Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins]
(1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with God the Holy Spirit and
ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.
(John 4:24)
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and
only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses
immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or
can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1Ti 6:15-16)
The six trials of Christ
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of
Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.
(1Ti 6:13)
Under the fourth Divine institution, the national entity is the function of
human government. This function includes the Concept of a courtroom and
the policeman on the beat. In no way is this book intended to be derogatory
toward the law; to the contrary, it is recognition of the importance of law
enforcement, and the proper prosecution of law in the courtroom. There
came a time in human history, however, when this very important function
broke down completely and, of all things, with the only Person who was
absolutely perfect in His humanity.
There were six trials for the Lord Jesus Christ not one but SIX! And with
the exception of one short interrogation, these six trials were unfair,
fraudulent and unjust in every way! Who was on trial? The unique Person of
the universe undiminished Deity and true humanity combined in one Person
forever, the Lord Jesus Christ! In His humanity, He had no sin nature, nor did
He ever commit one act of personal sin. Furthermore, the sin of Adam was
not imputed to Him. He never did anything but that which was absolute good,
and He was indwelt and filled by God the Holy Spirit at all times.
There were many who could have come into the courtroom and testified,
“I was lame, and now I walk”; “I was deaf, and now I hear”; “I was dumb,
and now I speak”; “I was dead, and now I live.” Yet one of the greatest
systems of jurisprudence was used to condemn this One who was not only
innocent, but who in His humanity was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Disgraceful
as this was, it is important to realize that in the Plan of God, “That God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” (Mature
believers and those on the way to maturity!) (Rom 8:28) and out of this
impersonation of justice came OUR SO GREAT SALVATION. (Heb 2:3)
Of the six trials recorded throughout the Gospels, two were held before
Pontius Pilate, where Scripture declares that Jesus witnessed a good
confession. (1Ti 6:13) All four Gospels record the fourth and sixth trials; but
when we study these two trials, we will examine them from John’s Gospel
because John wrote from the viewpoint of the Deity of Christ and emphasized
certain things which the others did not.
The First Trial
So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews,
arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-
in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the
one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on
behalf of the people. (John 18:12-14)
Two military groups actually a sort of United Nations was involved in the
apprehension and capture of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, there were
Jewish soldiers, “officers of the Jews,” part of the Temple Guard, and
secondly, Roman soldiers, “the band and the captain.” The two garrisons
descended upon the Lord Jesus Christ after His betrayal. Since Annas was
not a judge, this was an illegal trial! A former high priest, Annas was now the
political boss of Jerusalem. He was engaged in gangster activities connected
with every system of graft in Jerusalem, as well as with the bands of robbers
in the Negev, who owed their protection to him. You should notice at the very
beginning that the people who brought Jesus to trial in the first cases were all
RELIGIOUS PEOPLE the chief-priests, scribes and Pharisees. We see that
phrase again and again. As a matter of fact, it was the Sanhedrin, a religious
organization in which all Judaism centered.
Remember, religion is the worst thing that ever hit this world! I said
religion not Christianity. There is a difference. Religion is Salvation by works.
Religion is man seeking the approval of God by his own merits. Religion is the
devil’s ace trump. Nothing Satan has ever devised has been as successful as
religion in the blinding of men’s minds to the Truth. Oh, the overwhelming
pride of the self-righteous religious person who thinks God is impressed with
his offerings of human works — the egotist who looks down his nose at
others while giving the impression that he is a perfect plaster saint. The world
is filled with people who are proud of their flimsy works of baptism, church
membership, sincerity, keeping the Ten Commandments, living by the Golden
Rule, and a host of other works by which they expect to enter the “pearly
gates” with great pomp and circumstance.
It is staggering to realize how great a percentage of evil deeds in history
have been executed by these people in the name of religion! But none equals
the infamous trials of Christ. Covered by their sanctimonious veneer of piety,
these religious people brazenly and efficiently plotted and secured the death
of Jesus Christ, these people who would put you to shame when it comes to
prayer activity! Temple attendance and almsgiving; at least three times a day,
every day, they prayed in the Temple and seven times a day at home! Yes,
they were very religious — and also VERY LOST, “You must be born again!”
(John 3:2-7)
Because Annas was no longer the high priest, he was not a judge; but as
the political boss, all matters had to be cleared with him !before going to
court. Therefore, Annas, the most religious of them all, approved this case,
and following the counsel of Caiaphas, he said, in effect, “Take Him in and
railroad Him through!” (John 18:14) The first trial is developed further in.
