“The exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20)

The resurrection of Christ was a demonstration of the power given to saints, in their own death and resurrection. “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

What can we say to people who think salvation is just the result of a common sense choice based on good information? This would be logical if dead people rise from the grave by their own power. Lazarus had nothing to do with his resurrection. He wasn’t asked whether he wanted to live again. He wasn’t even aware of what Christ was doing. But when Christ said “come forth”, no power could stop him from walking out of the tomb. The same, irresistible force changes sinners into saints. No sin, no corruption, no demons or Satan himself, can stop God from instantly changing a sinner into a saint.

No salvation happens by chance. Every salvation was planned before time. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself (Ephesians 1:4-5). Every saint is “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:1).

The sinner dies and is resurrected to new life. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ... we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4).