What Are the Benefits of the Resurrection for Believers?

Summary

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Grace in Focus: What Are the Benefits of the Resurrection for Believers?

Podcast: Grace in Focus
Host: Grace Evangelical Society
Guests: Katharine Wright and Ken Yates
Release Date: June 6, 2025
Duration: ~13 minutes

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Episode Overview

This special episode, recorded on Easter Sunday, dives into the profound benefits of Christ’s resurrection for believers. Rather than focusing solely on future hope—such as resurrection to eternal life—the hosts, Katharine Wright and Ken Yates, explore how the resurrection shapes present Christian living, sanctification, and daily discipleship. They challenge common theological readings that reduce scriptural passages to “going to heaven,” offering instead a Free Grace perspective that highlights immediate and practical implications for believers.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Dual Benefits of Christ’s Death and Resurrection

• Not Just a Future Hope
  • The discussion begins by acknowledging the traditional focus on the resurrection as a guarantee of future glorification and life after death, but quickly pivots (“so much of the scriptures are talking about discipleship truths ... and blessings ... for our benefit here and now.” - Katharine, 03:32–03:47).
• Barriers Removed for Now and Forever
  • Christ’s death took away the barrier of sin (“With the death, the death of Christ, he took away the barrier for sin. ... So he could give us eternal life because he rose.” - Ken, 02:30–02:43).
  • The resurrection isn't just about life after death but has transforming power for believers’ current lives.

The Common Misreading of Resurrection Passages

• Beyond ‘Getting to Heaven’
  • The hosts critique how many interpret the Bible as singularly concerned with “how to get to heaven,” focusing only on justification and eternal destiny.
  • They challenge Lordship Salvation, Arminian, and Catholic perspectives for reducing sanctification or Christian living texts to tests or maintainers of salvation (04:13–04:52).
• “Most of the New Testament deals with ... sanctification, Christian living, Christian growth.”
  • Ken Yates (04:53) emphasizes shifting the lens from mere soteriology to practical sanctification.

Romans 5:9-10—A Hinge Passage

• Reframing Key Terms
  • Justified by His blood: Traditionally seen as “going to heaven,” but more deeply it means being declared righteous in the present (06:17–07:49).
  • Saved from wrath: Not just future hell, but also present experience—freedom from God’s disciplinary wrath due to ongoing union with Christ.
  • “Much more ... having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9, discussed at 06:17–07:49).
• Practical Present Blessings
  • Ken explains, “Being justified is something, is a blessing and a benefit that I have right now ... I have access to Him. Communion with him is a possibility for me.” (09:22–09:44).
  • The resurrection means Christ’s life indwells believers now via the Spirit, granting power over sin and enabling sanctified living (11:13–12:08).

The Role of Christian Living and Sanctification

• Not Merely Declared Righteous
  • “Before I became a believer, I experienced the wrath of God ... but now ... I now can live a life where I don't experience the wrath of God.” —Ken (09:45–10:05)
• Salvation in the Present Tense
  • “We have now been reconciled to God ... these are all things that Paul is describing, what the death and resurrection of the Lord means for me right now as a believer in this life.” —Ken (11:38–11:55)
  • Catherine reinforces: “Even there he says ... much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. So salvation here is the salvation for the believer, who’s already been ... given eternal life ... and now can walk with him ... through his resurrection power.” (11:45–12:08)

Reflections on Justification and Glorification

• Language for the Present Life
  • Ken muses: “In the kingdom, I don't think it'll be proper for us to say I am justified ... I need to be declared righteous. ... But in the kingdom, I'm going to be in a glorified body, and I'll no longer have the flesh.” (09:59–10:30).
  • The language of justification and reconciliation is particularly relevant to life now while still in mortal bodies.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “His death and resurrection has unbelievable benefits ... very practical, daily benefits to every believer here and now.”
  – Katharine Wright (03:23–03:32)

• “Most people in churches today think that the Bible is just simply telling us how to get to heaven.”
  – Ken Yates (04:13–04:21)

• “We are longing for the day when we all ... receive our glorified bodies in a twinkling of an eye ... but there’s more to the Scriptures than that.”
  – Katharine Wright (01:40–04:13)

• “When Christ rose from the dead, he sent me His Spirit. ... His life is in me. I no longer have to serve sin. ... These are all things ... the death and resurrection mean for me right now as a believer.”
  – Ken Yates (11:13–11:55)

• “For all eternity we're going to find out more and more of what his death and resurrection truly accomplished.”
  – Katharine Wright (12:30–12:37)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:09] – Context: Easter recording and focus of conversation
• [02:30–03:23] – Christ’s death and resurrection: eternal vs. present benefits
• [04:13–04:53] – Problems with common theological interpretations
• [06:17–07:49] – Deep dive into Romans 5:9–10
• [09:00–11:13] – Justification, wrath, reconciliation, and present access to God
• [11:13–12:08] – Resurrection power for Christian living
• [12:30–12:37] – Ever-expanding discovery of resurrection benefits

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Conclusion

This concise yet theologically rich episode invites listeners to see Christ’s resurrection not only as a guarantee of future hope but as the dynamic source of power, freedom, and communion for Christian life today. Katharine Wright and Ken Yates urge a reading of Scripture that emphasizes immediate, practical sanctification benefits, capturing the heart of Free Grace Theology while challenging reductive readings. As Katharine summarizes:

“For all eternity we’re going to find out more and more of what his death and resurrection truly accomplished.” (12:30)

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Transcript

[A]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.

