“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” – Romans 1:1-6 (ESV)

From the very beginning of his letters, Paul states clearly his identity in Christ. His purpose was centered around who Christ is (v. 2-5) and the authority and power in which Christ displayed His triumph over death. More importantly, Paul knew that without the truth of resurrection, our hope and faith in Christ is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

My prayer is that as you go forward throughout your life in full knowledge and acceptance of Jesus’ complete work of redemption on the cross, you will remember with unshakable faith the eternal life we have through His resurrection.

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” – Romans 8:11 (NLT)