Who [Jesus] was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:25)
The Bible tells us that Christ was delivered up for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification. You may already know why Jesus died for our sins, but do you know the significance of God raising Him from the dead?
Let me give you an illustration to help you understand the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
Let’s say that you are living in a foreign country. One day, you happen to break a major rule of the land. You appeal to the king for mercy. He says, “A rule is a rule. I cannot bend the rule for you. What will others say about my integrity? However, if you can find a substitute to take your punishment — three months in jail — I will allow it.”
By God’s grace, you find a willing substitute. He goes to prison on your behalf and you don’t see him for some time. Days, weeks and months pass by.
Now, how or when will you know that your crime has been fully paid for? When will you be able to rest easy regarding your crime? It is when you see your substitute walking free again! When you see him out of prison, you will know that the sentence has been fully served. You will know that you are now justified and no one can bring a charge against you for your old crime. No longer will you be afraid of the king or his guards coming after you because you know that the one who was punished in your place is now walking free.
Beloved, Jesus, your substitute, paid the debt you could not pay. On the cross, He bore the sins of your entire life. God put it all on Jesus and then He punished Jesus for every single one of those sins until He was fully satisfied. And because He was so pleased with what Jesus had done, He raised Him from the dead.
Today, Jesus’ tomb remains empty. He is not there for He has risen! His resurrection and empty tomb will forever be our assurance that we have been fully justified. You no longer have to be afraid of God judging you for your sins. His justice is on your side today!
A founding member of New Creation Church, Joseph initially served as an elder and associate pastor. However, his unanimous appointment as senior pastor in 1990 marked a turning point in the history of the church, which started experiencing phenomenal growth. Under Joseph's leadership, the church congregation has grown by more than a hundredfold—from about 150 to more than 31,000 attendees.
Having built and established the leadership and congregation of New Creation Church on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, Joseph is now actively fulfilling, around the world, the mandate that God has given him to preach God's unmerited favor without compromise. He heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc., an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage, and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as a new media technology. Joseph's ministry as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and author continues to transform many lives, setting people free from the heavy yoke of the law, guilt, and condemnation by pointing them to Jesus and His finished work at Calvary.
Joseph believes the best in people and is committed to helping them discover how they can reign in life through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. His desire is to help this generation of believers understand the new covenant of grace and realize how greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved they are by their heavenly Father.
In addition, both Joseph and Wendy are moved by the plight of less fortunate children, especially in Asia, and consider it a calling and an urgent priority to provide practical help through Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc.'s missions initiative and humanitarian projects.