Nov6’05
THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Last week we celebrated communion together in what some found to be a very moving experience. I personally sensed God speaking to my own heart and helping me to grow just a little bit more. But what more can we learn about that communion moment in the upper room where Christ instituted that sacrament?
What does the blood of Christ truly mean to us? Jesus said, “This is my blood of the new covenant.” What did he mean by that?
When you took communion last week did you know that you were participating into a new promise?
I want to get a little theological and in so doing I hope that we can appreciate more and more what it means to be Christians.
I. THE NATURE OF THE ATONEMENT.
The nature of the atonement can be summed up in this statement:
“The atonement is the satisfaction made to God for the sins of all mankind, original and actual by the mediation of Christ.” (Dr. Summers Systematic Theology)
Because there was a gulf of sin separating God and humanity, atonement was necessary. Nothing could gulf this separation. Man’s good deeds could not do the necessary work and God’s good nature could not overcome the sinfulness.
A. Satisfaction for Divine Justice.
Sin called for a punishment. And we know from the Old Testament that the institution of sacrifices was introduced through the Israelite people. It wasn’t so much that the sacrifice of animals would bring salvation to the people but it was given as an object lesson. The object lesson of sacrifices told of humanity’s dependence upon God. Blood sacrifices especially showed the kind of compensation that would be necessary.
B. Substitute for the Sinner.
As an Old Testament saint you would be called on to offer sacrifices of animals through the priests on your behalf. Each animal would signify a certain aspect of forgiveness or commitment being desired. The animal was the substitute for the person.
Jesus Christ became our substitute. Rather than an animal- which only symbolized the future sacrifice- Jesus became the sacrifice for sins.
The nature of sin to the nature of God provides for us the insight into why the atonement is necessary.
II. THE NECESSITY OF THE ATONEMENT.
We know from Hebrews that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.”
This calls our attention to realize that the death of Christ was necessary.
A. The atonement originated in God’s love.
The death of Christ was necessary because it originates in God’s love for each one of us. God saw that we were helpless. Romans 5:6- “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
B. The atonement obligates humanity to respond.
When faced with the realization of Christ dying for us, we naturally must respond. And this is why the cross of Christ and resurrection is the central focus of Christianity. We must respond. Salvation is not simply a “take it or leave it” proposition. The danger is that when we don’t respond that is a response in and of itself. If we realize God’s call to salvation through Christ and yet “ignore so great a salvation” we endanger our spiritual opportunity.
C. The atonement over-rides the old covenant.
Jesus ushered in a new covenant that was sealed with His shed blood. In Jeremiah 31:31 God promised “the days are coming when I will make a new covenant…” The realization by God from the beginning was that the old covenant was not going to be sufficient to bring any who desired
III. THE NURTURE OF THE ATONEMENT.
So how does the atonement of Christ make a difference in your life? How does Jesus’ death alter your life? This is something that every Christian needs to know. And it is something that every Christian needs to become more knowledgeable about.
A. Replacement.
Jesus is our replacement on the cross. You could not be nailed to the cross to appease a holy God for you own sins let alone the sins of the whole world. B. Redemption.
Jesus paid the ransom for our sins. A penalty had to be paid. This penalty was not paid to Satan nor was it a penalty paid to us. But it was a penalty paid on our behalf to the holiness of God.
You see, our soul needed to be redeemed.
C. Reconciliation.
We are now reconciled with God. What does this mean? We are at peace with God.
D. Righteousness.
In our scripture text, Paul writes to the Corinthian church that Jesus is our righteousness. You may feel that you could never obey God perfectly. And you are right. Somewhere you are going to fail and fall short in your own strength. But what God promised all the way back from the Old Testament is that He would put His Spirit within us so that we could obey His instructions.
Now my holy living really amounts to living for Christ.