Why was our Saviour Jesus Christ raised from the dead?
Believers, most of us know why our Saviour Jesus Christ came to die - because of our sins. But do you know why our Abba Father raised Him from the dead? We see why in Romans 4:25 where it is said of our Saviour: "who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification."
The YLT translation puts it this way: "who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous."
Think of this as being put on prison death row for something you did ("all have sinned" and "the wages of sin is death".) This prison is not just any kind of prison. The inmates range from well-behaved, moral people to the vilest offenders (James 2:10 says "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.") It is one from which escape by human effort is impossible. In order avoid this prison, you must be 100% righteous before God; but Romans 3:20 says-
"For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."
Death is inevitable and not necessarily immediate in this prison. The only way to pay your sin debt is to finish serving your sentence by dying in the prison. A stranger who happens to be the son of the judge that sentenced you for your crime comes along and takes your place; agrees to endure this wicked prison for you (the curse of the law) and then die for you. You didn't even know this was possible but the judge tells you that you are free to go because he gave his own son to pay the wages of your sin.
Years later, you're walking down your street and you bump into the son of the judge. You immediately KNOW that your debt of sin has been fully paid. Why? Because the One who gave Himself up for you is alive and no longer in prison. With the Judge being the Righteous Judge, there is no way He could have come out of that prison without paying the full price of your sin. Christ raised from the dead is the divine receipt of our being declared righteous/guilt-free by God!
Believers, because God so loved the world, He gave His own Son to die for our sins. He raised Him from the dead as a testament to the fact that all who believe that Christ died for their sins are no longer owing God a debt of payment of the wages of sin. Christ's resurrection is the divine receipt declaring that we have been made righteous in the sight of God. In Him, our sin debt has been fully paid.
Not only did He die to pay our sin debt and was raised from the dead because of our justification, He gave us the Helper (Holy Spirit) that teaches us all things and transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18,) so even though our sins - past, present and future- have been paid, we cannot use this as an excuse to sin, not because of our self-effort and discipline but because the Holy Spirit transforms us, causing us to live right. The desire to sin is taken away! What a life!
To believe that His perfect work of paying the wages of our sin has not made us righteous as He is righteous is to deny Christ. Those who preach that it is your law-keeping and good works that give one right-standing with God deny Him. This teaching is a lie and this is the result of believing it: Galatians 5:4-
"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
Beloved of God, by His grace, let's not be found here.
But does this righteousness last only until our next sin? NEVER! Christ our High Priest "offered one sacrifice for sins for all time" according to Hebrews 10:12. His one sacrifice has taken away our past, present and future sins, unlike those of the priests under the Old Covenant. See what Hebrews 10:11 says of them:
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."
Hebrews 10:14 puts our life in Christ thus: "For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
In Him, we are forever righteous. We DID NOT earn this righteousness with our good works to begin with so our mistakes and misdeeds CANNOT make us lose it. The Parable of the Lost Sheep shows us that our Lord Jesus Christ is not in the business of killing His sheep that go astray/get wounded or leaving them to rot where they fell so the devil can devour them alive, no matter how His sheep come to be in that fallen situation. His strength is made perfect in weakness- our weakness. If we fall, He finds us and carries us home on His shoulders, and He rejoices. He is Saviour. He Himself said "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Even when your troubles are of your own making, He will help you. This is LOVE.
Hebrews 12:10 says He chastens us "for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness," never with things like sickness, the curse or death. He teaches us to forsake worldly lusts and redeems us from "every lawless deed" according to Titus 2. Would you really let your neighbour's dog bite your beloved child to death because he didn't listen when you told him to stay put in the house? You will protect him and even warn your neighbour to put his dog on a leash or else you will crush it! How much more our Father in heaven who trains us up in the way we should go that we should never depart from it? This is grace- undeserved, unmerited favour.
But God's grace is not a license to sin. Think of the things our Saviour had to go through for us in this prison that He endured for our sake: scourged, tormented and crucified by wicked prison guards. Does this immediately make you want you to go out and commit sin? Preach grace and let grace take care of those people that you think grace will cause to sin. Grace is our teacher, not you or I.
