Though many
people these days celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - others out of a
religious motivation and others out of a commercial one - few are those
that have an adequate knowledge of the purpose of this birth. For
really, according to the Word of God, Jesus Christ was born having from
the beginning a specific mission, that was to pay with his life for the
remission of our sins. As the angel said to Joseph, when Jesus was still
in Mary's womb:
Matthew 1:21
"And she [Mary] will bring forth a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus: for he will save his people from their sins."
"Jesus"
in Hebrew means "the Lord (Jehovah) our salvation", and really
it was Jesus Christ the one through whom the Lord, the Jehovah, would
bring salvation to the people and would save them from their sins. As
the Word says commenting on the suggestion of Caiaphas, the high priest
of the Jews, about the crucifixion of Jesus:
John 11:50-52
"[Caiaphas is speaking] "Nor do you consider that it is
expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that
the whole nation should perish." And this he didn't say of himself:
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die
for the nation; And not for that nation only, but also that he would
gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."
(NKJV-KJV)
Jesus Christ
was born to die for all of us, and some of the effects of this death we
will examine in this article.
1. Jesus
Christ: our redeemer from sins
One of the things that is many times
referred as a result of Jesus' death is redemption.
"Redemption" is a work that assumes the existence of a
redeemer i.e. someone that makes the redemption available, and the
existence of a ransom that is paid for it. To find out what was that
from which Jesus Christ redeemed us as well as what was the ransom that
he paid, we will go to Titus 2:14. There we read:
Titus 2:14
"Who [Jesus] GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US
FROM ALL INIQUITY"
(NKJV-KJV)
Jesus Christ
redeemed us FROM ALL INIQUITY, and he obtained it by GIVING HIMSELF FOR
US. In other words, HE was the ransom of our redemption
from "ALL INIQUITY". As he himself also said in Matthew 20:28:
Matthew 20:28
"just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to
serve, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY."
Jesus came
"to serve AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY". And as
great as was this ransom that was paid for us so great was also the
redemption that was obtained by it. Really, Hebrews 9:11-12 speaking for
this redemption tells us:
Hebrews 9:11-12
"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come,
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building; Not with the blood of goats and calves,
BUT WITH HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING
OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US."
(NKJV-KJV)
The priests of
the law offered calves and goats by which they endeavored to obtain the
remission of sins. As we will see later, what they were doing was
inadequate. In contrast, Jesus presented to God HIS OWN BLOOD by which
he obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US. As Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians
1:14 also say:
Ephesians 1:7
"In him [Jesus] WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his [God's] grace;"
Colossians 1:14
"In whom [Jesus] WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, even
the forgiveness of sins:"
The redemption
is not in our good works and behaviour. It is not in our religious
devotion. It is not in our worth and personal value. Instead it is IN
JESUS. And it is a redemption "according to the riches of God's
grace" i.e. an abundant, complete and as we read eternal
redemption.
2. Jesus
Christ: our redeemer from Adam's sin
As it was mentioned in the last
section, Jesus Christ was the ransom that was paid for ALL our sins, for
"ALL iniquity" as Titus 2:14 says. However, it should be made
clear that to this "ALL", apart from the sins that one commits
during his life, it is also included the sin that Adam committed with
his fall, and which passes from generation to generation to all men,
making them sinners from the very moment they are born. Really, as
Romans 5:18-19 tells us:
Romans 5:18-19
"Therefore as by the offense of ONE [Adam] judgment came
upon ALL men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus
Christ] the free gift came upon all men to justification of life.
For as BY ONE MAN'S [Adam's] DISOBEDIENCE MANY
WERE MADE SINNERS, so by one man's [Jesus'] obedience many will be
made righteous."
