2014년 4월 20일 부활주일 영어설교
베드로전서 1:3

(1 Peter 1:3)

     The New Testament is intensely practical. The Bible does not hide any adversity and predicament that Christians may meet in their lives. While it uncovers one of the real natures of Christian lives in the world, the Christian gospel always affirmatively gives us ‘a living hope.’ This living hope is not the optimism, this living hope is not the positive philosophy, this living hope is not the psychological cheeriness, and this living hope of Christian gospel is not a religious auto-suggestions. No, it is Christian realism. As today’s text says, this living hope is given through ‘the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ Today, in celebrating Easter, during the short time given to us this morning, we are going to be appreciating even briefly what this living hope that the Christian gospel gives to believers is and how it is realized by all true believers.

In verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Here, Peter asserts that God makes us to be born again. Peter is especially talking about being born again to ‘a living hope.’ And he says that it is realized through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Here, ‘a living hope’ means lively, effectively, and actual hope that the Christian gospel presents. The expression ‘be born again to living hope through the Resurrection’ does not mean, as many literatures, philosophies, and thoughts suggest, a survival of some personality or succession of some values and spirits from generation to generation. This living hope through the Resurrection in Christianity is not the same as a lesson like after a severe winter passes hopeful spring will come. It is not vague, uncertain, abstract, and unreal like that kind of lesson. This living hope through the Resurrection in Christianity is not something lingering only through a mental and psychological aspect with intent to encourage the human minds. This hope is living and lively. This hope is something substantial, certain, and vibrant with life and power. This living hope through the Resurrection in Christianity leads us to the real and eternal life. It enables us to live, not die, live. Not only that, this living hope through the Resurrection can hold us in adversary situations in this world. Peter wrote this letter to Christians who were experiencing a very hard time. What the apostle Peter is saying here is that whatever they are, however bad they may be, however severe, hard, and dark the situation is the living hope through the Resurrection can sustain and enable us to not only endure but to be ‘more than conquerors.’ And the phrase, “be born again to a living hope through the Resurrection,’ means that a true believer comes to have a new sense, identity, and outlook to experience and react to this living hope as a new creature in Jesus Christ. This is the message on this Easter morning to Christian people from the Christian gospel.

Then, how does the Resurrection accomplish all this? First, it does so because of what it did to Jesus Christ our Lord. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the literal event in history as the Scriptures realistically testifies. It is not a symbolic meaning, and not only spiritual significance. Let’s look at the two greatest events ever in history. Crucifixion – all the punishment that the Law designates for sinners like you and me was poured out upon him, Jesus Christ on the cross on the Calvary. All the demands of the perfect Law of God was fulfilled on the cross. Jesus was cursed on there instead of the sinners, his chosen people. Jesus was forsaken on there for the sinners, you and me. Now, all the price of our sins was paid. Due to the sacrifice of Jesus, God satisfied. No more curse of death, no more punishment for sin, every requirement of the Law was met. All the problems of sin of His chosen people were solved. This is because he was hanged on the cross, he was cursed on there, and he was buried. However. It does not stop there. It is not the end. Resurrection – Christ did not remain in the grave. He was risen from the dead conquering the death. He appeared to his people, and he ascended into heaven, and again took His throne in the eternal glory. Listen to the testimony of Paul in Romans, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God” (Rom. 6:9-10). He died once, but no more! He accomplished the work that he came into the realm of sin and death in order to save his chosen people from the sin. He rose again from the dead not only spiritually but also bodily, the new tact eternal glorified real physical body. When we say that he took his seat again in heaven, it does not mean that some ghost of Jesus is hovering and floating somewhere else in heaven. He is back in his own glory. Now he dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him – the Resurrection.

And then we need to see the crucial fact that, as the Bible always repeatedly demonstrates everywhere in it, all the believers are untied with Jesus Christ who was crucified and resurrected, all the believers are in Jesus Christ who was crucified and resurrected – The Union with Christ. Through this amazing union, all the merits and effects of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection come to be ours, believers, His chosen people, Christian people.

Therefore, today’s text is saying this, “he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Everyone, this is the message of Easter of the Christian gospel. In spite of your hopelessness, failure, affliction, despair, shame, sin, disease, and death of this life, God gives us strength, wisdom, and ability to endure. God reserves for us an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled in heaven. We can smile at the death of our life because He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We can sing the triumphant, victorious song forever because the hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death is living. Hold onto and stay in the living hope of the Resurrection.