No human being can atone for his own sins, much less for the sins of the world. No one can resolve the problem of sin. No human being can even come close to attempting. As a matter of fact, as the apostle Paul helps us to understand, the more we try to solve our problem, the deeper we find ourselves in our problem. We try to dig ourselves out of a hole only to dig ourselves deeper and deeper and deeper. The only one who can save us is the one whom the Father himself would send, whose perfect life would fulfill the law, would indeed fulfill his righteousness. He would die in our place. He would do what we could not do. If I died a thousand-thousand deaths, it would not atone for my own sin, but this one death, of the only begotten Son of God, could atone for the deaths of every sinner who would come to Christ by faith. Without Jesus Christ, there is no atonement for sins. Only Jesus could die for our sins. But that was not where the story ended or we would still be, as Paul says, of all people, most to be pitied, still dead in our trespasses and sins. Jesus not only died for our sins; he was raised by the power of God. He is the firstfruit of the resurrection that is promised now to us as well. Only Jesus could save. Only Jesus does save.