This episode ties identification with Christ's resurrection to the power of that resurrection. The Scriptures abound with descriptions of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in believers, and this power is actually the same power that rose Christ from the dead. (Eph. 1:19-20) Peter observes that "God's divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." (2 Pet. 1:3) The great hope of the Christian faith is that we ultimately don't depend on ourselves to mature ourselves into the likeness of Christ, we abide in Christ and wait till His power transforms us. As we identify with Christ's death, we reckon ourselves dead to sin. We wait for God to transform us, and we experience burial, sometimes an extended period of time in which we see little change, but in faith we persistently shove the rotting corpse of the flesh back into the ground. Then, in God's time, "light rises in the darkness for the upright." (Psalm 112:4) Resurrection power, the same power that rose Christ from the dead, invigorates and animates our souls, expanding our capacity for the divine life, even to the point where Paul says "we are filled up with all the fulness of God." (Eph. 3:19) Giving all glory to God, Paul concludes that "we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." (2 Cor. 4:7)
Born Again through the Resurrection of Christ
This episode begins with the question, "what evidence is there in your life that the resurrection of Christ actually occurred?" The answer is simply the presence of zoe life, characterized by the born again experience. Regeneration ushered in life on a higher plane. Zoe life refers to life in the Spirit where believers are connected to God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the life that Jesus referred to in John 10:10: "I would that you have life, and that more abundantly." Zoe life was made available with the resurrection of Christ: once Jesus is glorified, "rivers of living water" spring up among those who put their faith in Christ. (John 7:38-39) This spiritual life contrasts with mere bios life, the biological life that all humanity partakes of. One proof of the resurrection of Christ is then the presence of zoe life among Christians who themselves have experienced spiritual resurrection. They are born again saints "alive from the dead," who have partaken of the life-giving Spirit of Christ. (Heb. 7:16)