The Cross should change everything, but sometimes Christians find surprising little changed in their lives. The cross should spell the end of the world as we knew it, so why does it sometimes not show in our lives? We come to faith in Christ & our sins are forgiven; but we still sin. We often hinder God’s process by choices we make. We sabotage God’s work for fear that He may use us in some big way that we aren’t capable of. We buy an untrue version of the Gospel that costs little and demands even less. We are irritable, picky, short fused, angry, unforgiving because we live with a sense of entitlement rather than brokenness before God. Our reception is sometimes off. Like an antenna that’s broken or a satellite dish that is pointed in the wrong direction. We can’t get the signals God is sending out.
We often find it hard to forgive other believers. Andree Seu writes, "we file away offenses, we bring to mind the thing we have against that person and remember to act chilly toward him. We keep a bookmark where we left off, expending mental energy to remember our grievance, rather than the far simpler course of starting each encounter with a clean page. If we only understood that the Christian who insulted us last week is a constantly changing and progressively sanctifying person. The Holy Spirit has rolled up His sleeves and started cleaning out his fixer-upper of a heart, and you just happened to get in the way of some garbage being hauled out. The person you are still nursing resentment toward is in the middle of his story, and is not yet what he will be. Come to think of it, the same goes for you."
The truth: in Christ our identity is changed, we are set apart, we are being made holy, being sanctified progressively by God. We have been saved, justified; we are being saved, sanctified; we will one day be saved from the presence of sin, glorified. The process is ongoing. Assured by the promise and purpose of God; guaranteed by His character. But we are in the midst of the struggle Paul spoke of in Rom. 7 – I want to do right, but I do wrong. It feels like "take 54" or 154 or 1,054. Why can't we get it right? Maybe we are trying too hard.
Take comfort, you who are too hard on yourselves. Rest in the finished work of Christ and allow Him to live His life through you. Be wary, you who are too easy on yourselves, make sure you are in the faith. I love Phil. 2:12-13. 2:13 says God is at work in us & 2:12 says we are to work out (not work for - that was bought at the cross) our salvation with fear and trembling. So much of the Christian life boils down to cooperating with God, doesn't it? And what is Jesus doing? Praying for believers. Isaiah 53:12 "...yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors". (See Heb. 7:25) Christ is praying for believers right now. The thought can only humble us.
If you are not a Christian you need Jesus. You are responsible before God for what you have heard about Jesus. As Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:20, I implore you (I urge you, ask you, invite you) on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. The outcome of His death is joy; He is in process of gathering His family together, the authority to do so is all His (All authority on heaven and earth Matt. 28:18).
Only God knows where each person is at so we preach Christ crucified and leave the outcome to God.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Cross is the Main Event, Part 3
Last time we looked at why Jesus did what He did. What are the results?
Redemption…forgiveness. Eph. 1:7 53:11 the righteous one, my servant, make many righteous. He will justify those who believe by grace through faith Heb. 10:17 their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. God takes the initiative in forgiveness. Tim Keller says There was a debt to be paid--God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born--God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering. We might waive a penalty, but if we don’t absorb the cost, there is no suffering on our part, only kindness. Isaiah 53:10 God provided a guilt offering; the death of the Servant satisfied both the needs of sinful people and the requirements of God with regard to His broken law and offended holiness.
Reconciliation…peace. 53:10 prolong, prosper, see, satisfied, righteous are words of peace. 53:12 Portion, spoil are proceeds of war at the end of war. 53:5 He bore our punishment. “Correct” by word or deed, ‘peace punishment’ needed to secure peace with God. Peace means to be complete or whole – a personal, secure, relationship with God. Peace with God is where we are brought near to Him and are reconciled. He took the chastisement that brought us peace 53:11. Now it's time to look at a big, important word: Propitiation (1 John 2:1-2). Propitiation means turning away anger, expiation is often used in its place but it is different – means making amends for a wrong done. Propitiation is personal, done for a person; expiation is impersonal, done for a crime. Expiation is an impersonal process where sin is dealt with; propitiation is a personal process, where God is justly angry over sin and if people are to be forgiven something must be done about the anger. The death of Christ is the way God removes the divine wrath from sinners. Propitiation is where God’s wrath is not merely appeased, but put aside. We use the word wrath with relation to God with a qualification – not like us, w/o the defects we see in people even at their best, wrath untainted by human sin. We must face it. Our sins are the object of God’s wrath. Every sin displeases God. One of the things Christ did at the cross was make the offering that turns away wrath and as we put our trust in Him we need not fear it anymore. This is assurance of peace for Christians. We have nothing to fear. He dealt with all aspects of our need: infirmities, sorrows; moral and spiritual guilt that alienate us from God. We declared war against God by our sin; He brings peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20).