Look what Hebrews 12:28 says of grace: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."
Only by grace can we truly serve God the way He wants us to. Simply believe.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right.
The YLT translation puts it this way: "who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous."
Think of this as being put on prison death row for something you did ("all have sinned" and "the wages of sin is death".) This prison is not just any kind of prison. The inmates range from well-behaved, moral people to the vilest offenders (James 2:10 says "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.") It is one from which escape by human effort is impossible. In order avoid this prison, you must be 100% righteous before God; but Romans 3:20 says-
"For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."
Death is inevitable and not necessarily immediate in this prison. The only way to pay your sin debt is to finish serving your sentence by dying in the prison. A stranger who happens to be the son of the judge that sentenced you for your crime comes along and takes your place; agrees to endure this wicked prison for you (the curse of the law) and then die for you. You didn't even know this was possible but the judge tells you that you are free to go because he gave his own son to pay the wages of your sin.
Years later, you're walking down your street and you bump into the son of the judge. You immediately KNOW that your debt of sin has been fully paid. Why? Because the One who gave Himself up for you is alive and no longer in prison. With the Judge being the Righteous Judge, there is no way He could have come out of that prison without paying the full price of your sin. Christ raised from the dead is the divine receipt of our being declared righteous/guilt-free by God!
Believers, because God so loved the world, He gave His own Son to die for our sins. He raised Him from the dead as a testament to the fact that all who believe that Christ died for their sins are no longer owing God a debt of payment of the wages of sin. Christ's resurrection is the divine receipt declaring that we have been made righteous in the sight of God. In Him, our sin debt has been fully paid.
Not only did He die to pay our sin debt and was raised from the dead because of our justification, He gave us the Helper (Holy Spirit) that teaches us all things and transforms us to the image of His glory, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18,) so even though our sins - past, present and future- have been paid, we cannot use this as an excuse to sin, not because of our self-effort and discipline but because the Holy Spirit transforms us, causing us to live right. The desire to sin is taken away! What a life!
To believe that His perfect work of paying the wages of our sin has not made us righteous as He is righteous is to deny Christ. Those who preach that it is your law-keeping and good works that give one right-standing with God deny Him. This teaching is a lie and this is the result of believing it: Galatians 5:4-
"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
Beloved of God, by His grace, let's not be found here.
But does this righteousness last only until our next sin? NEVER! Christ our High Priest "offered one sacrifice for sins for all time" according to Hebrews 10:12. His one sacrifice has taken away our past, present and future sins, unlike those of the priests under the Old Covenant. See what Hebrews 10:11 says of them:
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."
Hebrews 10:14 puts our life in Christ thus: "For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
In Him, we are forever righteous. We DID NOT earn this righteousness with our good works to begin with so our mistakes and misdeeds CANNOT make us lose it. The Parable of the Lost Sheep shows us that our Lord Jesus Christ is not in the business of killing His sheep that go astray/get wounded or leaving them to rot where they fell so the devil can devour them alive, no matter how His sheep come to be in that fallen situation. His strength is made perfect in weakness- our weakness. If we fall, He finds us and carries us home on His shoulders, and He rejoices. He is Saviour. He Himself said "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Even when your troubles are of your own making, He will help you. This is LOVE.
Hebrews 12:10 says He chastens us "for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness," never with things like sickness, the curse or death. He teaches us to forsake worldly lusts and redeems us from "every lawless deed" according to Titus 2. Would you really let your neighbour's dog bite your beloved child to death because he didn't listen when you told him to stay put in the house? You will protect him and even warn your neighbour to put his dog on a leash or else you will crush it! How much more our Father in heaven who trains us up in the way we should go that we should never depart from it? This is grace- undeserved, unmerited favour.
But God's grace is not a license to sin. Think of the things our Saviour had to go through for us in this prison that He endured for our sake: scourged, tormented and crucified by wicked prison guards. Does this immediately make you want you to go out and commit sin? Preach grace and let grace take care of those people that you think grace will cause to sin. Grace is our teacher, not you or I.
Look what Hebrews 12:28 says of grace: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."
Only by grace can we truly serve God the way He wants us to. Simply believe.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
Believe Right and you will Live Right.
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