Jesus Died To Save Us From Sin; God Raised Him To Prove It

Jesus Was Sent By God To Announce His Kingdom And To Deliver Salvation From Sin

The Bible is filled from cover-to-cover with extremely important wisdom, teachings, poetry, prophesies and other content.  Two of the most important verses in the Bible are found in Mark at the very outset of Jesus’ ministry.  Right after Jesus is baptized, God declares from heaven, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11 ESV).  Then Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness, is tempted by Satan and travels to Galilee where he proclaims, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15 ESV).  These extremely important verses make it clear Jesus is the blessed Son of God whose ministry is to preach repentance and belief in the gospel of the kingdom of God.  It is very important to see all of Jesus’ actions, teachings, sermons and events as being part of that ministry.

With that context in mind, let’s proceed and look at two more extremely important verses are found in 1 Corinthians 15:17-18:

“If Jesus has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished.” 

These two verses from the Apostle Paul to the early church in Corinth indicate three things:

1. They validate that Jesus died and was raised from the dead
2. Jesus was raised from the dead as verification of his ability to deliver salvation from sin
3. Those who believe in Jesus’ death, resurrection and divine oneness with God will not perish because they are saved from sin

These verses and implications are at the very core of the Christian faith.  Before pursuing them more deeply, let’s review some foundational points.

From other articles on this site we know that Jesus was a real flesh-and-blood man who was both fully man and fully God.  We know all this about him because it is chronicled in the Bible – a reliable and trustworthy set of books that have been accurately transmitted to us over the centuries.  Finally, we know the Bible was inspired by God so when it demonstrates Jesus as both fully man and fully God, we know it is true.

In the remainder of this article we’ll validate points #1, #2 and #3 above – that Jesus died and was raised from the dead, that Jesus’ resurrection delivered salvation from sin for all who believe in him, and that Jesus was one with God so salvation from sin saves believers from eternal death.

First, let’s hear from acclaimed author Lee Strobel as he outlines his 4 concise arguments for the death and resurrection of Christ in this 2 minute video from KSBJ Radio.

Jesus Died And Was Raised From The Dead

Lee Strobel’s arguments for the resurrection of Christ

1. Jesus died on the cross – No academic scholar refutes this

2. The creed or concise statement of beliefs used in the early Christian church found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-9 includes Jesus’ death and resurrection and was developed within months of Jesus death
3. The tomb in which Jesus was buried was empty on the third day – even opponents concede this point
4. There are 9 sources in the Bible and in non-biblical literature providing eyewitness accounts to Jesus’ death and resurrection

The creed mentioned above is included in Paul’s first letter to the early Corinthian church as a reminder of the message he preached to them face-to-face when he was with them in the past.  Here it is:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:3-9 ESV)

This creed is yet another extremely important set of Bible verses.  Note some of the key points from the text:

• Paul received these words from other church leaders so they were also used by others to preach the foundation of the early Christian faith
• Christ died to atone for our sins
• Christ died as prophesized in the Old Testament – Isaiah 53:5-12, Daniel 9:26, and Zechariah 13:7
• He was buried and rose on the third day
• He rose from the dead as prophesized in the Old Testament – Isaiah 53:10 and Psalm 16:10
• He appears to Cephas (the Apostle Peter) then the rest of the disciples, then to 500 others, then to his brother James, then to all the other members of the early church and finally to Paul himself as he traveled to Damascus and was converted on the spot
• Most of those he appeared to were still alive and thus able to refute this whole account if any of it were untrue.  A great deal would have been made by the enemies of the church if this account was refuted by any of the 500+ people mentioned here

It is important to reiterate that this creed was established in the early church within a very short time after Jesus’ death.  Perhaps just a few years while many eyewitnesses were still alive and able to refute it if it weren’t true.

Jesus’ Death Delivers Salvation From Sin

Recall from above that the creed in 1 Corinthians 15 states “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.”  Those scriptures include Isaiah 53:5-12, Daniel 9:26, and Zechariah 13:7.  And recall this standardized creed or set of beliefs was established in the church within a couple years of Jesus’ death and resurrection, not “made up decades or centuries later” as some would have you believe.  But what does it really mean by “Jesus died for our sins”?  How did his death save us from sin?  Watch this 4 minute video from Got Questions Ministry and note all the biblical references that support this statement.

High level summary of how Jesus saves us from sin

• We are all sinners in the eyes of God, contradicting His character in thought, word and/or deed (Ecclesiastes 7:20 & Romans 3:23)
• All sinners deserve to be judged by God (2 Corinthians 5:10 & Psalm 51:4)
• The only just punishment for sin is eternal death (Romans 5:12 & John 3:16)
• Jesus saves us from eternal death through his own death (John 3:17 & 5:24, Romans 5:8 & 6:23, Acts 4:12, 1 John 1:9 & 2:2, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Mark 16:16 and many more)

Jesus saves all who believe in him and receive his gift of salvation (John 1:12-13 & 3:16 and Acts 4:31)

God’s Resurrection Of Christ Validates Jesus’ Ability To Deliver Salvation From Sin

At the outset of this article, two Bible verses were called out as extremely important, 1 Corinthians 15:17-18:

“If Jesus has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished.” 

Here are two more:

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus makes it very clear in these verses and elsewhere that he is one with God.  For that alleged blasphemy, the religious leaders of the day had him crucified.  But now we can see Jesus’ crucification was part of God’s plan to save us from our sins because it was when Jesus was supernaturally raised from the dead that God made clear the truth of those last two verses above.  We can see how both Jesus’ death and resurrection come together to show us faith in him is the path to salvation from sin.

Key points: God resurrected Jesus from the dead 1.) as proof of his oneness with God, 2.) as validation that everything Jesus said about his divine nature and the kingdom of God was the truth, and 3.) it is only through belief in Jesus as God, the Son, that we are saved from sin.  Said differently, faith in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin is justified by knowing God raised him from the dead.  And it is that salvation from sin that allows us to have a close relationship with God and eternal life.

Here is renowned author and theologian, Dr. William Lane Craig, in a video from Reasonable Faith, expertly summarizing in the first 2 minutes all these key foundations of the Christian faith.  It might be the best and most concise description of the most core Christian foundational beliefs in existance.  You might need to watch it a couple of times.