“[Jesus] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).
Millions of people around the world believe that Jesus died on the cross. But not everyone believes He was raised from the dead. And very few people, even Christians, know what He actually accomplished when He went to the Cross.
Why did Jesus shed His blood? Was it just for forgiveness of sins alone, or was it for more than that? First, Jesus was delivered unto death for the payment of our sins. Then He was raised again for our justification so we could be placed in right standing with God.
When Jesus shed His blood, it was for the forgiveness of our sins. His resurrection from the dead made the new birth available to us.
We can now receive Jesus as our Savior and become brand-new creatures on the inside (2 Cor. 5:17). And our newly re-created spirits are infused with the nature of God.
Our sins are not just forgiven but remitted-totally removed as though they’d never happened. God takes out the old, hardened heart of stone and puts in a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). He not only delivers us from our sins but He delivers us from the power sin once had over us.
You see, it wouldn’t have been enough just to have our sins forgiven, because our nature would still be the same; we’d still continue to sin. God wanted to deliver us from the power of sin and all its effects, including the curse of sickness. Jesus died to pay for our sins, and He was raised from the dead to deliver us from sin, sickness and disease.
I’m a new creature in Christ. The old sin nature has been removed and holds no more power over me. God has placed His nature in me. Now I live a clean, holy life, free from sickness and disease.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.