Jesus Did Not Die to Fulfill God's Wonderful Plan for Your Life

I listen to Christian radio sometimes while I'm driving. I'm not too big on Contemporary Christian Music, but I do enjoy some of the worship and praise songs that my local station plays on occasion; occasion being the key word, there. Most times, I hear self-absorbed, self-centered music with a few God and Jesus lyrics thrown in for good measure.

Because our culture has been on an ever spiraling decline of selfishness the church has seemed to follow suit. With a large majority of churches now catering sermons about self-help and improving your life in general, it didn't take too long for Christian music to pick up the mantle. I'm certainly not accusing all Christian artists of being plagued with the self-help mentality, but by and large a good number of songs reflect the current trend of our culture.

For example, just on the way home today I heard song with the lyrics (I'm paraphrasing) that talked about trusting God because, "what else do you have to loose; you were made for something more." Of course, there is nothing maniacal at all with those words. But I still have a problem with it. A HUGE problem!

My problem is that the gospel has been reduced to Jesus dying simply to fulfill God's plan for your life. Since the majority of songs that I hear reflect this same thing it is no surprise that many Christians have bought into this lie! I am sorry to inform you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, but Jesus did not die fulfill God's wonderful plan for your life.
Jesus did not die to heal your broken heart because your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with you.
Jesus did not die to give you a second shot at fulfilling your dreams.
Jesus did not die to give you better self-esteem.
Jesus did not die so that you could pursue a dream of becoming the next American idol.

Jesus died for a specific purpose. What was it? Scripture tells us that:

1. Jesus died to satisfy the wrath of God due to His elect people (Isa 53:5, 10, 1John 2:2)
2. Jesus died to demonstrate the justice of God in punishing sin and imputing righteousness to the undeserving (Rom 3:21-26)
3. Jesus died to save His own people from their sin (Mt 1:21)
4. Jesus died fulfill the Law for sinners because it was impossible for us to meet the demands ourselves (Gal 3:10-14)
5. Jesus died to show His incomparable love to humanity (Eph 2:1-9)
6. Jesus died to to make His people His workmanship (Eph 2:10)
7. Jesus died to reconcile sinners to God (Rom 5:10)
8. Jesus died to present His people as holy and blameless unto the Father (Jude 24-25)

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. The most important thing to remember is that Jesus died for the glory of God! So the next time you're sharing the gospel with someone please, please, please, do not tell them that Jesus died so that He could fulfill God's wonderful plan for their life. Just tell them that Christ died to save sinners. 

Keep on standing for truth,

Steven

John Calvin: Look to Christ Alone for Divine Favour and Paternal Love

We are going to be looking at some passages from John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion over the next several Sundays. The section I have chosen to post is from Book 2 ch. 16- HOW CHRIST PERFORMED THE OFFICE OF REDEEMER IN PROCURING OUR SALVATION. THE DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. I will only be posting short passages from this section. If you would like to read the Institutes on line you can go here. To puchas them, you can get them from amazon for less than a buck.
This passage speaks of why the sinner needs to know of his desperate state before God. If one does not understand they are under the wrath and judgement of God they will not be able to apprehend or gratefully receive the grace of God. One of my favorite lines in the passage is- "For example, let a person be told, Had God at the time you were a sinner hated you, and cast you off as you deserved, horrible destruction must have been your doom; but spontaneously and of free indulgence he retained you in his favour, not suffering you to be estranged from him, and in this way rescued you from danger,-the person will indeed be affected, and made sensible in some degree how much he owes to the mercy of God." I pray this will help in your worship of our Savior this Sunday Morning.

