To be made to own my sin and the punishment I deserve before God in my conscience, is the posture in which God brings us before Himself as guilty, filthy, naked and helpless, without one plea, but that Christ died for sinners, even sinners like me (Luke 18:13; 1 Tim. 1:15). Being thus brought into His presence by His grace, He points poor sinners to Christ and tells them how Christ, by Himself, purged our sins and then sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high (Heb. 1:3). He makes us know that the answer He received from Christ is the only answer God has and accepts for sinners, and therefore, the only answer sinners must have.
Oh my soul! The Lord Jesus Christ is a complete answer! He is the answer God determined before time to provide and give and accept for His people (1 Pet. 1:18-20). Christ gave Himself for His people (John 10:11, 15; Gal. 2:20). He answered every charge and every requirement with Himself as our Surety. His offering of Himself to God for our sins is so complete and perfect and holy that God couldn't be more satisfied (Eph. 5:2; Rom. 4:25). He couldn’t be more pleased. He wants nothing more to accept us with full delight than Christ and Him crucified. Christ is the Answer God determined and provided and offered up and accepted for His people (Rom. 8:32-34). Christ is the only possible answer the justice of God will accept for sinners. He is the only possible fulfillment to the requirements of God (Rom. 10:4; Heb. 7:11, 19; 10:14-19). He alone is wise enough to answer God for His people (Isaiah 53:11; 1 Cor. 1:30). He answered with Himself. He is the Answer. He gave Himself by His word in pledge for them before time (Rev. 13:8; Eph. 5:25). He gave Himself when He came into the world (Heb. 10:5-7). He answered with Himself for them when the soldiers came for Him, sent by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God (John 18:8; Acts 2:23). He answered with Himself on the cross when those nails were driven into His hands and feet to fasten Him to the curse assigned to us (Luke 23:34; Gal. 3:13). He answered justice and righteousness publicly when He hung on the cursed cross, enduring the wrath of God, and when He rose again from the dead in triumph over sin and death (Rom. 4:25; 5:21). Upon assuming His throne, He sent His answer by His apostles and prophets and servants to sinners far and wide: “When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). He purged our sins by His answer of Himself in sacrifice to God for us (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; Lev. 16:30). The confirmation of God that His answer was accepted in heaven is that He rose from death, ascended to glory, is exalted to God’s right hand, and has sat down there to reign over all (Acts 2:33-36). He now answers with Himself at God’s right hand in advocacy and intercession (1 John 2:1-2; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). In Judgment, He will Answer by Himself again (John 5:24-25; 8:11; Rom. 8:1, 34). The onlooking universe will wonder at His answer. They will wonder because then, against all accusers, God will receive His own without sin, justified in Christ and by Christ the Judge. They will appear dressed in the splendor of Christ’s own everlasting righteousness to the everlasting glory of all the perfections of God. God the Father will then consummate His eternally determined will to have a people for Himself as His sons. He will perform the ceremony of marriage between Christ and His Church that His eternal decree made before time (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8). All whose sins Christ purged will then be presented in the presence of God in Christ without fault, holy and without blame (Jude 1:24). And God will receive them to His exceeding great joy, because Christ fulfilled His eternal will to save them, and glorified His name and presented His people to Himself in all of His glory, infinitely better than if they had never sinned in their own person.
Christ purged ours sins before God (Lev. 16:30; Heb. 1:3). He washed us from our sins in His own blood (Rev. 1:5). There is absolutely nothing left for us to be reconciled to God. Our past sins and present sins and future sins are now as though they never were (Rom. 8:1). We are as holy as God Himself is holy by the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:10, 14; Jer. 23:5-6; Isa. 45:24-25; Isa. 61:10). There is no other place or time of purging in this universe than when Christ purged our sins at Calvary, and when He sprinkled that cleansing on our conscience (Heb. 9:12-15). What could be more glorious?! It is the most glorious thing in all this universe that God, whom we offended by our sins, chose us and knew us in Christ before time, that He provided Christ, and that Christ performed all to God for us in our place and in our behalf, and that God is completely and utterly satisfied with the blood of Christ as full payment, in full remission, in perfect satisfaction and glorious fulfillment of all that He requires and demands in all of His holiness. And yes, it is the most glorious thing that Christ crucified is all that God desires to receive us as He receives His Son to the praise of the glory of His grace!
What shall we say to these things? If the Levites who ministered the law of Moses to the people said, "Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise" (Neh. 9:5); how much more shall we stand up and forever and ever bless the LORD our God who became our Savior (Isa. 12:1-3)! His glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise. Our greatest gratitude, our most ardent praise, our highest admiration, all fall far short of His glorious name. But by believing Christ crucified with the God-given sight and persuasion and trust, that He has by Himself cleansed us of all our sins, we come as close to pure worship in this life that we will ever know. We now live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. He has done all for us. The Gospel is as much greater than the law than the ministration of life is greater than the ministration of death. It is as much greater than the law than our justification in the court of heaven is greater than our eternal condemnation under the wrath of God. It is as much greater than our liberty from sin and satan and death and the shackles and fear of God's law is greater than our curse by the law to our eternal perdition.
