The Saving Work of Christ What We Believe Series February 8, 2015 taught by Jonathan Sarr

Transcription

1 The Saving Work of Christ What We Believe Series February 8, 2015 taught by Jonathan Sarr While the work of the Holy Spirit, which Jim will talk about next week, probably wins the prize for the most taken for granted work of God, the work of Jesus on our behalf is - in my mind - the doctrine that wins the prize for familiarity breeds jadedness. We read the gospels with apathy and callous hearts. It s not that we don t care; we absolutely care! This is what we embraced when we were saved. Rather we fail to think of any of this as a big deal since we ve heard it a million times before. The last time we met we talked about The Person of Jesus Christ in section 6. We do the same thing there. Look at this flatly-delivered, cool-thinking, but mindblowing phrases: 6.1 We believe that in the fullness of time 87 God sent forth His eternal Son as Jesus the Messiah, 88 conceived by the Holy Spirit, 89 born of the virgin Mary. 90 We believe that, when the eternal Son became flesh, 91 He took on a fully human nature, 92 so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one Person, without confusion or mixture. Thus the Person, Jesus Christ, was and is truly God 93 and truly man, 94 yet one Christ and the only Mediator between God and man. 95 And the whole thing reads like that! Well, I want to invite you tonight to consider with me the work of Jesus with new eyes, open hearts, and fresh imagination. As we look at the work of Jesus from point seven of our What We Believe statement, imagine with me that you re hearing these things (or reading them) for the first time. That said, I think I d like to begin with my conclusion. While this list is by no means exhaustive, I d like to suggest, as an overview, four takeaways from this section of the What We Believe statement, and by giving them now, I m hoping to orient your thinking that direction. Here are four things to look for in this section. 1. God saves sinners without their permission. 1

2 God does not wait to call us His children until we give ourselves spiritual life. He doesn t look down the corridors of time, find out what we re going to be like and what - or whom - we re going to love, then elect us based on what He sees. That s even silly to even think about. Rather, while we were still sinners, Christ does for us. 2. The work of Jesus is not potential; it is actual. There is nothing hypothetical about about Christ s saving work. It s not just a great plan that could work under the right conditions. This statement is full of language that emphasizes the actual, completed work of Christ on our behalf. 3. Our salvation does not depend on us. God alone does the work of saving; we do not save ourselves, and we do to cooperate with Him in our salvation. We are not - and we can t be - righteous enough by ourselves to earn God s favor. We need the righteousness of another, namely, Jesus Christ. 4. God is pleased with us because of the work of Jesus. Jesus work then is effectual; it accomplishes its work, and obtains for us the favor of God. We don t need to struggle to try to please God; He is pleased with us because of Jesus work. And that s all really good news. So with that as an introduction, I d like to encourage you hang your thoughts on those few hooks and join me in working through section seven of our What We Believe Statement entitled The Saving Work of Christ. Let s begin by reading together the first paragraph of section seven, We believe that by His perfect obedience to God 126 and by His suffering and death 127 as the immaculate Lamb of God, 128 Jesus Christ obtained forgiveness of sins 129 and the gift of perfect righteousness 130 for all who trusted in God prior to the cross 131 and all who would trust in Christ thereafter. 132 Through living a perfect life and dying in our place, the just for the unjust, Christ absorbed our punishment, 133 appeased the wrath of God against us, 134 vindicated the 2

3 righteousness of God in our justification, 135 and removed the condemnation of the law against us We believe that by His perfect obedience to God 126 and by His suffering and death 127 as the immaculate Lamb of God, 128 In the first sentence of our study for tonight, we already see an unfathomable phrase: perfect obedience. This means that Jesus always did the right thing. Jesus acted consistently with the will of the Father. And from His instruction to His disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, we see this to be the case. Jesus obedience of the Father was never partial or delayed; it was never violated or improved upon. It was perfect, and it needed to be perfect in order for it to be effectual, for it to produce its intended effect. I used to think that there was nothing effectual about the suffering of Jesus, but only His death. Lots of people were beaten and crucified, right? Those people did not die expiatory, substitutionary deaths for anyone, except for Jesus, Whose death was innocent. But that s just it: not only was His death innocent, but His suffering leading up to His death was also innocent. Both His suffering and His death were innocent. And furthermore, we cannot separate or distinguish Christ s suffering from His death, which is why Scripture doesn t try to do so, and neither does our statement of faith. So to put it another way, as you re watching the gruesome depiction of Christ s suffering in the film The Passion of the Christ, and you re inclined to think, Lots of people suffered similar beating and executions, ask two things: 1. Did any of those other people deserve what they received? (Yes, they all did, if we re all sinners.) 2. At what point between Gethsemane and Calvary did Jesus work start to be for our benefit? The answer is all of it was for us. As the perfect Lamb of God, He was sacrificed on our behalf. This is foreshadowed very poignantly in the Exodus 12 account of the Passover. The sacrificial lamb whose blood would protect the obedient Israelites from the death of their firstborn had to be a year old and without blemish. Jesus was Himself the perfect sacrificial Lamb, without any blemish of sin. 3

