The Gospel Paul sets forth in his letter to the Romans is this: Jesus died to forgive our sins and he was raised from the dead to give us his resurrection life. Every time Paul introduces the gospel , he begins with the resurrection of Jesus. You can check it out for yourself by looking at his recorded sermons in Acts 13 and 17, and then reading his personal testimony shared with a lynch mob (Acts 22) the Jewish governing council (Acts 23) Governor Felix (Acts 24) his successor Governor Festus (Acts 25) and King Herod Agrippa (Acts 26).
Why does Paul consistently begin with the life changing resurrection of Jesus, instead of the sin bearing death of Jesus? Let’s pretend that you are an observant Jew or a God fearing Gentile living in the first century. A visiting scholar and rabbi has come to your synagogue. He has been invited to “say a few words”. If he stands up to tell you that there is a man who was crucified to forgive your sins, you would think, “People get crucified every day. Crucifying criminals is how the government keeps us citizens in line. What makes this particular death so special? How does it forgive sin? I walked by a crucified man in order to get to the synagogue today. I don’t think he forgave my sins.” Three people were publicly executed on Good Friday. Why is the man on the middle cross so unique?
Because he was raised from the dead, that’s why. He is still alive, able to perform signs and wonders, able to enter a human heart and change it. Because he is the only man eternally raised from the dead, his entire life means something. His birth was unique. His death was sin-forgiving. Jesus’ life-giving resurrection proves the rest of the gospel.
Because “He was raised from the dead” I know “He died to forgive sins”. This implies one more necessary fact – “our” sins. The good news about Jesus is just news, maybe interesting, but not relevant; unless I know that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness and life change.
I make hummingbird food regularly at this time of year in a two quart pot with a nice long handle. I would not think of handling a pot of boiling sugar water by grabbing the pot itself; I pick it up by the handle. The gospel is a pot with three ingredients: I am a sinner, I have a Savior, and He is my risen Lord. The handle which picks up that pot with all its wonderful contents is the fact that I have a risen Lord. That fact is first and foremost.
Phillip Yancey tells about a Christian friend who decided he was more attracted to someone other than his wife. He knew Jesus was his Savior and there was enough salvation in the cross to cover every sin imaginable. So he planned to divorce his wife, marry this other person, and ask for forgiveness. What was Phillip’s advice?
Phillip’s acknowledged that Jesus is a wonderful Savior who can forgive all sin, but once this particular deed was done, his friend would no longer be interested in forgiveness. The handle we must use to grasp the gospel is the resurrection of our life changing Lord. He is the One who forgives sin. When I no longer acknowledge Him as Lord, I no longer enjoy Him as Savior.