(KJV-NKJV)
The
disobedience of Adam didn't cost only his own fall1,
but it also made all those that were born after him sinners, though they
themselves didn't commit his sin. Thus, there is no man that can say
that he does not need redemption, for even in the hypothetical [however,
only hypothetical2 case
that he hadn't done something wrong, there is still the sin of Adam that
makes him a sinner from the time of his birth. Obviously therefore, our
redemption would be completely inadequate, if it didn't include the sin
of Adam. For really what would be the profit if we were
"redeemed" from the sins that we have done and we weren't
redeemed from the sins that we haven't done, yet we have been charged of
(Adam's sin)? Thus, Jesus Christ had also to redeem us from the sin that
Adam bequeathed to us. And that's what he did. As Romans 5:19 told us:
Romans 5:19
"as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, SO BY
ONE MAN'S [Jesus'] OBEDIENCE MANY WILL BE MADE
RIGHTEOUS."
(KJV-NKJV)
Though Adam's
sin passes from generation to generation, infecting all men, through the
obedience and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, we can all get rid not only
of this sin but also of every other sin that may have infected our
lives. As we read in Titus 2:14:
Titus 2:14
"Who [Jesus] GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US
FROM ALL INIQUITY"
(KJV-NKJV)
When it says
ALL iniquity it means ALL iniquity obviously including the sin of Adam.
Today when someone is born, is still born a sinner. However, now there
is a way out from this situation, that is called believing in the Lord
Jesus. Really, as Acts 10:43 tells us:
Acts 10:43
"To him [Jesus] all the prophets witness that, through his
name, WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL RECEIVE REMISSION OF SINS."
It is so
simple: you believe in Jesus Christ and all your sins are forgiven. Yet
it cost so much to be obtained. It cost the precious blood of the only
begotten Son of God.
To conclude therefore, though in the first
birth we are born sinners, in the second birth, the birth from above
(see John 3:3-8), which occurs at the moment we believe in the Lord
Jesus and in his resurrection, we are re-born totally pure, as the
believing that is responsible for this second birth, cleanses us from
ALL sin.
3. Jesus
Christ: the perfect sacrifice
Having seen that Jesus' sacrifice
redeemed us from all sin, someone may ask what was then the role of the
various sacrifices and offerings that are recorded in the law3,
and which aimed to the forgiveness of the sins for which they were
offered? Before we say anything about the value of those sacrifices, it
should be made clear that there was nothing anticipated in the law, for
the forgiveness of Adam's sin. Nothing was able to help man to get rid
of it. Thus people were born sinners and remained sinners even if they
had offered all the sacrifices of the law for the various sins recorded
there. This situation changed only with the sacrifice of Jesus after
which, though we are still born sinners, we can be cleansed from this
sin and in fact from all sins, by believing in Christ.
Now, leaving aside Adam's sin, and returning
to the sacrifices and offerings for sins recorded in the law, the Word
of God characterizes them as inadequate. Really, in Hebrews 10:1-4 we
read:
Hebrews 10:1-4
"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and
not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices,
which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach
perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the
worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. FOR
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND OF
GOATS COULD TAKE AWAY SINS"
As the last
verse of the above passage makes clear, the animal sacrifices that the
law anticipated for the remission of sins, were insufficient for this
job, for as it says "it is not possible that the blood of
bulls and of goats should take away sins". And since Hebrew 9:22
tells us:
Hebrews 9:22
"without shedding of blood there is no remission."
it is obvious that another blood was
needed to be shed for true remission. What was this? The blood of Jesus
Christ. Really, in Hebrews 10:6-12 we read:
Hebrews 10:10-12
"By that will [see verse 5-9 for the context] we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR
ALL. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering
repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins: But
this man [Jesus Christ], after he HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR
EVER sat down at the right hand of God;
(NKJV-KJV)
Jesus Christ
dealt with the problem of sin ONCE FOR ALL. In contrast to the priests
that repeatedly offered the same sacrifices "which can never take
away sin", his sacrifice for sins was ONE by which he obtained
"eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12). That's why there is now
no need for other sacrifices as also Hebrew 10:18 very plainly tells us:
Hebrews 10:18
"Now where there is remission of these, THERE IS
NO LONGER AN OFFERING FOR SIN."
