(Continued-Chapter XII-The Atonement)

The same apostle, in talking to his fellow-Hebrew believers and in urging them to live consistent lives, even suffering in doing the will of God "Because Christ also suffered for sins once," assured them:

17 For it is better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. 18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, 20 that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: 21 which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; 22 who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him (I Pet. 3:17-22).

In this passage we see Christ, in His dying, suffering for our sins, "the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." Sin had separated man from God. Christ therefore bore our sins--bore the penalty for them--in His own body on the tree and by so doing liberated us from the penalty of sin and is able to bring us into the presence of God and to make us acceptable in His sight. This language recalls that of Leviticus 1:2,3, in which the worshiper was urged to offer his burnt offering of the herd, "a male without blemish: he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah … and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him." Typically the animal sacrifice did make the worshiper acceptable to God in that the animal was received as an atonement for him. But this arrangement was only temporary and provisional, being dependent upon the real sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can and did deal adequately with the sin question.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia and also spoke of our Lord "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father: to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Gal. 1:4,5). He presented the death of Christ upon the cross in the same manner: "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world." Again, in Galatians 3:13,14 he declared: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

The classic passage in the New Testament regarding the atonement is Romans 3:21-26:

21 But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; 26 for the showing, I say of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus.

In the two verses preceding this quotation, the apostle declared that by the works of the law no flesh could be justified in God's sight. The law condemned, because no one could keep it perfectly. If one should be able to keep the whole law--an impossibility--and yet violate in one point, he would be guilty of all. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all" (James 2:10).

But now, apart from all law, declared the apostle, a righteousness of God has been revealed. This gospel is nothing new because, as the apostle asserted, both the law and the prophets bore witness to it. All men, Jews and Gentiles alike, are in the same condition, for "all have sinned" and are falling short of the glory of God. The righteousness provided in the gospel comes in the form of our being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus--through the deliverance wrought by Christ. How does this deliverance come through Him? the answer is "… whom [Christ] God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God." God set Christ [Messiah] forth as a propitiation for our sins, a propitiatory sacrifice by the shedding of His blood. In Christ's doing this, He is showing forth God's righteousness in His having passed over in His forbearance the transgressions that were committed prior to the present age.

During the Mosaic Economy, for instance, God seemed to wink at and pass by sin--sins for which He did not then demand immediate and strict satisfaction. But when Christ died upon the cross for sins--both those committed aforetime and since then--it became evident that God was gracious and merciful in not exacting summary punishment for the wrongs done by all preceding generations as soon as perpetrated.

By Christ's having borne our sins, by His having poured out His blood for us--taking our place, becoming a curse for us--God can be righteous and just and at the same time justify the one who has faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement. Only by Christ's having met the demands of God's holiness and those of the broken law can God now in love be just when He justifies those who believe in Christ. This is indeed a marvelous and wonderful truth. It is our only hope of redemption, but a sufficient and a glorious one.

Next I wish to call attention to another classic statement regarding the atonement of Christ.

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16 Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him (II Cor. 5:14-21).

Here the Apostle Paul declared that one died for all; therefore all died. In Christ's dying, I died potentially. "He died for all that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again." By His dying for us and our dying in Him, it is possible that we who accept Him may now live for God and for Christ. Since the Lord Jesus has borne our sins and the holiness of God has been satisfied with His atonement, God, through the message of the cross is appealing to all men to accept the means of reconciliation and come into fellowship with Himself.

To the church at Corinth Paul declared that God did not send him to baptize, but "to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void" (I Cor. 1:17). To the same church he also asserted, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). These quotations show the place which the death of Christ played in the theology of some of the earlier Pauline epistles.

In the prison epistles--Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians--the same apostle shows that the death of Christ not only redeems men from sin--those who accept the reconciliation--but that it is efficacious in reconciling to God things in the heavens as well as things upon the earth (Col. 1:19,20). The atonement plays the same prominent part in the Ephesian and Philippian letters. It also has a like importance in the pastoral epistles. The same proposition is given to the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus by the writer of Hebrews.¹

The same teaching concerning the death of Christ in connection with salvation is set forth in the writing of John the Apostle. For instance, the keynote is struck in John 1:29: "Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!" In I John 1:7 he states that: "the blood of Jesus his son cleanseth us from all sin." In Revelation the same doctrine appears. For instance, in 1:5 are these words: "Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood." In view of the passages discussed and hundreds that could be presented, there can be no doubt in the mind of any truth seekers regarding the position the death of Christ occupied in the belief and in the preaching of the apostolic church. The cross was the symbol of the Lord's death as a propitiatory sacrifice for our redemption. It was demanded by the holiness of God and was provided by His love. The stroke that was to fall upon us fell upon Him. He died in our stead. By His sacrificial death we who accept the atonement made by Him are ransomed or delivered from the power of sin and death and are given new life in Christ Jesus. We shall therefore never perish but have eternal life.

