Lyrical Theology: In Christ Alone (Part 6)
In Christ Alone – Newsboys (see full lyrics here)
There in the ground, his body lay / Light of the world by darkness slain / Then bursting forth, in glorious day / Up from the grave he rose again / And as he stands in victory / Sins curse has lost its grip on me / For I am his, and he is mine / Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:17 says that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” In other words, if Jesus died but did not rise again, then Christianity is a giant hoax and believers in Christ are foolish people who have built their life on a lie. The death of Jesus is meaningless without the resurrection. If the story ended with Jesus’ lifeless body lying in a tomb, then there is nothing worth celebrating.
But the story did not end there! I love the way the Newsboys put it here: “Bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave he rose again!” The day Jesus rose from death indeed was a glorious day! By coming back to life he proved that he had conquered sin once and for all. Jesus truly was able to stand in victory, and as a result those who put their trust in him no longer are enslaved to sin. Jesus took our sin to the grave and rose to give us new life. This is the beauty and power of faith in Jesus. Our sins are wiped away and we are made new, infused with new life and made friends of God.
This happens because the sin that kept us from a relationship with God is removed by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. No longer are we unqualified to be in God’s presence. Jesus makes us holy and gives us access to the Father. Our lives are no longer our own but are turned over to God. Jesus bought us at the price of his own blood, for that is what it cost to bring us freedom. Satan, sin, and death no longer own us. Jesus does. And in him we have been given life eternal and joy everlasting. Receive this good news!
Canadian Bible Guy 