The article “Lo, I Come to Do Thy Will, O God” by Don Fortner addresses the theological significance of Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system through His incarnation and atoning work. Fortner argues that the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament were not acceptable to God as terms of righteousness but were intended to point to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who, taking on human form, would fulfill God's will by offering Himself as a voluntary Substitute for sin. He references Hebrews 10:5-9 and Psalm 40:6-8 to illustrate how Christ's coming replaced the former covenant with a new and everlasting covenant, rendered unnecessary the old practices, and achieved the satisfaction of divine justice. Fortner stresses the doctrinal importance of recognizing Christ as the culminator of the law and the source of all spiritual blessings, culminating in the assurance and faith believers have in Him for their redemption, sanctification, and eternal life.
Key Quotes
“He came here as a Man as our Mediator Substitute and Representative to do and fulfill the will of God to bring in a better covenant.”
“The sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament continued only for a set time until Christ came; God never accepted them as a term of righteousness.”
“By completely fulfilling the redemptive will of God, the Lord Jesus Christ has put away all sacrifices, all offerings, the priesthood, and all that was associated with that covenant.”
“Let us ever glory in him... A God given and God sustained faith in Christ is not only sufficient to enable the most feeble believer to overcome...”
What does the Bible say about Jesus as our Substitute?
The Bible teaches that Jesus came as our Mediator and voluntary Substitute to fulfill the will of God and to die for our sins.
Moreover, Jesus' role as our Substitute confirms that He voluntarily accepted the burden of our sins and underwent the suffering meant for us. Isaiah 1:11-18 clarifies God's displeasure with the animal sacrifices, underlining that real restoration could only come through the sacrificial death of Christ. Thus, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, offering us full redemption and connecting us directly to God’s eternal covenant of grace.
How do we know the sacrifice of Christ is sufficient?
The sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice is affirmed in the New Testament, which states that He fulfilled the law and took away the requirements of the old covenant.
Furthermore, when Christ declared 'It is finished' (John 19:30), He affirmed that the work of redemption was completed. This fulfilled the prophetic scriptures, particularly seen in the acknowledgment of Psalm 40:6-8 referenced in Hebrews, which speaks to God's intended plan through Christ. The entire sacrificial system was a foreshadowing of Christ’s own sacrifice, and through His death, He established a new and everlasting covenant, ensuring that all who believe in Him are justified and made right with God.
Why is the doctrine of the new covenant important for Christians?
The doctrine of the new covenant is crucial for Christians as it signifies the fulfillment of God's promises through Christ's sacrifice, providing us with direct access to Him.
In this new covenant, believers are promised an intimate fellowship with God, as outlined in passages such as Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God expresses His desire to write His laws upon our hearts. This transformative reality enhances the believer's assurance of salvation, fosters a personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, and empowers us to live lives reflective of Christ's righteousness. Ultimately, the new covenant assures us of eternal life and secures our standing before God through faith in Christ.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: hast...: Or, thou hast fitted me In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. - Hebrews 10:5-9“Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ came here as a Man, as our Mediator, Substitute and Representative to do and fulfill the will of God, to bring in a better covenant. Verses 5-8 are a quotation from Psalm 40:6-8 in which David, by the Spirit of inspiration wrote of Christ who was to come.
A Body Prepared
The sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament continued only for a set time until Christ came (1 Cor. 5:7). God never accepted them as a term of righteousness. But, when the fullness of time came, he clothed Christ in a human body prepared by the Holy Spirit, that his own dear Son might (in the body of a man) obey the law and suffer for sin (Rom. 5:19; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). God the Holy Spirit prepared a body for him (v. 5), a real human body and soul for the infinite, eternal, incomprehensible Son of God, so that he could bear our sins in his body on the cursed tree and die as our Substitute.
A Voluntary Substitute
In verse 6 we are again told that it was impossible for animal blood to put away human sin. Burnt offerings and sacrifices could never satisfy his justice, appease his anger, honor his law, or put away sin (Isa. 1:11-18). Our Lord Jesus Christ came here as a voluntary Surety, as Jehovah’s voluntary Servant, to die as our Substitute by the will of God (v. 7). In the book of God’s decrees and in the Book of God’s revelation (the Bible) it is clearly written that Christ would come to work out the redemptive will of God (Luke 24:44-47).
The First and the Second
In order to fulfill and bring in the new, everlasting covenant and the blessings of it, our Savior completely took away the old (vv. 8-9). In verse 8 the prophecy of Psalm 40 is repeated. Here, however, all the sacrifices are included. That means this: – When Christ fulfilled them all he replaced them all. Those sacrifices gave no pleasure to God except as they were offered in faith toward Christ (Heb. 11:4, 17, 28).
By completely fulfilling the redemptive will of God (John 6:38), the Lord Jesus Christ has put away all sacrifices, all offerings, the priesthood and all that was associated with that covenant. “Christ is the END of the law!” He stands in the place of all that was represented in the law. Now, having Christ, we have all things in him (1 Cor. 3:21-23; 1:30; Col. 2:9,10). He who was made to be sin for us is made of God unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption. Let us ever glory in him!
A God given and God sustained faith in Christ is not only sufficient to enable the most feeble believer to overcome the corruptions of the flesh, the allurements of the world, and the temptations of the devil, but also to give him an easy, triumphant passage through death into glory (Ex. 15:16-18). In a sense, faith’s last work shall be its greatest. When I am leaving this world, my body may convulse with pain, physical unconsciousness may set in, and I may have many spiritual struggles. Yet, once my soul is freed from this body of flesh, I shall be blest with such a sight and sense of my blessed Redeemer as I never had and never could have in this mortal state -- (Acts 7:55).
Comments
Your comment has been submitted and is awaiting moderation. Once approved, it will appear on this page.
Be the first to comment!