4 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"(john 1:29) [K]nowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.(1 Peter 1:18-19) Jesus Christ obtained forgiveness of sins 129 and the gift of perfect righteousness 130 So by his suffering and death, the Lamb of God actually obtained our forgiveness. The language here suggests that his atoning work was not potential, or hypothetical, or conditional on our obedience. Read with three passages provided as proof texts from the statement: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.(ephesians 1:7) In [Him] we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.(colossians 1:14) Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.(acts 13:38) Many in the Church today speak of the atoning work of Christ as one of the nicest gifts we can choose to receive, but that it actually secured nothing. But as we have read, that is not the case; Jesus Christ has obtained forgiveness of sins and the perfect gift of righteousness. And what is this righteousness that we have received? Let s turn again to the proof texts here from the Statement. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) [May I] be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3:9) 4

5 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and theprophets bear witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. (Romans 3:21-22) This is positional righteousness that comes from God by faith. This doctrine has profound implications. If the work of Christ is only potential and not actual, then we have the possibility of righteousness without actually being righteous. This, of course, begs the question of how we are to receive it. But if Christ has - by His suffering and death - obtained for us the perfect gift of righteousness, then it is not only cause for our praise, but it s also reasonable to conclude that nobody can take it away from us. At the Cross there transpired what theologians call a double transfer, where our righteousness (rather, our unrighteousness) was transferred to Christ and His righteousness was transferred to us. This is why when the Father looks on us he sees us having been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And to whom does this apply? for all who trusted in God prior to the cross 131 and all who would trust in Christ thereafter. 132 Old Testament and New Testament saints are alike justified by faith and saved by the substitutionary work of Christ. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."(romans 4:3) Through living a perfect life and dying in our place, the just for the unjust, Christ absorbed our punishment, 133 Christ was uniquely qualified to pay for the sins of someone else because He had no sins of His own. If He had needed to pay for His own sins, then He would not have been able to take on the sins of anyone else. As a man, the sinless Christ was a suitable sacrifice for another man; as God, His sacrifice was sufficient for the sins of many. 5

6 appeased the wrath of God against us, 134 The wrath of God reserved for us as sinners was poured out on Christ. Christians then, do not need to dread the judgment of God because His wrath has already been poured out on Christ instead of us. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 reads, [We] wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. And Romans 5:9 reads, Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. So in the Day of Judgment we will be found innocent; our sins have already been judged by God the Father, in Christ, Who bore them at the Cross. vindicated the righteousness of God in our justification, 135 Now I love this concept, and I m glad it s a part of our statement. Remembering of course that this statement is not inspired, we still need to consider the phrasing if we are to rightly understand what is meant by it. So Christ [lived] a perfect life and [died] in our place, the just for the unjust, and in so doing he vindicated something. And that something that He vindicated is God s righteousness in our justification. I remember once as a new Christian being stumped by a question that an unbelieving friend of mine posed to me. He said, in effect that his biggest question was not how a good and loving God could send someone to hell; rather, he couldn t understand how a just God could accept anyone since we re all such vile sinners. Asked differently, how is God just in accepting anyone? I couldn t answer him. And JI Packer helped me in his classic book Knowing God with his meditations on the righteousness of God. Here s the reality: Christians - to whom God gives the righteousness of Christ - are made actually and positionally righteous. When we die, a just and holy God can allow us into His presence because we will be without sin. We have sinned, but Christ died for those sins. The demands of God s perfect justice are met in the work of Christ on our behalf. 6

7 Every sin ever committed is or will be atoned for. Every one. For Christians, our sins have been judged already and Christ has sufficiently paid for them; for those who die in their sins and reject the gospel, their punishment still awaits them and will last for eternity in hell. And since our sins are atoned for, we are redeemed. So when God declares us justified, He is right in doing so. Make sense? Our justification by God is vindicated by the work of Jesus. and removed the condemnation of the law against us. 136 Rightly then does Paul say And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). Because we have been redeemed by Christ and justified by faith, the accuser cannot rightly level a charge against us. Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:33-34). Now let s read 7.2 together. 7.2 We believe that the gospel should be proclaimed to all nations and that to every person it may be truly said, "God gave his only son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." 137 Whosoever will may come 138 and, whoever does come, Jesus will not cast out We believe that the gospel should be proclaimed to all nations and that to every person it may be truly said, "God gave his only son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." 137 No Christian would say that he saves himself, but plenty would say that sinners cooperate with God in their salvation, that it is synergistic work. We deny that, as the Bible teaches that that Salvation is monergistic, namely, that there is only one worker: God. God alone chooses His own; this is divine election. 7

