The Death of Christ (3)

In our Wednesday night study on the doctrine of Christ what the Bible teaches about Christ We've been focusing for the last couple of weeks on the death of Christ We looked at the importance of his death. We looked at the necessity of his death Jesus had told his disciples He started to Jerusalem. I must needs go to Jerusalem. I must be Crucified. I must die there. So he had a necessity laid up on him voluntarily Expressed and we talked about why it was necessary for Christ to die and then we talked about the nature of Christ's death Was it a real death and we saw that it was both a spiritual and physical death we looked at that last week that Jesus was separated from the Father in Doored that separation from God which is characteristic of spiritual death and then also his Spirit separated from his body Indicating a real physical death as well now. We're gonna Move into another section tonight by talking about the meaning of Christ's death what it means and What we have the privilege of doing now at least for tonight Will be just to explore some of those great terms in the Bible great words in the Bible that help us to understand the full scope Of Christ's death. It's one thing just to know that Christ died for us that he died on the cross But the Bible doesn't stop there the Bible uses a number of different terms and concepts To help us understand the various facets of Christ's death all that it means the kind of a full orbed Picture of the nature of Christ's death is found in these different words that are used and so that's what we're going to look at Tonight what we're trying to do tonight is define each of these terms What do they mean and then look at some of the basic scriptures that Talk about these these various concepts and terms that describe the death of Christ the first one is reconciliation Reconciliation someone help me out here. What does reconciliation mean? What do you think of when you think of reconciliation? To bring back okay? Very key foundational concept what else to fix okay? All right, that's a good way to put it Make peace okay, okay? That's a very much a part of what we're talking about here Anything else involved in reconciliation that you can think of Forgiveness yes, certainly that's included in in reconciliation Close the gap yes bringing two parties together to Close the gap in between them. That's a very good way to picture this concept All right good. You've mentioned a lot of the key thoughts here Here's the way theologians define it and it really kind of pulls together all of the strands of truth that you were You were mentioning reconciliation is a change in relationship between God and man It is a change in relationship it is a change from enmity to peace when we were enemies Romans 510 says we were reconciled to God Through the death of Christ so it's a change from being enemies to being at peace with God. It's a change from relationship of hostility to a relationship of friendship And so it does have to do with closing the gap it does have to do with bringing two parties together It does have to do with peace making peace all of the things that you mentioned or critical Thoughts in this concept, but the basic underlying concept is a change in relationship a change in relationship between God and man whereas God and man were back to back if you will facing away from each other an enmity and hostility now they are are turned toward each other and reconciliation brings them together or at least makes it possible for that to happen Both things are true there and we'll see them both in just a moment Okay, very good those are important concepts. Let's look at a couple of major passages. First of all second Corinthians 5 The biblical teaching begins there because this is a key passage on reconciliation second Corinthians 5 verses 18 to 21 What I want you to notice here is the worldwide scope of reconciliation and how Both there there's both a narrow scope and a worldwide scope and even ministry that that bridges those two mentioned in the passage second Corinthians 5 Let's begin with the familiar verse verse 17 to set the the Train of thought here therefore if anyone is in Christ the new creation has come the old has gone the new is here all this is from God Who reconciled us to himself Through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Okay, let's just pause there and get the the flow of thought here God has reconciled us to himself The us meaning those who are saved Paul's writing to believers the church in Corinth so believers have been reconciled to God The gap has been closed where there was enmity there is now peace where there was hostility. There's now friendship So that all of that is involved But then notice he gave us the ministry of reconciliation It's one of the ways that the gospel ministry is described the ministry of getting the gospel out to people Is described as a ministry of announcing if you will this reconciliation and What we're announcing is broader than what he's just talked about in verse 18 where we as believers Have been reconciled that the peace has been made we're announcing something that's possible And offering it for people to whom it is possible verse 19 Here's the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ Not counting people's sins against them Now there is a worldwide scope a broader scope of reconciliation that is emphasized in that part of the verse and As a part of our ministry in taking the gospel to people we are to announce that God has in Christ made it possible For reconciliation to occur made it possible for peace to actually be had and that would not even be possible If Christ had not died Thus making it possible for God to turn toward us and bring us back to Himself. So the emphasis there is on the potential For salvation on the provision that is made by Christ not yet actualized But the potential and possibility is there for the whole world and and we are to announce that to people Notice he says he has committed to us the message of reconciliation So you've got all these things going on here believers have been reconciled there is a sense a more general sense in which God has Has caused his enmity to cease with the whole world at least in the sense that Paul says he's not counting Their sins against them. They've not been judged yet in the sense of final