But before we proceed farther, we must see in passing, how can it be said that God, who prevents us with his mercy, was our enemy until he was reconciled to us by Christ. For how could he have given us in his only-begotten Son a singular pledge of his love, if he had not previously embraced us with free favour? As there thus arises some appearance of contradiction, I will explain the difficulty. The mode in which the Spirit usually speaks in Scripture is, that God was the enemy of men until they were restored to favour by the death of Christ (Rom. 5:10); that they were cursed until their iniquity was expiated by the sacrifice of Christ (Gal. 3:10, 13); that they were separated from God, until by means of Christ's body they were received into union (Col. 1:21, 22). Such modes of expression are accommodated to our capacity, that we may the better understand how miserable and calamitous our condition is without Christ. For were it not said in clear terms, that Divine wrath, and vengeance, and eternal death, lay upon us, we should be less sensible of our wretchedness without the mercy of God, and less disposed to value the blessing of deliverance. For example, let a person be told, Had God at the time you were a sinner hated you, and cast you off as you deserved, horrible destruction must have been your doom; but spontaneously and of free indulgence he retained you in his favour, not suffering you to be estranged from him, and in this way rescued you from danger,-the person will indeed be affected, and made sensible in some degree how much he owes to the mercy of God. But again, let him be told, as Scripture teaches, that he was estranged from God by sin, an heir of wrath, exposed to the curse of eternal death, excluded from all hope of salvation, a the better understand how miserable and calamitous our condition is without Christ. For were it not said in clear terms, that Divine wrath, and vengeance, and eternal death, lay upon us, we should be less sensible of our wretchedness without the mercy of God, and less disposed to value the blessing of deliverance. For example, let a person be told, Had God at the time you were a sinner hated you, and cast you off as you deserved, horrible destruction must have been your doom; but spontaneously and of free indulgence he retained you in his favour, not suffering you to be estranged from him, and in this way rescued you from danger,-the person will indeed be affected, and made sensible in some degree how much he owes to the mercy of God. But again, let him be told, as Scripture teaches, that he was estranged from God by sin, an heir of wrath, exposed to the curse of eternal death, excluded from all hope of salvation, a complete alien from the blessing of God, the slave of Satan, captive under the yoke of sin; in fine, doomed to horrible destruction, and already involved in it; that then Christ interposed, took the punishment upon himself and bore what by the just judgment of God was impending over sinners; with his own blood expiated the sins which rendered them hateful to God, by this expiation satisfied and duly propitiated God the Father, by this intercession appeased his anger, on this basis founded peace between God and men, and by this tie secured the Divine benevolence toward them; will not these considerations move him the more deeply, the more strikingly they represent the greatness of the calamity from which he was delivered? In short, since our mind cannot lay hold of life through the mercy of God with sufficient eagerness, or receive it with becoming gratitude, unless previously impressed with fear of the Divine anger, and dismayed at the thought of eternal death, we are so instructed by divine truth, as to perceive that without Christ God is in a manner hostile to us, and has his arm raised for our destruction. Thus taught, we look to Christ alone for divine favour and paternal love.

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Not a Dreg in the Cup

Here is this weeks sermon excerpt from Spurgeon. He preached this sermon entitled "None but Jesus" on February 17, 1861. I chose the segment of the sermon on Christ as our substitute. I hope it encourages you and helps you in the worship of our Lord this Sunday morning.

On nothing else must thou trust; he is to be the only prop and pillar of thy confidence; and all thou addest thereunto will be a wicked antichrist, a rebellion against the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus. But take care if your faith save you, that while you look to Christ in all these matters you view him as being a substitute. This doctrine of substitution is so essential to the whole plan of salvation that I must explain it here for the thousandth time. God is just, he must punish sin; God is merciful, he wills to pardon those who believe in Jesus. How is this to be done? How can he be just and exact the penalty,—merciful, and accept the sinner? He doeth it thus: he taketh the sins of his people and actually lifteth them up from off his people to Christ, so that they stand as innocent as though they had never sinned, and Christ is looked upon by God as though he had been all the sinners in the world rolled into one. The sin of his people was taken from their persons, and really and actually, not typically and metaphorically, but really and actually laid on Christ. Then God came forth with his fiery sword to meet the sinner and to punish him. He met Christ. Christ was not a sinner himself; but the sins of his people were all imputed to him. Justice, therefore, met Christ as though he had been the sinner—punished Christ for his people's sins—punished him as far as its rights could go,—exacted from him the last atom of the penalty, and left not a dreg in the cup. And now, he who can see Christ as being his substitute, and puts his trust in him, is thereby delivered from the curse of the law. Soul, when thou seest Christ obeying the law—thy faith is to say, "He obeys that for his people." When thou seest him dying, thou art to count the purple drops, and say, "Thus he took my sins away." When thou seest him rising from the dead, thou art to say—"He rises as the head and representative of all his elect"; and when thou seest him sitting at the right hand of God, thou art to view him there as the pledge that all for whom he died shall most surely sit at the Father's right hand. Learn to look on Christ as being in God's sight as though he were the sinner. "In him was no sin." He was "the just," but he suffered for the unjust. He was the righteous, but he stood in the place of the unrighteous; and all that the unrighteous ought to have endured, Christ has endured once for all, and put away their sins for ever by the sacrifice of himself. Now this is the great object of faith. I pray you, do not make any mistake about this, for a mistake here will be dangerous, if not fatal. View Christ, by your faith, as being in his life, and death, and sufferings, and resurrection, the substitute for all whom his Father gave him,—the vicarious sacrifice for the sins of all those who will trust him with their souls. Christ, then, thus set forth, is the object of justifying faith.

