The Dunamis Power of the Resurrection
I’m going to say something that may shock you. But I say it with the deepest reverence and appreciation for what Jesus Christ did for us when He gave His life on the cross.
Too many believers focus their attention entirely on the cross, and never go to the rest of the story.
The cross was the ultimate moment of sacrifice and atonement. ere is no forgiveness of sin without Calvary. Even so, the ultimate moment of victory came three days later, when Jesus walked out of the tomb.
Let me repeat that, because it is so important. When Jesus died on the cross, His shed blood washed away the sins that had separated us from God and left us struggling under the Adamic curse. When Jesus rose from the dead, he gave us the power to be raised from the dead with Him in every part of our being – body, soul and spirit.
It is the cross, plus the empty tomb, that tells the total story of our faith—the death and the resurrection. e power of the resurrection radiates out from the empty tomb, giving all believers the ability to live in victory, but most of us are not aware. Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not be able to withstand the church’s advance. The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
“And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it]” (Matthew 16:18).
God expects us to be marching against the forces of evil and overcoming them and He gave us the authority to do it! It is called dunamis and it shows to us from the resurrection of Christ. Philippians 3:10 says, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection …” (KJV). Here, the apostle Paul says there is a power that comes from the resurrection. The word translated as “power” here is the Greek word “dunamis”.
What is so special about this power that Paul considered it second in importance to knowing Christ Himself? The word “dunamis” means in Greek, “power for performing miracles” and “excellence of soul.”4 Wow! No wonder Paul made that bold statement! It is so important, I feel I should repeat it for you. Dunamis is the power that causes miracles in the believer’s life and also has the ability to heal our wounded souls.