condemnation And so he's he's given us this Message of reconciliation and ministry of reconciliation. So verse 20 years. What were to be doing? We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us We implore you on Christ's behalf Be reconciled to God Well this concept of reconciliation comes over and over and over again in this passage But it's kind of from several different perspectives The overall larger perspective of God making it possible To make peace with all people We're given that message and ministry to announce to people and for those who have come to Christ the reconciliation has been come It's not just potential. It is actual. It's it's actually taken place Okay, so we have the obligation to announce this to the world. It's man's responsibility to accept the offer And the offer is genuine We implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God And so that's our offer that's our invitation and the announcement we have to give to the world So great passage on reconciliation kind of giving a a large picture of it Any comments or questions here on this passage It's world-wide but it's individual Yes, and that's really the whole concept of salvation the the provision is infinite But the actuality is only to those who believe and that's a very individual Responses. Yeah, very good Okay Look at Colossians one Colossians one Colossians one verses 20 to 22 Where we find that reconciliation goes beyond the concept of people Okay, it's broader even than people Verse 20 Colossians one and through him This is speaking of Christ in the context back to verse 15 and through him to reconcile to himself All things whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross Now it's obvious that the all things here are What he's talking about creation all things whether on earth or things in heaven the universe if you will Okay, and in what sense does the universe need to be reconciled to God? I'm hearing voices I'm sorry. I heard someone over here and then someone over here. I'm sorry Still under the curse someone over here said something Yes Yes Okay, the the concept the concept is that The the creation is in bondage To to sin and the curse because of Adam sin and and it has to be reconciled to God to it has to be brought back to peace Where there's hostility even on the part of creation there needs to be peace and so reconciliation includes not only people but also creation and and this is this is again getting us to the broad scope of salvation There are multiple intentions in the death of Christ One intention obviously is to secure the salvation of those who will believe Another intention is to provide a basis for God's judgment for the whole world And a third intention is to reconcile creation So there's not just one intent in the atonement as as some like to emphasize there are at least three And and the scriptures are pretty clear on that but But here the reconciliation is not of people. It's of creation And then he goes on to apply it To the realm of salvation as far as people are concerned In verse 21 once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds Because of your evil behaviors. So there he's talking about the enmity the hostility the being enemies That was before reconciliation of verse 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death To present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation. So Another important passage on records reconciliation because it extends it to that third intent of the atonement which is To redeem or reconcile all of creation Okay, a lot of other passages we could go to there But these are two basic ones comments questions on reconciliation A change in relationship between God and man potential and then actual Christ's death has made it possible for God to offer peace to offer friendship if you will to offer Reconciliation and we give out that message and offer to people and when they trust Christ it's actualized All right All right another great word in the Bible which We've kind of lost in the modern translations and I can understand why because it's a word that is so We don't use it in English language much anymore if at all. It's the word propitiation Propitiation but it's a great Bible word. I just like the way it sounds But it's a great Bible word Now what does propitiation mean? What are we talking about there? Okay, God is satisfied with Jesus death the death the idea of satisfied is a key concept What is it about God that must be satisfied? Is wrath okay? Is his holiness? Absolute holiness infinite holiness means that he is He cannot look on evil as Habakkuk 113 says he cannot even look on evil He is angry his wrath is against sin and evil so that must be satisfied Okay, anything else come to your mind with propitiation There There is a sense in which there is To use another word that goes along with satisfied and appeasement God's wrath is holy Anger against sin is appeased It is satisfied and so That makes possible the extension of his grace and mercy without infringing on his holiness You see it is it is propitiation that makes it possible for God to extend to us mercy and grace without just kind of turning his Back on our sin forgetting it Now the this holiness of God the wrath of God must be satisfied So there must be a full payment for His his holy demands okay, there are three passages in the Bible that that used this word We will not find the word itself in the NIV and most modern translations don't use it, but still great word Romans 3.25 Romans 3.25 Christ in the middle of all this passage about the plan of salvation which it just Paul is piling thought upon thought about what salvation is is Verse 25 he says God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement and you probably have A marginal note in your passage about the Greek word actually means mind says the sacrifice of atonement refers to atonement cover on the arc of the covenant It's literally the word Propitiation Christ present or God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished Okay, here's a here's an important concept in propitiation Christ is publicly demonstrated in this this passage you presented Christ as a propitiation or sacrifice of atonement um To cover And take away certain sins who sins do you think he's talking about in verse 25 Into the verse in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished Okay Old Testament saints everybody else got another idea All sins Okay I think he is specifically talking about Old Testament saints here obviously it is all saints That are covered in propitiation But here he specifically seems to be talking about The sins of Old Testament saints that there's a sense in which God did just overlook them They were covered a year at a time Under the sacrificial system in the tabernacle and temple But that was only kind of like a promissory note It was kind of saying the payment hasn't been made yet and won't be made until Christ dies You see when Christ died All of our sins were still future and so Christ's death was looking forward as far as Our sins were concerned for Old Testament saints all of their sins were already in the past they were all dead And so there's a sense in which God made provision for their sins to be covered Kind of temporarily taken care of but it was all dependent on the payment made at the death of Christ And so in that sense he had had left their sins committed beforehand unpunished There was no Punishment given for them Kind of holding on until the death of Christ And and God's holiness and and wrath could be satisfied Okay, and book of Hebrews talks a lot about that About the temporary nature of the covering of Old Testament sacrifices It was just a temporary provision until the full payment could be made by Christ once and for all So propitiation Christ is described or publicly presented as a sacrifice to alleviate God's wrath Through the shedding of his blood All right, look at another passage Hebrews 217 Hebrews 217 And this has to do with his ministry as a high priest His death is described beginning back in verse 9 going through verse 14 Verse 17 says for this reason he had to be made like them fully human in every way in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God And that he might make a tonement For the sins of the people it's the the Greek word for Appreciation and describes his work as our priest that he He laid down the the sacrifice That was necessary to fully satisfy God's wrath All right one other passage in first John first John Actually to in first John first John to to and first John for 10 He's mentioned Jesus Christ the righteous one in chapter 2 verse 1 then he says He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins if you memorize this verse in the king James You remember it says he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world So it's not there is there is a provision made Uh, God's wrath has been satisfied For our sins for those of us who are saved Uh, but not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world Same thing chapter 4 verse 10. They don't make a comment about that This is love not that we love to God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice For our sins speaking specifically of those who are believers. So Here's the deal Propitiation satisfies actually God's wrath against our sins when we trust Christ as Savior There is no more condemnation for our sins The the potential is there in the death of Christ. It is actualized and made personal to us The benefit is applied to us when we trust Christ as Savior But there's also in some sense an appeasement of God's wrath Concerning the whole world and it's I believe in this sense Uh, if it only means that God Doesn't openly and publicly judge the sins of the world That kind of like Old Testament saints he waits He waits and in this case He is waiting until The great white throne judgment when His wrath will be fulfilled against them And they will be sent sent to the the lake of fire So there is at least that aspect of it that applies to the whole world But certainly it is applied made effective for those who are believers So God's righteous anger his holiness against our sin is appeased by the death of Christ. It is satisfied by the death of Christ Okay comments or questions on Proposiation Only for the elect There There there is a provision indicated I believe here for the whole world beyond Us those who were saved Uh, and some will say well, it's just a jujintah of the issue He's talking about he's not only done for Jews but also for Gentiles But that's not the issue in first John Um, so I think you're right Again, I want to go back to the multi intentional view of the Atonement No question the Bible teaches Christ's death Secured the salvation of the elect I mean that is taught in the scripture you can't escape that it's there But there is also another provision a larger provision that includes that And I believe that that's for the whole world and there are several passages like this First Timothy 2 to first Timothy 2.6 and first Timothy 4.10 um That uh he He died for Our sins and also for the whole world and then Second Peter 2.1 Talking about false teachers that Clearly in the passage will end up in hell and it says that they deny the one who bought them In some sense redemption was made possible provision was made at least for those who will end up in hell in second Peter 2 So I there are several passages like that yes That that seem to imply There is a broader provision Okay Let's go to the third word justification justification what does justification mean the meaning of it Okay, God declares us righteous God Okay, John has really hit on the key concept with justification and that is God declares us righteous Justification does not deal with the fact that God makes us righteous in our actual living What what word describes that in the Bible sanctification right Okay, so there's a difference between becoming righteous That's a gradual Growth-oriented process that is referred to as sanctification or growth and holiness You know being more and more conformed to the image of Christ So but justification is a legal work. It is a legal term. It has to do with with God declaring us righteous It is the terminology of the courtroom where a legal declaration is made and the record books are changed It doesn't make you holy but you or righteous but you are declared righteous in the courtroom of God as you will Okay, if you will let's look at a few passages that highlight justification. It is a Really key concept in Paul's writings Romans 8 or excuse me Romans 3 First Romans 3 and 4 we're not going to read the whole two chapters, but those two whole chapters have to do with