(John 18:15-24)
The Second Trial
Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. (Matt 26:57)
Now we encounter the first trial that was supposed to be legal. This was
after the preliminary hearing with Annas. Caiaphas was the one who had
said, “Nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man
die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” (John 11:50)
Caiaphas was not a prophet, but he inadvertently Prophesied the death of
Christ (John 11:51-52) The Holy Spirit spoke thru him; (Rom 8:28) and he
recognized the need of finding a scapegoat for the anti-Roman activities that
were in the works in Israel. He knew Rome would demand that the
lawlessness in Palestine be rectified by the death of the culprit. Thus the
Romans must be made to think that the Jews were cleaning house without
Roman help or interference. In his policy of self-advantage, he contended that
it was better for one man to die than that they all lose their power and
wealth. The Sanhedrin would, therefore, try to palm off Jesus as the culprit.
Here is the satanic normal operating procedure; exposed! The perfect,
matchless Son of God is to be presented as a master criminal by the
criminals themselves.
In the second trial Jesus was already considered guilty, for Annas had
given Him “thumbs down.” From now on we have but to watch the wheels of
injustice grind. Notice the assemblage of religious people. (Matt 26:57)
Caiaphas, (The high priest) and the scribes and elders; those pompous, self-
righteous people who could do no wrong, the self-styled plaster saints who
had canonized themselves by their various good deeds, those people who
thought they could work their way into heaven by their own human effort!
Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false
testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. (Matt 26:59)
How many witnesses are necessary according to their law? Two.
(Deut 19:15) All they need to draw an indictment is two people who will agree
in their lies. We do not know exactly how many there were, but there must
have been at least twenty or thirty people who got up and lied about the Lord
Jesus Christ the ONLY One who had never done any wrong! The One who
was sinless! The One who had done so much Divine good! The One who had
helped so many people! The One who gave eternal life to all who believed in
Him! The liars were gathered together; this was the greatest liars’ club that
has ever existed! But they exaggerated their lies in such a way; no two of
them were able to agree.
Notice some of the illegal points of this trial. First of all, it was held at
night, which was contrary to Jewish jurisprudence. But they were in a hurry,
for the next day was the Passover. They had to get their dirty work out of the
way so that they could partake of the Passover with “clean hands.”
(Prov 7:14-19) The fact that the Passover spoke of Jesus Christ dying for
their sins was a point which, had they understood it, would have mattered
little in their evil calculations. They were anxious to bring about the destruction
of the One who had not only upset their religious apple cart, but who was the
perfect fall guy for their villainous activities! Therefore, it had to be held at
night. Further, there was no defense attorney, which was illegal. The court
sought FALSE witnesses, obviously illegal. The court was prejudiced, and
there was violence in the court. Not one aspect of this trial conformed to
Jewish law.
They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward.
But later on two came forward, and said, This man stated, I am able to
destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. (Matt 26:60-61)
One after another, various witnesses stood and told their lies, and though
the court tried desperately to get two of them to agree, it was impossible.
Finally, two agreed in one area, and out of this they tried to form an
indictment.
“But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (John 2:21) As a matter
of fact, Jesus had the power to destroy the Temple and rebuild it much more
quickly than three days! But He had not been talking about the actual Temple
building; He referred literally to His death and resurrection. He was actually
Prophesying how they would succeed in bringing about His death but that
their triumph would be short-lived, for on the third day He would rise from the
dead!
When two false witnesses finally agreed and made this statement,
immediately the high priest (Who had been waiting, perhaps for hours, for this
collaboration) rose up and said:
...Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against
You? (Matt 26:62)
...He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His
mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent
before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth... (Isa 53:1) thru
(Isa 53:12)
Jesus did not answer back not one single word; a marvelous
manifestation of the copy of the Divine nature that He created; by continually
staying in fellowship and Thinking with Truth! (1Pe 4:1; (2Pe 1:4-11) After
hearing so many lies about Himself, He would have thought a sin in one area.
BUT NOT ONE MENTAL SIN! He would have used withering sarcasm, or
violence, or He might have stood up and said, “That is a lie!” Jesus did not
say a word! Because He was Thinking with Truth! (John 15:18-20) As lie
after lie was spoken against Him, the uniqueness of Christ should have been
apparent to all who watched this gross injustice.