Transformation…change. 53:10-12 The Lord is committed to do His will, Servant is involved in what the Lord willed. Whoever becomes a recipient of God’s favor through His offering become His children (Offspring). 53:10 When a person believes, Jesus sees His offspring. See means experience. A relationship is started. You become a member of His family. We stray like sheep, we return like children. The guilt offering was made, now He is gathering His family. The work of paying for sin was finished on the cross, the harvest of bringing in those who believe and are saved through faith in that sacrifice continues. By believing in Christ, we become God's children; adopted into God’s family. He draws us near in relationship; initiated, sustained by Him. 53:5 by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah uses healing in a total sense; a person fully restored and complete. The spiritual work of transformation God does in the lives of those who believe. Those who are in Christ are 2 Cor. 5;17 new creations. They have a new life; reoriented by Jesus and centered on the truths of His Word. The cross becomes the compass by which everything is reoriented.
Redemption…forgiveness. Eph. 1:7 53:11 the righteous one, my servant, make many righteous. He will justify those who believe by grace through faith Heb. 10:17 their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. God takes the initiative in forgiveness. Tim Keller says There was a debt to be paid--God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born--God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering. We might waive a penalty, but if we don’t absorb the cost, there is no suffering on our part, only kindness. Isaiah 53:10 God provided a guilt offering; the death of the Servant satisfied both the needs of sinful people and the requirements of God with regard to His broken law and offended holiness.
Reconciliation…peace. 53:10 prolong, prosper, see, satisfied, righteous are words of peace. 53:12 Portion, spoil are proceeds of war at the end of war. 53:5 He bore our punishment. “Correct” by word or deed, ‘peace punishment’ needed to secure peace with God. Peace means to be complete or whole – a personal, secure, relationship with God. Peace with God is where we are brought near to Him and are reconciled. He took the chastisement that brought us peace 53:11. Now it's time to look at a big, important word: Propitiation (1 John 2:1-2). Propitiation means turning away anger, expiation is often used in its place but it is different – means making amends for a wrong done. Propitiation is personal, done for a person; expiation is impersonal, done for a crime. Expiation is an impersonal process where sin is dealt with; propitiation is a personal process, where God is justly angry over sin and if people are to be forgiven something must be done about the anger. The death of Christ is the way God removes the divine wrath from sinners. Propitiation is where God’s wrath is not merely appeased, but put aside. We use the word wrath with relation to God with a qualification – not like us, w/o the defects we see in people even at their best, wrath untainted by human sin. We must face it. Our sins are the object of God’s wrath. Every sin displeases God. One of the things Christ did at the cross was make the offering that turns away wrath and as we put our trust in Him we need not fear it anymore. This is assurance of peace for Christians. We have nothing to fear. He dealt with all aspects of our need: infirmities, sorrows; moral and spiritual guilt that alienate us from God. We declared war against God by our sin; He brings peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20).
Transformation…change. 53:10-12 The Lord is committed to do His will, Servant is involved in what the Lord willed. Whoever becomes a recipient of God’s favor through His offering become His children (Offspring). 53:10 When a person believes, Jesus sees His offspring. See means experience. A relationship is started. You become a member of His family. We stray like sheep, we return like children. The guilt offering was made, now He is gathering His family. The work of paying for sin was finished on the cross, the harvest of bringing in those who believe and are saved through faith in that sacrifice continues. By believing in Christ, we become God's children; adopted into God’s family. He draws us near in relationship; initiated, sustained by Him. 53:5 by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah uses healing in a total sense; a person fully restored and complete. The spiritual work of transformation God does in the lives of those who believe. Those who are in Christ are 2 Cor. 5;17 new creations. They have a new life; reoriented by Jesus and centered on the truths of His Word. The cross becomes the compass by which everything is reoriented.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Cross is the Main Event, Part 2
Last time we looked at what Jesus did. But why did He do it?
