Lesson 12: A Humanitarian by Giving Us a Wonderful Status
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Study Guide Pages 91-99
More Key Bible Verses
Read and study the following quotes from “A Humanitarian by Giving Us a Wonderful Status” chapter 12 of God—The Ultimate Humanitarian.
When we remember our divine acquittal, we can look forward to Judgment Day with great anticipation rather than great anxiety. We already know the verdict! We can approach Judgment Day like a defendant with an airtight case. In fact, our case isn’t just air-tight, it’s perfect! Jesus who satisfied God’s justice for us is the judge! He’s not just our judge; the Bible also says he is our defense attorney! “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). When we put all these factors together, it is not a stretch to say Judgment Day will be the best day of our lives. It’s the day God, the ultimate humanitarian, will acquit us before the entire world and welcome us into heaven with open arms!
God—The Ultimate Humanitarian, 86
Romans 4:25 addresses our justification in a unique way. Speaking about Jesus it says: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” The “for” in the phrases “for our sins” and “for our justification” means “because of.” This is significant. Note the parallelism between the two parts of the verse. Just as our sins were the cause of Jesus’ death, our justification (acquittal) was the cause of his resurrection. To better understand this, think of Jesus’ tomb as a prison. What is the message when a prisoner walks out the prison’s front door? It tells the world he has served his sentence. God gave the world that very message when Jesus left his tomb. In this very striking way, he assured us that Jesus has fully served his sentence which, in reality, was our sentence. Romans 4:25 makes this point when it says Jesus “was raised to life for our justification.” God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the prison of his tomb, because he had already acquitted us. If you ever wonder if God has actually declared you not guilty, revisit the Easter story and watch again as God releases Jesus from the prison of his tomb. See that and be convinced you are justified.
God—The Ultimate Humanitarian, 87
More Questions to Consider
- How does knowing that God is both your judge and defense attorney make you feel?
- Agree/disagree: For believers in Jesus, Judgment Day will be the best day of their lives.
- How does Easter’s empty tomb announce, “Not guilty?”
- Agree/disagree: Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we don’t need to fear God’s wrath over sin.
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