Why death couldn't hold Jesus in the grave

   Some would look at the title of this message as a question and it would be okay to look at it that way. Everyone else that has ever lived has died and has remained dead. Even those who Jesus raised from the dead like Lazarus eventually died again (John 11:43).  Why do we die? Because of sin. 

   Romans 6:23 declares, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse has a negative and a positive. The morbid truth is we all die because of sin, but the wonderful contrast is that eternal life is given to all freely who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for their soul salvation. 

    Here's a question that MUST be answered, since Jesus never committed any sin, why did he have to die? The Bible answers that question for us; to be a propitiation for mankind's sins. What in the world does propitiation mean? It is the Greek word hilasmos. This means Christ's sacrifice was the means by which a person can have their sins removed from them forever when they believe. Christ had to die in order to appease the Father's anger against him for being made sin although he personally knew no sin because he never committed any sin (2 Cor 5:21).

   Sin always has to be judged and punished. The only one worthy to accept the punishment for all of the mankind's sins and eradicate it was Jesus alone. Imagine how terrible it would be if every person that will ever live had to pay for their own sins! What that would mean is God would be exercising his justice with no mercy and everyone would go to hell!  And get this, he would be totally righteous in doing so! We all deserve God's wrath.

 Getting back to the original statement, Christ HAD to die because of our sins, and get this, he HAD to raise from the dead because he has no sin! Both scenarios had to play out in the one person, Christ Jesus. A sinless divine and human being had to die in order to appease the Father's wrath against sin, and only a sinless divine human being can raise himself from the dead (John 10:18)! Sinful mankind could never pull that off. Death cannot hold a perfect man in the grave. That is why Jesus rose in three days like he declared (Matt 16:21). 

 In Acts 2:23-24 we read, "this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible (emphasis added) for him to be held by it."

  Here's the wonderful news for believers, we will be raised from death like Christ. Here's the proof, "who will transform our body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory..."(Phil 3:21).