Seven key truths about Jesus
Talk 3: His atoning death
Of the 89 chapters of the Gospels, no fewer than 30 (i.e. over one third) centre around the death of Christ. The gospel by which we are saved is that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
We believe in the substitutionary, atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ
We’ll start with the meaning of atonement
The word atonement is best understood if we break it into three parts: at-one-ment
This is the root Anglo-Saxon meaning of the word. To atone is to make ‘at one’
The death of Christ is an atoning death because it makes sinners at one with God
But why was it necessary?
The Bible teaches that it is our sins that have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
We can only be brought back to God if our sins are dealt with
No one is excluded from this because:
- all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
- There is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46).
- There is no one who does good, no not one (Psalm 14:3).
- There is not a righteous man on the earth who does what is right and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
- No one is good except God (Mark 10:18).
- If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8).
- The whole world is a prisoner to sin (Galatians 3:22).
Sin is an offence to God who is holy
- His eyes are too pure to look on evil (Habakkuk 1:13)
Sin separates us from God
- Our sins have hidden his face from us (Isaiah 59:2)
- The Lord is far from the wicked (Proverbs 15:29)
Unless our sins are dealt with, our separation from God will be eternal
Jesus himself talked about:
- hell fire (Matthew 5:22)
- outer darkness (Matthew 8:12)
- eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46)
Paul tells us that:
- the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
- and that the wrath of God is coming (Colossians 3:6)
- The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction, and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Sin is serious:
- It separates from God
- We have all sinned
- We are all separated from God
- There is nothing we can do
- We all need a Saviour
How atonement was made possible
When God first revealed to man the need for atonement, he made the means of atonement quite clear:
It is the blood that makes atonement (Leviticus 17:11)
This is not just an Old Testament principle. It is carried over into the New. It is eternally valid:
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
This is why Christ died. This is why he shed his blood.
He made peace through the blood of his cross in order to reconcile us sinners to God (Colossians 1:20)
He did this by offering himself as a sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2)
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
This was the purpose of his death. He bore our sins in his own body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24)
Christ’s death was also substitutionary
Christ died for us. His death counts as our death. He died in our place
Because of our sin, we should die. Instead, Christ has died for us
- He was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5)
- He suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18)
We deserved to die because of our sin, but because he loved us, he came and died in our place, as our substitute, that we might live.
The results of the atonement
By his atoning death upon the cross of Calvary, Jesus has made the way open for every sinner to come to God. He died for all. He has no favourites. There is no respect of persons with God:
Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved
The offer of God’s forgiveness is open to all, but it is only received by those who accept it in repentance and faith. Those who will not repent will perish (Luke 13:5), because
Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6)
But to those who have accepted his offer of mercy amazing privileges are given
- Our sins are forgiven
- God’s wrath is removed
- We are no longer his enemies (Romans 5:10)
- He declares us righteous – looks on us as though we had never sinned at all!
- We are adopted into his family
- We already have the rights of sons (Galatians 4:4-7)
But there’s more to come!
1 John 3:1-2
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is!
What a glorious destiny! And all because Jesus died for us.