Resurrection and Rescue

I remember one Easter back in college, wondering why it was so important for Christ to have risen from the dead...Now, I know, "Dane, you're a Christian, how can you ask such a foundational question?! Your ignorance is borderline 'social-christian' taboo!"

Ya...sorry.

So anyway, I was listening to a podcast by Ben Stuart one afternoon while at the gym and he explained this issue to the very joy of my being...The resurrection is not merely a Christian tradition, but the very evidence that Jesus' death on the cross was a satisfying substitution for us in the eyes of God. Romans 4:25 says that Jesus was "raised for our justification". In other words: No resurrection...No salvation. The example Stuart gave (paraphrased) was this...

How do you know when a criminal locked in prison has served his sentence? How do you know that his debt to mankind has been paid in full? Answer: The jail doors open, and the former prisoner walks out. When Christ died on the cross, three days later, the doors of death opened, and He walked out. The debt had been paid in full, and the offer of salvation to all mankind was now on the table.

This is the capstone to the Gospel.

The Bible says that all mankind is broken (Romans 3:23). It's not a matter of failing to do the 'right things'. It runs much deeper than that. We are not people who commit sins...we are sinners. There is a brokenness in each and every one of us. We are bent toward wickedness. We are infected with a sickness; and as such deserve to be destroyed. A good and holy God cannot accept anything but holiness and perfection. We have failed.

But God, in His love, sent His son Jesus to take the divine wrath, which we rightfully deserve, for us (John 3:16). Jesus became our substitute (1 John 2:2). He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we would not have to. He took God's wrath upon Himself so that we could enjoy the benefits of sonship and daughtership with God (Galatians 4:4-5). And then, on the third day, He rose from the grave, testifying that the debt had indeed been paid.

If you are not a christian, this is the essence of Christianity. It's not a matter of morality, it's a matter of rescue (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can't fix what's wrong with us; and God knows that. He has made a way and it's available to everyone. No matter your past or your present. He doesn't speak scornfully, "Get your crap together first, and then maybe we'll talk."No...all He says is "Come as you are...and I will make you clean." (Matthew 11:28-30)