God the Holy Spirit controlled His life. There was a time to speak, and
there was a time to be quiet. (Eccles 3:7) The only way you or any believer
will ever discover this Principle is by the filling of God the Holy Spirit and the
knowledge of Truth. Then we KNOW when to speak and we KNOW when to
keep quiet. That is one of the most amazing of all the Spiritually mature
attributes, to know when to use the tongue and when not to use it. (Jas 3:2)
Here is the One, who filled with God the Holy Spirit as He was proclaiming
the Cross; and teaching Truth for three years, at this point said not a word!
What a tremendous lesson we as believers can learn! The Lord Jesus
Christ put the whole matter in the Father’s hands, revealing His perfect
orientation to grace, and to the Plan of God. Remember, “...VENGEANCE IS
MINE, I WILL REPAY, says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19) Gossiping and maligning,
returning evil for evil, whether it is true or not, are among the worst sins a
believer can commit!
When someone maligns you and runs you down, leave it in the Lord’s
hands. He is qualified to discipline. Many Christians, thinking they can do a
better job, try to walk some other person into the “woodshed,” only to find out
that the Lord is waiting for both of them! So let us learn the lesson of the Lord’
s silence here. He left all of this in the hands of the Father. Every moment the
Lord Jesus lived, He lived in the moment-by-moment Sabbath, the faith-rest
life. He continually cast His cares upon the Father — and He left them there!
He was not upset. He was not disturbed. He quietly rested in the Father’s
Promises. (Heb 4:3)
While these religious people could not see the uniqueness and power of
His life, a brilliant Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, would soon perceive the
Truth concerning Jesus. Many of these men were scribes who daily studied
the Old Testament, where hundreds of passages point to the Person of
Jesus Christ; and say, “He is the Messiah. The kingdoms of the earth rest on
His shoulders. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God!” Yet they did
not see; they were blinded by religion. Religion is blind, and these people
were blind to the Person of Christ.
How could the high priest, Caiaphas, watch the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Royal High Priest, while people lied about Him, and not get up and say, “HE
IS THE SON OF GOD”? Why must we wait for Pontius Pilate to say, “He is a
just man”? Why must we wait until a Roman centurion looks up at the Cross
and says, “Truly, this was the Son of God?” (Matt 27:54) What is the matter
with this high priest? Here in his court is the eternal High Priest, after the
order of Melchizedek! (Heb 5:5-10) What
is the matter with this supposed servant of God? He is so loaded with religion
that he could not see the grace of God. What a tremendous thing is grace!
Although God has provided everything for man, we can latch on to grace in
only one way — BY FAITH! That is why the Scripture says, “...That whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Why does it
say, “Whoever believes?” Because Christ provided our so great Salvation; in
full! Without any other system of ethics . . . without anything man can do!
But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, I adjure You by the
living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus said to him, You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter
you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF
POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN. (Matt 26:63-64)
The Living God was standing in his presence! The high priest was
commanding the Living God to speak up! Finally, Jesus answered, “You have
said it yourself;” That does not mean much in the English, and it is actually a
poor translation. The Greek says, and it is the strongest of all affirmatives,
“Emphatically yes!” That was all He said concerning His Person. But He
added, and this was grace, the next few items on the agenda: resurrection,
ascension, session, and the Second Advent. He gave them a short course in
the Doctrine of Christology right there in the courtroom. “COMING IN THE
CLOUDS OF HEAVEN!” Isn’t this interesting? Jesus Christ said “coming!” Yet
today many people who profess to know something about the Word
rationalize the Second Advent.
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, He has blasphemed! What
further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the
blasphemy. (Matt 26:65)
Then the high priest said, “You are the Son of God; I believe in YOU,” and
fell down and worshipped Him. Is that what you read? Oh, no! By this time he
had “blown his cork.” Imagine a judge sitting on the bench suddenly beginning
to tear off his clothes. He was really steamed up. He was in utter rejection of
Jesus Christ. Here is the attitude of religion! The judge certainly should have
known that before he could have an indictment written up, there must be two
witnesses who agreed on the accusation. Yet, he brazenly declares, “We don’
t need witnesses.” Something else in Jewish jurisprudence no one can
condemn himself by his own statements, apart from a confession of guilt.