From the quotations which have been discussed, we see that everything which we have in Christ was accomplished in His death. The writers whom I have quoted viewed His death in its relation to various phases of truth as it applies to the individual believer. We cannot however leave this study without first examining the real basis underlying these various discussions and statements.

The proper approach to this phase of our investigation is to remember that man was given authority over the entire earth (Gen., chap. 1), but by his disobedience he forfeited all rights and prerogatives to Satan who led him in his rebellion against God. From that time onward Satan has been, with certain limitations, in control of the entire earth.

At the baptismal scene of Jesus God spoke to Him out of the heavens, declaring that He was His Son, in whom He was well-pleased (Matt. 3:13-17). Immediately after that event the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness where He was tempted during forty days. At the conclusion of this time, the devil appeared in person to Him in order to subject Him to temptations. The second of these, according to Luke, was his offer to give Christ all the kingdoms of the earth if He would fall down and worship Him.

5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all the authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me it shall all be thine (Luke 4:5-7).

The reader should note carefully Satan's statement that these kingdoms, with their authority, had been delivered to him, and that he could give them to whomsoever he desired. Christ did not deny this claim. By his silence He rather gave assent to its correctness. This implied admission is confirmed by His calling Satan "the prince of this world." (See John 12:30,31 and 16:8-11.) Paul also spoke of the devil as "the god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4). These statements by our Lord and by Paul confirm our conviction that Satan at the time of the temptation was the prince of this world and had it in his grip. He had cunningly tricked Eve and had taken the rulership over the earth from man. He offered to surrender all claims upon the world and to deliver all the kingdoms to Jesus if He would only fall down and worship him. The greatness of the temptation lay in the fact that Jesus came to snatch the world out of Satan's grip, which feat could be accomplished only by His death upon the cross. In order to deflect Christ from His life's purpose, Satan offered to give Him the very thing for which He came into the world, without His having to suffer and die to obtain it. In other words, Satan held out to Jesus an easy shortcut.

In the majesty of His holy nature Jesus spurned this offer. Though Satan left Him for a season, he constantly made attack after attack upon Him during His personal ministry. Frequently the Lord Jesus spoke of His "hour" and of its not having come as yet. When however He came up into the shadow of the cross He began to speak of the oncoming ordeal. The nearer He came to the cross, the more His soul was troubled and the more He seemed to draw back, humanly speaking, from the conflict. This fact is evident from His prayer in the garden that, if it were possible, the cup of death might pass from Him. Nevertheless, He was willing to do the will of the Father and to accomplish the very thing for which He had come into the world.

After our Lord's public entry into Jerusalem, certain Greeks wanted to see Him. In them He saw the token of a rich harvest of souls from the gentile world. But in order that there might be such a spiritual ingathering, He showed the necessity of His death, illustrating it by a grain of seed that falls into the earth, dies, and comes up into new life in the form of a growing plant. This fact brought before His mind the terrible horrors of His coming death. In answer to His prayer there came the voice of the Father, assuring Him that, as He had glorified His name, He would again glorify it. The people standing around did not understand what was said. Thereupon He uttered the most momentous prophecy: "This voice hath not come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself" (John 12:30-32). He realized that the time when He must die would be the hour of judgment of the world. At that time the prince of the world, He declared, would be cast out. In some sense, according to this prediction, Satan would be cast out when Jesus was executed--certainly not out of the earth or from any connection with it. It is more probable that it refers to his being deposed from his high position of authority and power over the world. On the night of the betrayal while Jesus with His disciples was partaking of the passover supper, the devil who had already entered into the heart of Judas Iscariot was present in all his power. He knew all that was transpiring, though the Apostles were unaware of the seriousness of the hour and the impending events.

