Why the Resurrection? Day Seven/Reason Seven

So We Might Be Forgiven

If Christ’s work has not been vindicated by the resurrection, we can have no confidence that God has forgiven us our transgressions. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then it is impossible for Him to be a High Priest. “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing” (Hebrews 7:23). In other words, a person is no longer able to serve in the ministry of the priesthood when he is dead—as this only makes sense; for the mediator between God and His people must be alive, for God is the God of the living, not the dead (Matthew 22:32). In order for Christ to be the permanent High Priest, the perpetual and only mediator between God and mankind (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5), He must be alive.

Because Christ is eternally alive, and it is impossible for Him to die (cf. Romans 6:9), He is “a priest forever,” as God has sworn He would be even before the Son came into the world (Hebrews 7:21, Psalm 110:4). Only because “He continues forever,” Christ is able to hold His High Priesthood permanently. Because He does hold it permanently, “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). As High Priest, Christ is able to continually plead on our behalf with the Great Judge, the Father. Only in this way can He intercede for all who draw near to God by faith in Him.

Christ’s intercessory work guarantees the forgiveness of all who trust in Him. Without Christ it would be impossible to draw near to the Father (cf. Hebrews 4:15-16), for only in Christ are we righteous before God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus Paul can tell us, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).

If we trusted in a dead high priest, we surely would have no hope, since His mediation would not be permanent, but would be just as that of the priests under the Old Covenant sacrificial system, requiring a sacrifice year after year. Faith in Christ’s sacrifice being a true atonement for sin would be worthless, since He would still be in the grave and unable to be a mediator. But since Christ is alive, He “does not need daily, like [the Old Covenant] high priest, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27). Because Christ was perfect, He need not sacrifice for Himself. Because Christ’s sacrifice was eternal, accepted by the Father, He only had to offer Himself once (cf. Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18).

As Paul says, if Christ is still dead, our hope is only in him for this life, since He does not stand as an eternal mediator. We would continue to be in our sin, since our High Priest is not alive. We would also have no hope for those who have died trusting in Christ, for they have eternally perished in a vain hope. In this case, we should be pitied by all, since we have a false hope and wretched views of mankind. We believe humans to be sinful and in need of a mediator. If Christ is still dead, no such mediator exists. We believe that we have been forgiven on account of Christ’s bearing the penalty for our sins. If Christ is still dead, then our sins remain upon us because God was not satisfied in Christ’s sacrifice as a High Priest. We believe that we shall receive resurrected bodies and live eternally. If our High Priest, the one who is our divine rescuer, is dead, who will save us from the wrath of God? No one, so our hope is in vain.

Christ is alive, however. This shows that God was satisfied with His sacrifice. We have assurance because the wrath of God has been satisfied by Christ’s work upon the cross. We know that as long as Christ stands in mediation for us, no one can tell us to depart from the Father’s presence; no one can take our eternal life away, for Christ is the sovereign Lord of eternal life, and He stands on our behalf. Our forgiveness is sure, for the risen Christ is the proof that we are now justified, we are righteous in the sight of God, the judge.