Actually, if Jesus’ own statements, which would condemn Him, were not true,
they would be ruled out. Jesus did not speak blasphemy; He did not make a
confession of guilt, but a clear statement of fact. Caiaphas took a clear
statement of fact, which in Reality did not condemn Jesus, and said it was a
confession, which it was not.
What do you think? They answered, He deserves death! (Matt 26:66)
The penalty of blasphemy was death. Remember, this was a courtroom
under one of the best systems of court procedure that has ever been set up
— procedures which God Himself set up in the Mosaic Law.
Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others
slapped Him.
(Matt 26:67)
Now the violence begins. They spit in the face of the Son of God! They
spit in the face of the One who would hang on Calvary’s Cross and receive
the judgment and penalty for every sin that had ever been committed or ever
will be committed, including spitting in His face.
Did you ever have anyone spit in your face? Nothing is quite so offensive
or vicious! Nothing conveys insult and disrespect so graphically. These Jewish
rulers left no doubt that they rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah; as
Prophesied in Isaiah.
He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised,
and we did not esteem Him (Isa 53:3)
That was not all. They spit upon Him, and “beat Him” The word “buffet” is
an old English word which today would be translated “to punch.” They
punched Him — in fact, the Greek verb indicates that they constantly and
repeatedly punched Him. Now I submit to you, this is unusual for a trial! The
results were shocking!
Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance
was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.
(Isa 52:14)
When they were through with this second trial, Jesus no longer looked
human. They kept punching Him until His face was destroyed! They closed
His eyes. His face was swollen. Yet still He stood there. If you know anything
about boxing, you know that no one just stands still while someone repeatedly
punches him. The ordinary man would suffer anything from a cerebral
hemorrhage to a quick knockout. But here is a Person who stood unmoved as
one man after another stepped forward without interference from anyone and
struck the Son of God. He did not roll with the punches He just stood there
while they came up and reigned blow after blow upon Him.
Apparently none of the artists who have painted Jesus Christ on the Cross
have understood what the Bible describes of His cruel treatment. With the
possible exception of Rubens, they have depicted a skeletal figure with ribs
protruding, scrawny shoulders and bony frame, producing the general effect
of a weak, half-starved person.
In Reality, Jesus Christ was the most powerful Man who ever lived! To
receive those severe blows and still survive, the humanity of Christ had to be
very strong. We have already seen something of His strength when He
pitched the merchandisers out of the Temple. You just do not pick up men
and tables loaded with heavy bags of coins and toss them around unless you
have tremendous power. To be accurate, an artist painting Jesus Christ as
He hung upon the Cross should depict a powerful body and neck beneath a
faceless mass of saliva and blood, His features completely mangled.
But He was pierced through, [Sins imputed to His soul] for our
transgressions, He was crushed [Judged] for our iniquities; The chastening
for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
[Literally; Mended together with God] (Isa 53:5)
And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross, so that we might
die to sin [The control of the old sin nature] and live to righteousness; [Reach
Spiritual maturity] for by His wounds you were healed. [Literally; Mended
together with God] (1Pe 2:24)
As Isaiah looked down the corridors of time, he saw Jesus Christ on the
Cross as one massive bruise. Peter said the same thing. Why? When Peter
saw the Lord Jesus Christ after that second trial, he saw one massive bruise!
How did Jesus Christ stay on His feet? How did He live through such
punishment? Because HE HAD US IN MIND! He was Thinking of God the
Father; you and me. (Personal love for God: Impersonal love for all mankind)
(Matt 22:37-40) Because He had to get to the Cross! He must pay the
penalty of sin, which is Spiritual death. He must be “made sin for us.” He must
“bear our sins in His own body on the tree.” The fact that Jesus died
physically was not the primary factor in Salvation. His physical death signified
that His work was finished and formed the basis for resurrection. He must
suffer judgment and Spiritual death in order to pay for your sins and mine. He
must be judged for our sins and be separated from God the Father and God
the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus Christ stayed on His feet, and He stayed
alive. You and I will never be able to comprehend the terrible punishment
Jesus took and this was only the second trial! Oh, what a Savior we have!
How glorious is the Person of Jesus Christ! To me, the greatest thing of all
was that He did not fight back. All He would have had to do was to snap His
fingers and ten thousand legions of angels would have cleaned up the court in
a hurry. But His restraint was very significant, for if He had lost His temper,
there would be NO SALVATION! He remained sinless in spite of the most
intense temptations!
