"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and
on the third day rise from the dead,
and that repentance and the forgiveness of sins
should be proclaimed in his name to all nations."
Luke 24: 46-47
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Easter. The high point of the entire year. While so many think it is just candy and eggs, as believers we celebrate Jesus' total victory over sin and death.
In the above passage in Luke, we learn that the gospel has two distinct parts. I will deal with these two elements of the gospel in this and my next post.
The objective work of Christ is the first element of the gospel. As He "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (vs. 45), Jesus announces that the OT always taught that the Christ would suffer and die. The Old Testament was setting up the coming of Jesus. The revelation of His coming progressively became clearer, but it was there from the first chapters of Genesis.
The real question we should ask is why would Jesus have to suffer and die? Could not have God just "gotten over it" and forgiven us? Could not God have "set aside" the standards of justice and righteousness? Could not God have made it so we could become perfect people who would satisfy His righteousness?
I have heard all of these questions asked many, many times. They all spring from an honest desire to understand. The problem is that they are all flawed in their understanding of God's essential character.
The God of the bible is perfect, righteous, holy, and pure. Thankfully, this revealed God is also loving. One of the greatest beauties of God is that His love flows out of His holiness.
What does all this mean?
God just is. He is not created and He does not need us to confirm His character. He just is. From His essence comes the foundations of the creation of the world. These foundations include holiness, righteousness, and the Law, which we know as the difference between right and wrong. These ideas are not social constructions, but they flow from the character of God.
This means that God can't just set aside righteousness because He is loving. To do so would be to deny His central character and essence.
Thankfully, God maintained His righteousness and showed his love in sending Jesus. Jesus' objective and active work of perfect obedience satisfied God's perfect righteous standard. So, on Easter we celebrate Jesus' finished work.
Throughout his life, and then magnified during the first Holy Week and finished in His death and resurrection, Jesus:
Furthermore, he made it possible that all who place their faith in Him are:
In other words, we just celebrated the most important event in all history this past weekend. The Son of God, who is Very God of Very God, willingly died for us. He then rose from dead to secure victory over sin and death. He finished fulfilling the active requirements of God's righteousness, and He did so perfectly.
What does this practically mean for us? Tomorrow I will present the second half of the gospel proclamation in hopes of answering that question.
In the above passage in Luke, we learn that the gospel has two distinct parts. I will deal with these two elements of the gospel in this and my next post.
The objective work of Christ is the first element of the gospel. As He "opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (vs. 45), Jesus announces that the OT always taught that the Christ would suffer and die. The Old Testament was setting up the coming of Jesus. The revelation of His coming progressively became clearer, but it was there from the first chapters of Genesis.
The real question we should ask is why would Jesus have to suffer and die? Could not have God just "gotten over it" and forgiven us? Could not God have "set aside" the standards of justice and righteousness? Could not God have made it so we could become perfect people who would satisfy His righteousness?
I have heard all of these questions asked many, many times. They all spring from an honest desire to understand. The problem is that they are all flawed in their understanding of God's essential character.
The God of the bible is perfect, righteous, holy, and pure. Thankfully, this revealed God is also loving. One of the greatest beauties of God is that His love flows out of His holiness.
What does all this mean?
God just is. He is not created and He does not need us to confirm His character. He just is. From His essence comes the foundations of the creation of the world. These foundations include holiness, righteousness, and the Law, which we know as the difference between right and wrong. These ideas are not social constructions, but they flow from the character of God.
This means that God can't just set aside righteousness because He is loving. To do so would be to deny His central character and essence.
Thankfully, God maintained His righteousness and showed his love in sending Jesus. Jesus' objective and active work of perfect obedience satisfied God's perfect righteous standard. So, on Easter we celebrate Jesus' finished work.
Throughout his life, and then magnified during the first Holy Week and finished in His death and resurrection, Jesus:
1.) satisfied the holiness of God through His perfect life (Romans 3: 21-26).
2.) died to pay the penalty of death that our sin deserved (Rom. 5: 6-11).
3.) defeated the power of sin and death (1 Cor. 15: 54b-57).
Furthermore, he made it possible that all who place their faith in Him are:
1.) imputed/declared to have Jesus' righteousness as theirs (Romans 5: 15-21),
2.) given the Holy Spirit to dwell within them as a guarantee
of His love and grace (Eph 1:13-14).
In other words, we just celebrated the most important event in all history this past weekend. The Son of God, who is Very God of Very God, willingly died for us. He then rose from dead to secure victory over sin and death. He finished fulfilling the active requirements of God's righteousness, and He did so perfectly.
What does this practically mean for us? Tomorrow I will present the second half of the gospel proclamation in hopes of answering that question.
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