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Answers to Why

When something significant happens, we want to know why it did. This might be in relation to a negative thing. I think of a dear friend who was stricken with lung cancer. The questions came thick and fast. People asked if he had ever smoked, had he ever worked with asbestos, had he been exposed to chemical or biological toxins. They wanted to know why he had contracted the disease. Now, 20 years after his death, it is still pretty much a mystery.

But people also want to know the reason behind apparently good things. Someone who drives up in a new vehicle can expect a few questions, like: Is that yours? Did you get a big raise? Did you win the lottery? Did your rich uncle die? These and a host of others, designed to pry out information about what made the new vehicle possible, are put forward.

When we look at the pivotal events of history - the death and resurrection of Jesus - legitimate curiosity is stirred. Why did the Son of God die on a cross? Romans 4:25 gives the answer very directly. He was “delivered up because of our offenses.” When God laid the sin of mankind on His Son, He had to die. An early principle found in God’s word is “the soul that sins shall die.” (See Ezekiel 18:20) Jesus fulfilled that principle in our place. When Jesus took on Himself the guilt of our sin, He also had to endure its consequences - death.

Now we get to the more challenging concept: Why did Jesus rise from the dead? We’ll look at the answer given in the same verse that gave us the reason for His death, Romans 4:25. There we read that he was raised because of our justification. I submit to you that Jesus came out of the grave because we had been justified through His death.

Jesus died because He took our sin upon Himself and suffered the consequences. Once He had submitted to death, the debt was paid. Our sin had no more hold on Him, or us. Therefore there was no reason for Him to remain in death’s grip. So, because we were now justified, God raised Him from the dead. This had two effects. It demonstrated the Lord’s power over death, but it also proclaimed that we had been justified through His death. As the verse says: “He was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25 NKJV)

When it comes to what was behind key events in Jesus' earthly ministry, there’s a world of difference between why Jesus had to die - because of our offenses, and why He was resurrected - because of our justification.

Ron Hughes
© November 2008