I want to talk to you this morning
about the wonderful subject of atonement. Atonement. Men have coined that catchphrase,
or a catchphrase for that word, which I like, just like that
word justified, just as if I'd never sinned. And they've done
the same with the word atonement, which means at one. Atonement. Atonement. And in
Christ, free and chosen sinners are now made at one with God. If I'm made at one with God,
then I'm made at one with Christ. And then I'm at one with the
law. For Christ fulfilled the law. And I'm at one with God
who judges me by the law. What a wonderful word that is.
at one atonement. That means that God is no longer
angry with me. Well, why was He angry with you?
Because all my sin was against Him and Him alone. God's no longer
angry with those that are at one with Christ. And what a wonderful
position to be in at one. Now, this word is only used once
in the New Testament, though it's used many times in the Old.
And it comes from the same original word that means reconciliation. Reconciled. The same word that
means payment. ransom, propitiation. By the atonement of Christ, it
means to cover up. to remove the guilt by a ransom
paid and satisfaction made by the perfect substitute, the Lamb
of God. What a wonderful word. To be
atoned, God's justice is satisfied. And that doesn't mean much to
a lot of people because they don't understand that God's angry.
Men have made God out to be a love-everybody God. Love, just love everybody. You have not bowed to His Son,
He don't love you. He don't love you. Oh, God's
justice is satisfied and the only way sinners find acceptance
with God is because by His free sovereign grace, His sovereign
love is provided for the chosen sinner in and only in, I might
add, in Christ. God enters into an at-one position
with sinful men and women. What an amazing thought! In the
substitution of Christ, the sin of the elect and the guilt that
goes with it is transferred from the sinful one to the innocent,
which is Christ, the sinless one. And Christ makes amends
of God's violated justice. God's justice has been violated,
and we're the ones that violated it. And He does so by fulfilling
the handwriting of ordinances that were against us. Let me
read that verse to you, Colossians 2.14, blotting out. the handwriting
of ordinances that were against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. With all that
said, turn with me again to Romans chapter 5, verse 8. But God commendeth His love toward
us. In that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. God commendeth His love. We love him. Why? Because he
first loved us. I don't suppose that there's
ever been a message that I've endeavored to preach in which
I have not said at least one time or used as one point in
a message that I did not say salvation is of the Lord. I can't
think of any of you other men that have preached that haven't
at one time or another during a message said salvation is of
the Lord. Why? That's the theme of these
scriptures. That's the message that gives
God all the glory. Not just some, all of it. Salvations of the Lord. God's
the cause of our salvation. If God had not loved me before
the foundation of the world, if He had not called me by His
grace in the appointed time of love, if He hadn't taught me
the Gospel, God teaches us the Gospel. Men don't teach us the
Gospel, God does. And if He hadn't taught me and
caused me to believe it, you know what? I'd still be in my
sin. That's right. I'd be lost in
my sin. God did it. God commended His
love. That word means approved. God
approved His love. He approved His love to me. It
also means you might be interested to know to set one with another. I like that. To set one with
another. To put together at one. And that's exactly what God did
for elect sinners. We were alienated, separated
from God because of the fall of our father Adam. Ephesians
4 verse 18 says, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. That's what
I am, ignorant outside of Christ. because of the blindness of their
hearts. A blind man is ignorant of what a flower looks like because
he's never seen it. And you that were sometimes alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
at one atonement. Second thing, God's atonement
is limited. It's not for everybody. This makes men mad. Better get
mad at God. That's what this Word teaches.
But God commendeth His love where, my friends? Toward us. Toward
us. Toward who? Toward us. Toward
the world? No. Toward those to whom this
letter was written. Look back at Romans 1. This was
a letter now. Who was it written to? Look at
verse 5. God's atonement is limited and
He commends His love toward who? Look at verse 5. To all of you
who have received grace and apostleship. To all of you who have for obedience
to the faith among the nations for His name. To all of you among
whom ye are also the called of Jesus Christ. It's talking about
a specific people here. to all that be in Rome, not all,
not everybody in Rome, no, the beloved of God called to be saints. When God says, for God so loved
the world, that means He loved men out of the world, every kind
of man or woman out of the world. It doesn't mean He loved the
whole world. If He did, there'd be none in hell. To say that
He died for the whole world is to say that He failed. Because
not all are saved and all that Christ died for are saved. Let's
be careful what we say. Careful what we believe. God's
atonement is limited. Those that have received grace
and apostleship toward us. Those who are obedient to the
faith for His name's sake. That's what it says right here.
