With men, talk is cheap; with God, talk is everything
Which is more difficult to say, "'Thy sins be forgiven thee', or 'Rise, take up thy bed and walk'?" Luke 5:23.
Men can say whatever they like, because with men, talk is cheap; they don't have to do what they say, and, indeed, we expect men to fail us. But not so with God. "I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isaiah 46:11.
When Jesus said to the paralytic carried by four friends, "Man, thy sins be forgiven thee.", it angered the Pharisees and gave them the opportunity they were looking for: to accuse Jesus of blasphemy, because to them, He falsely claimed to be the Son of God.
But with God, talk is everything. If Christ said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee", the man's sins were truly forgiven. If Jesus says your sins are forgiven, and they are not, then He is not the Son of God! If the Lord Jesus Christ could say something, yet it be not true or it fail to come to pass, then He is nothing but what every man is by nature, a liar (Romans 3:4).
So, to silence His enemies and to assure and comfort His people, the Master speaks one more word, which would give undeniable evidence that His word was true. He said, "But that you may know, that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, He said unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house." The man immediately rose up before them, and took up his bedding, and did what Jesus had spoken. So likewise, when God made the worlds, He spoke, and he also fulfilled His word, because the non-existent creation obeyed the Son of God, and all that He said came to pass. "And God said... and it was so." (Genesis 1)
With God, talk is everything. Nowhere is this seen more brightly, to the glory of God, than when our mighty Savior cried, "It is Finished!" Men did not see anything finished. All men could see was the mocking, the spitting, the beating, the blood, the shame, the reproach, and the dying of the Lord Jesus. Something far greater than these was accomplished, however. When the Lord Jesus cried, "It is Finished!", all of the Old Testament civil and moral law, all of the prophesies, all of the shadowy and typical historical events of recorded scriptural history, and all of the words of the Old Testament were fulfilled. In that one word of His, "It is Finished", Christ actually, really, literally and finally fulfilled His Father's will.
In that cry, our mighty Savior finished the transgression of His people. He made an end of their sins, putting all of them away so that they cannot be found. He cleansed them from all their sins. He removed the curse of the law and the wrath of God from them. He reconciled them to God. He established eternal righteousness for them. For them, He obtained eternal redemption. He forever sanctified all for whom He died. He perfected His people. He destroyed all of their enemies: sin, death and the devil. He overcame the world. (Leviticus 16:30; Daniel 9:24; Jeremiah 23:6; 50:20; John 16:33; Romans 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Galatians 1:4; Hebrews 1:3; 2:14; 9:12; 10:1-14; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 1:21; Romans 11:27).
Which is easier to say, "Thy sins be forgiven thee", or "It is Finished!"? Both required the Son of God to take on all of the obligations for righteousness and punishment for all of the promised seed of Abraham, that is, the Elect of God. This required Him to take on their nature, and in that nature receive the sin of His people that God His Father laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6) and which He as our High Priest also confessed over Himself as our atoning sin offering (Leviticus 16:21), those sins then becoming His own (2 Cor 5:21; Psalm 40:12). He was cursed under the law in the place of His people (Galatians 3:13). He bore the overwhelming flood of their sins and the consequence of them, enduring the reproach of men and the wrath of God on that cursed tree (Psalm 69:5-10; Jonah 1:12; 2:1-7)
With the Son of God, talk is everything, because He not only says, but He also does all that He says. In that word, by His death, He finished the salvation of all of His people. He brought to pass all that He, the Word of God said. And now, because He died to do what He said, all that He said about you who believe Him is literally true: you are unblameable, unreproveable, without spot or wrinkle, righteous, perfected and faultless in Him before the presence of God! Truly, this man was the Son of God! He not only said, but also did all of the will of God. Thank God, He brought to pass what His name says He would do, "Save His people from their sins". (Matthew 1:21; Colossians 1:20-23; Ephesians 5:25-27)
Rick Warta, Pastor
Which is more difficult to say, "'Thy sins be forgiven thee', or 'Rise, take up thy bed and walk'?" Luke 5:23.