After the Supper the Lord had a quiet talk with His disciples, which is recorded in the Gospel of John, chapters 14-16. During His remarks, He declared "I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me; but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence" (John 14:30,31). In this prediction, the Lord Jesus boldly asserted that Satan was coming but that he had nothing in Him, that is, that there was nothing of a sinful nature or actions, because of which the devil could lay claim upon Him in any wise. In other words, this is a declaration of His sinlessness.

Somewhere between the house where Jesus observed the Supper with His disciples and the Garden of Gethsemane, He gave to His disciples that marvelous message which is found in John, chapters 15 and 16. In it he informed the disciples that it was necessary for Him to depart to the Father in order that the Comforter might come, whom He promised to send them.

8 And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they believed not on me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; 11 of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged (John 16:8-11).

In this passage the Lord foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit with power, which prediction was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Upon His coming He, declared Jesus, would convict the world with respect to sin, righteousness, and judgment. The events of that memorable day, as recorded in Acts 2, proved to be a luminous comment upon this prediction. Upon His arrival, the Spirit would convict the world in respect to sin because "they believe not on me." World in this prediction doubtless was limited to the Jewish world, in which Jesus had moved and engaged in His public ministry. He came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him (John 1:11,12). Sin, to the great majority of the nation was, as Godet says, the acts of injustice committed by the exorbitant tax-gatherers and petty violations of the Levitical legislation. To His contemporaries the rejection of His claim that He was the Son of God and the Hebrew Messiah and of His teachings seemed perfectly proper; but, according to the prediction, when the Spirit would come He would in convicting power prove the very reverse to be true; namely, that the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah was sin. When the Spirit did come on Pentecost and the Apostles proclaimed the gospel in its fullness for the first time, three thousand Jews in Jerusalem were convicted of the sin which the nation had committed in rejecting Him.

The Holy Spirit began on the day of Pentecost to convict the world regarding sin. He did this by giving overwhelming evidence that Israel in rejecting Jesus was guilty of committing a most flagrant sin. His testimony has been ringing down through the centuries to the present time and will continue until our Lord returns. The greatest sin of which one can be guilty since the Holy Spirit has brought this testimony is to reject the love of God and His mercy in refusing to accept the salvation which is offered through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The second item concerning which the Spirit convicts is righteousness. The Hebrews of our Lord's day, with few exceptions, thought that He was an impostor. At times however vast multitudes were entranced by His personality and message. When the time for the showdown came, the leaders rejected Him as a pretender to messianic honors. When the Spirit came, He testified that Jesus was the Messiah who suffered, died, and was raised again from the dead in fulfillment of the Old Testament predictions; that He, at the invitation of God according to Psalm 110, ascended into heaven, and that He is now at the right hand of the throne of God. The Messiah therefore had shed forth, declared the Spirit through the apostle, that which people were then observing and experiencing, even though He was not there in person, as He said, "because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more." Thus the Holy Spirit demonstrated with the logic of facts on Pentecost and since then, that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, Saviour of the world, and the very embodiment of God's righteousness--the righteousness that everyone must have in order to stand acceptable in the Almighty's sight.

The third point on which the Spirit would give His testimony in convicting power was that of judgment, "because the prince of this world hath been judged." When the day of Pentecost arrived, Satan had already been judged. The judgment had been pronounced upon him in that when he came to Jesus he had "nothing in him." Christ, the God-man--sinless, spotless, pure, holy--met death, condemned Satan by His death, and cast him out--out of his position as being the prince of this world and holding it in his grip--paradoxical as it may seem.

I would like to sum up the discussion of these points with a quotation from Godet's Commentary on the New Testament, Gospel of John:

"Thus by the testimony of the Spirit the world, righteous in its own eyes, will be declared sinful; the condemned malefactor will be proved righteous; and the true author of this crime will receive his irrevocable sentence: such are the three ideas contained in this passage, whose powerful originality it is impossible not to recognize. It does not differ except as to form from xii: 31,32; the three actors mentioned--the world, Satan, and Jesus--are the same, as well as the parts which are attributed to them. Our passage only adds this idea; That it is the Holy Spirit who will reveal to men the true nature of the invisible drama consummated on the cross. The result of this reproof of the Spirit is that some remain in the sin of unbelief and participate thus in the judgment of the prince of this world, while others range themselves on the side of the righteousness of Christ, and are withdrawn from the judgment pronounced upon Satan. --But if this victory of the Spirit is to be gained by means of the apostles, it must be that previously the work of the Spirit has been consummated in them. This is the reason why Jesus passes from the action of the Spirit on the world through believers to His action in believers themselves (vv. 12-15)."