This passage
does not say that there is no more sin. What it says is that there is no
more offering for sin. And this because the offer of Jesus Christ has
eternal power against sin. Not only against the sins that we have
committed as unbelievers or against Adam's sin, but also against the
sins that we may have committed after we became Christians. These sins
are also forgiven through the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus,
when they are confessed to God. Really, I John 1:7-9 says:
I John 1:7-9
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
The blood of
Jesus is the only medicine that can cure us from the illness of sin. The
law commanded this sacrifice for this sin, that sacrifice for the other
and so on. And yet all these sacrifices could not cure the problem of
sin. However, what the law could not obtain, Jesus Christ obtained it by
sacrificing himself. Now, everyone that believes in him is washed from
ALL his sins. As Revelation 1:5 tells us:
Revelation 1:5
"And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn
from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. TO HIM THAT
LOVED US, AND WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD"
Jesus Christ
washed us from our sins in his own blood. It was he that did the job. It
doesn't even say that we washed ourselves. He did it all. And he did it
COMPLETELY with no need for something more.
4. Jesus
Christ: our reconciliation with God
Having seen that the sacrifice of
Jesus gave us the remission of sins, let's now move ahead to see
something else that it also gave us, through this remission. What was
this? Our reconciliation with God. Really though before Jesus' sacrifice
we were sinners and therefore enemies to God, after his sacrifice and
our believing in him, we were redeemed and washed from all our sins.
This made us righteous and reconciled us with God. As Romans 5:6-10
tells us:
Romans 5:6-10
"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, 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 THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
(NKJV-KJV)
Jesus Christ
died for us, when we were still sinners and enemies to God. With his
death, he reconciled us to God, for his death paid for all our sins and
transformed us, when we believed, from sinners to righteous. As I Peter
3:18 also says:
I Peter 3:18
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for
the unjust, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD, being put to death in
the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit:"
Jesus Christ,
the just suffered for all of us, the unjust, and with his sacrifice he
BROUGHT US to God. Now if Christ has brought us to God, do we still need
to be brought to Him? No, for Christ has done it. As Christians, we are
no longer far from God nor we need to be brought to Him. Instead, we are
reconciled with Him. And it was not we that made it possible but Jesus.
As the text says: "HE suffered....THAT HE might bring
us to God". Moreover, Colossians 1:19-23 adds:
Colossians 1:19-23
"For it pleased the Father that in him [Jesus] all the
fullness should dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself; by him, I
say, whether things on earth, or things in heaven. And you,
who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in his
sight: If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast,
and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, and
which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I Paul
became a minister;"
(NKJV-KJV)
Are we now
alienated and enemies to God? Are we now strangers to Him? No. We
"WERE SOMETIME alienated and enemies". We are not now. For,
"NOW he [God] has RECONCILED us in the body of his [Jesus'] flesh
THROUGH [Jesus'] DEATH". As Ephesians 2:19 says:
Ephesians 2:19
"Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God;"
5. Conclusion
In this article we examined some of
the effects of Jesus' sacrifice, giving special emphasis to the
remission of sins that was obtained by it. As we saw, by his death Jesus
redeemed us from all sin, the sin of Adam included, reconciling us with
God. Therefore, today we are neither sinners, nor strangers, nor enemies
to God. In contrast we are, saved, righteous, sanctified and reconciled
with God, and this all not because we did something but because Jesus
Christ, our redeemer did, by giving himself a ransom for all of us.
Closing therefore this article, let's keep in mind the words of I Peter
1:18-19 that says:
I Peter 1:18-19
"knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
like silver or gold, from your aimless contact received by tradition
from your fathers, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A
LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT."
Tassos Kioulachoglou
FOOTNOTES
1. For more on what happened
at the fall see The
Journal of Biblical Accuracy, Volume 1, Issue 5 and Issue
6 (press here to return where you stopped).
2. As I John 1:10 tells
us: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and
His word is not in us." (press here to return where
you stopped).
3. See for example:
Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers (press
here to return where you stopped).
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