Although we often use mottoes
which say, "Christ died for our sins," the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus is equally important with His crucifixion as the basis of our salvation.
In this day when so many theologians have given up belief in the physical
resurrection of Christ, we should remember that believing that "God hath
raised Him from the dead" is necessary for salvation (Rom. 10:9). The incarnation and crucifixion are essential truths. The Son of God had to become a man
in order to die, and He had to die in order to atone for sins, redeem us from
the power of Satan and reconcile us to God; but it is by the resurrection that
all this is made good to us. It is because of the resurrection that we can have
settled peace with God, since the resurrection proves God’s infinite
satisfaction in the work of His Son. It was the resurrection that demonstrated
the complete and eternal overthrow of the kingdom of Satan and all the powers
of darkness. It is because of the resurrection that we are to "walk in
newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). Without the resurrection we would not have
the High Priest or Advocate whom we need so much.
The apostles never preached the
death of Christ without preaching His resurrection. They did not preach it as a
doctrine, but as a fact of history to which they had been eyewitnesses. (Paul
had seen the Lord Jesus not only raised, but ascended into glory.) Their
message usually stated, "God raised Him from the dead" (see Acts
2:24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 10:40). The fact that God raised Him from the dead
not only shows God’s satisfaction in Christ’s work (as we have mentioned), but
also proves that God is at issue with the world, seeing he has raised, exalted,
and glorified the very One whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Paul’s message
to the Athenians is a deeply solemn passage. The proof that God is going to
judge the world in righteousness is that He has raised His ordained Man from
the dead (Acts 17:31). Paul’s epistles (especially 1 Cor. 15) also show that
the resurrection is an essential part of the gospel and should be preached as
such.
"Now the God of peace, that
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ:to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Heb.
13:20, 21).
(From
"The Great Commission" in Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 4.)