CROSS OF CHRIST
The Final Solution
by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
The Sovereignty of God demanded punishment for Sin, and the CROSS of Christ provided the Final Solution! For a time, God winked at or overlooked sin in His great mercy and kindness, by allowing the sacrifice of innocent lambs, goats, bullocks and occasionally a red heifer, to suffice!
When the 'fullness of time' had come, Almighty God our Heavenly Father gave Himself in His Son, to be the propitiation for the sins of the entire world; past, present and future!
The word propitiation means satisfaction, covering, mercy seat and expiation. Jesus the perfect, righteous and sinless One had to shed His precious BLOOD on the Cross of shame to atone for our sins. His holy blood covered, destroyed and removed our sins to satisfy the righteous demands of Divine Justice in the Courts of Heaven!
In the book, The Cruciality of the Cross, Dr. Henry Mabie writes: “The Greek word used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 is Logos...not preaching but “the subject matter of the preaching; with the very essence of that which was to be preached; with the Logos of the Cross, which constitutes a rationale, its Divine Reason which ...he declares to be the Wisdom of God.
“This Logos of the Cross is conceived by Paul to be the key which unlocks the riddle of the universe, solves all mysteries and reconciles all things.”
It is a subject so magnanimous and so incomprehensible that mortal man can only stand in holy awe at its immensity, enormity and grandiose love that we are left speechless! The blood of Jesus Christ which He freely gave for sinful, rebellious and guilty hell-bound sinners, purges our conscience from all guilt, delivers us from the power of sin and liberates us from Satan and his evil kingdom for time and eternity.
JESUS CHRIST IS THE CREATOR!
Jesus Christ created the universe – no riddle there. The ONE who hung on the cross made the universe. He understands everything about the universe because He keeps it functioning perfectly according to His Word!
The Holy Bible declares: “God hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds who being the brightness of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High.” (Hebrews 1: 2,3)
HE SOLVED ALL THE MYSTERIES!
He knows where we came from, being our Creator. He knows why we are here since He made us and placed us on the earth. He knows our ability to change the world through our faith in Jesus Christ and by the power of His Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
He solved the mystery of who Satan is, why he sinned and was cast out of Heaven and what the Devil's eternal destiny will be! Christ's death on the cross and resurrection three days later, destroyed Satan's power over humanity who trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour!
Jesus said: “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
“And He said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved...In My name shall they cast out devils; They shall speak with new tongues... they shall lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-20)
HE RECONCILES ALL THINGS:
By the cross, we are reconciled to God and one to another. His blood cleanses us from all sin and His blood purges our conscience. The pure and perfect Word of God and the life-giving Holy Spirit fills us with the Life of Jesus Christ.!
The Bible says: “And He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2: 2). The word propitiation means the satisfaction, the mercy seat, the appeasement.
God was satisfied with the blood of His Son to atone for the sins of the entire world, past, present and future. Through the blood of the everlasting covenant, we are able also to forgive one another! His shed blood reconciles us to Him, and our lives are so changed that we are reconciled to one another!
THE CRY OF THE SYNAGOGUE!
Professor Alfred Edersheim (converted Jew) wrote: “And still the 'Cry of the Synagogue' comes to us through these many centuries of past unbelief and ignorance: 'Let One innocent One come and make Atonement for the guilty', to which no other response can be made then that of the Apostle: “Such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the Heavens.” (Hebrews 7: 26)
Year after year, the cry for an Innocent ONE to step forth and declare himself, had gone out with no credible response. From time immemorial the Jews had waited because all their rituals provided only temporary relief from their guilt and condemnation!
The GUILT of wrongdoing with no recourse or forgiveness lies heavy on human hearts. The Jewish prophets had promised that a Deliverer would bring peace to their hearts. Through Jesus, God's only begotten Son, the Lord would satisfy the righteous demands of Divine Justice. Jesus would offer Himself as God's Pascal Lamb to redeem us all.
The Prophet wrote: “Surely He hath borne our sicknesses (makob) and carried our pains (nasa): yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53: 4,5)
THE SON OF GOD WAS INCARNATED!
This Righteous One had to be innocent, pure and declared sinless. Almighty God had promised to send such a Saviour to bring Redemption to humanity, because of Adam's high treason and rebellion against the Almighty! He would give His Only begotten Son to suffer, bleed and die and be raised from the dead on the third day to Redeem those who would believe in Him.
The Word of God states: “The soul that sinneth it shall die”. (Ezek.18: 4). Their regular offerings in the Temple, together with the yearly Day of Atonement did not suffice to produce a permanent solution. They kept waiting and continued to wait, and then one day it happened!
John the Baptist stood forth with the crystal-clear message of Hope and Freedom. He pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and said: “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).
When He did come, they
rejected Him accusing him of sorcery and turned Him over to the Roman
Authorities to be condemned, scourged and crucified publicly on Golgotha,
outside Jerusalem's city walls!
ONLY IN CHRIST JESUS!
By the grace of God alone have we received Eternal Life and become the children of God. And only through the vicarious death of Jesus Christ and His holy, pure and life-giving blood have we been redeemed from the world, the flesh and the devil.
The Bible declares: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
“To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
The Holy Bible states: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” (2 Cor.8: 9); “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” (2 Cor. 9:15)
In His great mercy and by His grace, “God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.” (1 Cor. 1:27). St. Paul wrote: “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1: 30)
ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED!
Only by the grace of God have we been chosen to become partakers of Christ's nature, thereby making us children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. In His great mercy, kindness and love, He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
Not only has He saved us from Satan's evil power and our carnal and sinful ways, but He has given us through the Lord Jesus Christ, His wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. He has taken the foolish things of this world, like us, and made us His very own sons. His blood redeemed us from the curse of the law. when Jesus became a curse for us. (Gal. 3: 13). The purpose was that no flesh should glory in is presence! Redeemed and sanctified, by His precious blood alone!
“Why did Almighty God do all this for us? What was the purpose of Christ's incarnation, miraculous Ministry, His meritorious, vicarious death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection from the Grave?”
It was the outflowing of our Father's great mercy, love, grace and goodness toward mankind! His great heart of love planned and executed it all before the worlds were created. He would have a Church, a people and family to love and cherish and to use as the expression of His mercy and grace!
WHO CAN UNDERSTAND SUCH LOVE?
No-one can comprehend His greatness and the magnitude of His grace. It is beyond our human power to assimilate or even imagine. He wanted us. He called us. He forgave us! He saved us from our sins, our filthiness, pride and unrighteousness. He lifted us from the muck and mire to sit with His Son Jesus Christ at His Heavenly Throne.
No wonder St. Paul says: “...that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Cor. 1:29). We have nothing to gloat about! It was all His plan, His work and His goodness that gave us all this!
Where would I be? Where we would all be without His Mercy? Lost in our sins, bound by chains of lust, greed and pride – Doomed forever in a lost eternity, filled with fear, agony, pain and torments!
O' what a Saviour! O' what blessedness in Christ our Lord? To Him be all the honour, glory and praise forever and ever. World without end. Amen.
Jesus said: “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the VINE and ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.'' (John 15:4, 5). Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission, Box 44220 RPO Garside Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; Blog: MSWM; Youtube; Facebook; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donation to: [email protected]. Thank you very much and may God richly bless you. Amen.
