I have used an illustration before, which I will use again for the sake of the many new ones with us. If I have sinned, I should go to jail. But suppose a friend of mine volunteers to go in my place. Because he goes to jail, I am released. But it is not until he is released that I know my case is settled. Only then will my heart be relieved. My body is released because his is imprisoned. But my heart is released only when he comes out. Until the case is over, he will still be inside. If he is still in jail, I will not know if he has borne my punishment or if I will still be wanted. When he is out of prison, I will know that the case is settled. In the same way, as soon as the Lord Jesus died, the problem of my sin was solved. But the Lord Jesus had to resurrect before I could know that the problem of sin was solved. He was delivered for our transgressions and was resurrected for our justification. He resurrected because the problem of our justification was solved. We can go to the world to tell everyone of the work God has accomplished through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. At the same time, we can tell others that through the resurrection of the Lord, God has given us a receipt and a proof. It informs us that the task is finished. Today we do not merely believe in the cross. Rather, we believe also in the resurrection.

Can you find one verse in the Bible that tells man to believe in the cross? It is very strange that we are always told to believe in the resurrection. If you meet a nominal Christian today who may have been a member of a church for ten, twenty, or thirty years and talk with him a little, you will realize that there is a big difference between believing in the cross and believing in the resurrection. I met a member of a denomination once who had been an elder for thirty-eight years and a "Christian" for fifty or sixty years. When I asked if he believed in the Lord Jesus, he said, "Yes." But when I asked if he knew that his sins were forgiven, he dared not say yes. Then I asked him if Jesus was his Savior, and he said, "Yes." But when I asked him if he was saved, he said that he did not know. When I asked him if he believed that the Lord Jesus had been judged on the cross for our sins, he readily said that he did. Not only does the Bible say this, even our hymn book says it. It says that thousands of bulls and goats on the Jewish altar will not forgive us of our sins, but the one sacrifice of the Lord cleanses us from all sin. When I asked this man if he were cleansed from his sins, he said he believed that the crucifixion of the Lord was for his sins, but he dared not say that his sins were washed away. I cannot blame him for being unclear. It is true that the Lord Jesus died on the cross. But how can one know that this cross counts? He believes in the cross, but how does he know that the cross has solved all his problems and settled his case? Although the settlement for sin happened on the cross, what makes us clear is the resurrection. If you repay someone some money, how do you know that the amount paid is sufficient and that the bank notes are genuine? What if the notes are counterfeit? Only one thing will assure you that the amount has been fully paid—a receipt from your creditor saying that the amount has been paid in full. When you pay the money, the creditor clears your account, and you know that the matter is settled. In the same way, the death of the Lord Jesus speaks of what He has done for God, while His resurrection speaks of what God has done for us. Death is the settlement between Him and God, but resurrection is the announcement to us of the settlement between God and His Son. God said that the debt has been cleared. If you believe that the Lord's death is for your sins, the Lord's resurrection will then declare that your sin record has been cleared. Many people say that we have to settle our sin account, and that if it is not settled, we cannot be saved. Thank the Lord that my sin account was settled before I was even born. Even the receipt was issued. The death of the Lord Jesus was the settlement of the debt, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the proof of this settlement. Resurrection is the proof of justification. We are justified because God has been gracious to us and has redeemed us from sin. The death of the Lord Jesus was for the solution of sin. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus was for the proof of justification. Hence, our faith rests on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.