Would you turn back to Romans
chapter 5, and tonight, Frank Tate, the pastor of the Hurricane
Road Grace Church, is going to be speaking for us. I'd like to read these verses
again, and let me say before I read them, if we didn't have
the scripture stating this, and somebody came and told me that
this is the way it was, My reply would be, that's too good to
be true. Verse eight, but God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be
saved by his life. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. I've entitled this message, Receiving
the Atonement. Receiving the Atonement. Now, in the original, the word
atonement is the noun form of the word reconciled that we find
in verse 10. If when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also
join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we've now received
the reconciliation. Now, why did the translators
choose the word atonement? Because the word is reconciliation. Why did they choose that word?
Well, I like this. I like at-one-ment. That is what the reconciling
work of Christ has produced. At-one-ment. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ
so completely reconciled me to God that I am one with Him." I can see why the translators
wanted to use that word. That's what the reconciling work
of Christ accomplished. I am at one with Him. He is as pleased with me as He
is with Himself. Now, I wouldn't say that if the
Word of God didn't teach it, because even when I say something
like that, part of me wants to cringe. You see, He has no reason for
anger, if I'm somebody that Christ died for. He has completely reconciled
me. There is no barrier of sin. The Lord Jesus put it away. Hebrews 1.3 says He by Himself
purged our sins. He didn't simply make this purging
available. He did it. He washed it away. He has no reason for anger. And
we receive that. You know what that means? We
take it. We take it. Here it is. I take
it. We believe it. Now verses eight
through 10 tells us what he did. And verse 11 gives our response
to what he did. This is very important. Now look
in verse eight, but God. Now, there are all kinds of objections
to my salvation and your salvation, but God. But God who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we're dead
in sins hath quickened us together with Christ. But God, that's
a good definition of grace, isn't it? But God. I know you're this way, and I
know I'm that way, but God, that's the only hope you have, that's
the only hope I have, but God, commendeth his love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Now, who is the us? Well, I know this, whoever's
in that us, was saved by what he did. It wasn't some kind of generic
us. This is a reference to all who believe. All of the elect
of God. All those given to Christ, whom
he came as a representative and a substitute for. That's who
the same us is. If God be for us, who can be
against us? No one can if God's for us. And
that's the us he died for. And I love this description of
the people he died for. He gives one description, only
one. But God commended his love toward us in the while we were
yet. What? Sinners. Sinners. Christ died for us. Now if that's so, and it is,
God loves me. And Christ died for me. Because
it says he loved and died for sinners. And I am one of them. I don't say so with pride, I
say so with shame. But I am one of them. Someone
who has a wicked nature and someone who commits sins. That's what a sinner is. But
thank God, Christ died for sinners. God commended his love toward
us in the while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. That's one of the most amazing,
mysterious, glorious things. First, the fact that he could
die. The God-man die. How did he do it? I don't know,
but he did. The God-man died for us. And here's what happens
as a result of his death. Much more, verse nine, then being
now justified by his blood. Because Christ died for us, we
are now, present tense, justified. That's everybody He died for. If He died for all men without
exception, all men without exception are justified. This is speaking
of those he died for, because God does punish sin. There is
a place called hell. I hate talking about it, even
thinking about it, but it's so. But this is speaking of all those
for whom Christ died. They are all justified without
guilt, standing before God's holy law. pure and spotless. That's what it means if I'm justified.
It means I stand before God's holy law with the absolute holiness
of God looks me over. When the law of God looks me
over, it sees nothing but that which God is pleased with. That's what justification means. Because we are literally now
justified. Our future salvation is secure.
Paul says, we shall be saved. I'm going to stand before God
on judgment day without guilt. God's going to look at me and
say, I'm pleased with it. There is no sin in him. No ifs, ands, and buts. We shall
be saved. Our salvation is a necessity. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not? What could
possibly prevent him from freely giving us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he to condemn it? It's
Christ that died. No answer, no other reason is
needed. It's Christ that died. Yea, rather that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. We shall be saved. Verse 10,
now it says the same thing in a different way. For if, verse
10, Romans 5, verse 10, for if when we were, now what's that
next word? Enemies. enemies of God. People who bore
no goodwill toward God at all. People who were his enemies.
