"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." - Romans 4 vs 25 {KJV}
  • Who was delivered for our offences
Meaning, Christ's death was the payment for our sins.

  • and was raised again for our justification

What this means is that Christ's resurrection from the dead was how God publicly made known/announced that Christ's death has propitiated for our sins. So it's not as though it's the resurrection that purchased our justification from sin, it was the death. But the resurrection had to happen for men to know what Christ's death had accomplished.

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." - Hebrews 9 vs 22 {KJV}

  • without shedding of blood is no remission

You see, Christ's death purchased our justification from sin, but His resurrection announced it.

Take a look at this: If Jesus had not risen from the dead, and someone said to you, "That man Jesus who died, His death has justified you from your sins!" How would you believe that report? How would you believe that? How would you believe that a man who is dead like every other mortal man in the grave, His death justified you from your sins? You see... It would be hard or impossible to believe that report. So Jesus had to rise from death as evidence, to show that he truly has paid the price for justification from sin by His death.

The resurrection from the dead is what differentiates Jesus from other religious founders. Whatever other religious founders said they came to do cannot be believed, because they died and they are dead! But Jesus, Hallelujah! He died and He rose from the dead! So what Jesus said He came to do can be believed, because He has evidence. His resurrection is His evidence! Glory to God.

So, the first significance of Christ's resurrection is that, His resurrection made it possible for men to believe in Him, and be saved. We believe because He rose!

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." - 1 Corinthians 15 vs 17 {KJV}

This verse depicts to us that if Christ didn't rise from the dead, there would have been no evidence of what His death accomplished. Hence, our believing would not be real; we would have been assuming like folks of other religions.

Take a look at this: If a man claims that his death has paid the price for sin, and by that death has been defeated (because death is as a result of sin. So, addressing sin addresses death; defeating sin is the defeat of death also), then he should be the first proof of it by getting up from death—death should not keep him bound since he has defeated death. Any failure to get up from death means that his claim of paying the price for sin (and by that payment, defeating death) is a lie! So, that Jesus rose from the dead was proof that truly, He paid the price for sin, and He defeated death truly. Glory to God.

Let's take a look at the second significance of Christ's resurrection:

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead..." - Romans 1 vs 4 {KJV}

Christ's resurrection from the dead cleared all doubts concerning His deity (Divine nature).

"and by being raised from the dead he was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself." - Romans 1 vs 4 {TLB}

If they did not believe that He is the Son of God by His supernatural birth; if they did not believe that He is the Son of God by the miracles which He performed, they cannot deny that He is the Son of God after they saw Him alive, knowing that He was dead. Hallelujah!

Let's take a look at the third significance of Christ's resurrection:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," - 1 Peter 1 vs 3 {KJV}

We understand from the teaching of Peter the Apostle here, that the resurrection of Christ brought hope to the Believer. Peter describes this hope as a lively hope. Question: What is this hope that the resurrection of Christ brought us?

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." - Romans 8 vs 29 {KJV}

  • Firstborn among many brethren

That word firstborn used in this verse was translated from the Greek word prōtotokos, which means Prototype, Sample, Template.

What is a Prototype?

A prototype is a product which is set forth as a model or sample of how other products of same type will be or look like. For example: When a car manufacturing company wants to produce a particular brand of vehicle, they produce one first, they do their try and errors with one first, they perfect their production with one vehicle first. When they are done producing that vehicle, and the vehicle meets all their quality standards, then they present that one vehicle which they've made as the prototype or model or sample of what vehicles of that brand will look like. So they produce one first, then they make others in the likeness of that first one which they have produced, so that they can all be the same. - Think on this. Now, having understood this explanation, let's go back to Peter's teaching on this subject:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," - 1 Peter 1 vs 3 {KJV}

Peter is teaching that, God raising Jesus from the dead is our hope that He will also raise us up from the dead. Hallelujah! So, as it was with Jesus, so it will be for us. Christ is the prototype of the Believers, He is the model of what the Believers will look like in their resurrection. Hallelujah! So Peter is saying that, For the fact that God raised up Jesus from the dead, God will also raise us up from the dead. Hallelujah! That which God promised to do for the Believer, He did it first for Jesus, thereby presenting Jesus to us as our prototype of what we shall be and exactly how we shall look like when He raises us up from the dead. Glory to God!

This is the hope in Salvation, that we will be raised from death, just as Jesus was raised from the dead. God raised up Jesus from the dead, and God will raise us up from the dead by Jesus:

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." - John 6 vs 39 {KJV}

By these words which Jesus spake, we understand that God put Jesus in charge of the resurrection of the Believers. That means, Jesus is the one who will call us out from death on that day of the resurrection, which the Father has put in His own power. Hallelujah!

So Beloved, the third significance of the resurrection of Christ is that the Saints (Believers) will be raised from death incorruptible. Glory to God! This is exciting. So, even though now we die, we die in hope! knowing that on that day, the resurrection day, we shall be raised back to life, just as Jesus was raised back to life; God will raise us up from death through Jesus. Amen. Glory to God! I am excited about this.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Jenning Uweye
Teacher,
Global Bible Study Community

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