God’s great love. 53:7-9 Jesus was beaten by ungodly men, whipped, thrashed, abused to the point of death; then He was put on a cross to die, made a spectacle to the world. It was all for love that the Creator of the Universe allowed Himself to be dealt with like this. He allowed Himself to be hated so that He could show us His love. Isaiah 53:10 says the Lord as pleased to do this, God’s heart was revealed in delighting to provide a guilt offering (Eph. 2:4-5; John 3:16 1 Jn 4:9-10).
Our desperate need. Rom. 5:6 53:6 All we and the Lord. He suffers and we are still straying. The Lord, acting as high priest in relation to the Victim/Servant, loads up on Him all our wrongdoing. The Servant suffers isolation from humanity and suffers for our sin under the Lord’s hand. God takes our sin seriously. Christ was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed due to our twistedness. We explain sin away: shortcomings, mistakes, lapses, accidents. We refuse to bow to God’s rule, insist on going our own way, make our own rules that coddle rather than kill lusts; we make peace with our sins rather than war. Our sin is death corruption.
Our total inability. Rom. 3:9-18 53:6 the picture of straying like sheep summarizes our inability and inadequacy and our tendency to wander. Shows the danger we are in without Jesus, sheep without a shepherd. 53:4 completes Isaiah’s accurate diagnosis of our sinful condition – to see the Servant and find no beauty in Him reveals our bankruptcy, one with those who despised and rejected Him; our will is misguided apart from Christ, to look at Him and not see the answer to our sin problem is to condemn ourselves as corrupt and guilty before a holy God. Every aspect of human nature is inadequate; we cannot get ourselves to God. Rom. 3 shows us this truth. Every avenue is blocked by which we might bring ourselves to God – all human attempts fail. Nothing but God revealing Himself by making the Servant known and drawing us to Himself will do. What Jesus did at the cross & does in saving us is all God’s work & none of ours.
God’s perfect will. Isaiah 53:10 God really wanted to do this – because of the outcome that He planned to bring about. God planned it before time began. It was His will to crush Jesus for us. And Isaiah 53 was inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoken and recorded by the prophet Isaiah 700+ years before the actual events took place. Spoken as if it was already accomplished! (Acts 2:22-24; 4:27-28)
What are the results? (check out tomorrow's blog to find out)
God’s great love. 53:7-9 Jesus was beaten by ungodly men, whipped, thrashed, abused to the point of death; then He was put on a cross to die, made a spectacle to the world. It was all for love that the Creator of the Universe allowed Himself to be dealt with like this. He allowed Himself to be hated so that He could show us His love. Isaiah 53:10 says the Lord as pleased to do this, God’s heart was revealed in delighting to provide a guilt offering (Eph. 2:4-5; John 3:16 1 Jn 4:9-10).
Our desperate need. Rom. 5:6 53:6 All we and the Lord. He suffers and we are still straying. The Lord, acting as high priest in relation to the Victim/Servant, loads up on Him all our wrongdoing. The Servant suffers isolation from humanity and suffers for our sin under the Lord’s hand. God takes our sin seriously. Christ was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed due to our twistedness. We explain sin away: shortcomings, mistakes, lapses, accidents. We refuse to bow to God’s rule, insist on going our own way, make our own rules that coddle rather than kill lusts; we make peace with our sins rather than war. Our sin is death corruption.
Our total inability. Rom. 3:9-18 53:6 the picture of straying like sheep summarizes our inability and inadequacy and our tendency to wander. Shows the danger we are in without Jesus, sheep without a shepherd. 53:4 completes Isaiah’s accurate diagnosis of our sinful condition – to see the Servant and find no beauty in Him reveals our bankruptcy, one with those who despised and rejected Him; our will is misguided apart from Christ, to look at Him and not see the answer to our sin problem is to condemn ourselves as corrupt and guilty before a holy God. Every aspect of human nature is inadequate; we cannot get ourselves to God. Rom. 3 shows us this truth. Every avenue is blocked by which we might bring ourselves to God – all human attempts fail. Nothing but God revealing Himself by making the Servant known and drawing us to Himself will do. What Jesus did at the cross & does in saving us is all God’s work & none of ours.
