The section of scripture I will cover over the next few blogs are ones that is important to cover in their full context. It is a section of scripture that links the Bible from Genesis to Revelation as a continuous story. It is a section of scripture that places a demand on us to approach the Bible from and evangelical perspective that acknowledges that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18
Today’s verse leads me to meditation of the pain, the position, and the purpose of Christ. The verse starts with a consideration of His pain, it proceeds to speak about Christ position among men, and ends with a clear statement of the purpose of his work.
His Pain:
For Christ suffered once for sins. Peter is pointing us to the cross. The finished work of Christ, this is His ultimate suffering but it is not His only suffering. The finished work is able to be completed by Christ because it was a continuous work. Hebrews 4:15 tells of that Jesus “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” John MacArthur has pointed out in that each of Christ temptations were experienced to the fullest because he was never provided a means of escape. He request one, “Lord if you are willing take this cup from me but not my will but yours be done” We are told in Hebrews 5:7 “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” His loud cries and tears were heard, but he was not saved from death. Verse 8 tells us “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” One of the divine mysteries of our faith is that although Jesus is fully God, he is also fully man. The mystery poses the question can God sin? The answer to that is clearly no. However, Jesus was a man, so could Jesus sin? The answer is clearly yes. Hence the mystery, what is clear and not a mystery is that Jesus could be tempted to have a will that is contrary to the Father. The pain of the contradiction is lived out in be a real man, “the righteous for the unrighteous” All of humanity has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but not the man Christ Jesus. The fall of Adam would have forever condemned humanity to a sinful state separated from God, even as the fallen Angels are condemned. Knowing our weakness, the Lord himself became man. It was not an afterthought in the mind of God but indeed Christ is the “Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”
His Position
One of the astounding facts of the Gospel is the Christ becomes a man permanently. It happened in a moment in history. The Immaculate Conception was concept in the mind of God, it was a prophetic proclamation of the Old Testament writers, but it had its reality in a specific woman in time. The cosmic Christ, eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever changed his nature. He became a man. Jesus was always God, but he was not always man. It was as a man that he was tempted, mocked, crucified and bodily resurrected. It is as a man and he intercedes on our behalf in heaven. It is as a man that he ascended into heaven and it is as a man that he shall return to govern earth. It is in his human nature that he is declared righteous. It is as a man, that scriptures declare, “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
His Purpose
Christ purpose is simple and profound. It is to bring you to God. It is not to bring mankind in general to God. No it is to bring you and me to God, one at a time, each person uniquely. Jesus did not die for the sin of mankind collectively. He became each human beings substitute specifically. Adam’s sin corrupted our nature, but each human being embraced that nature of their own free will and rebelled against the righteous decrees of a good and loving God. Justice demands that we pay for our sins. Sin when it is full grown brings forth death. It is therefore a capitol offense worthy the severest penalty. Death! Yes even by crucifixion! Well you say that you have done no great sin worthy of such a severe penalty. Then I say you do not understand the pervasiveness of your sin. You do not understand its contagious nature. Adam’s rebellion as we observe in the history is a benign act. He ate a piece of fruit off of a tree. Yet, in one generation that rebellion would lead a murderous jealously. That jealously stemmed from the kindest and gentlest corrections from the mouth of the Lord. “If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up?” It was and offering to the Lord, a religious act, that lead to Cain murdering Able. Do not for a second entertain the thought that you are better. You are not. Do not make Christ’s pain a small thing by thinking so, do not lower his lofty position by believing it, do not cheapen the constant righteous conduct of Christ to the cross by comparing to Cain like religious offerings. No my friend, empathize with his pain, exalt his position, and but eternally grateful that he purposed to save you!
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