As Jesus Christ expelled his last precious breath on the cross, the words he uttered were those of Psalm 31:5. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” No one more powerful in world history has spoken with greater humility. They were words of ultimate surrender from the Lord of all creation.

Yet they were not words of resignation. Though he was seconds from death, his life was not over. In the hands of his heavenly Father, life beyond death was assured.

But it was not merely life that Christ was expecting. Psalm 31 speaks of God’s king not being left in shame and his righteousness being recognised. By invoking Psalm 31, Christ demonstrated his expectation of vindication and justification from his heavenly father. He trusted God to reveal the full significance and worth of his identity through the power of resurrection.

Christ’s unshakeable trust in his father impressed itself on even the most hardened of onlookers. “Surely this man was the Son of God,” said the Roman Centurion standing guard. His allegiance to God even in death demonstrated his perfect righteousness.

But over and above the testimony of the Roman commander, was the testimony of God himself three days later. By raising him from the dead, God emphatically declared Jesus’ authenticity and authority. “This Jesus, who you crucified, God has made both Lord and Christ.” Through the empty tomb, the one rejected by the world was vindicated by God. His righteousness was revealed; the atoning quality of his death for sin was proven to be sufficient and effective, and so the foundation for us to commit our spirit into his hands was firmly established.

With the utmost confidence, we can now surrender ourselves to Christ knowing our sin has been forgiven, and our eternal future secured. All on the grounds of our faithful God.