God’s perfect will. Isaiah 53:10 God really wanted to do this – because of the outcome that He planned to bring about. God planned it before time began. It was His will to crush Jesus for us. And Isaiah 53 was inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoken and recorded by the prophet Isaiah 700+ years before the actual events took place. Spoken as if it was already accomplished! (Acts 2:22-24; 4:27-28)
What are the results? (check out tomorrow's blog to find out)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Cross is the Main Event
“The Cross is the Main Event”
J.I. Packer said the cross…takes us to the very heart of the Christian gospel. I want to focus on some key aspects at the heart of the gospel as seen in Isaiah chapter 53: What Jesus did; why He did it and what results.
What did Jesus do?
Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave. 1 Cor. 15:3-5. Born in humble circumstances, most would not have picked Him out of a lineup of would-be Saviors. As Isaiah 53:2 says, He had no form, no majesty, no beauty. Just common folk; and yet, the Servant’s entire ministry was uncommon. People were not thinking manger, stable, baby born in Bethlehem but conquering superhero. But the incarnation pointed to the cross. Jesus came to earth to die. Isaiah 53:3 He was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief not his own. It was due to one truth.
He was our substitute. He took what we deserved. Isaiah 53:4 says He took our griefs, our sorrows, we esteemed stricken, smitten, afflicted. Esteemed is an accounting word, a reckoning of value, what eyes saw and minds comprehended added up to zero. Isaiah 53:5 He was wounded for our transgressions (our willful, rebellious, deliberate sin against God and His Word), and crushed for our iniquities (bend double, the bentness or pervertedness of human nature; the result of the Fall & and ongoing nature of sin). His sufferings were for us but we had no part in them, people stood back and figured He deserved all He got – but it was us who deserved the punishment not Him. He dealt with our moral and spiritual need.
We are not mentioned except for being the contributing factor in the sin which caused His pain. With no cooperation or understanding from us, the Servant took on Himself all our sins. He dealt with our sin, our alienation from God, the marred image of God in us. He was not punished for any fault of His own, but as a result of our sin. This is known as the substitutionary atonement. The shedding of blood for the remission of sins, Christ dying in our place. He did not merely suffer because of the people’s sins, but in the place of the people. 53:4 signifies Substitution; 53:5 that it was Penal. Jesus was penalized for our sins. Penal Substitution. He deserved praise not punishment but He chose the cross. He acted by means of substitution. 53:4 He lifts up and loads our needs upon Himself; 53:5 His sufferings the penalty which He paid for our sins. The punishment essential to our peace with God fell on Him.
Why did Jesus do it? (check out tomorrow's blog on the web to find out!)
J.I. Packer said the cross…takes us to the very heart of the Christian gospel. I want to focus on some key aspects at the heart of the gospel as seen in Isaiah chapter 53: What Jesus did; why He did it and what results.
What did Jesus do?
Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave. 1 Cor. 15:3-5. Born in humble circumstances, most would not have picked Him out of a lineup of would-be Saviors. As Isaiah 53:2 says, He had no form, no majesty, no beauty. Just common folk; and yet, the Servant’s entire ministry was uncommon. People were not thinking manger, stable, baby born in Bethlehem but conquering superhero. But the incarnation pointed to the cross. Jesus came to earth to die. Isaiah 53:3 He was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief not his own. It was due to one truth.
He was our substitute. He took what we deserved. Isaiah 53:4 says He took our griefs, our sorrows, we esteemed stricken, smitten, afflicted. Esteemed is an accounting word, a reckoning of value, what eyes saw and minds comprehended added up to zero. Isaiah 53:5 He was wounded for our transgressions (our willful, rebellious, deliberate sin against God and His Word), and crushed for our iniquities (bend double, the bentness or pervertedness of human nature; the result of the Fall & and ongoing nature of sin). His sufferings were for us but we had no part in them, people stood back and figured He deserved all He got – but it was us who deserved the punishment not Him. He dealt with our moral and spiritual need.