justification Let's read that great great description of salvation which uses a bunch of these words A beginning in verse 19 through 28 chapter 3 verse 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law rather through the law We become conscious of our sin. So nobody's justified by keeping the law the law is intended To first of all verse 19 silence us Make us realize we can't measure up and then verse 20 We become conscious and aware of our sin the fact that we have not haven't measured up. Okay. That's purpose of the law Now verse 21, but now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known to which the law and the prophets Testify this righteousness is Given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe there is no difference between Junge and tile For all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God and Paul is Discussing the difference between Junge and tile in the first three chapters of Romans because he's making the case Doesn't matter whether you're a pagan Godless immoral Gentile or a good moral Gentile or a religious Jew those are the three categories he deals with in chapters 1 and 2 Doesn't matter Which of those categories you fit into you're all centers. We're all centers And so um, so there's no difference between Junge and tile off sinful short of the glory of God now verse 24 and all are justified freely by his grace Through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus God presented Christ as a sacrifice of Atomah. There's propitiation Through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. We read that verse before Verse 27 where then is boasting it's excluded because of what law the law that requires work No because of the law that requires faith for we maintain that a person is justified by faith Apart from the works of the law great passage on justification That we are declared righteous by faith in Christ Faith alone no works of the law In verse chapter 4 verses 4 and 5 another couple of great verses here now to the one who works Wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation In the words if you work Uh, what you are paid the wages you get that's not considered a gift It's an obligation on the part of your employer to pay you that you earned it you deserve that you worked for it That's not the way salvation happens though verse 5 However to the one who does not work but trusts God Who justifies the ungodly declares righteous the ungodly their faith is credited as righteousness Okay, this justification this change in the record books in heaven righteousness being credited On the plus side of a ledger book in heaven to our account What that happens through faith it doesn't happen through works It doesn't happen through keeping the law or otherwise God is obligated He he is in our debt We earned it we deserve it But salvation can't happen that way Paul saying It happens through faith in Christ the payment is made by Christ He's the one that does the work he earns it he paid for it and then it's offered as a gift To us through faith All right great great passage and it on justification the whole two chapters Comments questions there before we look at a couple of verses in chapter 8 Exactly and that's the point of chapter 4 Abraham was considered righteous declared righteous Because he believed and he's used the as the example in chapter 4 So even Old Testament saints were not saved by keeping the law And Abraham's prime example Abraham was justified by faith Genesis 156 says after God took him out and showed him the stars of the heavens and reinforced his covenant with him That as these stars so show your seed be Genesis 156 says and Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness That's a new testament statement of justification He believed God's promise and God credited it to him counted it to him for righteousness Abraham saved the same way we are By grace through faith I don't think he understood Much if anything about the death of Christ, but he believed God he believed God's promise and that faith in God's promise Is an instance where God was looking ahead to the death of Christ Pushing Abraham sends forward on that promissory note till Christ would actually die and that would be the payment That would go back and take care of Abraham's sin Yeah, he was saved by faith not by works But Romans 8 verses 31 to 34 this follows verses 29 and 30 Which is the Kind of the timeline of salvation reaches back into eternity past and then Actually actually reaches into eternity future Five steps in it Verse 29 those God for new that means he set his love on us and eternity past He also predestined he marked us out to be conformed to the image of his son That he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters and those he predestined He also called that's a work of the Holy Spirit to call us in conviction to Christ those he called he also justified That's the moment when you receive Christ and you are declared righteous Okay, now notice the next stage those he justified he also glorified and Even though this is yet to happen. It's still future. It's spoken of in the same tense In our English the past tense as the others Because in God's mind it is already accomplished. It is that certain There's no uncertainty about it at all It is already done if you're justified you're you're already glorified. That's taken care of Now notice verse 31. What then shall we say in response to these things if God is for us Who can be against us now? I read verses 29 and 30 to set the context for this concept of God For us Sometimes when we read this passage we think of oh God is for me That means he's kind of standing up in the stands rooting for me. Oh, I'm all for you You know, I really like what you're doing That's not at all what Paul's talking about He's not for me in the sense that he's pulling for me hoping I'll somehow do it well You know, he's rooting for me. It's not it at all He is for me in the sense of what he said back in verse 29 30 He is for me legally he has come down on my side He has justified me. He's declared me righteous It's much more than just kind of rooting that I'll be okay If God is for us if he has already stated on the record books in heaven I've declared you righteous the righteousness of Christ is on your account in heaven and that since he's for us If he's forced who can be against