Now let me further remark that there are some of you, no doubt, saying—"Oh, I should believe and I would be saved if"—If what? If Christ had died? "Oh no, sir, my doubt is nothing about Christ." I thought so. Then what is the doubt? "Why, I should believe if I felt this, or if I had done that." Just so; but I tell you, you could not believe in Jesus if you felt that, or if you had done that, for then you would believe in yourself, and not in Christ. That is the English of it. If you were so-and-so, or so-and-so, then you could have confidence. Confidence in what? Why, confidence in your feelings, and confidence in your doings, and that is just the clear contrary of confidence in Christ. Faith is not to infer from something good within me that I shall be saved, but to say in the teeth, and despite of the fact that I am guilty in the sight of God and deserve his wrath, yet I do nevertheless believe that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth me from all sin; and though my present consciousness condemns me, yet my faith overpowers my consciousness, and I do believe that "he is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him." To come to Christ as a saint is very easy work; to trust to a doctor to cure you when you believe you are getting better, is very easy; but to trust your physician when you feel as if the sentence of death were in your body, to bear up when the disease is rising into the very skin, and when the ulcer is gathering its venom—to believe even then in the efficacy of the medicine—that is faith. And so, when sin gets the mastery of thee, when thou feelest that the law condemns thee, then, even then, as a sinner, to trust Christ, this is the most daring feat in all the world; and the faith which shook down the walls of Jericho, the faith which raised the dead, the faith which stopped the mouths of lions, was not greater than that of a poor sinner, when in the teeth of all his sins he dares to trust the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Do this, soul, then thou are saved, whosoever thou mayest be. The object of faith, then, is Christ as the substitute for sinners. God in Christ, but not God apart from Christ, nor any work of the Spirit, but the work of Jesus only must be viewed by you as the foundation of your hope.

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Do Not Play With the Dagger that Stabbed our Lord

Sin is the Dagger that stabbed our Lord. At the cross He experienced the shame and guilt that should have been ours. And it was ours. Our sin was there, upon Christ. All of the vile thoughts and deeds that we have ever done were placed on Him. Christ hung on a tree absorbing every drop of wrath due us. How then can we live in it any longer (Rom. 6:1-2)? Christ not only died to pay the penalty for sin, but to deliver us from it as well. Let us remember the infinite price that was paid for our freedom, and let us flee from every sin that Christ died to set us free from.

Here is a portion of a sermon by Charles Spurgeon entitled "The Object of Christ's Death." You can find the entire sermon here. I pray it helps you in the worship of our Lord this Sunday morning.
The answer of the text is, "He gave himself." I will not say that he gave his royal crown, that diadem which did outshine the sun; I will not say that he laid aside his azure rest, and hung it on the sky as he came down to earth; I will not say that he gave up for us the thrones and royalties of heaven. You know that he did all this, and far more; nor need I remind you that, when upon earth, he gave up all that he had, even to his last garment, for they parted his raiment among them, and for his vesture did they cast lots. I need not say that he gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, nor that he gave his hands to the nails, and his feet to the cruel iron. I need not say that he gave his body, his soul, and his spirit, but you have it all in these three words: "He gave himself."