If you have a sin nature, (And you have) enough slapping and insults can
make you lose your temper. But if He had lost His temper, we could just as
well close up all the churches, because there could be no Salvation if Jesus
Christ had committed one single mental sin. But He did not lose His temper
even once. Oh, what a man He IS! The God-man, Christ Jesus — how great!
He took all of the punching; He took all of the spitting and slapping, and He
stayed alive. But that did not satisfy them. They had to add insult to injury.
…Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You? (Matt 26:68)
They did not miss a thing. His majesty, the devil, was present that day: so
we have everything from unparalleled violence to utmost sarcasm!
The Third Trial
When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both
chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber,
saying, If You are the Christ, tell us. But He said to them, If I tell you, you will
not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on THE
SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF
GOD. And they all said, Are You the Son of God, then? And He said to them,
Yes, I am. Then they said, What further need do we have of testimony? For
we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth! (Luk 22:66-71)
This trial was held early the next morning by the Jews. The religious
leaders, (The council) suddenly realized that the trial at night was illegal. They
gathered together and decided to make it a legal trial. At this trial, Jesus
gave them the supreme sign of His Messiahship. Realizing that it was a feast
period, (Passover and Unleavened Bread) and they could not sentence
someone on a holy day according to their law, they said, “Let’s pass Him off
to the Romans.”
The Fourth Trial
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas [His second trip before Caiaphas that
morning] into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not
enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the
Passover. (John 18:28)
This trial is covered in all four of the Gospels, but there are certain things
in, (John 18:1-38) that emphasize its importance. This was the day the
memorial supper would be eaten. They wanted to keep their hands “clean;” in
order to eat the Passover that night; the Passover which spoke of the death
of Christ on the Cross. Eating the lamb was a picture of believing in Christ;
yet they had rejected Him! The Jews took Jesus to the Roman governor in an
attempt to sidestep Jewish law concerning the holy days. “Pilate went out to
them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man?” (John 18:29)
Pilate had to go out because the Jews could not come inside a Gentile
dwelling on a holy day. The entire procedure is most interesting; Pilate was
keeping very cool. He wanted to know what the indictment was. He
undoubtedly observed the majestic Person of the Lord Jesus Christ amid all
the hubbub and shouting, the scrambling and fuss. So he asked, “What is the
accusation?” The Jews were upset by Pilate’s question because they had
been unable to frame an indictment. There was no evidence to establish a
charge against Jesus. They wanted to condemn Jesus without a trial. With
typical hypocrisy, they assumed an injured air; they posed as righteous men
who would never think of arresting an innocent man.
They answered and said to him, If this Man were not an evildoer, we
would not have delivered Him to you. (John 18:30)
“ACCUSATION?” they screamed. “Why, the very fact we are so
persistent should indicate something! Just string Him up! Don’t waste time on
words! We wouldn’t bring you anything but the scum of the earth — and we
have brought Him.”
And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this man misleading our
nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is
Christ, a King. (Luk 23:2)
They do not mention blasphemy. I want you to see just how demoniacally
smart these Jews were. Why do you suppose they did not mention
blasphemy? This was a Theological problem which would never hold up
before a Roman governor. You see, the Romans had only one type of
worship — Caesar worship! Caesar is Kurios! (God) Had blasphemy been
included in the accusation, the first thing Pilate would have said would have
been, “You mean to tell me that you people don’t accept Caesar as God?”
That would have put them all on the spot, and Pilate could have hauled them
all into court. Needing to get around that possibility, they invent lies.
Nothing was said about tribute to Caesar in the first trials. But now they
say, “He is forbidding giving tribute to Caesar,” which is, of course, a
deliberate lie. We know this because of what Jesus said when these same
religious people brought Him a gold piece.
…Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; [Pay your income tax
and obey human authorities] and to God the things that are God’s [Thoughts,
life, time and energy] (Matt 22:21)
We know from history that the high priests and the other religious leaders
were the ones who were trying to get around paying their income tax to
Rome. They were professional tax evaders?
They added what they hoped would be the clincher, “saying that He
Himself is Christ a King.” In other words, they were implying that He was in
reality setting Himself up as a King and trying to lead in a revolt against
Rome. To refuse to pay tribute to Caesar was equivalent to refusing to pay
your income tax to Rome and would be considered rebellion. Do you see the
picture they painted before Pilate? Here was a rival to Caesar and a
dangerous revolutionary!