May we therefore have grace, by this salvation that is all of grace, to serve our God and Savior acceptably with reverence and godly fear. His glorious name is exalted far above all that we could thank or praise.
Oh my soul! The Lord Jesus Christ is a complete answer! He is the answer God determined before time to provide and give and accept for His people (1 Pet. 1:18-20). Christ gave Himself for His people (John 10:11, 15; Gal. 2:20). He answered every charge and every requirement with Himself as our Surety. His offering of Himself to God for our sins is so complete and perfect and holy that God couldn't be more satisfied (Eph. 5:2; Rom. 4:25). He couldn’t be more pleased. He wants nothing more to accept us with full delight than Christ and Him crucified. Christ is the Answer God determined and provided and offered up and accepted for His people (Rom. 8:32-34). Christ is the only possible answer the justice of God will accept for sinners. He is the only possible fulfillment to the requirements of God (Rom. 10:4; Heb. 7:11, 19; 10:14-19). He alone is wise enough to answer God for His people (Isaiah 53:11; 1 Cor. 1:30). He answered with Himself. He is the Answer. He gave Himself by His word in pledge for them before time (Rev. 13:8; Eph. 5:25). He gave Himself when He came into the world (Heb. 10:5-7). He answered with Himself for them when the soldiers came for Him, sent by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God (John 18:8; Acts 2:23). He answered with Himself on the cross when those nails were driven into His hands and feet to fasten Him to the curse assigned to us (Luke 23:34; Gal. 3:13). He answered justice and righteousness publicly when He hung on the cursed cross, enduring the wrath of God, and when He rose again from the dead in triumph over sin and death (Rom. 4:25; 5:21). Upon assuming His throne, He sent His answer by His apostles and prophets and servants to sinners far and wide: “When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). He purged our sins by His answer of Himself in sacrifice to God for us (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; Lev. 16:30). The confirmation of God that His answer was accepted in heaven is that He rose from death, ascended to glory, is exalted to God’s right hand, and has sat down there to reign over all (Acts 2:33-36). He now answers with Himself at God’s right hand in advocacy and intercession (1 John 2:1-2; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). In Judgment, He will Answer by Himself again (John 5:24-25; 8:11; Rom. 8:1, 34). The onlooking universe will wonder at His answer. They will wonder because then, against all accusers, God will receive His own without sin, justified in Christ and by Christ the Judge. They will appear dressed in the splendor of Christ’s own everlasting righteousness to the everlasting glory of all the perfections of God. God the Father will then consummate His eternally determined will to have a people for Himself as His sons. He will perform the ceremony of marriage between Christ and His Church that His eternal decree made before time (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8). All whose sins Christ purged will then be presented in the presence of God in Christ without fault, holy and without blame (Jude 1:24). And God will receive them to His exceeding great joy, because Christ fulfilled His eternal will to save them, and glorified His name and presented His people to Himself in all of His glory, infinitely better than if they had never sinned in their own person.
Christ purged ours sins before God (Lev. 16:30; Heb. 1:3). He washed us from our sins in His own blood (Rev. 1:5). There is absolutely nothing left for us to be reconciled to God. Our past sins and present sins and future sins are now as though they never were (Rom. 8:1). We are as holy as God Himself is holy by the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:10, 14; Jer. 23:5-6; Isa. 45:24-25; Isa. 61:10). There is no other place or time of purging in this universe than when Christ purged our sins at Calvary, and when He sprinkled that cleansing on our conscience (Heb. 9:12-15). What could be more glorious?! It is the most glorious thing in all this universe that God, whom we offended by our sins, chose us and knew us in Christ before time, that He provided Christ, and that Christ performed all to God for us in our place and in our behalf, and that God is completely and utterly satisfied with the blood of Christ as full payment, in full remission, in perfect satisfaction and glorious fulfillment of all that He requires and demands in all of His holiness. And yes, it is the most glorious thing that Christ crucified is all that God desires to receive us as He receives His Son to the praise of the glory of His grace!
What shall we say to these things? If the Levites who ministered the law of Moses to the people said, "Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise" (Neh. 9:5); how much more shall we stand up and forever and ever bless the LORD our God who became our Savior (Isa. 12:1-3)! His glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise. Our greatest gratitude, our most ardent praise, our highest admiration, all fall far short of His glorious name. But by believing Christ crucified with the God-given sight and persuasion and trust, that He has by Himself cleansed us of all our sins, we come as close to pure worship in this life that we will ever know. We now live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. He has done all for us. The Gospel is as much greater than the law than the ministration of life is greater than the ministration of death. It is as much greater than the law than our justification in the court of heaven is greater than our eternal condemnation under the wrath of God. It is as much greater than our liberty from sin and satan and death and the shackles and fear of God's law is greater than our curse by the law to our eternal perdition.
May we therefore have grace, by this salvation that is all of grace, to serve our God and Savior acceptably with reverence and godly fear. His glorious name is exalted far above all that we could thank or praise.
Rick Warta
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