. Both our trials and triumphs are momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory waiting for us in the resurrection, where we will live with the Lord forever (2 Corinthians 4:17–18). This helps us focus our minds on Christ and Christ alone as our very life: “And when Christ who is our life is revealed, we will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

In essence, the hope of our eternal life in Christ is the crown jewel of our Christian life, with Jesus being the crown itself. True spiritual flourishing flows out of a deep and growing hope in His resurrection, not the other way around (Romans 5:2b-5). When we fix our eyes on Christ and the life He promises, we will be able to walk in faith and love in a way that bears fruit for His glory. 

“We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only [in this] so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love for us has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:2b-5).

"The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power Toward Us"

I wanted to share a link to a sermon by John Piper titled “The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power Toward Us,” because it so beautifully captures the heart of our new life in Christ and God’s desire for us to truly know the riches of our union with Him.

Over the past year, as I’ve been reading and meditating on Ephesians 1 at night, I’ve become increasingly aware of my own need to grow in the very knowledge Paul prayed for the Ephesians—to have “the eyes of my heart enlightened” so that I may know the hope of my calling, the riches I have in Christ, and the incomparable power of God at work in me—the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand (Ephesians 1:17–21). Many nights I close my Bible with a sense of both awe and disappointment. I'm amazed that God has promised such incredible blessings for everyone who is in Christ, but also disappointed, asking why I do not have a deeper degree of this spiritual understanding in my own life.

If you’ve ever felt the same and are longing for a greater awareness and experience of God’s supernatural work through your union with Christ in His death and resurrection, I hope this sermon will be a great encouragement. It has been for me! Piper clearly explains why we often struggle to grasp these truths and provides much-needed insight into how we can grow in our ability to apprehend the riches of our new life in Christ.

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-immeasurable-greatness-of-his-power-toward-us

Living in Our True Identity in Christ

Imagine waking up one morning to discover your entire identity has been remade. You receive instructions that you are being reimagined and redefined by different realities than before. Now imagine agreeing to this, saying goodbye to your previous identity, and taking on a whole new way of life.

This sounds like a Jason Bourne movie, but in a sense, it is what happens when we come to know Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord. In that instant, we are regenerated and receive from God’s Spirit a new identity, as those who are now in union with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10). The Bible says we are literally transferred from an old kingdom—Adam-land—to the new kingdom of Christ and given new desires and desires to live for our new King (Colossians 1:13; Romans 6:4). The Bible assures us that this new identity cannot be removed, and that we are secure as newly adopted daughters and sons of the King (Romans 8:15-17).

But what if the ruler of the previous kingdom—the kingdom of darkness—sends messages contrary to God’s messages about our new identity? What happens if we choose to believe those lies? In the same way that we begin to live out Gospel truth, we can, in a lesser and temporary sense, begin to live out a false identity if we choose to listen to and believe false information about God, ourselves, and others.

Here’s how it works: maybe we go through a series of difficult trials, hurts, and disappointments. Through this, we are asking God for answers and help, but not seeing definite results. Thoughts begin to emerge and we wonder if things will improve, if God is really with us, and if He will come through. We begin to doubt if we are really that different than we were before, and if we can handle the stress of these trials if they continue. Slowly, we start to believe small lies like “I need more than I have to get through this,” “God doesn’t care,” and "I've got to figure this out on my own." With these lies come the foundations of a new, alternate identity. We’ve shifted from a position of trust in what God says about us and Himself to believing what our feelings and circumstances say (Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:9).

The Greater Reality

We look at the things around us—our homes, nature, and the world—and conclude that what we see and experience is the greatest form of reality and constitutes our real identity. In addition, our flesh, the world system and Satan are constantly trying to tell us that God and His invisible truths are illusory. But the Bible says this is not true (2 Corinthians 4:18). In an instant, everything we consider reliable in the world can shift and be destroyed, including health, finances, and relationships. It is an illusion to believe these things are more stable or can sustain us better than the reality that God tells us is true in His Word. Thus, two definitions of what is true and what is illusory are at battle, because there are two kingdoms at war—the domain of darkness and the kingdom of our Father’s beloved Son.

The flesh and Satan’s demons continually tell us that God’s truth and the new identity we have in Christ are an illusion. On the other hand, the Lord describes all the riches we have in Christ. The two are antithetical. For example, God says our life is now hidden with Christ in God, and Christ is our life. Yet the whole culture surrounding us screams that this description of our identity and riches in Christ is false, and that true identity is found in that which we handle, see, and hear. 

