AND ON THE CROSS JESUS DIED, THE WRATH OF GOD WAS SATISFIED
And on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied
And on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied
First look at this list of questions:
A LIST OF DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS:
- Do you find correction hard to take, especially when it is of a theological nature?
- Would you be happy arguing a point to the death even when you are losing?
- Are you submissive in your handling and reception of Scripture?
- Do you rate critics of your position as troublemakers, lacking in intelligence, narrow, harsh, power hungry and bigoted?
- Do you see all theology as in flux or are there some truths that are fixed in place and should never be moved?
- Do you change your mind on issues often?
- When you are persuaded of a new position, are you zealous in advocating it (as zealous as you were when you held the opposite view)?
- Good questions to ask yourself from time to time.
THE SLAVERY OF MANKIND IN THE SPIRITUAL SENSE
The illustration about slavery of mankind in the spiritual sense was well illustrated. The bondage that man is in, with sin was strong, but because of Christ’s death on the Cross those who have been born again have been set free.
My sins have been forgiven, period.
One of the most glorious truths of the gospel is that God saved us in a way that upheld His justice. Justice was neither compromised nor set aside; it was completely satisfied. God Himself was thus fully propitiated, and our salvation is therefore grounded in the justice of God as well as His mercy.
That is what the apostle Paul meant when he said in Romans 1:17 that "the righteousness of God [is] revealed" in the gospel. It's also what the apostle John was saying in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive." He doesn't set aside justice and grant us an unholy amnesty; He forgives because it is an act of justice to do so.
Christ offered a full atonement that included payment in full for all the sins of every sinner who would ever believe. "[God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21)—"whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness" (Romans 3:25). "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:2).
This is the reason that I have such a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ satisfied God’s demand for justice for sin, buy the shedding of his Son’s life on the cross.
The greater sin, if there is one, is not to have a passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. There are those who would never smoke, or cuss, or go to a movie that have no real passion for the Lord. There are some of us who see our sinful fleshly patterns as a motivation to move us toward Him in prayer, and reading His word, and moves us in our spirit toward Christ.
What I am attempting to say, it’s not how bad a sinner we are, because all sins have been paid for. We who have believed in Christ have been set free from the bondage of sin. Sin by definition is falling short of the divine expectations of God. Sin is the cause on the human nature to do the opposite of God’s purpose for us. Sin gives the human nature an inclination toward evil, a preference for sin. All of us could spend time speaking how we sense we have failed to come up to the expectation of the glory for God in our lives.
I feel my greatest sin is when I cannot be preaching/teaching every Sunday. I sense a greater sinfulness when I don’t preach than I would if I had drunk a beer, or lost my temper. When I don’t praise the Lord Jesus Christ in my spirit there is a greater sin than getting angry when a car pulls out in front of me.
Sin has takes on collective dimensions; the whole structure of society inflicts hardships and wrongs upon individuals. We live in a society that sin has influenced in every level of life. We wake up every morning or walk out of the door for a walk or work and are affected by sin’s principles.
That warm intimacy that should characterize one’s relationship with God has been lost by the sin principle. The basic change in the direction of one’s life from an inclination toward sin to a positive aspiration to live righteously happens in our regeneration, or literally, new birth. There is an infusion of a spiritual life, there is an infusion of a positive spiritual energy.
Proverbs speaks of understanding, knowledge and wisdom. From knowledge you gain understanding and from understanding you gain wisdom. Wisdom comes from knowledge and understanding, and one is wise to seek those who have wisdom that comes from an understanding of God’s Word.
Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant Proof Read by Charity Whisnant