Those who are the called of Jesus Christ. That's a distinguishing
people. God distinguishes all in Rome
that are beloved of God, beloved of God, that God loves, and called
to be saints. That is to who God commends His
love toward us. to those to whom this letter
was written. Back in our text, my third point, in God's atonement,
we see something of our sin. God commendeth His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners. Matthew says, And she
shall bring forth a son, and I shall call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Sinners. Sinners. Our Lord said in Luke 5.32, I
came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said in Mark 2 that they that
are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are
sick. Sick sinners. And I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. But God commendeth
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners. Are you
a sinner? If you are, this gospel is for
you. Fourth thing, atonement is particular
in its redemption. Now, I know that seems to be
the same thing. And I suppose in one sense of
the word it is. We read a moment ago that God
commended His love toward us. And here we read further and
see that His love toward us led to the death of His Son for us. But God commended his love toward
us and that while we were yet sinners, what? Christ died for
us, a particular people. It doesn't read Christ died for
the world. It doesn't say that Christ died for everyone. It
says that Christ died for us. The same ones that this letter
was written to. Well, are you proud of that? Absolutely not.
I'm totally humbled by it because I should have been one that he
passed by. I don't know why people say things
like, well, you think you're the only ones? I don't find any
comfort in the fact that anybody else is going to hell when I
know I'm the one that should have. That's not the way a believer
thinks. A believer is totally humbled
and just in awe that God would die for him, that God would call
him by his grace. He died for the same ones that
our Lord spoke of in John 6.37 when he said, All that the Father
hath given me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. And in verse 9 of our text, it
says, much more than. Much more than. We were talking
in the men's meeting where the scriptures say, how much more?
Much more than the abundance of the mercy and grace of God.
Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. Brings me to my fifth thing.
We're atoned for and justified by blood. You see, much more than an understanding
that Christ died for us. We've been told that. The apostles
told us that. We see also that we're justified
just as if I'd never sinned by His blood. If you want to know
how bad your sin is, how horrific your standing before God is,
your depravity, look no further than this verse. God's blood
had to be shed to put your sin away. Hebrews 9.22 tells us,
without the shedding of blood is no remission. Without the
shed blood of Christ for us, there's no forgiveness. There's
no deliverance. There's no release from the bondage
of sin. There's no pardon for sin. And
there's no cancellation of our sin dead. But, where blood was
shed, all these things are found. Only the blood of a perfect substitute
would appease God's justice. And that substitute was God!
Christ in the flesh, the God-man. God in the flesh. The Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us. That's the same Word that was
in the beginning with God and was God. And all things were
created by Him. That sounds like God to me. The
God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And no wonder the Apostle Paul
says much more then. Oh my. But what more could be
done for us? What more could be done for us
than God Himself coming, living, dying, and shedding His blood
for sinners? Much more than that. We're justified
by His blood. We're saved from wrath. And my sixth point of salvation
is in Christ alone. and He is our Atonement. Salvation,
you've heard this many times, by grace alone, through faith
alone, in Christ alone. Look at the end of verse 9. Much
more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath. How? Through Him. It's in Christ alone, dear friends.
How are we saved from the wrath of God? Through Him. through
Him. John 1-7 says, the same came
for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men, meaning
the elect, through Him might believe. There's no way a man
or woman can believe unless it's through Him. Salvation is of
the Lord. See, doesn't it all just beautifully
tie together? John 3-17, for God sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. And the same apostle, which gave
account of this Gospel of John, said in 1 John, his epistle,
4 verse 9, "...and this was manifested, the love of God toward us." God
commended His love toward us. He's saying the same thing Paul
said. Why? They knew the same God. They
knew the same Christ. They trusted the same Gospel.