[B]

First Corinthians 15 is called the Resurrection Chapter. And today on Grace in Focus we think about what are the benefits of the resurrection for believers. For instance, how does it relate to discipleship and sanctification? Thank you for joining us today, friend. Grace in Focus is a radio ministry and a podcast ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. We have a website, faithalone.org and you can learn a lot about us there. We have many articles that you can read in a store and we'd also love for you to subscribe to our free magazine. It is published bimonthly six times a year. And I think I mentioned it's free. And free does mean free. Except if you live outside of the 48 contiguous United States. You do have to pay the postage. You will love the magazine. It is full size and the articles are great and you just have to ask for it. Do [e-mail] and now with today's question and answer discussion, here are Katharine Wright and Ken Yates.

[A]

Today's a special day.

[B]

It is.

[A]

You all don't know this, so we'll just tell you. We're recording this on Easter and in our church service this morning, we were dealing with the death and resurrection of the Lord, which you would expect on Easter. We had a long discussion about the significance of it and we thought it would be a good idea to do a little podcast on it. So why don't you, Catherine, tell us basically the issue we were talking about.

[C]

Sure. As we look at the Lord's death and resurrection today, and hopefully year round, so much, rightfully so, is when we're talking about it, we emphasize what the benefits of his death and resurrection are for us. When we think about our future and the resurrection of our own bodies and for those of us that have loved ones that are gone, as we look forward to the resurrection of the church and then the Old Testament saints and others, that we look forward to the kingdom and all that is in our future. And so as we obviously celebrate his resurrection, he's the first of many. And so we are longing for the day when we all either receive our glorified bodies in a twinkling of an eye or as they're being transformed or resurrected.

[A]

And let me just say something. You know, with the death, death, the death of Christ, he took away the barrier for sin.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

So that why? So he could give us eternal life.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

Because he rose.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

First Corinthians, 15, Paul has a long chapter on that. He rose. So we're going to rise. I think most of our listeners would agree that that's kind of the focus.

[C]

Yeah. The foundation for our salvation.

[A]

From hell.

[C]

From hell.

[A]

Right. And that because of what he did, we're going to live forever with him.

[C]

That's right. And all of that's true. Yeah, 100%. And we proclaim that here at GES. And we also talked about the benefits of his death and resurrection as it applies to our sanctification as well.

[A]

Or we would say the benefits of his death and resurrection for us now.

[C]

Correct.

[A]

I don't have to wait till the Lord comes back. His death and resurrection has unbelievable benefits.

[C]

Very practical, daily benefits to every believer here and now. And I guess why it's so near and dear to us is that this is so often missed that so much of the scriptures are talking about discipleship truths and sanctification truths and so many of the blessings that the Lord has given us for our benefit here and now. And yet, sadly, so much of what has happened in the church today is that we see the Bible as just very singular in that it's all about just getting to heaven. But what we're arguing is that, yes, obviously we. Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life and they will be in the kingdom to come. But there's more to the Scriptures than that.

[A]

Yeah. And most people in churches today think that the Bible is just simply telling us how to get to heaven.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

And that explains, for example, Lordship people, they take all these passages on discipleship and they go, well, that's just letting you know if you're really saved or not. That's just letting you know. You can test yourself to see if you're going to be in the kingdom or not.

[C]

Or for the Arminian, just to maintain.

[A]

Your salvation or you'll lose it.

[C]

Or you'll lose it. That's right.

[A]

And the only thing the Bible has to say to us according to these systems of theology, I mean, even the Catholic theology.

[C]

Right.

[A]

We go to the church to find these graces so that hopefully we can make it into the kingdom eventually.

[C]

Right, Right.

[A]

But of course, at Grace Evangelical Society, we disagree with that. We say that most of the New Testament deals with, as Catherine said, sanctification, Christian living, Christian growth. In our church today, as we were thinking about Easter and what was going on Easter, we went to a passage that deals with Jesus, death and resurrection. And even here, many, most would say, oh, well, this is just talking about going to heaven. But it's clear that that's not what's going on. And the verses that we looked at in Romans chapter five, this is a hinge passage, a turning point in the book of Romans where Paul starts talking about Christian living. And I'm just going to focus on verse 9 and 10.

[B]

We will rejoin in just a moment. But years ago, Zane Hodges wrote the Gospel Under Siege. Sadly, this is still true and GES president Bob Wilkin has recently written its sequel. Bob's new book, the Gospel is Still Under Siege is a book about theological clarity on the biblical teaching about eternal salvation. It is available now. Secure yours today at the Grace Evangelical Society's bookstore. Find [e-mail] store. That's faithalone.org store. Now back to today's content.