Men can say whatever they like, because with men, talk is cheap; they don't have to do what they say, and, indeed, we expect men to fail us. But not so with God. "I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isaiah 46:11.
When Jesus said to the paralytic carried by four friends, "Man, thy sins be forgiven thee.", it angered the Pharisees and gave them the opportunity they were looking for: to accuse Jesus of blasphemy, because to them, He falsely claimed to be the Son of God.
But with God, talk is everything. If Christ said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee", the man's sins were truly forgiven. If Jesus says your sins are forgiven, and they are not, then He is not the Son of God! If the Lord Jesus Christ could say something, yet it be not true or it fail to come to pass, then He is nothing but what every man is by nature, a liar (Romans 3:4).
So, to silence His enemies and to assure and comfort His people, the Master speaks one more word, which would give undeniable evidence that His word was true. He said, "But that you may know, that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, He said unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house." The man immediately rose up before them, and took up his bedding, and did what Jesus had spoken. So likewise, when God made the worlds, He spoke, and he also fulfilled His word, because the non-existent creation obeyed the Son of God, and all that He said came to pass. "And God said... and it was so." (Genesis 1)
With God, talk is everything. Nowhere is this seen more brightly, to the glory of God, than when our mighty Savior cried, "It is Finished!" Men did not see anything finished. All men could see was the mocking, the spitting, the beating, the blood, the shame, the reproach, and the dying of the Lord Jesus. Something far greater than these was accomplished, however. When the Lord Jesus cried, "It is Finished!", all of the Old Testament civil and moral law, all of the prophesies, all of the shadowy and typical historical events of recorded scriptural history, and all of the words of the Old Testament were fulfilled. In that one word of His, "It is Finished", Christ actually, really, literally and finally fulfilled His Father's will.
In that cry, our mighty Savior finished the transgression of His people. He made an end of their sins, putting all of them away so that they cannot be found. He cleansed them from all their sins. He removed the curse of the law and the wrath of God from them. He reconciled them to God. He established eternal righteousness for them. For them, He obtained eternal redemption. He forever sanctified all for whom He died. He perfected His people. He destroyed all of their enemies: sin, death and the devil. He overcame the world. (Leviticus 16:30; Daniel 9:24; Jeremiah 23:6; 50:20; John 16:33; Romans 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Galatians 1:4; Hebrews 1:3; 2:14; 9:12; 10:1-14; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 1:21; Romans 11:27).
Which is easier to say, "Thy sins be forgiven thee", or "It is Finished!"? Both required the Son of God to take on all of the obligations for righteousness and punishment for all of the promised seed of Abraham, that is, the Elect of God. This required Him to take on their nature, and in that nature receive the sin of His people that God His Father laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6) and which He as our High Priest also confessed over Himself as our atoning sin offering (Leviticus 16:21), those sins then becoming His own (2 Cor 5:21; Psalm 40:12). He was cursed under the law in the place of His people (Galatians 3:13). He bore the overwhelming flood of their sins and the consequence of them, enduring the reproach of men and the wrath of God on that cursed tree (Psalm 69:5-10; Jonah 1:12; 2:1-7)
With the Son of God, talk is everything, because He not only says, but He also does all that He says. In that word, by His death, He finished the salvation of all of His people. He brought to pass all that He, the Word of God said. And now, because He died to do what He said, all that He said about you who believe Him is literally true: you are unblameable, unreproveable, without spot or wrinkle, righteous, perfected and faultless in Him before the presence of God! Truly, this man was the Son of God! He not only said, but also did all of the will of God. Thank God, He brought to pass what His name says He would do, "Save His people from their sins". (Matthew 1:21; Colossians 1:20-23; Ephesians 5:25-27)
Rick Warta, Pastor
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