Jottings

by J. Miller, Ayr | Category: Jottings | Oct 1967

It may be profitable to cite some of the results of the death of Christ.

Propitiation:

(a) The first presentation of the result of the shedding of His blood is that of satisfaction being given to God for the sins of the sinner. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth to be a propitiation" (Romans 3.24,25). Christ is also the propitiation for the whole world (1 John 2.2). This means that although the death of Christ made provision for the whole world, yet His death is only propitiatory for such as have put faith in His blood (Romans 3.25).

(b) In 1 John 1.7-2.2 we have the blood of Christ as the propitiation for the children of God. Here it is a matter of confession. When the child of God becomes aware of the commission of sin, he should confess to his Father and, by the atonement of Christ and also His work of Advocate, know the blessedness of forgiveness, and restoration to fellowship with God.

(c) Whilst 1 John deals specially with God's little children, the epistle to the Hebrews deals with the people of God. In Hebrews we have the work of the Lord as High Priest on behalf of God's people. Thus we read,

"Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted" (Hebrews 2.17,18).

The incarnation of the Lord and His earthly experiences of trials and temptations were necessary to His being a merciful High Priest towards us in our temptations, and a faithful High Priest to God in regard to His things. We have the answer to God's people's need in the propitiation which He is making in God's presence even now. Of old the priest drew near on behalf of God's people with blood not his own, but our High Priest has drawn nigh through His own blood into the Holy Place [or Holies] (Hebrews 9.12). The Lord's sacrifice meets all God's requirements in His failing people, and the High Priest having suffered Himself in His temptations, is able to succour them that are tempted.

Reconciliation:

The English word means to bring back into friendship, to adjust, settle, harmonize. The Greek word means to change. The meaning of the words both in English and Greek can easily be seen in Romans 5.10,11:

"For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life; and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

We were enemies of God by nature and we manifested it in practice. Consequently a great change of attitude to God had to be wrought in us, from being enemies to being friends. God, in contrast, loved us to the giving His Son on our behalf (John 3.16; 1 John 4.10). So serious was our enmity to God that it took the death of His Son to change us, to break our hard and stony hearts. The great change began in us through the Lord's death, but the following words, "Saved by His life", show that we are saved by a living Christ. If Christ had not risen from the dead He could have saved no one. This, the argument of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 shows quite clearly. It was God's great and grand purpose to reconcile the world, a world of sinners, to Himself. This is clearly seen in Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5.19: "To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses."

Redemption:

This word implies a state of bondage from which persons cannot release themselves. The bondage of Israel in the land of Egypt aptly illustrates this. They were redeemed by the blood of a lamb; and by the arm of the living God they were freed from the bondage to Pharaoh. Believers are now redeemed from the bondage of sin and from one more powerful than Pharaoh, even the prince of darkness. Peter tells us that the price of our redemption was not such corruptible things as silver and gold, but the precious blood of a Lamb without blemish, even the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1.18,19). As the Lord is the Mediator between God and men, even all men that God desired to be saved, even so Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all, that is, a price equivalent to all that God desired to be saved (1 Timothy 2.3-6). The Lord is the propitiation for the world (1 John 2.2), and He tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2.9). Though Christ Jesus was made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1.30), these blessings can only be known personally through faith in His blood (Romans 3.25). Faith in Christ is the one and only condition on which men can be saved, redeemed, and so forth.

Then He is also the redemption for sins committed under the first covenant. The words of Hebrews 9.15 make this clear, "For this cause He is the Mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance". The reason for the benefits of the redemption of Christ stretching back into the past is because "it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins" (Hebrews 10.4). Though sinners under the law were forgiven when they brought their animal sacrifices, only the redemption through Christ's death could make possible that the believers of the past should share in the eternal inheritance.

The Lord also "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a people for His own possession, zealous of good works" (Titus 2.14).

Deliver, Sanctify, and Gather: In the scripture we have just quoted from Titus, God has in view the Lord's redemption of His people from all iniquity, that He might purify a people for His own possession. Similarly in Galatians l.4 we have the Lord giving Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father. God wants a separated people, freed from the lawlessness of the present evil world. The Lord died not only that we should go to heaven but also that we might be something for Him as a people here and now.

The same consideration emerges from Hebrews 13.12: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us therefore go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach." So many children of God these days seem to think that all that is necessary is to be in Christ, that is, simply to be saved by grace, and that they can fulfil all that God requires of them even though they are associated with many kinds of sectarian associations. The place where Christ died on the Cross is of great importance. He died without the gate, and if we are going to be with Him now we must go forth unto Him without the camp. It is important to be a believer, but it is also important to be a separated believer who has gone outside the camp to Him.

Then we have the Holy Spirit's explanation of the prophecy of Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews at the time of the Lord's death. We are told,

"This he said not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad" (John 11.51,52).

J. Miller, Ayr | Oct 1967
Jottings