The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
The Death and Resurrection
of Jesus Christ
by Greg Chandler
The consequence of sin is death. This idea permeates the pages of the Bible as God warns against turning in rebellion against Him. However, the justice one should receive for sin is countered by the mercy of God. Old Testament sacrifice illustrates this concept. Within the law given to Israel, God allowed sacrifices to be offered for sin. This meant that one was to choose the best animal from his or her flock, bring it to the priest, and watch as the animal was killed. In this, God allowed the innocent animal to be a substitute for the one sacrificing; sin led to the death of the animal while mercy allowed the one who sinned to live. Each of these sacrifices pointed to a time when the perfect sacrifice would die for the sins of humanity.
Jesus came to die as this perfect sacrifice. John the Baptist understood this was Jesus’ purpose and proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). New Testament writers go to great lengths to explain this wonderful demonstration of God’s mercy. The apostle Paul wrote, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and the apostle Peter stated, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (I Peter 2:24). Numerous other passages laud the love God has shown for sinners!
Jesus’ death for the sins of mankind took place in a horrific fashion. Though innocent in every regard, a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate ordered His death to satisfy the Jews, who wanted Jesus dead (John 19). The Roman Empire sought to maximize both pain and humiliation in criminal executions; thus, crucifixion was employed. This agonizing punishment inflicted great pain with nailing the criminal’s hands and feet to the cross. What followed was a grueling experience as the lungs filled with fluid, leading to a slow and painful death. All the while, crowds would jeer at the criminal and, in the case of Jesus, mock His claim of being the Son of God (Matthew 27:43). To demonstrate the wickedness of this event, God plunged the scene into darkness for three hours (Mark 15:33).
Though humanity showed disdain for the Son of God, the story did not end with the cross; after three days, Jesus rose from the dead! This demonstrated the power of God over death and prepared the way for salvation. As the apostle Paul stated, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Corinthians 15:20). The power of His resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. Had Jesus remained in the tomb, His death would have been in vain and humanity would be left with no hope.
There will come a day when all those who have died will be raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15). This will occur when God comes in judgment to separate the righteous from the unrighteous (Matthew 25:31ff). All will then live eternally, with the righteous experiencing everlasting life, while the wicked will experience everlasting death. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, everyone can be raised to live with God eternally. Those who accept God’s gracious gift will forever know the power and love seen in Jesus’ great sacrifice for sin..