You can understand that after so many agreed to this collection of
fabrications, a man in Pilate’s shoes might become pretty upset. Pilate could
have rationalized: “I have a revolt on my hands; I’d better take this
Revolutionary and draw and quarter Him stretch Him on the rack before it
breaks wide open.” But I want you to notice what a great man Pilate was in
his own right. He did not lose his head. He remained calm and completely in
control of himself to the very end. This is a very important point. The full
import of it is brought out in: (1Ti 6:13) “...Christ Jesus, who testified the
good confession before Pontius Pilate.” The Holy Spirit mentions only the trial
before Pontius Pilate because Pilate was the only person who gave Jesus
Christ an honest, objective hearing and cross-examination.
So Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to
your law. The Jews said to him, We are not permitted to put anyone to
death. (John 18:31)
Pilate tried to evade the responsibility. Here was the weakness in his
armor. Pilate thought more of his “advantage” than Principle. It was no
accident that a just but weak man was the governor of Judea at this time.
Pilate had the discernment to observe the innocence of Jesus, but not the
character to free Him. Now the Jews USED the law, but they did not execute
the law. There are people today who even use, and abuse, the WORD OF
GOD! This is exactly what happened here. “It is not lawful for us; therefore,
you will have to handle this case.” The reply of the Jews was an admission
that they did not desire a fair trial for Jesus, but only His death!
To fulfill the Word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of
death He was about to die. (John 18:32)
Here was the King of the Jews about to die, about to be subjected to the
lowest form of Gentile punishment. How would the Jews have put Him to
death? They would have stoned Him. Crucifixion was not a Jewish
punishment.
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus
and said to Him, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answered, Are you
saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me? Pilate
answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests
delivered You to me; what have You done? (John 18:33-35)
The first question implied both ignorance and exasperation. Pilate through
ignorance expressed his frustration in coming to grips with the real issue: He
further denied any personal interest or association with the situation. His
second question was one searching for information. This is the question which
received an answer. We have only a part of what Jesus said, but it is very
important.
Jesus answered. My kingdom is not of this world: if [Second class
condition, and it is not] My kingdom were of this world, then My servants
would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is,
My kingdom is not of this realm. (John 18:36)
At this time Satan is the ruler of this world. It would be impossible for
Jesus to have a kingdom of this world until Satan’s defeat at the Cross. This
does not mean that Christ will not have an earthly kingdom, but that it would
not be established on earth at that time. The kingdom of Christ on earth
awaits the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. In the meantime; He has a
kingdom of regenerate people, known as the Church or Body of Christ! At
present, the rulership of Christ is invisible and Spiritual. Jesus did not say;
“My kingdom is not IN this world,” for Jesus does have a kingdom in this
world during the Church Age. Believers are in this world, but not OF this world’
s way of thinking! (John 17:16) This kingdom fights with the Sword of the
Spirit rather than the sword of men.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in
the Truth; Your Word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, [In the
prototype Spiritual life; in the power of God the Holy Spirit and Truth] I also
have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they
themselves also may be sanctified in Truth. (John 17:16-19)
Therefore Pilate said to Him, So You are a king? Jesus answered, You
say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have
come into the world, to testify to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth
hears My voice. (John 18:37)
He evidently went on to explain that He was the God-Man, born of a virgin
without a sin nature, without imputed sin, without personal sin, and that He
was going to die for the sins of the world. This is the Doctrine of Salvation.
Thus He witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate. Those who are
the recipients of the Doctrine of Salvation. believers in Jesus Christ, hear the
voice of the Son of God. Today the voice of the Lord is the Bible, the Word of
God!
Pilate said to Him. What is Truth? [The Thinking of God] And when he had
said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, I find no guilt in
Him. (John 18:38)
When Pilate asked about Truth, Jesus had no doubt explained that He
Himself is Truth! This famous sneer of Pilate indicates the state of the natural
mind. Spiritual blindness and lack of a human spirit make Spiritual phenomena
impossible to absorb. (1Co 2:14) Only the convincing ministry of God the
Holy Spirit can change this. The Spirit makes the Gospel understandable in
the mind of the unbeliever. But here is a case of negative volition. Pilate did
not desire an answer to the question he had asked, and so indicated it by
leaving immediately before an answer could be given. What was Pilate’s
verdict? Here is the importance of the fourth trial. I FIND IN HIM — IN JESUS
— NO Guilt! Here was the First unbiased, unprejudiced examination. Here
was the only impartial judge. And what was the conclusion? COMPLETELY
INNOCENT!