Now, if somebody hated you and killed your child, they'd be
your enemy, wouldn't they? If, when we were enemies. Two things that came across my
mind when I thought about this thing of being God's enemy. First
thing I thought about was Adam. After he fell, God was so good to him before
the fall, after he fell, when God confronted him, he had the
audacity to say, the woman that you gave He didn't confess his
sin and ask for forgiveness and plead for mercy. He said, the
woman that you gave me, this is all your fault. If you hadn't given me this woman,
this would have never taken place. What audacity to come into God's
presence like that. The woman that you gave me, she
gave me the fruit and I didn't eat. He became God's enemy. He had no goodwill toward God
at all. If it were in his power, he would
have killed God. He would have got God out of
the picture. And the one time that men were
allowed to do what they wanted to do, the one time, what did
we do? We killed God. That's what took
place on the cross. Now that is God's enemy, isn't
it? God's enemy. Now look what he says in verse
10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his son. Now, what does that say? When
was I reconciled? When? When I was an enemy, when
Christ died. We were completely reconciled
to God. God has no reason for anger. Right now. God has no reason
for anger. We were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son. You see, the death of His Son
removed God's reason for anger, because the sin was removed and
taken away. Don't you love the way when the
Lord died, the veil in the temple, that thick veil that represented
we have no access to God on our own, was rent in two, from the
top to bottom, showing this is God's work. And now I can come
into his presence. I, right now, can come into his
presence with boldness through the Lord Jesus Christ. If when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son,
the bear has been removed. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
5 for a moment. Verse 18. And all things are of God who
hath reconciled us to himself. And notice he says all things
are of God. This was not a cooperative effort. This was not where both parties
were making concessions to find a common ground. He reconciled
us to himself. A complete reconciliation. He reconciled us to himself by
Jesus Christ. When Christ said it is finished,
God was completely reconciled. Now I want you to chew on that. I want you to meditate upon that.
I want you to receive it. When Christ said it is finished,
God was completely and is completely reconciled to you. He has no
reason for anger. And what does Paul say in verse
18? And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. That's what the ministry is.
It's the ministry of reconciliation. Now, what does that mean? the
ministry of reconciliation. What's this a reference to? Well,
he tells us to wit verse 19, namely that God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto himself. And here's how he did this, not
imputing their trespasses unto them and have committed to us
the word of reconciliation. Now, Here's how God reconciled the
world to himself. Now, somebody says, by the world,
does that mean all men without exception? Well, the world is
used in so many different ways and not one time in the scripture
does it ever mean all men without exception. Not once. You look
it up yourself. It's used in some eight or nine different
senses. But I like the word the world.
I'm in the world. I'm part of this thing called
the world. And he has reconciled the world to himself. How? By
not imputing their transgressions to him. Now, my sin. is most
real. It's most real to me. Your sin
is most real to you. And the only hope mere you have
is for God to not charge us with our sin. That's it. I'm not taking
away from the reality of sin, but the only hope. Let me repeat
that and underline The only hope that you and I have is for God
to not impute, God to not charge, God to not count our sin to us. Our sins are most real, but this
is our hope. We're not held accountable. for
our sins. I remember one time I read somebody,
it was an atheist of some kind, who was criticizing Christianity,
what he said. He said, Christianity are people
who can't take account for their sins. I thought, he got it. He
got it. I don't want to stand before
God and give an account for my sins, do you? Verse 20 of 2 Corinthians 5.
He's committed unto us this word of reconciliation. Now then,
we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you
by us. Now, that is one of the most
amazing verses. Do you know God beseeches sinners? I wish I could speak of that
the way it ought to be spoken of, but God beseeches sinners. What does He beseech? As though
God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God. He's reconciled. You be reconciled. He's reconciled to you. You be
reconciled to him. And do you know that you and
I will only be reconciled to him when we see that he is completely
reconciled to us through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, when you and I see that, you know what we're going to
do? We're going to be reconciled. Completely reconciled to him. Now, here's how that took place.
Verse 21. For he, God, hath made him the Lord Jesus
Christ, and notice to be is in italics. It was put there in
the turret by the translators, and I don't think it helps the
translation much. Let's read it without the italicized
words. For he hath made him sin. For us, who knew no sin. Christ knew no sin. He never sinned. Oh, I love to think about His
holy, spotless life. His life of perfect obedience.
He knew no sin, but He Himself was made sin. What is sin? Look yonder to the cross, with
the Lamb of God nailed to a tree, being forsaken by God, and there
is sin in its hideous reality. He made Him sin. Now, when my sin was taken off
me and placed upon Christ, the Scripture says He bare it in
His own body. on the tree. And beloved, if
he bear it, I don't. Sin cannot be two places at once. If he took my sin in his own
body on the tree, I have it no more. My sin, oh, the bliss of
this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole, has
been nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh my soul. Now just as literally as he was
made sin, we have literally been made the righteousness of God. I'll tell you what, if me and
you really believe this, we're dancing for joy in our hearts.
