All theology of the cross must include a theology of the resurrection, or else we have a theology that rids us of the problem of sin but does nothing to transform our lives, our ongoing relationships, or our world.
Anyone who thinks that salvation is “done” by simply praying a sinner’s prayer has an infant’s grasp of at-one-ment as it is presented in scripture. Our new life with Jesus, lived by the power of his resurrection, is an ongoing life-giving, life-saving miracle.
The resurrection means that God’s plan to heal the world has been put into effect, that we are able and responsible to cooperate with God in that plan, and that the remarkable power of the Spirit is alive in us and working to accomplish that plan through us.The Kingdom of Heaven, signifying God’s sovereignty in this world, is available here and now for any who welcome it. But God’s Kingdom won’t arrive because we destroy our enemies—it will be because we entrust God’s righteous judgment to sort out sin and busy ourselves with the work of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom does not come like a battering ram, but like a mustard seed—growing in us, as we grow in our endeavors to heal the world.
We must be working toward New Creation now, not in violent revolt, but in loving grace and Gospel.
Adapted from Why God Died