But they kept on insisting, saying, He stirs up the people, Teaching all
over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place. (Luk 23:5)
The Jews then began to “put the heat” on Pilate. Finally, the pressure
became too great for Pilate, and learning that Jesus was a Galilean,
(Luk 23:6) thought, “Herod is the Pontiff of Galilee and is in Jerusalem at this
time; (Luk 23:7) I’ll just send Him over there and let King Herod worry with
Him.” In this manner, Pilate sought to avoid the pressure from the religious
crowd to kill an innocent man. Thus, under Herod’s jurisdiction, Jesus
underwent His next trial.
The Fifth Trial
Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see
Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping
to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length;
but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were
standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after
treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous
robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with
one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
(Luk 23:8-12)
Herod was excited at seeing Jesus, for he had heard of His reputation for
performing miracles. Hoping for entertainment, he attempted to induce Jesus
to perform one of His miracles. When Jesus refused, Herod angrily ordered
Him tortured. Herod’s “men of war,” his body guards, not only tortured Jesus,
but they threw a magnificent robe around Him and mocked Him. In times
past, Pilate and Herod had been at enmity with one another; but this mutual
crisis had made them friends. Jesus was now sent back to Pilate.
The Sixth Trial
Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat
down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew,
Gabbatha. (John 19:13)
Before Pilate again, Jesus was subjected to one more trial. Remember,
and I want to emphasize this fact, Pilate had said not once but several times
that Jesus Christ was innocent! We pick up the trial where Pilate was
examining Jesus again. Pilate called Him the “King of the Jews.” Jesus had
convinced Pilate of His birth. His status and the facts concerning Himself. (So
after understanding this, people can still not believe in Him! And as believers;
we can still not believe and Think with His Word!) Now Pilate made an
ingenious attempt to gain the release of Jesus on the basis of the custom of
the Passover. Realizing that Jesus was innocent, Pilate would make it
possible to release an innocent Person, get himself off the hook, and help the
religious leaders save face. But these Jewish leaders, under the control of
Satan, would not let up until Jesus was removed from the scene!
So they cried out again, saying, Not this Man, but Barabbas. Now
Barabbas was a robber. (John 18:40)
What have they said? “Don’t release unto us the most wonderful Person
who ever lived… release unto us Public Enemy Number One — Barabbas!”
This appears very tame in the English. It gives the idea that he might have
been a “second-story man.” Perhaps he had broken into a few homes,
opened a few drawers and sneaked out. But the Greek indicates that he was
a habitual professional criminal, possibly the Number One man of the crime
syndicate in that area. He was vile all the way through, yet the religious
crowd was asking for his release! Religion became the champion of a
despicable criminal, rather than the perfect, matchless Son of God! In the
Aramaic, Barabbas means “son of the father.” (Satan) The Jews chose the
criminal son of a father in place of the Eternal Son of God the Father!
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message,
saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered
greatly in a dream because of Him. (Matt 27:19)
This dream was probably of satanic origin, as Satan did not want Christ
on the Cross to bear the sins of the world but wanted him stoned to death as
prescribed by the Jewish Law, thereby frustrating the Plan of God. However,
Pilate’s wife gave a correct estimate of Him in calling Him “that Righteous
Man.” To be so close to Christ and yet reject Him, is to be far away for all
eternity. This was the real tragedy of this trial. Christ was in Reality judging
Pilate, rather than Pilate judging Christ.
Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted
together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on
Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, Hail, King of the Jews! and
to give Him slaps in the face. [They kept saying it, mocking Him] [Kept
punching Him] with their hands [Fists] (John 19:1-3)
This was another form of examination: He was literally skinned alive with a
whip. Then they rubbed salt into the quivering flesh, or what was left of it.
Again Pilate sought to compromise with the Jews. “I’ve cross-examined Him
and scourged Him — don’t you think He has had enough?”
Pilate came out again and said to them, Behold, I am bringing Him out to
you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him. Jesus then came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, Behold,
the Man! (John 19:4-5)
Pilate declared His innocence again! Jesus appeared, whereupon Pilate
announced to the Jews, “Behold THE MAN!” What a MAN He was to take
what He had taken! When the Jews heard this, they knew that it was a
Prophecy of the Messiah; (Zec 6:12) but they deliberately rejected Him. They
wanted the crown, but not the Cross. They wanted the King, but not the
Savior. They would not accept God’s Plan; God’s way!