Every believer has been made nothing less than the very righteousness
of God in him. Turn to Colossians 1. This is
how complete this reconciliation is. Verse 20. And having made peace,
through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile, there's
the word, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him
I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven,
and you that were sometimes alienated, and the enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of
His flesh, through death, to present you, and here's how complete
that reconciliation is, holy and unblameable. and unapprovable
in his sight. Now go back to our text in Romans
chapter 5. For if, Romans 5 verse 10, for
if when we were enemies we were Completely, might I say, reconciled
to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life. You know, the Lord said, because
I live, you shall live also. His life as the great intercessor
of his people right now. guarantees my salvation. Hebrews
7.25 says, wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost
that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. We'll be saved by his life. I
wonder how many times someone has made a last will and testament
But it wasn't carried out. They were dead. They couldn't
make sure it was carried out. And something happened to miscarry
it. And their will and testament
was not carried out. Maybe some lawyer made some kind
of loophole so somebody, you can imagine all the things that
could take place. But he lives to make sure his
will takes place. He said, Father, I will, that
they whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they
may behold my glory. And you know, he lives to make
sure his will is carried out. Verse 11. Now here's our response
to all this. And not only so, were justified by his blood,
were reconciled by his death, were saved by his life. And not
only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom we have now received the atonement. Now, here is how
I can know. God's done this for me. I'll
do these two things. Just what he mentions in his passage of
scripture. I'll joy in God. And I'll know that joy in God
is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't present my rejoicing
in God. I joy in God through the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I receive the atonement. I receive the at-one-ment. I take it. It's given to me and
I take it. You know what happens when God
gives you something? You take it. He doesn't offer it to you
and it's up to you to refuse it or reject it. No, when he
gives you something, you take it. By whom we've taken, we've
received, we've laid hold upon and believe the at-one-ment. Now the word joy here, we joy
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And this word is the
word that is also translated, we rejoice, we glory, we boast. Now what he had been talking
about up to this point really was things that were accomplished
outside of my experience. I love to think about what's
accomplished outside of my experience, don't you? I wasn't even around
when any of this took place. Wasn't around. And yet it says
I was reconciled to God by the death of His Son. That's outside
of my personal experience, my subjective experience. But you
know what that makes me do? That makes me rejoice. I rejoice
in that which He has done outside of my personal subjective experience.
We joy in God. We glory in God. We boast in
God. Now what does it mean to joy
in God? What does it mean to rejoice
in God? Well, wherever you have rejoicing,
boasting and glorying in God, it always excludes all other
grounds of boasting. Paul put it this way in Galatians
6.14. God forbid that I should glory. I remember who this is
speaking. This is Paul. This is the man
that God used to write 13 books in the New Testament. This was
the man God used to found all these churches. The Apostle Paul. And what is Paul's confession?
God forbid that I should glory, that I should take credit in,
that I should hope in anything save the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now that's what it is to joy. in God, it excludes all other
grounds of boasting. Philippians 3.3 says, we are
the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, rejoice in
Christ Jesus. There's the word rejoice in Christ
Jesus. We rejoice that all of God's
salvations in Christ and were complete in him. We rejoice in
Christ Jesus. And he goes on to say, and we
have no confidence in the flesh. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29,
it says, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord, that no flesh should glory in his presence. That's
God's rule. No flesh is going to glory in
his presence. But of him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that glorieth, that's the word, let him glory in the Lord. By whom we join God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in him by whom we have now received
the atonement. Now, believers are receivers. He's the giver, we're the receiver. You know that scripture where
it says it's more blessed to give than it is to receive? The
Lord does all the giving, we do all the receiving. We know
that. Who makes you to differ from
another? And what do you have that you did not what? Receive. Now, if you received it, why
do you glory as if you didn't receive it? We're just receivers.
We just take what he gives us. And we're mighty glad. We're
mighty happy. But we are receivers. You in the scripture were said
to receive the remission of sins. We're said to receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. We're said to receive power.
We receive abundance of grace. We receive the spirit of adoption.
We receive mercy. We receive the word of God. We
receive the promise of God. We receive one another, the scripture
says. And we receive the atonement. We receive the at-one-ment. Now regarding this thing of receiving,
this thing of God being utterly reconciled to me, at one with
me. You know that's just hard to
believe, isn't it? It's hard to believe that God
actually looks at me and is completely satisfied with me. That's hard to get hold of. You
see, we have works ingrained in our thinking so much that
we have a difficult time believing God is completely reconciled
to us without us doing anything to make it that way. That's where
we have a hard time. I tried to think of examples of where something's
just hard to receive, hard to do. I've heard, thankfully I haven't
experienced this, that I've heard that divorce is one of the most
difficult, probably one of the most difficult things in life
because people never get closure. That person who is alive is still
there, still affecting them. Or it's kind of like the difficulty
you have of forgiving someone when there's no apology. No closure. Now I've got one question for
you. Did God get closure from what
His Son did? Did God get complete closure
by what His Son did? When Christ said, it is finished,
was it finished? When Christ was raised from the
dead, was there anything else needed? Was there any contribution
you need to make to make what he did complete? Here is closure. And you that
were four times enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. And I've said this before, how
he sees things is how they really are. If he sees you through the death
of his son as holy and unblameable and unreprovable, it certainly
is not as if it were that way. It is that way. And yes, I, I
get closure from that. And we receive the at-one-ment. Near, so near to God, nearer
I cannot be. In the person of His dear Son,
I am as near to God as He. Dear, so dear to God, dearer
I cannot be. For in the person of His dear
Son, I am as dear to God as He. Let's pray.