And John says, because God's Son is the only begotten Son
in the world, that we might live through Him. Verse 10, for if when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
there's those two words again. Much more. Much more just keeps
getting better, doesn't it? Much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life. And the seventh thing is atonement,
is by unconditional love. What better example of unconditional
love is there than God delivering His Son in the place of those
that hated Him? Enemies. You and I hated God
before He saved us. Now, I don't know that I hated
Him. You hated Him. And I hated Him. And this unconditional
love further illustrates the love of God expressed to sinners
by the death of His Son. What was our state and condition
when God died for us, when Christ died for us? What was it then?
He tells us right here we were enemies. Enemies. There was nothing
in us that deserved His mercy. We were enemies. There was nothing
in us that would merit His love. We were enemies. There was nothing
in us that we could earn His redemption as His enemies. We were dead in trespasses and
sin and could do nothing. Christ died while we were His
enemies. But now, being reconciled, we're
His friends. The greater love than this hath
no man that he lay down his life. for his friend. God and I are
friends. Our atonement was because of
one thing and one thing only, God's sovereign unconditional
love. While we were yet enemies, Christ
died for us. Eighth thing, atonement is by
substitution. Verse 10 tells us that we were
reconciled to God, how? By the death of His Son. That's
the heart of the Gospel, dear friends. Christ took my place. God killed the innocent one and
He let the guilty ones go free. And you tell me that's not sovereign
grace. You tell me that's not sovereign mercy. You tell me
that's not atonement. and that it's not by substitution.
Ninth thing, atonement. You don't mind if I call it that
for the rest of the message, do you? Atonement, atonement.
At one with God. It's by His life. Verse 10 says,
being reconciled, we shall be saved. How? It's there in your
Bible. By His life. We're reconciled
by Christ's crucifixion and we're saved by Him being exalted. And
His life here, I believe, refers to His interceding life for us
in heaven. He lived all the days of His
life from an infant on perfectly before God. Never said a bad
word, never thought a bad thought. his life as he lived it is as
important as his death because he was perfect when he was crucified. I don't set that aside here but
I believe here it's talking about where He is now and His interceding
life for us on the throne of God. This is where He lives and
He ever lives to make intercession for His people and to see that
salvation has been obtained by His death is applied unto them. Hebrews 7.25 says, Wherefore
He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
He intercedes for us, seeing that He ever liveth to make intercession
for us. God is right now pleading your
case to God Almighty on His behalf and by His words and what He's
done for you. Isn't that amazing? What a God. What a Savior. And verse 11,
and I'm done. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
what? The atonement. Atonement causes me to join God. That's my last point. Now we
are saved by His life and we are delivered from God's wrath
through Him. That's clearly established in
these verses, is it not? Not only has Christ died for
us while we were sinners, while we were ungodly, we are now reconciled
to God by His Son. Not only do we glory in tribulation
and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, we also joy in
God. You see, we joy in God because
He's our covenant God. We joy in God because He's our
Father. I'm convinced we just can't grab
a hold of that. God Almighty is my daddy. And that is not disrespectful
in the least to say it that way. Abba Father. He's my daddy. He cares about me. And if you
being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more? How much more, God? Why, if your
child asked for a stone, you wouldn't give him a serpent?
If he asked for something, you wouldn't give him the opposite?
No, you delight in doing good to your children. God, even more. How much more? How much more? He's my Father. Oh, dear child
of God, joy in God is the God of all grace, of all peace, and
all salvation. He's involved and He's on our
side in all things. He's glorified in our salvation. And if our Father who is God
be for us, let me ask you, who can be against us? Now I may
need to call you Tuesday or Wednesday and ask you to help remind me
of that. Because I'm just so prone to
wonder. So prone to leave and not believe
the God I love. But you know what? There's no
reason for us to worry and fret. Now will you remind me of that
next time you see me wringing my hands and sweating and complaining? No need to be troubled. No need
to be perplexed. Everything's going to be alright
if you're one of His. if you're one of his. We join
God the same way we receive all the other blessings of God. It's
through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received
the atonement. That's how. The only way a man
or woman can be at one with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's by and through Him that
we have now received what He tells us, the at-one-ment. I'm at one. I'm at peace. And I joy in He who has done
for me what I couldn't do for myself.