"He gave himself for our sins." That is the wonder of Christ's death, our sins could not be put away except by his dying in our stead. There was no expiation of our sin, and consequently no deliverance from its condemnation, except by Christ's bearing in our room, and place, and stead, that wrath of God which was due to us; and he did do it. "He gave himself for our sins." I need not say more upon that point except just this. Do not, I pray you, let us permit him in any sense or measure to fail of his supreme object. "He gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world," therefore, out of gratitude to him, if for no other reason, let us not be of the world, and like the world, servants of the world, slaves of the world. What! did Christ die to deliver us from the world, and do we go back to it, and deliberately put our necks under the world's yoke, and wear the world's yoke, and become again the world's slaves? I am ashamed of myself, and of you, whenever we for a moment act as the ungodly world acts, and become as the world is, self-seeking, rebellious against God's will, living contrary to the divine law of Christ. Oh, let every drop of blood he shed on Calvary purge you from all resemblance to the world! Let the dying Savior's cries move you to hate the sin which the world loves; from Calvary, hear him cry, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing." By the blood with which he bought you, be ye not of the world, seeing that he hath redeemed you from among men that you might be altogether his own.
How does the death of Christ deliver us from the world? It does this by removing from us the condemnation of our sin. Having borne our sins in his own body on the tree, Christ has for ever freed us from the penalty that was our due. You know that is the very essence of the gospel; and you also know that I preach this truth every time I stand here, so I need not enlarge upon it now.
Christ has also delivered us from the world by making sin hateful to us. We say to ourselves, "Did sin kill Christ? Then we cannot play with that dagger that stabbed our Lord. How can we be friendly with the world that cast him out, and hanged him on a tree? O murderous sin, how can I give thee lodgment in my heart when thou didst kill the altogether lovely One?" Men speak hard things of regicides, but what shall I say of deicides? And sin is that deicide which slew the Christ of God; yet, marvel of marvels, by that death on the cross he hath crucified us to the world, and the world unto us, and so he has delivered us from this present evil world.
I may add that Christ has also delivered us from the world by the splendor of his example in giving himself to die for his enemies, and by the glory of his infinite merit, whereby he purchased back that image of God in Adam which sin had obliterated. He gave himself, the very image of God, and more than that, God himself, that he might give back to us that image of God which long ago we had lost. Thus has Christ delivered us from this present evil world; judge ye, sirs, whether he has thus delivered you.

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Nothing Left To Pay

Christ was our Worker. The two things that God demands from us, perfect obedience, and punishment for disobedience has been accomplished by God Himself. The infinitely valuable, infinitely holy, infinitely loved Son of God was sent by the Father to work on our behalf! Now, since the Creator of the Universe, the Second Person of the Triune God did the work that was required from us how much work is left for us to do? Our sins have been swallowed up by the Creator Himself. Christ drank the cup of God’s wrath down to it’s very dregs. There is nothing more for us to do but rest in the promise that Christ has paid the full penalty for our sins and failures.

Here is a portion of a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon on April 5, 1857. You can find the full sermon here. I hope that it is an encouragement and helps you to worship our Savior this Sunday morning.

 

Now, concerning this ransom, we have to observe, that it was all paid, and all paid at once. When Christ redeemed his people, he did it thoroughly; he did not leave a single debt unpaid, nor yet one farthing for them to settle afterwards. God demanded of Christ the payment for the sins of all his people; Christ stood forward, and to the utmost farthing paid whate'er his people owed. The sacrifice of Calvary was not a part payment; it was not a partial exoneration, it was a complete and perfect payment, and it obtained a complete and perfect remittal of all the debts of all believers that have lived, do live, or shall live, to the very end of time. On that day when Christ hung on the cross, he did not leave a single farthing for us to pay as a satisfaction to God; he did not leave, from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, that he had not satisfied. The whole of the demands of the law were paid down there and then by Jehovah Jesus, the great high priest of all his people. And blessed be his name, he paid it all at once too. So priceless was the ransom, so princely and munificent was the price demanded for our souls, one might have thought it would have been marvellous if Christ had paid it by instalments; some of it now, and some of it then. King's ransoms have sometimes been paid part at once, and part in dues afterwards, to run through years. But not so our Saviour: once for all he gave himself a sacrifice; at once he counted down the price, and said, "It is finished," leaving nothing for him to do, nor for us to accomplish. He did not drivel out a part-payment, and then declare that he would come again to die, or that he would again suffer, or that he would again obey; but down upon the nail, to the utmost farthing, the ransom of all people was paid, and a full receipt given to them, and Christ nailed that receipt to his cross, and said, "It is done, it is done; I have taken away the handwriting of ordinances, I have nailed it to the cross; who is he that shall condemn my people, or lay anything to their charge? for I have blotted out like a cloud their transgressions, and like a thick cloud their sins!"

 

 

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A Post for the Outcast And The Heavy Laden

This is part of a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon on August 25, 1855 called Law and Grace. I love how it begins: "Listen O heavy laden..."

