He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world
1 John 2:1-2.
It is hard to believe that we are sinners to the extent that we needed Jesus to die for our sins. It is also hard to comprehend that someone like Christ would want to die for us, especially if it involved being bludgeoned and crucified. Yet the Scriptures teach this is what happened at Calvary. It loudly proclaims that Jesus died for you!
You can look at this from multiple angles. The first one is a prevalent one. "It may be true, but it was not necessary. I think God will accept me for who I am when he balances on his heavenly scale my good and bad deeds."
A second angle is to proclaim, "While the Christian story may be true, so are the other faith claims involving the religions of the world." Ultimately, this is the most politically correct and "tolerantly" concludes that all roads lead to heaven.
The third angle is to simply accept it and say you are thankful that Jesus would love you in such a way that he would sacrifice his life for you.
The fourth angle is to boldly proclaim "I don't believe it. I don't think the Bible is really true. Stories like the talking snake, Noah's ark, and Jesus are on par with fairy tale allure." This would be in line with the atheists and agnostics in the world.
Throughout history, people have had to come to grips with the biblical notion that it was necessary for Jesus to die for your sins.
The Bible teaches we are saved not by our own personal resume throughout life, but instead that of Jesus'. His resume above anyone else's was the most impressive. Yes he helped, gave hope to the hopeless, showed compassion, healed the marginalized, and taught about salvation, but the most impressive part of his credentials was that he never sinned.
So if you were the Ultimate Boss, which application and resume would rise to the top? Ultimately, of course, it would be the one that is perfect. In that sense, Jesus was the most qualified for the job of reconciling you before God.
Imagine Jesus going before God and saying, "I want to apply for the job to be the Savior of the World, I am the most qualified." Then God says, "Alright, however, you can't just die for those that have good resumes, but also for those whose were thrown in the dumpster." That is what it means when the Scripture above teaches that Jesus didn't die just for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
In the end, God accepts the propitiation for Jesus, a fancy word that communicates the idea of Jesus offering his life to appease God as a sin offering. God accepts this painful gesture and demonstrates His approval by raising Jesus from the dead.
Yes, that is how the Scriptures communicate that Jesus died in your place. Below is an illustration to drive home this point when we begin to fall into the trap of only seeing the world through our own perception.
The Visitor
One day, a
man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out.
Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park
there. You took my place!"
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"
The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.
Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.
Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"
The visitor replied, "I took your place."
No comments:
Post a Comment