"Finding Out" Study5-p20

IF THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS been working in your heart, you will be aware of just how sinful you are. Your conscience will bear witness to the many times, daily, that you err from God’s ways. It is, therefore, very consoling to know that the death of Jesus was a full and sufficient sacrifice for sin. And that the resurrection declares this to be the case! God’s justice was so completely satisfied by Christ’s death that He was raised to life again. Now, there is nothing left for us to do except believe.

Salvation is all Christ’s doing and is rightly called “The Finished Work of Christ”. When on the cross He cried “It is finished”, He had done all that was necessary to save us. No acts of righteousness on our part can contribute to our salvation, and so we should not trust them. But salvation, for believers, finds its ultimate realisation on the day of Christ’s return. On that day they will be raised with a body like Christ’s, to be forever with Him.

SUMMARY: Bearing in mind the purpose of Jesus’ death, described in earlier studies, we should expect Jesus to be raised from the dead. Jesus was punished for the sins of believers. He paid the price in full so that there was no longer any reason why death should hold Him. As prisoners are released when their sentence has been served, so Christ was released from the prison of death. It would have been unjust to retain Him any longer!

Christ’s resurrection demonstrates that the guilt of repentant believers has been thoroughly purged by Christ’s death. The punishment exacted from Christ was altogether adequate!

Since Jesus is God He cannot, in any ultimate sense, die since He is the author of life. His resurrection served to illustrate the kind of body believers can look forward to at the General Resurrection when Christ returns.