 

Listen, O heavy laden, condemned sinner, while in my Master's name, I publish superabounding grace. Grace excels sin in its measure and efficacy. Though your sins are many, mercy hath many pardons. Though they excel the stars, the sands, the drops of dew in their number, one act of remission can cancel all. Your iniquity, though a mountain, shall be cast into the midst of the sea. Your blackness shall be washed out by the cleansing flood of your Redeemer's gore. Mark! I said YOUR sins, and I meant to say so, for if you are now a law-condemned sinner, I know you to be a vessel of mercy by that very sign. Oh, hellish sinners, abandoned profligates, off-casts of society, outcasts from the company of sinners themselves, if ye acknowledge your iniquity, here is mercy, broad, ample, free, immense, INFINITE. Remember this O sinner,—

"If all the sins that men have done,

In will, in word, in thoughts, in deed,

Since words were made, or time began,

Were laid on one poor sinner's head.

The stream of Jesus' precious blood

Applied, removes the dreadful load."

Yet again, grace excelleth sin in another thing. Sin shows us its parent, and tells us our heart is the father of it, but grace surpasseth sin there, and shows the Author of grace—the King of kings. The law traces sin up to our heart; grace traces its own origin to God, and

"In his sacred breast I see

Eternal thoughts of love to me."

O Christian, what a blessed thing grace is, for its source is in the everlasting mountains. Sinner, if you are the vilest in the world, if God forgives you this morning, you will be able to trace your pedigree to him, for you will become one of the sons of God, and have him always for your Father. Methinks I see you a wretched criminal at the bar, and I hear mercy cry, "Discharge him!" He is pallid, halt, sick, maimed—heal him. He is of a vile race—lo, I will adopt him into my family. Sinner! God taketh thee for his son. What, though thou art poor, God says, "I will take thee to be mine for ever. Thou shalt be my heir. There is thy fair brother. In ties of blood he is one with thee—Jesus is thy actual brother!" Yet how came this change? Oh! is not that an act of mercy? "Grace did much more abound."

"Grace hath put me in the number

Of the Saviour's family."

Grace outdoes sin, for it lifts us higher than the place from which we fell.

And again, "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"; because the sentence of the law may be reversed, but that of grace never can. I stand here and feel condemned, yet, perhaps, I have a hope that I may be acquitted. There is a dying hope of acquittal still left. But when we are justified, there is no fear of condemnation. I cannot be condemned if I am once justified; fully absolved I am by grace. I defy Satan to lay hands on me, if I am a justified man. The state of justification is an unvariable one, and is indissolubly united to glory. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Oh! poor condemned sinner, doth not this charm thee, and make thee in love with free grace? And all this is YOURS. Your crimes, if once blotted out, shall never be laid to your charge again. The justification of the gospel is no Arminian sham, which may be reversed if you should in future turn aside. No; the debt once paid, cannot be demanded twice—the punishment, once endured, cannot again be inflicted. Saved, saved, saved, entirely saved by divine grace, you may walk without fear the wide world over.

And yet, once more. Just as sin makes us sick, and grievous, and sad, so does grace make us far more joyful and free. Sin causeth one to go about with an aching heart, till he seems as if the world would swallow him, and mountains hang above ready to drop upon him. This is the effect of the law. The law makes us sad; the law makes us miserable. But, poor sinner, grace removeth the evil effects of sin upon your spirit, if thou dost believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt go out of this place with a sparkling eye and a light heart. Ah! well do I remember the morning when I stepped into a little place of worship, as miserable almost as hell could make me—being ruined and lost. I had often been at chapels where they spoke of the law, but I heard not the gospel. I sat down the pew a chained and imprisoned sinner; the Word of God came, and I went out free. Though I went in miserable as hell, I went out elated and joyful. I sat there black; I went away whiter than driven snow. God had said, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be whiter than snow." Why not this be thy lot, my brother, if thou feelest thyself a sinner now? It is all he asks of thee, to feel thy need of him, this thou hast, and now the blood of Jesus lies before thee. "The law has entered that sin might abound." Thou are forgiven, only believe it; elect, only believe it; 'tis the truth that thou are saved.

