"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!
I hope everyone enjoyed the mystery and joy of Easter yesterday. It was a great celebration at our church and in our family. The weather was fantastic in Seattle- sunny and around 70. It was a day where even the rocks cried out in praise to Jesus!
Last year I preached on the above text from Luke. In this passage, the gospel has two distinct parts. The first focuses on the objective work of Christ. 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. Why?
This questions is one that each of us must understand. Why did Christ have to suffer and die?
There have been several widely accepted answers to this question.
Last year I preached on the above text from Luke. In this passage, the gospel has two distinct parts. The first focuses on the objective work of Christ. 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. Why?
This questions is one that each of us must understand. Why did Christ have to suffer and die?
There have been several widely accepted answers to this question.
In the past, I have briefly discussed Eastern Orthodoxy. I hope to spend some more time on this important movement of faith in the future. To summarize their take on the objective work of Christ, EO maintains that Christ suffered and died to "pay the devil his due." As I was reminded last Monday, it is incomprehensible for the EO that Jesus' death could have satisfied the wrath of God against sin. How did the EO arrive at this position?
This view was one of the first articulated in the Eastern Mediterranean. It was not the only view, but it did become popular. Can anyone see a possible error in having this be the "only" possible understanding of Christ's redeeming work?
Well for starters, this early and incomplete view of Christ's work can easily lead to dualism. God and the devil are the forces of good and evil in the universe. The good God comes and rescues humanity from the evil God the devil. Unfortunately, in the East this heretical understanding of God and the devil became ingrained within the culture. This dualism had profound implications for other areas of religious experience within Eastern Orthodoxy.
O to wish that such a view was confined to Eastern Orthodoxy! Dualism and an incomplete understanding of the work of Christ is rife within every branch and stream of Christian expression. Why? It is a religious answer that matches our experience.
Each of us know that we have these conflicting dual natures within us. We want to do good, but so often we find ourselves doing evil. How do we explain this tendency?
Furthermore, we see the same conflicting dual natures in every institution in the world! Governments can do so much good. They also can do so much evil. Ironically most do both at the same time. Same goes for individual churches, denominations, businesses, educational systems and every other institution. How do we explain these tendencies?
There is a way that seems right to us. It is a conflict between God and the devil and we, with the choices we make, can shift the balance.
Thankfully, this viewpoint is not completely true! I know if the world had to depend upon me it would be in a tough spot. My guess is the same for most of my readers. If the source of true change is my faithfulness, then I am in trouble!
So, why did Christ have to suffer and die?
O to wish that such a view was confined to Eastern Orthodoxy! Dualism and an incomplete understanding of the work of Christ is rife within every branch and stream of Christian expression. Why? It is a religious answer that matches our experience.
Each of us know that we have these conflicting dual natures within us. We want to do good, but so often we find ourselves doing evil. How do we explain this tendency?
Furthermore, we see the same conflicting dual natures in every institution in the world! Governments can do so much good. They also can do so much evil. Ironically most do both at the same time. Same goes for individual churches, denominations, businesses, educational systems and every other institution. How do we explain these tendencies?
There is a way that seems right to us. It is a conflict between God and the devil and we, with the choices we make, can shift the balance.
Thankfully, this viewpoint is not completely true! I know if the world had to depend upon me it would be in a tough spot. My guess is the same for most of my readers. If the source of true change is my faithfulness, then I am in trouble!
So, why did Christ have to suffer and die?
Many church councils and denominations wrestled with this question through their reading of the scriptures. Their conclusion: there is only one true God. This means that the devil, sin, and redemption have to be understood in relationship to this one true God.
Honestly, it took centuries to understand the full scope of what Christ did on the cross. I doubt we understand the full depth of it today! I think it is safe to say that Jesus did set us free from the enslavement of sin and death, which is the power of the devil. Yet, He also did so much more!
Like what?
He satisfied the holiness of God through His perfect life (Romans 3: 21-26). He died to pay the penalty of death that our sin deserved (Rom. 5: 6-11). With his resurrection, He defeated the power of sin and death (1 Cor. 15: 54b-57). Now, to all who place their faith in Jesus he imputes/declares His own righteousness as theirs (Romans 5: 15-21), and He gives his 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.
What does this practically mean for us? Tomorrow I will present the second half of the gospel proclamation in hopes of answering that question.
He satisfied the holiness of God through His perfect life (Romans 3: 21-26). He died to pay the penalty of death that our sin deserved (Rom. 5: 6-11). With his resurrection, He defeated the power of sin and death (1 Cor. 15: 54b-57). Now, to all who place their faith in Jesus he imputes/declares His own righteousness as theirs (Romans 5: 15-21), and He gives his 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.
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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