We may not feel it, but God’s description of our identity is more real than anything in this universe that our senses perceive and our emotions feel. We walk by faith, not by sight. Since this is true, it’s vital to know God’s truth so that we can discern the lies we are tempted to believe. Here are a few that impact our lives, along with God’s promises, which we can stand on.

Three Key Lies

“I am not complete.”

This is the serpent’s lie in the Garden, tempting Adam and Eve to seek transcendence through special wisdom and knowledge that would make them whole (Genesis 3:1–6). Yet they were already complete in their relationship with God. As those who are now in Christ, the Bible says we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). That means that though we are sinful, broken, and lacking perfection in our flesh—in everything from our intellect to physical strength and ability—Christ has given us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) and made us spiritually alive and whole through union with Him. Now, we live as those who fully measure up in Christ because of His sufficiency, not our own.

As we trust this, we can go out each day from a place of fullness so that His living waters flow from us (John 7:38), rather than going out seeking validation, acceptance, and completion through what we do, know, or accomplish. If we believe the lie that we are incomplete, we will live in an entirely different identity than what Christ has given us, and instead of bearing good fruit, we will bear the bitter fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:22–23).

“I am alone.”

Another lie is that we are alone—that God is not with us on a practical level. Adam and Eve likely gave in to this deception, forgetting about God’s nearness and His faithfulness. If they had trusted that the Lord was with them and was not withholding any good, in their moment of temptation, they would have called out to Him as their ever-present help and protector (Psalm 46:1). In response, the Lord Himself would have driven out the wicked one.

The wonderful reality is that He has given believers His Holy Spirit, our Helper and Advocate, to dwell within us, sealing us to Himself eternally (John 14:26; Ephesians 1:14). We are never alone and never will be! He promises, “I am with you always even to the end i of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

If we truly trust that God is with us and helping us, we will live at peace, walk in his wisdom and wait for Him, rather than turning to idols for support when life doesn’t work out the way we want (Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:6-7).

“I must protect and defend myself.”

When we believe the lie that we’re not complete in Christ and that we are alone, we will inevitably think that we have to protect and defend ourselves to flourish and remain safe. This puts us in both an offensive and defensive position that eventually exhausts us—leaving us to discern all danger, form strategies to evade it, fight the enemy, and protect ourselves (Ephesians 6:12).

In a sense, we become our own god, trying to validate our worth through striving and contending, then seeking to protect ourselves from danger by either fight or flight. Adam and Eve did this after eating from the forbidden tree, as they hid from God to defend themselves and put together fig leaves to cover their shame. The same is true for us. All our strategies to guard ourselves from shame, pain, and evil are like flimsy fig leaf coverings that cannot protect us. But if we trust in the Lord’s protection and actively put ourselves under His care, He will fulfill His promises.

Returning to our True Identity

The way back to living in our true identity is often easier to trace once we’ve recognized the lies we’re believing. Dissatisfied with the chaotic static of our misplaced identity, we begin to hear God clearly beckoning us to return to Him and the truth to find freedom and flourishing (John 8:32). This begins by actively turning our eyes and ears back to His unchanging Word, acknowledging that despite how we feel or what we sense in this ever-changing physical world, His Word is true, and every creature is a liar (Hebrews 4:12; Romans 3:4). Because of His gift of faith in Christ (1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Peter 1:1), we can renounce the lies of our flesh, the world, and Satan, and embrace God’s inerrant, infallible Word with complete trust that we are complete and qualified in Christ (Colossians 2:10). He will never leave or forsake us and is fighting on our behalf.

By putting our complete confidence in Him, we can rest in the assurance that He is in charge, upholding us with His powerful right hand and that the battle belongs to the Lord – not us (Exodus 14:14; Isaiah 41:10). As we do this, we begin to live from a place of rest, just as God promised in Hebrews: “for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10). We no longer need to strive to prove, defend, or complete ourselves, because the one who is our very life has already made us whole (Colossians 3:3–4). We don’t have to live as those who are orphans, since we rest in our Father’s care. And we do not need to be hyper-alert, with an adrenaline surge and cortisol explosion, because our Father is the sovereign ruler over all the details of life—just as Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34.

The battle for our identity is essentially a battle for our fully persuaded trust. Will we trust the voice of our loving Lord or the lies of th world, the flesh and the deceiver? Every day, we are free to live as those who are secure in Christ. The more we learn to stand on this reality, the more the illusions of our flesh and the world begin to fade. The truth becomes clear—we are his chosen, adopted, beloved, holy children who are not only complete but secure in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-5; Colossians 3:12).

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1-2)