Jesus—Died For Our Sins & WAS RAISED FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION

Last week in Part I of this two part post, Pastor John Piper helped us to plumb the depths of the first part of Romans 4:25 as we looked at Christ's death. In this post we'll see him address the second part of Romans 4:25, Christ's resurrection.

A TRIUMPHANT JUSTICE

"We trust One who performs...merciful redemption, and now triumphant justice. What do I mean by that, and where do I get it? I get it from the last part of verse 25. Who is the God we trust? He is the One who raised Jesus 'because of our justification.' I take that to mean that when Jesus died for our transgressions, a full and sufficient payment was made for our forgiveness and justification. Therefore, it would have been unjust to leave Christ in the grave, since he had so fully paid for our sin. So God raised him from the dead to vindicate the perfection of Christ's atonement and obedience. The resurrection of Jesus was the declaration that what he accomplished in his death was flawlessly successful, namely, the purchase of our justification.

"Maybe we could say it like this: When Christ died and shed his blood for our transgressions he atoned for the sins that killed him. Since those sins are now covered and paid for, there is no reason for Christ to remain dead. His death was solely to pay for our sins. When they were perfectly paid for, there remained no warrant for his death any more. It would be unjust to keep him in the grave. He could not stay in the grave, 'it was impossible for Him to be held in its power' (Acts 2:24).

"So the God we trust is One who performs a triumphant justice. The resurrection of Jesus is triumphant because it conquers death. It is triumphant justice because justice demanded that Jesus be raised from the dead. He had paid for sins perfectly, namely, the sins that brought him to death. If the sins that brought him to death - our sins - were perfectly and completely paid for on the cross, then the only reason for Christ's death was past. Our justification was completely secured (not yet effected by faith, but secured and paid for). So it would be unjust for Christ to stay dead. It would be a penalty without cause. Therefore, it was just and right that God raise Christ from the dead. It was triumphant justice. (See Hebrews 13:20.)

WHO MUST WE BELIEVE TO BE JUSTIFIED

"So I close with the question I raised at the beginning: Who or what must we believe in order to be justified - to be right with God? The answer is we must believe God - 1) that he performed inconceivable power in raising his Son Jesus from the dead, 2) that he performed merciful redemption in designing the death of his Son to save us from our transgressions, and 3) that he performed triumphant justice by raising Jesus from the dead to show that the basis of our justification was perfectly accomplished in the death of his Son.

So trust him today. Open your heart and receive the glory of this salvation: inconceivable power, merciful redemption, triumphant justice. Believe this and God will credit your faith as righteousness. You will be safe with him. You will have a righteousness not of your own and an unshakable, everlasting rock to stand on."

This excerpt was used with permission. By John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org

Jesus—DIED FOR OUR SINS & Was Raised For Our Justification

Romans 4:25 is a very appropriate verse for us to consider as we approach Easter. In this verse Paul is making a clear declarative statement about Christ's death and resurrection. With the help of Pastor John Piper, let's look at this verse in more depth. This week we'll look at Christ's death and next week his resurrection. As you read and meditate on this verse, consider this question "whom or what should we trust in order to be justified (made right with God)?"

A DESIGNED DEATH

"Notice the first half of verse 25: 'He who was delivered over because of our transgressions.' The main thing to see here is that the death of the one God raised is a death by design. God did not simply want to demonstrate his inconceivable power and so find some murdered person to raise from the dead. God himself designed this death and designed it for a purpose.

"You can see this in the two key phrases of verse 25a: '(1) He who was delivered over (2) because of our transgressions.' Jesus 'was delivered over' - by whom? By soldiers? By Pilate? By Herod? By the Jewish mob? Not, finally, by any of them because it says he was delivered over 'for our transgressions.' Soldiers and Pilate and Herod and Jews did not hand Jesus over 'for our transgressions.'

"Acts 2:23 gives a clear and forthright answer: 'This Man [was] delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.' God delivered him over to death. Romans 8:3 says, 'God [sent] His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.' Romans 8:32 says, 'He . . . did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all.' So the death of Jesus Christ was by the design of God. God planned his death. He did not just die. He was delivered over to death by God.

