This school year, I have been teaching the kids of Fellowship Bible Church the Bible Chronologically. Although we have not had time to discuss each character and story in detail, we do, like a history class, discuss major characters and key events in Scripture. Yesterday we discussed the two most important events in all of Scripture—the death and resurrection of Jesus. To skip these would be like an American History professor skipping the Revolutionary War. The entire Bible either looks forward to or reflects back upon these events and discusses at length their necessary ramifications. Yesterday, we read these accounts from Scripture and I shared with them the implications shown below.IMPORTANCE OF THE CRUCIFIXION
The Crucifixion...
1) shows a person the severity of sin and the need for repentance.
Anyone who believes that God does not take sin seriously has not examined what Scripture teaches about the cross. Isaiah affirms, “(Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Because of this verse and others like it, Jesus is often referred to as “mankind’s substitute.” He endured physical death and the wrath of God in our place. F.F Bruce affirms, “God’s only son experienced wrath on our behalf” (1322).
Many, when reading or hearing about the Crucifixion, often become overwhelmed with sadness. Other emotions that should be felt, however, is anger toward and remorse for the sin in our lives and in our world. According to Bruce, “The people of God are to hate what God Himself hates with an absolute hatred—sin (Deut. 12:31; Is. 61:8; Heb. 1:9)” (544). He also asserts, “True repentance is a ‘godly sorrow’ for sin… (and) is God’s will and pleasure (Luke 15:7-10; 2 Pet. 3:9), as well as His command (Mark 6:12; Acts 17:30)” (1078).
2) demonstrates the great love of God.
Paul makes this point by affirming, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Scriptures clearly teach that in spite of our rebellion, God sent Christ to die for us. Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
3) brings hope to a seemingly tragic story.
Because all have sinned against God, the only way one could settle matters with Him is by spending eternity in Hell. Paul, however, shows that it is God who is the only one who can settle matters between Himself and mankind in a way that prevents condemnation. Paul affirms, “God put forward (Christ) as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). The key word in this verse is “propitiation,” which simply means that Jesus’ death satisfied God’s wrath against all who place their trust in Him.
IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION
Many have said that even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would not make a difference. The Apostle Paul, however, says otherwise in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. Chris, our pastor, preached a sermon last Easter from this passage and shared what the implications would be if there was no resurrection. I have used his outline below.
If Christ is not raised from the dead…
1) the Gospel message is useless.
The Corinthians may not have realized what they were denying when they denied the resurrection. Paul helps to remind them that denying Christ’s resurrection meant denying the Gospel. What they believed was a contradiction. The Gospel means good news, but without the resurrection the opposite is true.
2) the believer’s faith is useless (14)
What brings us hope as believers is the fact that Jesus has been raised so that we too can have eternal life. According to R.C. Sproul, “Paul…show(ed) them that the resurrection of Jesus cannot be separated from the resurrection of those who are His (vv. 20-23).”
3) then those who preach the Gospel are deceivers (15)
Paul has already said that the Gospel message is useless. Now he takes it one step further and says it is not only useless, it is deceptive. The basis for being an authentic preacher is not being nice. The basis for being a preacher is the content of the message. Paul is saying that if preachers have gotten this wrong, then they are scandalous because they are misrepresenting God. When Christ called his disciples to be witnesses, he wanted them to testify of truth. If Christ has not been raised, then our testimony is untruthful.
4) the believer is still dead in sin (17)
Once again Paul indicates that if the resurrection had not occurred, our faith is useless and we are still separated from God.
5) then those who have died believing in Christ have perished (18)
This is a continuation of the fourth point.
6) the Christian is an object of pity (19)
When explaining this verse, Sproul says, “Our hope of salvation is so glorious that if we were still in our sins and lost (vv. 17, 18), we would have experienced the greatest and cruelest of all deceptions (vv. 31, 32).”
Bruce, F.F. New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1995.
Sproul, R.C. 1 Corinthians. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando: Ligonier Ministries. 2005.