We are not mentioned except for being the contributing factor in the sin which caused His pain. With no cooperation or understanding from us, the Servant took on Himself all our sins. He dealt with our sin, our alienation from God, the marred image of God in us. He was not punished for any fault of His own, but as a result of our sin. This is known as the substitutionary atonement. The shedding of blood for the remission of sins, Christ dying in our place. He did not merely suffer because of the people’s sins, but in the place of the people. 53:4 signifies Substitution; 53:5 that it was Penal. Jesus was penalized for our sins. Penal Substitution. He deserved praise not punishment but He chose the cross. He acted by means of substitution. 53:4 He lifts up and loads our needs upon Himself; 53:5 His sufferings the penalty which He paid for our sins. The punishment essential to our peace with God fell on Him.
Why did Jesus do it? (check out tomorrow's blog on the web to find out!)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Cross SHOULD change everything
The Cross should change everything, but sometimes we American Christians find surprising little changed in our lives and it we stop long enough to think about it, the most astute among us will even wonder why.
Jesus is not broken. The Gospel does work. It is just that our reception is sometimes off. Like an antenna that is broken or a satellite dish that is pointed in the wrong direction. We can’t get the signals God is sending out.
I think of the Mary’s at the foot of the cross. They had to have been crying, weeping, wailing. And for good reason. Jesus was killed at the cross. The only time we even allow ourselves to grieve, even a little bit, is when someone dies – have you noticed? It is OK to cry then. But if you are not at a funeral better wipe those tears away and be strong.
The cross should spell the end of the world as we know it. It should shake us to the core. It should remake us. It should…it could…so why is it not showing in our lives? Could it be because we are so afraid to be seen as weak, to cry, to grieve, to be silent, to stop and contemplate, meditate on truth that we don't allow it to sink into our hearts so that it can affect our lives? We rush from here to there and everywhere medicating ourselves with something other than the balm from Gilead. We run to the well of empty cisterns when the well of living waters in spilling over and we run right past it. Could it be that we have bought an untrue version of the Gospel we've picked up somewhere that costs little and demands even less?
This Easter I want to know Jesus and Him crucified. I want to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. I want to stand by His grace and be used of Him for earth-shattering, life-changing, bigger-than-me kinds of things. I want to want Jesus more than I want to watch the Lakers game, more than I want to eat a good dinner, more than I want to be known for doing something great. I want to know Jesus in the way that those who really know Him know Him. Like Paul, like John, like Mary, like Martha. Martha was busy and distracted but Jesus redirected her. He is merciful not punitive. He refocused her attention on what is truly important. I think she learned.
So the cross spells death to us and life to Christ. The cross changes everything. It will change your living and forgiving. Really come to the cross and you will stop beating people up; including you. Really know the power of the cross and you will be willing to forgive and you will stop withholding good from those to whom it is due – do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. Really come to the cross and get a vision of Jesus and yield to Him and you will stop living stoically like there is nothing to celebrate or even truly grieve about. The tears will flow and so will the joy.
Jesus is not broken. The Gospel does work. It is just that our reception is sometimes off. Like an antenna that is broken or a satellite dish that is pointed in the wrong direction. We can’t get the signals God is sending out.
I think of the Mary’s at the foot of the cross. They had to have been crying, weeping, wailing. And for good reason. Jesus was killed at the cross. The only time we even allow ourselves to grieve, even a little bit, is when someone dies – have you noticed? It is OK to cry then. But if you are not at a funeral better wipe those tears away and be strong.
The cross should spell the end of the world as we know it. It should shake us to the core. It should remake us. It should…it could…so why is it not showing in our lives? Could it be because we are so afraid to be seen as weak, to cry, to grieve, to be silent, to stop and contemplate, meditate on truth that we don't allow it to sink into our hearts so that it can affect our lives? We rush from here to there and everywhere medicating ourselves with something other than the balm from Gilead. We run to the well of empty cisterns when the well of living waters in spilling over and we run right past it. Could it be that we have bought an untrue version of the Gospel we've picked up somewhere that costs little and demands even less?
This Easter I want to know Jesus and Him crucified. I want to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. I want to stand by His grace and be used of Him for earth-shattering, life-changing, bigger-than-me kinds of things. I want to want Jesus more than I want to watch the Lakers game, more than I want to eat a good dinner, more than I want to be known for doing something great. I want to know Jesus in the way that those who really know Him know Him. Like Paul, like John, like Mary, like Martha. Martha was busy and distracted but Jesus redirected her. He is merciful not punitive. He refocused her attention on what is truly important. I think she learned.
