Christ's Resurrection Authority

Why do good people hate Jesus? The answer to that question is not complicated; you can summarise it in one word. Authority. People don't have a problem with Jesus the friend, teacher, counsellor, and miracle worker. But people absolutely hate King Jesus. This is true because His kingship has implications. It means that rejecting Jesus is rejecting God, which amounts to eternal condemnation. Jesus' authority means that you can't merely use Jesus for your own benefit. He has the right to tell people what to do and to judge. Intellectual objections are the result of people's efforts to avoid Jesus authority. Some people may need to be taught about this, but many need to be warned. Jesus' crucifixion is evidence of God's kindness and goodness, and His intentionality to forgive and receive. Jesus' authority calls us to give to God what is God's. It requires a complete shift in thinking from living for your own benefit to living for God's benefit and glory. Why would any rational persona do that? The answer is in the resurrection. Life as a whole only makes sense in the resurrection of Christ. A new world is coming with Christ at the centre. His resurrection brings resurrection to His people too. The God who created life can restore life after death. It is within God's power, and it is both His promise and plan. Remarkably, we know that for God this is already accomplished because He already raised Christ from the dead! So, because this life we have is not the only life we will ever have, we want to live it for others, for Christ. This is a call to come to God in repentance and to depend on Him to live a life in submission to the authority of Christ.