us Now there was can anything anyone or anything change that no Verse 32 it's a rhetorical question. No, you can't Verse 32 he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all How will he not also along with him graciously give us all things Again, that's not a promise that God will give you multitudes of financial material blessings What he's talking about here is the context of the full scope of salvation If God has declared himself to be for us in justification. He's going to finish the process He's going to give us all things spiritually by getting us to heaven glorifying us Okay, in the context. That's what he's talking about So he says in verse 33 who will bring any charge Against those whom God has chosen going back to the earlier stages in verse 29 of our Salvation in that timeline who is who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen whole concept of those who are saved It is God who justifies You see he's raising rhetorical questions here Can anybody go into heaven and change the record book? Can anybody bring a legal charge on the record books of heaven against us? He's not talking about somebody in the opposite stands of the football field rooting against us. That's not the idea. This is legal terminology This is courtroom terminology. This is a declaration of no guilt of Being righteous can anybody change that declaration? Can anybody change the record book of heaven? Is there anybody greater than God? That's that's his point in verse 33 It's God who justifies and it's God It's God who put that on the record books anybody going to turn his decision over Don't think so again. It's a rhetorical question the answer is obvious And then he reinforces it in verse 34 who then is the one who condemns Remember condemnation is again a legal declaration of guilt That we will be punished for our own sin. Is there anybody that can go up and take Christ righteousness off the record book in heaven under my name and put guilt back on it Can anybody do that? No one he says Christ Jesus who died more than that who was raised to life is at the right hand of God And it's also interceding for us and then he leads right into that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ This is such a fantastic passage on what salvation really is That it is a legal declaration in heaven of justification being declared righteous that can never change Because nobody is strong enough to go into heaven and overturn what God did on the record books See it can't be done God wrote it there Jesus died to make it possible Nobody's stronger than them and can overturn what they've done. I just love Love this passage When it comes to a description of what God's done for us in salvation. It doesn't get any richer than this Well, that's great stuff. Any question or comment here on justification? Steve Yeah Yeah, in the sense of the actuality of salvation. That's true. That is very true There's a little bit of church history here John Owen Took that very argument and used it to prove that Christ would only die for the elect and and the basic whole limited atonement argument is based on John Owen's uh double payment for sin argument and goes back to his thoughts So you have to be careful with that as far as the actual actuality of salvation. Yes, double jeopardy is right But when you get to the universal provision. No, it doesn't work there Okay One other passage on justification Wow Clock Somebody puts steroids in that clock every Wednesday night Clock on steroids. All right chapter two verse 16 of Galatians Another great passage on justification by faith um Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law Because by the works of the law no one will be justified He said it three times in one verse you can't be declared righteous by the works of the law you're justified by faith Faith alone he goes ahead to reinforce that uh through verse 20 in the context of the mistake Peter had made earlier in the chapter of Confusing the gospel when the juan gentiles got together and And Peter wouldn't eat a ham sandwich because he felt like the Jews were gonna get upset and And Paul called him to task on it said you're confusing the issue of the of the gospel with with these Gentiles He talks a bit more about that in in verse 21 he summarizes I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness could be gained through the law Christ died for nothing Okay, so Christ's death is effective To provide justification which cannot come through our works Keeping the law comes through faith that the channel that we receive it by is faith justification is by faith not the law not works It's by faith This is this is a major concept in the New Testament of salvation justification So we've we've taken a look at at reconciliation propitiation and justification And we've got three more to go. We're not going to get started on those tonight because our time is About up any comment or question before we close out tonight There's a sense in which that is very true just as if I'd never send At least as far as God's record book in heaven. Yes In reality obviously I have send but the record book is Clear it's just like I've never sent so that That little Memory tool justified. It's just as if I'd never send is a helpful tool to understand what Justification is about Okay Very good any other question or comment All right, let's have a word of prayer Father we are so grateful for the broad scope of salvation that you've Explained to us in your word Thank you that that you just didn't say Christ died for us and Left us with that basic concept although that certainly is glorious enough But we thank you that you used all of these different terms and word pictures and concepts and metaphors to help us understand All this involved in what you did So we thank you father that That you have provided for us salvation In terms of reconciliation and propitiation Thank you father that you've justified us and We're grateful for the many many blessings you provide for us in salvation Lord I pray that if there's anyone here tonight who's never trusted Christ That even tonight they would realize they cannot be saved made Declared righteous and they'd write with you Through their own works Must be through the death of Christ and faith in him I pray that that understanding would lead to true faith even tonight in Jesus name amen