And now, lastly, poor sinner, has sin made thee unfit for heaven? Grace shall render thee a fit companion for seraphs and the just made perfect. Thou who art to-day lost and destroyed by sin, shalt one day find thyself with a crown upon thy head, and a golden harp in thine hand, exalted to the throne of the Most High. Think, O drunkard, if thou repentest, there is a crown laid up for thee in heaven. Ye guiltiest, most lost and depraved, are ye condemned in your conscience by the law? Then I invite you, in my Master's name, to accept pardon through his blood. He suffered in your stead, he has atoned for your guilt and you are acquitted. Thou art an object of his eternal affection, the law is but a schoolmaster, to bring thee to Christ. Cast thyself on him. Fall into the arms of saving grace. No works are required, no fitness, no righteousness, no doings. Ye are complete in him who said, "It is finished."

"Ye debtors whom he gives to know

That you ten thousand talents owe,

When humble at his feet you fall,

Your gracious God forgives them all.

"Slaves, that have borne the heavy chain

Of sin, and hell's tyrannic reign,

To liberty assert your claim,

And urge the great Redeemer's name.

"The rich inheritance of heaven,

Your joy, your boast, is freely giv'n;

Fair Salem your arrival waits,

With golden streets, and pearly gates.

"Her blest inhabitants no more

Bondage and poverty deplore!

No debt, but love immensely great;

Their joy still rises with the debt."

 

 

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The Legal Demands Of The Law Have Been Canceled

As I am studying the book of Colossians the thing that sticks out to me the most is the absolute freeness of the Gospel. Salvation is completely and totally free! Completely free because God did all the work required of us for us. And totally free because because the legal demands of the Law were nailed to the cross.

Christ pursues sinners

This is good news because our works are filthy and tainted with sin. And yet God loves sinners! As a matter of fact, sinners are the only ones who qualify for salvation. Sinners owe a great debt to God. The demands of His Law require perfect obedience. But God in His great love for His own sent a Worker for them. This Worker kept all of the demands of the Law. Then He went to the cross and bore the sins of all who will ever trust in his grace. He absorbed every bit of the wrath due to us for every time we violated His Law.

Canceled debt

Our debt was cancelled! The legal demands of the Law were nailed to the cross! Now through faith in the work of the Worker our sins are forgiven. We are now free to obey the Law of Christ without fear of punishment for our failures. The legal demands of the Law have been cancelled. Let us serve Christ now in freedom!

 

 

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God Does Not Give Second Chances

"God is the God of second chances." How often do you hear that phrase from well meaning Pastors, teachers and friends. Its a nice little phrase, but it is totally false. God is not the God of Second chances.

No do overs

His Word makes it perfectly clear that we get one shot at His Law, and if we blow it we are damned. And the bad news is that everybody blows it. No one has kept His Law perfectly. We all sinned in Adam. Not only that, but we blow it every day, countless times a day. Not only do we sin willfully, but we commit sins that we don't even know are sins. So even if God were to give us a second, third, fourth or hundredth chance we would blow them all.

Only perfection will do

Not one iota of our effort will bring us into right standing before God. Only perfection will make us right before Him. Only a perfect obedience to His Law can remove the damnation that we incurred. And the only way that we can have perfect obedience is if it's given to us. The most wonderful news in all of history is that Christ won that obedience for us. Christ became the Second Adam. Where the first Adam failed as our representative by breaking one command. Jesus, the Second Adam succeeded as our Representative by keeping all of God's commands. Christ came as a substitute for sinners. He lived a perfect life in the place of sinners. He went to the cross and died so that sinners like us wont have to. He kept the Law for us and then went to the cross and paid the penalty for every time we broke His Law.

Christ's work becomes our work through faith

The debt has been paid. Now, by faith in his work, we get all that He did credited to our account for free! And thats Good News. That’s Gospel! So God doesn't give us a second chance. As Tullian Tchividjian puts it, "God is not the God of second chances. He’s the God of one chance and a Second Adam."

 

 

 

 

 

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Jesus Paid It All So I Owe Nothing

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is" is not true when it comes to the Gospel. The Gospel is absolutely free. There are no strings attached. There are no ifs, ands, or buts with the grace of God. The Gospel is good news to the hearer. It is a declaration that all has been taken care of. Your sin has been atoned for. There is nothing left to be done.

 

An old hymn

An old hymn we sometimes sing at church goes like this: Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Jesus did pay it all. He took the wrath of God for every sin I have ever or will ever commit. When He was on the cross God treated His Son as if He committed all of my sins. Christ absorbed "in His body on the tree" all of the wrath of God that I will ever deserve.

