Dear friends,
There is much discussion about the cross Jesus died on to forgive our sins, and there should be. How He suffered for us and died in our place. How He paid the price with His own life with each blow of judgment to His body. And the fact is, that should have been us hanging in public humiliation, naked and exposed. But Jesus took our place with a body that was prepared for Him. He took the nails, bore our shame and penalty, canceled our debt, and never keeps a record of our wrongs against us. So yes, there should be much discussion about the cross Jesus died on, in fact, Paul says: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14
I rejoice in my heart when I hear pastors sharing the message of the cross. I love hearing how Jesus paid the price for our sins as the perfect offering. How He endured the suffering and shame reserved for us, dying as a criminal for the sins of the world. Songs like “the old rugged cross” are constant reminders of how much God loves us because He sent His one and only Son to rescue us from sin and death. But friend, the cross is the first half of the “good news” of the gospel. The other half is that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. If He did not rise from the dead we are still in our sins. “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-17
Dear friend, if Christ has not been raised then our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins. The resurrection completes the gospel message as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
If the dead are not raised to life, “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:18-19
If Jesus did not rise from the dead then we are lost, our faith is worthless, and we are still in our sins. Wow! Still in our sins? Not only that, but of all people, we are to be most pitied? Without the resurrection, we would still be dead in Adam rather than made alive in Christ.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
He has risen! Celebrate your new life in Jesus! We have been crucified with Christ, but we were also raised with Jesus to a new life! We were dead “in Adam” but through the resurrection of Jesus we have been made “alive in Christ.” Notice how Galatians 2:20 ties in both the cross Jesus died on and the new life we have in His resurrection, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
The Apostle Peter goes on to say, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
Oh friend, may we celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ, from His death on the cross to His resurrection from the dead on the third day. May we celebrate the forgiveness of our sins, the punishment Jesus endured for us, where our debt was canceled against us because Jesus was torn on the cross for us. And let us celebrate the resurrection that has given us, a new birth, a new heart, and a new spirit. Celebrate the resurrection that has given us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, because through faith in the gospel we are shielded by God’s power until Jesus returns!
While standing at the tomb of Lazarus “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25
“The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:44
This passage shows the power of Jesus’ life over death through the gospel! I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! I love how Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and the words that followed, “unbind him” and “let him go.” Jesus was bound to the cross with nails in His hands and feet, then rose from the tomb on the third day, so we could live and be free! Dear friends, all believers have been crucified with Christ on the cross and were raised from the dead, and like Lazarus, were “unbound” and “let go” from our slavery to sin!