[A]

In verses nine and ten, Paul says this much more than notice, much more then having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Now there's a classic example there. What would most people say when they go, we've been justified by his blood going to heaven, Going to heaven. God saved me, forgave me of all my sins. By his blood I have been made righteous. And then in the last part of that verse, we will be saved from wrath through him. Well, once again, hell. Hell is wrath. We're going to be saved from wrath. So on the cross he paid for all my sins, therefore he saved me from hell. That's what it means to be justified. And I will be saved from the wrath of the lake of fire because of him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, reconciled to God means I'm saved from hell through the death of His Son. So his Son saved me from hell. Much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And once again people would say, well, because Jesus rose from the dead, I'm going to rise from the dead. So he's alive, I'm going to be alive. And they take all these words, reconciled, justified, saved from wrath. All these are taken to mean saved from hell. And so Paul's just repeating himself seems.

[C]

To be a common theme.

[A]

What we talked about in church today, we just want to share with you as we celebrate Easter. And I don't know when you all will be listening to this, but when you think back on Easter, however many weeks it is that Paul's not talking about going to heaven in these verses that it's talking about Christian living, it's something much more. Much more. What does Christ's death and resurrection mean to me now? That's, I mean this is profound. If we see it here, if this is correct, and as we remember his death and resurrection, what does it mean for me? Christian living? If I could just summarize it, here's what I would say. In verse 9, we were justified by his blood. The word justified there means declared righteous. As a believer, I have been declared righteous. My faith was counted as righteousness. Before I was a believer. I was his enemy. I was under the wrath of God. But now, as a believer, right now, I have been justified. Now, I want to ask you something. We didn't talk about this in church. This may seem too radical for some people, but I was thinking just to myself, in the kingdom, I don't think it'll be proper for us to say I am justified. Is that too far out in this sense? Right now, I have been declared righteous because I'm in this body of flesh. I need to be declared righteous. Because in verse two, he says, because I have been declared righteous, I have access to God. Well, in the kingdom, I'm going to be in a glorified body, and I'll no longer have the flesh. I'm not going to need to be justified. That may be too weird, but my point is, whether that's true or not, this part is true. Being justified is something, is a blessing and a benefit that I have right now. Because God has declared me righteous because of my faith, I have access to Him. Communion with him is a possibility for me. It is mine. That is who I am. And I'm always going to be declared righteous in this life, okay? And that is what his death did for me, because Christ died for me. He took away the barrier of sin. And God can declare me righteous. He paid for all my sins on the cross. He can declare me righteous. When I come to faith, and my faith is counted as righteousness, and I have access to him. And then it says, having been justified, we shall be saved from his wrath through him. Before I became a believer, I experienced the wrath of God because of the sin in my life. But now that I've been declared righteous and I have access to him and he lives within me, I now can live a life where I don't experience the wrath of God. And then in the next verse, he pretty much says the same thing. We have now been reconciled to God once again. I wonder if those phrases are really appropriate for the kingdom where I will be reconciled.

[C]

Yeah, when you mentioned that before, it reminds me at the end of chapter seven, right, when he cries out about this being in this body of that's right. That won't be applicable for the glorified saint.

[A]

Yeah. Who's going to deliberate from this body of death.

[C]

Right.

[A]

I've been justified. No, that terminology I don't think we're going to use now. I don't know, I just was thinking about that today. But he does say in verse 10 here that we shall be saved by his life. When Christ rose from the dead, he sent me His Spirit. He lives with me through his spirit. His life is in me. I no longer have to serve sin. I have been declared righteous. I have access to Him. These are all things that Paul is describing, what the death and resurrection of the Lord means for me right now as a believer in this life.

[C]

Yeah. Even there he says, says much more again, much more. Having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. So salvation here is the salvation for the believer.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Who's already been, already been given eternal life, already been declared justified and now can walk with him. As he's going to say later in the book, that this is done through his resurrection power.

[A]

That's right. When Christ rose from the dead, he sent me his spirit. He lives within me. That's his life. As you think about the death and resurrection of the Lord, certainly it makes eternal life possible. But much more, as Paul says, his death and resurrection has wonderful truths that are applicable for us here and now as we wait for his soon return.

[C]

I think that for all eternity we're going to find out more and more of what his death and resurrection truly accomplished.

[A]

Amen. Not just oh, I'm going to be in heaven forever. And in the meantime, keep grace in focus.

[B]

Read many from our library of thousands of free magazine and journal articles [e-mail] resources. That's faithalone.org did you miss an episode of Grace in Focus that you really wanted to hear? Just come to faithalone.org and that's faithalone.org we have all our past episodes right there on the site. Our team is really great about answering questions, comments and feedback. If you've got some, we hope to hear from you. Let me give you our email address so you can do just that. It's radioaithalone.org that's radioaithalone.org well, we thank you for joining us today and this week on Grace in Focus. And we invite you to come back next week for more questions and answers. And in the meantime, let's keep grace in focus.

[A]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.