The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ offer every believer hope for deliverance. In today’s message, Dr. Evans explains the deliverance that believers can experience because of Christ. This deliverance is rooted in the love of God as demonstrated in the unchangeable message of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The cross testifies of God’s incomparable love for believers. In Romans 5:6-8, Paul contrasts the nature of human love at its best with the love of God. Human love pales in comparison to the love God demonstrated through the death of Jesus. At best, we, as humans, might on very rare occasions sacrifice our lives for a good person. We are much less likely to sacrifice our lives for a righteous person. An unrighteous person is unthinkable. In contrast, God loved us while we were in our worst state concerning Him. We were helpless, ungodly sinners, and we were His enemies. Nevertheless, Jesus displayed the incomparable love of God by sacrificing His precious life on behalf of sinners. This past loving act delivers us, as believers, from the wrath of God.
The death of Christ promises believers future deliverance from divine wrath. In Romans 5:9, Paul explains the reason we, as believers, may be confident in the hope of deliverance from divine wrath. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death for sinners, God pardons us as believers, granting forgiveness and crediting to our account the righteousness of Christ. He declares us, believers who were former enemies, as righteous. This is justification. Because God accomplished the more difficult task, changing enemies into friends through the death of His Son, He will definitely accomplish the easier task, keeping His friends from His divine judgment. Therefore, the unchangeable fact of Christ’s death gives us an unwavering hope for deliverance from future wrath on the final Day of Judgment. This is our assurance as believers in Christ.
The resurrected life of Christ also promises believers deliverance. In Romans 5:10, Paul talks about the change from a hostile to an amiable relationship between God and believing humanity. He explains that God not only rectified the legal relationship (justification); He also dealt with the personal relationship (reconciliation) through the cross of Christ. Now that we are in an amicable relationship with God, we can be assured of present deliverance as well because Christ lives. Since Christ is alive forevermore, he is able to intercede on our behalf as well as ensure our progressive growth in Christ likeness. He will eventually return to fulfill his promise of giving new eternal bodies to all believers, free from the effects of sin. What blessed assurance to know that Christ’s life provides us deliverance in the present and in the future.
God loves us more than any other person does. This is clearly seen when we look at the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us while were still in our sins, destined to face the wrath of God. The cross of Christ secured our deliverance from future wrath by changing our legal standing before God. It also repaired the broken personal relationship, placing us in a friendly rather than a hostile relationship with God. Because Christ lives, he is able to petition God on our behalf. In addition, believers can rest assured of Christ’s salvation in their present life (sanctification) and ultimate future (glorification).