The Lord Jesus knew that Satan would be dethroned and shorn of his great power by His death. At one of His post-resurrection appearances Jesus declared that all authority and power in heaven and on earth had been given to Him: "And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:18-20).

From the prediction just examined (John 12:31) we see that Satan would be cast out. From our Lord's declaration after His resurrection, we learn that He had all power and authority--even that which Satan had formerly possessed. These statements are absolute proof that the great usurper was defeated by the death of Jesus. He is therefore a conquered foe. He attempts to intimidate people and to deceive them. He is a coward and cannot stand before one who has faith in the Lord, and who will take his stand upon the promises of God and resist him with the sword of faith.

8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 whom withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you (I Pet. 5:8-10).

7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4:7).

That Christ did by His death break the power of Satan is evident from a statement in I John 3:8: "To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." This truth is confirmed by Hebrews 2:14,15: "Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (cf. II Tim. 1:10).

2. The Resurrection of Christ

8. I have set Jehovah always before me:
   Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:
   My flesh also shall dwell in safety.

10. For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;
    Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.

11. Thou wilt show me the path of life:
    In thy presence is fullness of joy;
    In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
    (Ps. 16:8-11).

Though David used the first personal pronouns, I, me, and my, in this passage, we know that he was not speaking of his own experience, because he died, was buried, and his tomb was in Jerusalem in the first century as the Apostle Peter declared (Acts 2:29). But David, being also a prophet and knowing the promise which God had made to him that He would place one upon his throne forever, spoke of the resurrection of King Messiah.

Each of the Four Gospels concludes with an account of the resurrection of Jesus. These records have been proved to be genuine, authentic documents written by their reputed authors. These men were willing to lay down their lives for their faith and testimony. As a matter of fact, many of them did. (See Acts, chap. 7.)

9 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: 4 and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: 6 but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink (Acts 9:1-9).

Saul of Tarsus was an opponent of Christ and Christianity, being a devout Pharisee. Armed with authority from the high priest at Jerusalem, he journeyed to Damascus in order to persecute the Christians of that city. As he approached his destination, there occurred a miracle, the like of which had never been before and never has been since--the Lord Jesus spoke out of the very heavens to him, asking why he was persecuting Him. Saul, as his name then was, asked who was speaking to him. The Lord replied "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." He then asked what to do and was instructed to go into the city where he would be told. After three days, the Lord sent Ananias, who gave him the message of the gospel. He accepted it and embraced the faith of the Lord Jesus. From that time onward he became an outspoken exponent of the faith which he had once persecuted. He became an apostle and labored more abundantly than all the Apostles.

Concerning the conversion of Saul there can be no question. Even though radical unbelievers force various interpretations upon the historical narratives, no thinking person has doubted that Saul of Tarsus, an ardent zealous Pharisee, became a convert to Christianity and one of its leading exponents. All admit these facts. Why did Saul embrace the faith which he had opposed and identify himself with the people whom he had been persecuting?


Footnote:

¹ Many scholars deny the Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews on the ground that the general conception of things in it differs for those of the acknowledged Pauline writings. Moreover, they call attention to the distinctions in style, syntax, and diction. These differences are to be expected. Something would be wrong if differences did not exist. In the acknowledged epistles Paul was writing either to churches or individual Christians--born-again people who knew Christ in a personal manner. But in the letter to the Hebrews he wrote to Israel nationally, appealing to her to receive Jesus as the Apostle from heaven and the Jewish High Priest (Heb. 3:1). There are insurmountable difficulties which one meets constantly in an exposition of the Book of Hebrews if one believes that it was written to Hebrew Christians only who were on the verge of giving up Christianity and returning to Judaism. But if one believes that this letter was written as an appeal to the Jewish race to accept Jesus as the long expected Messiah, these apparently insuperable difficulties disappear immediately. While the entire epistle was to the nation as a group, certain sections of it were directed especially to believers. Having therefore different groups in mind who sustained a different relationship to Christ from that of the various churches to whom he wrote, naturally the apostle dealt with his problem from a different standpoint altogether. His material was different and the mold of thought likewise varied from his usual forms. The Holy Spirit would lead him to express his message in the manner most forceful to those to whom he was writing. These facts account for all the differences between Hebrews and the recognized Pauline epistles.

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