Lesson 11: A Humanitarian by Giving Us Proof of Christ’s Resurrection
Study Guide Pages 83-90
I walked in to find my wife staring at a piece of paper. As I looked closer, I saw she had been crying. I quickly went to her and asked what was wrong. She pointed to the paper and tearfully explained we had received it by special delivery. It was a notice stating our house was being foreclosed because we hadn’t made our mortgage payments.
She said she wasn’t concerned at first. She knew we made automatic payments from our checking account. She thought it would be easy to prove we had made the payments. But when she checked, she couldn’t find any such record. She started to panic. That’s when I walked in.
Not being able to prove you have paid a large bill can be unsettling, especially when the consequences of not paying it are dire. Vice versa, when you have solid proof you paid it, you aren’t bothered. All you do is show your receipt or canceled check, and you are good to go.
Proof of payment is what God gave us when he raised Jesus from the dead. Right before he died, Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished.” The word he used to say this was one commonly used to stamp bills “paid in full.” What Jesus finished with his death was the payment for all sin. Sin’s debt, our debt, was paid in full.
Many people, however, don’t believe this. They say we still must do something to pay for our sins – things like keeping the commandments. Others say even though Jesus paid the debt; we now must pay him back. Such thoughts can easily create a lot of doubt – and anxiety.
God doesn’t want you to have any doubts about whether Jesus paid your debt. Neither does he want you to be like my wife, stressing over whether it had been paid. By raising Jesus from the dead, he gave us a receipt marked “paid in full.” By raising Jesus from the dead, God put his stamp of approval on Jesus and his mission. He dramatically declared that Jesus did what he said he would do – that he gave his life as a ransom for all.
Don’t misplace this receipt. Don’t overlook its significance. Be confident that your sins are forgiven. That is what God wants you to be.
Key Bible Verses
Christ’s resurrection gives us new hope and new life.
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
Jesus’s cry from the cross told those near and far that he was accomplishing his mission to save sinners.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
John 19:30
Jesus being raised back to life is proof positive that the work Jesus needed to do was fully accomplished.
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4:24-25
Jesus died, but when he rose, he proved that death no longer had a hold on humanity.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:8-11
Questions to Consider
- Although there were other people resurrected in the Bible, what made Jesus’ resurrection unique?
- How did Jesus’ resurrection prove that his mission was accomplished?
- Why is Jesus’ resurrection so hard to believe? (Even his disciples doubted)
- What’s wrong with the idea that we have to pay Jesus back for what he has done for us?
- What does Jesus’ resurrection mean for us now? What does it mean for us, eternally?
- How does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead show that God is the ultimate humanitarian?
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