Christ's Great Acts for Sinners

Introduction

On last week we discussed Christ great journey for sinners. We spoke of how Christ came to save, to seek, and to call to repentance. We want to explore a little deeper what his salvation of us looks like. We are some of the things our savior did to accomplish his goal of saving sinners, part of the reason he journeyed for us. That is, what are Christ’s great acts for sinners. This is what we will turn to today.

Background

Charles Spurgeon in his treatise on the incarnation said these important words: “It is a gracious but very startling fact that our Lord’s connection with His people lies in the direction of their sins. This is amazing condescension. He is called Savior in connection with His people, but it is in reference to their sins, because it is from their sins that they need to be saved. If they had never sinned, they would never have required a Savior, and there would have been no Name of Jesus known upon earth.” Yet we did require saving. Indeed Christ needed to do, among others, three things on our behalf: ransom, destruction, and revealing.

Exposition

Christ’s Great Act of Ransom for Us

The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible defines ransom as: “Price for redeeming or liberating slaves, captives, property, or life. Jesus describes his entire ministry as one of service in giving his life “as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45). Hence “ransom” is closely linked to such terms as “redemption” and “salvation,” to the satisfaction Christ made in atonement for sin.”[1] Redemption, according to Lexham Bible Dictionary, is: “The release of people, animals, or property from bondage through the payment of a price.”[2]. The question is why would such a ransom be needed.

The scripture tells us we are slaves of sin (Romans 6:17). This can be considered in two components: 1- being ensnared to the devil to do his will (2 Tim 2:26, 1 John 5:19,Eph. 2:1-2) and 2 - being under the curse of the law (Gal 3:13) because we fail to keep it (James 2:10-11). Contrary to popular opinion, we are not absolutely free to do as we please nor are we free from the consequences of our actions. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to Christ, leading to death or life. Because of the fall our default state is captivity. To make matters worse, we couldn’t do anything about it. Like Israel in Egypt, we were held down by a power greater than ourselves which we have no hope of throwing off. This is where Christ comes in.

As indicated in our definitions above, freedom from captivity requires payment of a price. Yet sinful man has nothing with which to pay. His own life is insufficient as it does release from the penalty of sin. Yet there was a Savior who was totally untouched by sin. It had to power over him. There was one whom the evil had no rule over. He tried but could not tempt him. There was one whom could keep the law of God perfectly. The power to do so was within him. There was one whom was willing to take our place. We would be free to obey him. There is one whom reigns victorious and all authority belongs to Him. I speak of course of Jesus the Christ, the one whom declared he came to give us life a ransom for many.

Christ’s great act was to pay the debt of our sin. It was to satisfy the just judgment of God for our sin. It was to break to power of the evil one. It was to bring us to Himself as a peculiar people (Titus 2:13-14). It was an act of tremendous success. You don’t have to remain bound to sin. Jesus paid it all the songwriter said. You can be free to be his.

Christ’s Great Acts of Destruction

Though we largely go about our lives in the natural world, the natural world or realm is not all that there is. There is a spiritual world or realm where things are happening all the time. Indeed what in the spiritual realm bleeds over into the natural realm. If it were not so there would be no need for the armor of God or the category of spiritual warfare. There is a spiritual enemy whom operates in this world (Matt 13:38-39), he has a people (John 8:44). He is the god of this world (John 12:31, 2 Cor. 4:4). He works to destroy us, even as He will be destroyed. Article 12 of the Belgic confession of faith puts it this way: “The devils and evil spirits are so depraved that they are enemies of God and every good thing; to the utmost of their power as murderers watching to ruin the Church and every member thereof, and by their wicked stratagems to destroy all; and are, therefore, by their own wickedness adjudged to eternal damnation, daily expecting their horrible torments.”[3] So what and How actually did Christ destroy for us?

Christ freed those whom were oppressed of the devil - Acts 10:38. Christ broke Satan’s control over them.

Christ secured the ultimate destruction of Satan - Luke 10:18, Heb. 2:14-15. Refer to Article 12 above.

Christ broke the power of sin on the cross - Col 2:14-15. He freed us from accusation and condemnation

Christ took the keys of death and hades - Rev. 1:18. He rightly stands a just judge over our life after death.

Christ defeated the enemy called death - 2 Tim. 1:10. He destroyed the need to fear death and its consequence.

Christ’s Great Act of Revealing God’s Love

There can be no doubt that the Father loves the world, meaning men and women from every tribe, nation, and tongue. There can be no doubt of the Father’s desire to draw sinners to Himself. There can be no doubt that we serve a personal, caring God. Why is all of this true? The Father sent the son. The LEB version of John 3:16-17 reads this way: “For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world in order that he should judge the world, but in order that the world should be saved through him.”[4] This love was more than mere sentiment. It was sacrificial. It was costly. It was rich before human understanding. Anthanasius wrote in On the Incarnation: “Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men.”[5] If this isn’t incredible enough, consider that love we receive is an extension of the love that the Father has for the Son. As Joel Beeke puts it: “…the love between God the Father and God the Son is perfect, personal, intimate, deep, and committed. It is love without limits, which is not subject to change or decay.”[6] In Christ, we take part in the love that exist between the members of the Godhead. This is incredible. This is the rich love that Christ reveals to us. This is love truly. This is the love given to unworthy sinners.

Practical Application

Allow me on more quote from Anthansius: “The Word perceived that corruption could not be got rid of otherwise than through death; yet He Himself, as the Word, being immortal and the Father’s Son, was such as could not die. For this reason, therefore, He assumed a body capable of death, in order that it, through belonging to the Word Who is above all, might become in dying a sufficient exchange for all, and, itself remaining incorruptible through His indwelling, might thereafter put an end to corruption for all others as well, by the grace of the resurrection.”[7]

Bibliography

1. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Ransom. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1821). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

2. Lau, P. (2016). Redemption. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

3. Historic Creeds and Confessions. (1997). (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Lexham Press.

4. Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.). (2012). The Lexham English Bible (Jn 3:16–17). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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