“Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” – Romans 4:25
Our justification – our right standing before Holy God – is thoroughly grounded in the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus had remained dead after sacrificing Himself for our sins, then we’d still be dead in our sins. Thankfully, Jesus is alive! He is gloriously, wondrously alive, currently ruling and reigning over the universe from heaven!
Jesus rose from the dead – physically resurrected. He visited His disciples on many occasions. They touched Him. He ate with them. He appeared to His skeptical brothers. He appeared to hundreds of witnesses who could have denied the experience. Instead, they devoted the rest of their lives to telling people that Jesus was alive. They chose to live lives filled with long hardship, constant opposition, great suffering, and untimely death. Why?
Because Jesus is alive! Because He’s alive, we know that His sacrifice for our trespasses was accepted by God. Christ’s work on the cross is utterly sufficient to pay the penalty for all our sins past, present, and future. Because Jesus was resurrected, when we believe in Him, we are justified by faith in Christ as a gift from our gracious and loving Father in Heaven. Rejoice!