What did Jesus accomplish by dying, shedding His blood, and rising from the dead?
By dying, Jesus died the death that had to be died; by shedding His blood, He shed the blood that had to be shed; by rising, He rose in power over sin, Satan, and everything against us. That work of the cross is now ready to be imparted to those who simply believe.
Les explains that Paul is no longer attached to Christ's earthly ministry or concerned with what He did in the flesh. People like to spend all their time talking about His earthly ministry, the miracles, and His walking on the water, but that does not get down to the nitty-gritty of the sinner's need; it simply proves He was who He said He was. Now we are not to concern ourselves that much with that earthly ministry, but rather with the work of the cross, where everything comes to a head. Jesus performed the miracles, died the death that had to be died, shed the blood that had to be shed, and rose in power over sin and Satan and everything that was against us. He is now ready to impart it to us if we will simply believe it. People say they must do this or that, but God says no; Romans chapter 4 says He saves only the ungodly.