A DESIGN WITH A PURPOSE

"And the design had a purpose (verse 25a): 'Because of our transgressions.' God's design was to deal with our transgressions. He wanted to do something about our transgressions. What? He wanted to provide a substitute death so that we would not have to die for our own transgressions. And the only death that could do that was the death of his Son. So Romans 8:3 says, 'God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.' So our transgressions are not swept under the rug. They are not overlooked. They are condemned. They bring about an execution. But not ours. Christ's.

A MERCIFUL REDEMPTION

"In this way we are redeemed by the death of Christ. That is, we are saved from our sins. We are rescued from the penalty of hell. We are ransomed from the judgment of God. And all of this redemption we did not deserve. We deserve to die and go to hell and endure the judgment of God. But this is a merciful redemption. This is the God we trust in order to be justified—the God who performs a merciful redemption. He designed to save us from our transgressions through the death of his Son."

This excerpt was used with permission. By John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org

No doubt everyone is aware that Easter Sunday is just a few days away. Because of God's grace many of us know Easter is about much more than chocolate bunnies and Reese's eggs (though Reese's eggs are hard to discount). The work Christ did (his life, death, burial, and resurrection) to make our redemption possible, is very likely to be on many of our minds as Sunday draws closer. In addition to re-reading the Gospel accounts of the Savior's willing death on the Cross and His triumphant resurrection from the grave, I would like to recommend a FREE resource that may aid in your understanding of what was taking place in those days. Right now chapter 9 from the book DOCTRINE is free online. This chapter is exceedingly helpful and faith-building as Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears go into detail about the reality that God had raised His Son on the third day! Christ's payment for our sins had been accepted! Reading this short chapter would be a significant encouragement to you heading into Sunday's Easter service.

There is another reason I am eager to commend this to you. DOCTRINE is such a helpful book that Dan & I have chosen it to be one of the main texts we will be working through during the INVEST Course starting this fall for the men & women of Grace Bible Church. This important chapter will allow you to catch a glimpse of what's coming this fall. I will be providing much more detail about the INVEST course in the coming months.
  

The Resurrection: God Saves, Chapter 9; DOCTRINE: What Christians Should Believe

It is fascinating to watch our churches swell on Easter Sunday. I wonder if many feel some strange pull to be in church because they know deep in their soul that Easter is more significant than celebrating the Easter bunny? Maybe God’s Spirit is whispering hope to their heart—Jesus really is alive with the power to conquer sin and death. "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Why not invite a friend to church this Easter and pray that God will open their eyes to see that hope is in Jesus? He is alive!

The good news that Jesus is alive and not dead is the most compelling part of the gospel story. Yet, I struggle with my own mortality. I don't know if men in general have this struggle, or if it is something unique to me. As a pastor, I feel particularly guilty for this - after all, a pastor should be able to face death with confidence. The only confidence I have for my own resurrection comes from reminding myself of Jesus' resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

It is much easier to have faith in Jesus as being the Son of God - God in the flesh, dying for my sin, than it is for me to really believe that I will be resurrectied someday. For some reason it is even easier for me to accept Jesus' resurrection than it is to trust Jesus with my own resurrection. However, I gain confidence in my own resurrection when I remind myself of the gospel. I read about Jesus' resurrection in the Gospels and hear Jesus' promise to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he died, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." I reread these verses often - maybe as often as once a month. So I will ask you what Jesus asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

Some Christians prepare for Easter by celebrating Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012.) This year, we would like to suggest a book for you to read: Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross edited by Nancy Guthrie. There is no better way to prepare for Easter (April 8) than to remind ourself of the passion and power of the foundation of the Gospel; and this little book will assist you in doing just that. Since the chapters are short, we recommend that you try reading one chapter a day, beginning on Ash Wednesday. Right now the book is 50% off at the Westminster book store. You can also order it through Amazon (a Kindle version is not available). There will also be a few copies that can be purchased in the church foyer.