Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. At the very heart of the Christian
faith is the glorious truth of Christ as the sin bearer of his
people. If you take away the substitutionary
aspect of Christ's death and the behalf of his elect, you
are left with nothing more than a death by example or a pending
transaction rather than a satisfaction of the law and a cancellation
of sin by that death. The very meaning of redemption
is a payment made and a product secured. The payment is the blood
of Christ, and the product secured is the deliverance of those for
whom the payment is made from sin's captivity and dominion. The prevailing teaching of nominal
Christianity in our day is a portrayal of Christ's death as a quasi-payment
for sin, which is contingent upon the response of men in order
for it to be effectual in the cancellation of their sin debt.
This is a gross departure from that which is taught in the Scriptures.
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood,
He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. If He has obtained that redemption,
then nothing could possibly be lacking, nor could there be any
sort of contingency which could either make it null and void,
or enhance its effect. The doctrine which declares that
Jesus Christ died for each and every individual on earth but
actually secures the redemption and salvation of none is a damnable
heresy which makes a mockery of the Lord's final words on
Calvary's cross, it is finished. It is to embrace the unthinkable
notion that his blood is shed in vain and his purpose is left
unaccomplished. Yet this drivel is spouted forth
as being the true gospel. The one who bore his people's
sin and removed it as far as the east is from the west is
portrayed as one who did all he could to save every individual
in the world, but in the end came up short and had to settle
for only a portion of that which he bled for. This is to deny
the declaration of Isaiah the prophet who said, He shall see
of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Either he
tried to save all men and failed, or he purposed to save his elect
bride and accomplish that fully and completely. The latter is
true. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many. He is satisfied with that possession
which he purchased with his own blood, having accomplished her
warfare and pardoned her iniquity. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves
together in a vain attempt to cover their nakedness or reproach
from the face of God. Christ Jesus became naked for
His people that He might bear their reproach and shame. He
was consumed with a desire to bring glory to His Father in
the fulfillment of His purpose, which was to purchase the eternal
redemption of His people by bearing the shame that should have been
theirs and the guilt which was associated with that shame. He
is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised
and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. And with his stripes we are healed. Any view of the atonement of
Christ which makes its effectiveness contingent on the cooperation
or ratification of men is foreign to that which is described in
the Scriptures, as well as any view of it which does not declare
its sole purpose to be the redemption of Christ's elect children from
sin's curse and the power of its final effects. Christ has
borne the reproach of his people as their substitute. The one
who had no sin became sin for them. The one who was not guilty
became guilty for them. The one who had nothing to be
ashamed of was covered in their shame, and in that shame put
on display before devils, men, angels, and the gaze of a holy
God's justice. Christ is born the reproach of
his elect bride as her sin offering or sacrifice. But this man, after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God. Christ is born the reproach of
his people as their satisfaction before a holy God. He has made
a way into the holy of holies for them by his presence in the
heavens. He ever liveth to make intercession
for them. Christ has borne the reproach
of his bride as her sanctification. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. The sanctification of God's people
is not an ongoing activity, but rather an accomplished fact.
He is the sum total of their righteousness before the throne
of God. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. What is your covering? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.