So the cross spells death to us and life to Christ. The cross changes everything. It will change your living and forgiving. Really come to the cross and you will stop beating people up; including you. Really know the power of the cross and you will be willing to forgive and you will stop withholding good from those to whom it is due – do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. Really come to the cross and get a vision of Jesus and yield to Him and you will stop living stoically like there is nothing to celebrate or even truly grieve about. The tears will flow and so will the joy.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Slain, Condemned...and Praying
Isaiah 53:12 "...yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."
When Jesus was dying on the cross He prayed for those who condemned Him, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". Little did they know that He was being condemned for those He would ever live to pray for.
You who are weary and downcast take heart. You who are defeated. You who are needy. Christ is praying for you right now. Does that thought humble you? If it does there is an ember of life burning in your soul that God will use to fan into flame a revival – it will begin in you and jump to someone else and it will be an unstoppable force that is not human but divine.
If the thought of Christ praying for you leaves you chilled (or saying you don’t need it, but thanks anyway) maybe you are not His. Take heart that it is those who are alive that can feel. Those who admit their need that the Great Physician can heal. Sometimes we feel the highest and lowest of emotions. Sometimes our hearts play tricks on us. Thank God that He is greater than our hearts and knows all things. Thank God the blood cleanses and the Word transforms. It is those who are alive that can love and also resent. It is those who are alive that God is at work in. It is those who are dead that Christ awakes.
It is the prayed for that receive the benefit of the intercession. Knowing it is Christ who is making those requests for us can only humble real followers. We are set free in Christ and by Christ. We are made new by the blood of the Lamb who was slain. It is the One who was condemned for us that took all condemnation that ever could and would be hurled at us. As Thomas Watson put it…"Christ by his intercession answers all bills of indictment brought in against the elect. Do what they can, sin, and then Satan, accuses believers to God, and conscience accuses them to themselves; but Christ, by his intercession, answers all these accusations."
When Jesus was dying on the cross He prayed for those who condemned Him, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". Little did they know that He was being condemned for those He would ever live to pray for.
You who are weary and downcast take heart. You who are defeated. You who are needy. Christ is praying for you right now. Does that thought humble you? If it does there is an ember of life burning in your soul that God will use to fan into flame a revival – it will begin in you and jump to someone else and it will be an unstoppable force that is not human but divine.
If the thought of Christ praying for you leaves you chilled (or saying you don’t need it, but thanks anyway) maybe you are not His. Take heart that it is those who are alive that can feel. Those who admit their need that the Great Physician can heal. Sometimes we feel the highest and lowest of emotions. Sometimes our hearts play tricks on us. Thank God that He is greater than our hearts and knows all things. Thank God the blood cleanses and the Word transforms. It is those who are alive that can love and also resent. It is those who are alive that God is at work in. It is those who are dead that Christ awakes.
It is the prayed for that receive the benefit of the intercession. Knowing it is Christ who is making those requests for us can only humble real followers. We are set free in Christ and by Christ. We are made new by the blood of the Lamb who was slain. It is the One who was condemned for us that took all condemnation that ever could and would be hurled at us. As Thomas Watson put it…"Christ by his intercession answers all bills of indictment brought in against the elect. Do what they can, sin, and then Satan, accuses believers to God, and conscience accuses them to themselves; but Christ, by his intercession, answers all these accusations."
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Substitute Planned His Death
Christ's substitutionary death in our place was a case of supreme substitution. My sin for His life. My filthy rags for His riches. His condemnation for my salvation.
We were under the sentence of death. We were supposed to die for our crimes. We were rightly condemned. We were separated from God.
And God planned it before time began (Rev. 13:8). It was His will to crush Jesus for us. In one sense our sins sent Jesus to the cross. In the fullest sense God did.
We were under the sentence of death. We were supposed to die for our crimes. We were rightly condemned. We were separated from God.
And God planned it before time began (Rev. 13:8). It was His will to crush Jesus for us. In one sense our sins sent Jesus to the cross. In the fullest sense God did.
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