And finally we come to the work of Christ; what is that work? First, it is not just His death on the cross – if Jesus ONLY died on the cross for our sins, (although this is far beyond simple minds to even consider by itself), then we would have been set back to the original state of Adam, left to our own devices, but cleared of past sins. This is the view of some – they believe that Jesus made the BIG payment on the cross, but we are responsible for the remaining payments, by adhering to the Law! And people preach this! As I said earlier, I am not exempt from having done this – and for that I am sorry! The truth is much more incredible, we did not just have Jesus reset the counters to zero and hand us the reins, wishing us all the best. He imputed to us His sinless, perfect life. So, when the Judge of the Universe looks upon the redeemed, He sees them clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ!
Romans 3:21 – 26 -- But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Philippians 3: 8 – 11 -- Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Jesus’ death on the cross was He who knew no sin, being made sin for us. It is amazing that for the joy set before Him He endured the cross isn’t it? His love of the Father, and desire to do His will was set before all other things, and He became obedient, even unto death on a cross! On the cross Jesus became the propitiation – the one who bore the wrath of the Father, and the one who expiated our sin – taking them away.
It is in His work on the cross that we find Jesus taking on the sins of His people. Isaiah 53:4 – 6 -- Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Hebrews 10:10 – 14 -- … we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
My friends, there is no salvation found outside of the Person of Jesus Christ! Only in His finished work in the cross can we find redemption – all roads do not lead to heaven! Jesus Himself said – John 14:6 -- … I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Whether you have been a Christian for 40 years or 40 minutes, He calls to you to find your rest in Him. Jesus, in His final words on the cross, said “tetelestai” – paid in full. Find your rest in Him, and His finished work – for you, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, are in the hand of the Father and no one can snatch you from there. Even when you are faithless, He is faithful!
Solus Christus!
When we understand that Christ paid it all, we can say, with the poet Fredrick Whitfield:
There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
It tells me of a Savior’s love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.
It tells me of a Father’s smile
Beaming upon His child;
It cheers me through this little while,
Through desert, waste, and wild.
It tells me what my Father hath
In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
Yields sunshine all the way.
It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in each sorrow bears a part
That none can bear below.
It bids my trembling heart rejoice;
It dries each rising tear;
It tells me, in a “still small voice,”
To trust and never fear.
Jesus, the Name I love so well,
The Name I love to hear:
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.
This Name shall shed its fragrance still
Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
That leads me up to God.
And there with all the blood-bought throng,
From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song
Of Jesus’ love for me.
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