Romans 6

Easter – what a great day to celebrate!

Greetings Kum Yan family and friends! Welcome home! We are so glad that you are able to celebrate Easter together with us!
Easter is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. On this day, we remember God sent His Son Jesus, our Lord and Saviour who died, was buried, and rose again in the power of the Holy Spirit, in victory over sin and death.
But what does Easter mean to us personally? How does it impact us today?
Here are 3 thoughts that may help us answer the question, taken from Romans 6.

1) Are we living new lives?
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. – Romans 6:4
Jesus did not come only to teach us to be good, behaviourally. No one could ever live righteous lives by our own efforts, and we certainly try, often with much frustration, worry and anger!
But in Jesus Christ, we have become new creations (2 Cor 5:17). We are ‘born again’ (John 3:3), receive new hearts (Ez 36:26-27) and the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us righteousness, peace and joy in Him.

2) Are we dead to the power of sin?
When he died, he died once to break the power of sin… So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:10-11
Jesus came so that sin will no longer rule over us! This means we are dead to our flesh, and we no longer have to give in to our sinful desires like slaves – we have new options! As we open our hearts to Jesus, God changes our bad habits, bad language and bad attitudes to become more like Jesus (Eph 5:1-2).

3) Are we living for God’s glory?
… give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. – Romans 6:13
In Christ Jesus, we are not only made new and set free — we are connected with our heart’s deepest longing and higher purpose: to live for God’s glory! We are His handiwork (Eph 2:10) with good work to do, and value as His glorious inheritance (Eph 1:18). Every task on our daily schedule, every decision big or small, is an opportunity to bring God praise and do it well for Him.
Easter – what a great day to celebrate! Don’t let it pass by as another holiday – we remember Jesus who gave all of humanity salvation, wholeness and reconciliation with a Heavenly Father who loves us. Shalom!