A New Life: Living the Reality of Resurrection

Today marks the first Sunday of Lent, a forty-day journey of devotion leading to Easter. It is a season to meditate on the Cross and prepare our hearts for the profound joy of the Resurrection. As believers who have been baptized, we must ask ourselves: what does this act actually signify for our daily lives?

From Death to “Zoe”

Romans 6:4 tells us: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that… we too may live a new life.” This “new life” is not merely psuche (physical existence), which eventually fades. It is zoe—the eternal, resurrected life of Christ. To possess this life, our “old self” must be crucified with Him so that we are no longer slaves to sin. When we truly deny ourselves and participate in His death, we begin to live by the power of His resurrection right here on earth.

The Litmus Test: Love

How do we know if we truly possess this eternal life? The Bible offers a clear diagnostic in 1 John 3:14: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”

In our churches, we often prioritize faith as essential but treat love as an “optional extra”—a bonus for the especially pious. However, God’s Word suggests otherwise. If you do not love, you are not enjoying the freedom of life; you are still living as a slave in Egypt where death reigns. As Paul writes in Romans 13:10, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”

The Hardest Form of Love: Forgiveness

The most difficult expression of love is forgiving those who have hurt us. While God’s grace is a gift, our experience of that grace is often tied to our willingness to extend it to others. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus warns: “If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15).

Consider the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. A man forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents refused to forgive a fellow servant a mere hundred denarii. Because he lacked mercy, his own forgiveness was revoked. When we refuse to forgive, we are like that servant—clinging to a small debt while risking the ocean of grace we have received. To say, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” while harboring a grudge is to ask God to withhold His mercy from us.

Love is Not an Option

Love is the “living water” required for spiritual survival in a desert-like world. We do not love others because they are “worthy” or “righteous.” Rather, we look at the weakness of their “old selves” and choose mercy over judgment. Like Job, who interceded for the friends who tormented him, we must step into the shoes of those who have slandered or betrayed us. Dying to our resentment is painful—it feels like the death of the ego—but it is the only way a “grain of wheat” falls to the ground to produce fruit.

Closing: Becoming “Pickled” in Christ

Your level of Bible knowledge or religious activity does not prove your salvation. The true evidence is whether you are walking in the “New Life” of unconditional love.

How do we achieve this? We must first love the Lord with all our heart, remembering the agony of the Cross where He took our punishment. We must stop living in our toxic “old selves” and plead for the risen Christ to rule over us.

Think of it like pickling: just as a cucumber must be soaked in brine to change, we must soak our souls in the Holy Spirit. When we are “pickled in Jesus,” His character permeates our souls. Only then can we move beyond human effort to truly “love your neighbor as yourself.”

During this Lent, may you live under the reign of the Lord, practicing His love and bearing the abundant fruit of eternal life. Amen.