Tetelestia

When Christ cried out on the cross "it is finished" OUR DEBT WAS PAID IN FULL! If all is paid what then is left for us to pay? Nothing! But what about the second part, "all to Him I owe?" The song is speaking about our service to God after He has so gloriously saved us. For sure it is not speaking about a sort of works righteousness. However, because Christ accomplished the work that I do owe God, I owe nothing. To even try to pay God back for His indescribable gift is an offense to his grace. He will receive all of the glory for our salvation. Even our works predestined for us to do are done by His grace. I owe God nothing. The debt has been paid in full.

Payment vs. gift

Paul makes this clear when he contrasts receiving payment for work we do and receiving a gift.

Romans 4:4-5 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

When I receive my paycheck at the end of the week I don't thank and praise my boss for his generosity. I take what I've earned. I worked for it. It's mine. However, if someone pays off a major debt that I owe I am filled with gratitude because of their generosity towards me. We have had our sin debt, a debt that is infinite, paid off in full by the death of an infinitely valuable Person, the second Person of the Trinity. So to try and pay God back, even in the smallest way is a great offense! Jesus paid it all so I owe nothing.

 

 

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Excerpt from Redemption Dan Long 10/16/13

Excerpt From Redemption 

"When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died." 

 The cross of Christ is the only place where the Christian can find true assurance. Looking inward we only find guilt and shame. We must look outside of ourselves to something objective, something real, something of fact. The cross where Christ accomplished our redemption is objective, solid, and sure. When sin haunts us, when our failures come looking for us, when our past starts to mock us, looking inward will only drive us deeper into despair. But looking outside of ourselves to the objective cross, where Christ bought our redemption, will give us peace, rest, and assurance. Why? Because our redemption was accomplished 2000 years ago. Atonement has been made. It is past tense. The sins that we commit today, tomorrow, and next week have already been dealt with. They have already been punished. No wrath or anger remains for those for whom Christ died! It is a done deal. The Father is pleased to call us His own because His wrath was appeased (propitiated) by His Son at the cross.

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite books on subject of the Atonement, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. In chapter two entitled The Nature of the Atonement, John Murray gives "specific categories by means of which the Scripture sets forth the nature of the atonement." Speaking of reconciliation he writes:

The reconciliation of which the Scripture speaks, as accomplished by the death of Christ contemplates therefore the relation of God to us. It presupposes a relation of alienation and it effects a relation of favor and peace."

Notice two things that the death of Christ has done:

First, it has accomplished reconciliation. I put the word "accomplished" in bold because as I was reading this section, that word seemed to jump off the page. Reconciliation is a guarantee for all those for whom Christ died. Reconciliation does not have to be made. It already has been made! The word "accomplished" implies that no more work needs to be done in order for us to be reconciled to the Father. Christ has accomplished this work on our behalf!

Second, the effects are "favor and peace." "Favor" implies that where we were once alienated from God, only deserving His wrath, now through the death of Christ we have His continual love, kindness and mercy toward us. And "peace," meaning that God is at peace with us. He is the One that procured peace for us.

Over the next few weeks I will try to post different excerpts from the book Redemption Accomplished and Applied. I hope that each of these small excerpts will be an encouragement to you. SDG!

The Substitute by Daniel Long - 8/11/12

The Substitute
by Daniel Long

Your tears of repentance, they cannot save. 

And the hope of your works are empty and vain. 

the best of your deeds are filthy and vile, 

so how will you plead on the Day of your trial? 

The demands of perfection cry out from the Law, 

and justice for sin is required from all. 

And God will not bend His holy demands, 

obedience required to all His commands. 

So what will you say on that soon dreadful day, 

when the great books are opened and your works are displayed? 

Your mouth will be stopped, and then you will know, 

the wrath you deserve, and to hell you will go.

Unless,

On the day of your trial stands One in your place, 

a Savior, a Substitute, pleading your case. 

"Father," He says,

 "This one trusted in Me, 

all of his sins were nailed on the tree.

Every drop of Your wrath on the cross I absorbed, 

and justice was served for each sin that I bore. 

And as for the law, 

I kept Your commands, 

My perfect obedience is counted as his. 

Now declared righteous by My perfect life, 

through faith in my blood he is clean in My sight. 

I as the Substitute died in his place, 

My life as a ransom, freely, by grace." 

So what will you trust in, what will you say, 

when you stand before God on that fearful Day? 

Your only hope and your only plea, 

is faith in the Substitute, to Him you must flee!