The Eighth Triumph of Christ's Resurrection

Edward F. Lundwall, Jr.

God can give rewards of eternal value!

Without life from Christ’s resurrection, religious works are usually self seeking and only achieve earthly rewards. Alexander the Great who cried when he realized that there were “no more worlds to conquer,” requested that upon his death his hands be left hanging and flopping outside his coffin, his riches be strewn along the road of his funeral possession, and that his doctors be his pall bearers. He wanted to point out that all men are born empty handed, will leave all their riches behind, and even the best educated cannot prevent inevitable death, that nothing done by human effort is eternal. Pointing to the Pharisees' outward religious practices, Jesus taught that all the great achievements or good things done by human effort do not bring eternal reward when He states, “…that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward” (Matt. 6:2).

With the triumphant resurrection of Christ, however, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, “Christ in us the hope of glory” (Col. 1:26-27) believers can through trust and obedience make an eternal impact when they influence others to consider the claims of Christ through their testimony, role model, proclamation of the truth of scripture. Why? For those who build their lives on the fundamental foundation of faith in Christ as the Savior with the desire to please and bring glory to Him, are storing up “treasures in heaven” that their heavenly Father “who sees in secret” will reward in them secret (Matt. 6:1821). It was in Jesus’ prayers that we would be with Him in heaven and bask in his glory and love in the presence of God the Father (John 17:20-26). At the Final Judgment of believers, “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.” “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13, 15). What is the work? In John 6:29, Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” and in verse 40, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on that day….I will raise him up on the last day” and again in verse 44 “I will raise him up on the last day.” Ah, what a wondrous glory that will be when we and others experience resurrection into God’s Presence…all because of the Triumphs Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Related reading:   The First Triumph; The Second Triumph; The Third Triumph; The Fourth Triumph; The Fifth Triumph; The Sixth Triumph; The Seventh Triumph