8 In response to the doctrine of divine election - God s choosing His own - some point immediately to John 3:16 to make a case against divine election. [W]hoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. That sounds like it s up to the sinner to believe or not to believe. But this isn t necessarily the case. In fact, it s not the case, according to Scripture, lest the sinner then receive the credit and share God s glory for his salvation. But let s keep examining the Statement. Whosoever will may come 138 It is true that anyone who wills to come to Christ may come to Christ, but it s also true that only the elect will to come to Christ. Just because the sinner wills to come doesn t mean that the ability to do so comes from himself. The one who wants to become a Christian can become a Christian, because that desire is itself a grace from God. When He gives us spiritual life, God changes our hearts and our desires. So there are none who can stand before Christ at judgment and say, Lord, I wanted to become a Christian, but I guess I just wasn t among the elect. Neither will God drag any who continue to hate Him into heaven simply because they re among the elect. The elect bear the fruit of willing to come. So man s depravity and John 3:16 are friends that don t need to be reconciled. and, whoever does come, Jesus will not cast out. 139 When we come to Christ, He will not cast us out. I d like to make a couple of observations here: 1. This passage presupposes, first off, that it s Jesus prerogative to cast out and to keep in the fold. He doesn t have to ask the Father s permission. Saving and preserving are His work. 2. Sure, He won t cast us out, but it s not just because He s nice; it s because we belong. Those who come to Him are the redeemed; they re the elect, so they are a part of the fold; they cannot be cast away. This ought to provide hope and joy and assurance for the believer. Finally, let s read

9 7.3 We believe that the death and resurrection of Christ obtained the omnipotent New Covenant 140 mercy of repentance 141 and faith 142 for God's elect. In His death, Christ expressed a special covenant love to His friends, 143 His sheep, 144 His bride. 145 For them He secured salvation and obtained the infallible and effectual working of the Spirit to triumph over their resistance and bring them to saving faith We believe that the death and resurrection of Christ obtained the omnipotent New Covenant 140 mercy of repentance 141 and faith 142 for God's elect. This sentence reminds us that the death and resurrection of Christ were successful in what it they intended to do, namely in obtaining the omnipotent New Covenant mercy of repentance and faith for God s elect. So we see again that repentance and faith unto salvation are granted to God s elect by God Himself; they re not things that we must produce ourselves in order to be saved. Repentance and faith are necessary for salvation, and men must receive these as gifts from God. And in His death and resurrection, they are obtained by Christ to be passed along to us. This can be a confusing passage, but it s drawn in part from Hebrews 8:6: But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.(hebrews 8:6) In His death, Christ expressed a special covenant love to His friends, 143 His sheep, 144 His bride. 145 For them He secured salvation and obtained the infallible and effectual working of the Spirit to triumph over their resistance and bring them to saving faith. 146 Christ s death was a special act of love for us, His friends, His sheep, His bride. And with still more definitive language, we read that in His death Christ has actually secured salvation for us. 9

10 Next week we re going to hear from Jim more about the saving work of the Spirit that is introduced here, so I ll try not to steal too much of Jim s thunder, but let me emphasize a few points here. The working of the Spirit is both infallible and effectual. It is not subject to mistake or error, and it is completely successful in its intent. This is of course because the Spirit is God, yet it s easy for us to miss it at the same time. We can suppose that our will is greater than His. Though we d never say this, we act like it when we suppose that the work of God is potential, or conditional, or dependent on our behavior. Far from being dependent on our behavior, Christ has obtained the work of the Spirit for us to triumph over [our] resistance and bring [us] saving faith. CONCLUSION To wrap up for the evening, I d like to return to where we started and revisit our four takeaways. 1. God saves sinners without their permission. Praise God that He does not wait for us to grant our consent before He grants us spiritual life. Praise God that He changes our wills, granting us love for Him. 2. The work of Jesus is not potential; it is actual. Praise God that the saving work of Christ is actually accomplished for us. He still has work to do in judgment, and that day is coming. But His redemptive work is done. 3. Our salvation does not depend on us. Praise God as well that He does not expect or require us to save ourselves or to even help Him in that process. 4. God is pleased with us because of the work of Jesus. And we thank Christ for the favor of the Father. He now looks on us with delight, seeing Christ and His righteousness, not ours. 10