Easter Sunday
“[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.”
The Stone Was Rolled Away for Us
Jesus' resurrection changed everything. One of the first miracles we see is that He could walk through walls—so the stone covering His tomb wasn’t rolled away so He could escape. It was rolled away so that we could look in. And who were the first witnesses? Women—Mary Magdalene, who had a shady past, and Joanna. Their testimony was legally invalid in Jewish courts, yet God chose them to be the first proclaimers of the resurrection. This speaks volumes about how God values each individual, regardless of their past or cultural limitations. Their inclusion in the story adds authenticity to the gospel account—it’s not what someone would make up if they were trying to convince a skeptical audience.
God Had to Become Man
We must understand that Jesus didn’t overcome death simply because He was God. God gave dominion over this world to humanity. That means a human had to fix what was broken. A spiritual being couldn’t intervene without violating that original authority. So God became man. Jesus, as a perfect man, bridged the gap. He fulfilled the law and lived without sin, qualifying Himself as the substitutionary atonement for all of mankind. He could repair the breach between God and humanity—not as God in His divinity, but as God in the flesh.
It Wasn’t Just to Appease Anger—It Was to Kill Death
This part of the gospel often causes confusion. The shedding of blood and sacrificial language can sound brutal or even pagan to modern ears. But it wasn’t about satisfying a bloodthirsty God. Rather, it was about confronting and destroying death. God was indeed angry with wickedness, but Jesus' sacrifice wasn't about appeasing wrath—it was about breaking sin’s power. As I said, "Death had to be killed." Jesus suffered your sin on the cross and your death in the grave so that you never have to taste separation from God.
Romans 4:25 — Delivered and Raised
"[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
The full effect of our sin ran its course in Jesus. It wasn’t just punishment—it was the culmination of sin’s effects. On the cross, He took on the weight of all that separated us from God. And in the grave, He descended into the depths of what death truly means. But He didn’t stay there. He rose. And in that resurrection, our justification was sealed.
1 Corinthians 15 — The Gospel Reminder
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 remind us of what’s central: the gospel. He says it’s what we must continually be reminded of. That Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter, the Twelve, over 500 others, James, and finally Paul. Jesus spent 40 days post-resurrection walking among people, teaching and preaching. Imagine witnessing that! Yet Jesus said it was better for Him to go away so the Holy Spirit could come. That’s a mind-shifting truth. The Spirit in us is greater than Jesus beside us.
The Spirit in You is Greater
You have what the early disciples didn't have before Pentecost—the very Spirit of God dwelling within you. This isn’t a passive truth. It’s a call to engage. The Spirit empowers us to live from the inside out. We renew our minds, not to earn anything, but to align with what’s already true in our spirits. This is where transformation happens—not from striving, but from resting in the finished work while actively participating in faith.
Hebrews 9:11–12 — He Entered for You
“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12)
When Jesus told Mary not to touch Him after the resurrection, it was because He hadn’t yet ascended. He was carrying His own blood into the heavenly tabernacle. The old tabernacle was a shadow. Jesus entered the real one. And He did it with His own life. Blood represents life. So when His blood was poured out, it was His life being poured out. Your darkness was exchanged for His light. Your weakness for His strength.
2 Corinthians 5:21 — You Are the Righteousness of God
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
You don’t have two natures. You aren’t half sinner, half saint. You have one nature—and it is the righteousness of God in Christ. If that’s hard to say, it means you might still be relating to God based on behavior. But righteousness is a gift. It’s a legal declaration that you are now in right standing with God—not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus has done.
Romans 3:21–24 — Righteousness Apart from the Law
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed… even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe… and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
You can’t earn this. It’s free. All have sinned, but all are justified by grace. This is the gospel—freedom from performance and confidence in the finished work.
Romans 8:3–4 — He Condemned Sin in the Flesh
“For what the law could not do… God did by sending His own Son… that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean being ultra-spiritual or mystical. It means putting your faith in Jesus. That’s it. When you believe, you’re in the Spirit. And when you live from that place of belief, transformation follows.
Colossians 1:21–22 — You Are Holy and Blameless
“Once you were alienated… But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless.”
Let that settle in: you are holy, unblemished, and blameless. Not because you’ve earned it, but because Jesus has presented you that way to the Father. Your sanctification isn’t a process of self-cleansing. It’s the result of the blood of Christ. Your holiness is a result of your union with Him.
Hebrews 4:16 — Boldly Come for Grace
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Because you’ve been justified, you don’t have to shrink back. You come boldly. Grace is found by faith. And faith is your response to who God is and what He has done. So when you feel weak or guilty, remember: He’s not pulling away from you. He already dealt with your sin. Now He invites you to draw near for help.
Final Picture — Presented Before the Father
Here’s the picture: Jesus paid for your sin. He descended into the grave, rose again, and then ascended into heaven. He carried His own blood into the heavenly mercy seat and made atonement once and for all. Then, with you in His arms, He presented you to the Father and said, “Look what I’ve done.”
That’s where you live now—in the presence of God, accepted, righteous, loved.
Live From That Place
So live from that place. This is not about striving. This is about resting in what Jesus has done. Your transformed desires, your ability to resist sin, your capacity to love and serve—all of that flows from knowing who you are in Him. Let Him love you into wholeness.
You are forgiven. You are justified. You are righteous. You are holy.
Live from the finished work of Christ.
