Romans 4:25 “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
We
rejoice greatly in Christ’s resurrection, knowing that He has promised that “because I live, you shall live also” – John 14:19.
But it is also very important to realize and remember that if He had not been
raised from the dead, we would still be lost sinners, separated eternally from
God. He was raised, Paul reminds us, “for
our justification.”
It
was pointed out to me in one article that, the immensity of the load of sin
which Christ bore with Him on the cross is beyond comprehension. He had to “taste death for every man” – Hebrews 2:9,
for He was the offering “for the sins of
the whole world” – 1 John 2:2. Since “the wages of sin is death” – Romans
6:23, were it not for the infinite power, as well as the infinite love,
of both the Father and the Son, such an infinite weight of sin would seem
impossible to overcome, so Christ would die forever, and we would be lost
forever. How could we ever know that we had been forgiven and that He had paid
the awful price that would suffice for our salvation? How could we ever be
acquitted and declared righteous before God?
The
article writer declares: That is exactly what the resurrection of Christ
assures! “By the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” Romans
5:18. His infinite righteousness has more than balanced the terrible
weight of “the sin of the world,” and
He was able to take it away.
Romans
5:16 “And the gift is not
like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which
came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free
gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”
The 1828 Webster’s
Dictionary defines “justification” as: Remission of sin and absolution from guilt
and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and
accepts him as righteous, on account of the atonement of Christ. This gift of
total and eternal justification is free because of His love, but even a free
gift must be accepted before it can be possessed.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ”.
No comments:
Post a Comment