In the Old Testament a perfect lamb was brought to the temple and as the person who sinned placed a hand on the animal it was killed. This was because, as Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death” so instead of us dieing there needed to be a sacrifice to act as a substitution. Throughout the Old Testament lambs and other animals were sacrificed but God promised that he would save His people from their sins and once again be in fellowship with them. 1 Corinthians 15:22 mentions that sin entered the world by one man, Adam, so sin would leave also by one man, Jesus Christ. Jesus was God’s son but God loves us so, like the lamb, Jesus died for our sins. There are several illustrations in the Old Testament of Jesus Christ: one is the Passover lamb which was offered in Egypt before the departure of the Hebrews. When the lamb was killed its blood was sprinkled on the doorposts so that the firstborn in the house was not killed. This is a picture of Jesus who was without blemish and by the price of His own blood would purchase for us our personal salvation at Calvary where Christ died on the cross. Isaiah prophesied this and tells us that Christ will be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for out iniquities.
On the third day after Jesus died he came back to life so that we know that He overcame the world’s temptation that leads us into evil. Without this resurrection we could have no salvation because our faith would be groundless. But Christ has broken the power of the prince of this world and his death was sufficient for God to be satisfied that the sins of the world had been paid for. This means that Christians have Christ living inside them, which is a life-changing experience. A Christian can, therefore, live in peace because they are no longer separated from God. While we live our lives Christ acts as a mediator between God and us. In a believer’s life God continually wants us to mature in Christ and having the victory over sin. A Christian can then look forward to what God will do in his life. This gives us a reason for living and making life worthwhile; Jesus tells us, “I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.
One of the most amazing things is that because God lives inside a Christian the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the day is available to them so there can still be miracles and healing today. When Jesus was on earth his power was limited to where he was but after the resurrection and pouring out of the Holy Spirit there is power inside Christians. A Christian can offer hope to people and when they talk to others they can share salvation to them. We must remember though that it is not us that perform the miracles but it is God’s power and Him alone who performs them.
Jesus would often say that, “I and the Father are one”. Through the resurrection we can see that Jesus is God because not only did he predicted his own death and resurrection when he told the Pharisees that like Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights so would the Son of Man be in the earth for three days and three nights but he also conquered death. This makes different from other religions because Jesus was more than a good person he was God.
For Christians there is no need to fear death because they know that because Christ rose from the dead there is life after death. They also have the surety that by salvation they are promised everlasting life. It is wonderful for Christians to be able to look forward to seeing God and living in heaven. In the book Miracles C.S. Lewis writes, “Jesus has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because he has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation”. Christians can face death because it is not the end for them.
Holman Concise Bible Dictionary – “Holy”, “Sin”
Back to Basics by Dr Judson Cornwall page 33
Holman Bible Dictionary - Salvation