So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying,
Crucify, crucify! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for
I find no guilt in Him. (John 19:6)
The Jews ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. The people chose to be led by
the religious leaders; rather than by God, through the Word of God! The cries
of Palm Sunday, “Hosanna, blessed is He that comes in the name of the
Lord,” (Signified for the Second Advent) have been changed to “Let Him be
crucified.” Here is the fickleness of the crowd. Here is the worst of the old
sin: HUMAN NATURE!
Again Pilate declared, “INNOCENT! You will have to do it — I cannot!”
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has
glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the
presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. (Acts 3:13)
The Holy Spirit recorded here that Pilate was determined to release Him,
even anxious to do so. Pilate recognized that here was a just Man, an
innocent Man, One who was not guilty, and One who should not be crucified!
When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot
was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd,
saying, I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves. (Matt 27:24)
While Pilate tried to make sure that no penalty would be attached to
himself; there is always eternal punishment attached to everyone who rejects
Christ as Savior.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. (John 3:18)
And all the people said, His blood shall be on us and on our children!
(Matt 27:25)
This cry from the mob became the basis of the great dispersion of Israel
which began in 70 A.D. and continues to the present, and will continue until
the Second Advent of Christ. But the Principle of discipline by dispersion has
been turned to blessing for Israel under the Divine Plan of Grace. Any Jew
who will trust in Christ becomes a member of the Body of Christ. In this way,
cursing is turned to blessing. By receiving the blood (Spiritual death) of Christ
in regeneration, His blood is no longer on them. Regeneration converts the
wrath of God into love and eternal life, cursing into blessing.
If Pilate could recognize Jesus Christ for what He was, in spite of lies,
false accusations, and all the other infamous activities of the Jews, then it is
time for this generation to wake up and discover who He is! Jesus Christ is
not a great teacher in whose footsteps we are to follow. Jesus Christ is
unique, for no one else could live a sinless life or do the miracles He did.
Furthermore, Jesus cannot be just a “good man.” It is impossible for Jesus
Christ to be merely a good man. He is either God or a liar. He claimed to be
God (John 5:17-18; John 10:18; John 10:30; John 14:9; Luk 22:70 ; etc.) If
He lied, He is not good. A good man would never lie or deceitfully
misrepresent himself. Why, you know what He said: “I can forgive your sins.”
(Matt 9:2) “I can cleanse you; I can give you eternal life.” (John 3:15) “I am
the way, the Truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but through Me!”
(John 14:6) A good man would never lie to people that way; He would never
deceive people from that day right down to this hour. If that were true,
thousands and thousands of people have been misled — but it is not true! HE
IS GOD!
Only God can forgive sins! Only God can provide the solution to fellowship
with Himself. Only God can say, “I am the way, the Truth and the life.” Only
God can say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) Only God can say,
“Before Abraham was, I am” — “Before Abraham existed, I Existed
Eternally!” (John 8:58)
You may have been brainwashed by human viewpoint such as, “We all
have the Divine spark,” or “We’re all brothers”; but that is the satanic
philosophy peddled right from the mouth of the devil! Either Jesus Christ is
God; or He is the worst liar that ever lived! You must make your choice. The
religious crowd made their choice.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law He ought to die
because He made Himself out to be the Son of God! Therefore when Pilate
heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the
Praetorium again and said to Jesus, Where are You from? But Jesus gave
him no answer. (John 19:7-9)
Pilate knew that Jesus was from Galilee, but there was a growing alarm
in his consciousness that Jesus was more than a Galilean. The silence of
Jesus indicated that Pilate now had enough facts on which to make a
decision. Previously, Jesus had been silent before Caiaphas, (Matt 26:63)
Herod, (Luk 23:9) and now Pilate. Perhaps the Deity of Christ looked into the
frontal lobes of Pilate and observed the negative volition there. Information
concerning the Gospel is Promised to those who have positive volition and
desire a relationship with God. (Jer 29:13; John 7:17; Acts 17:24-31)
Pilate expressed wounded dignity, but Jesus answered with the true
dignity of greatness.
So Pilate said to Him, You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I
have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You? Jesus
answered, You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given
you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater
sin. (John 19:10-11)
The “greater sin” is the sin of rejection; but from the trials of Christ, we
see that rejection is in several categories: (1) Those who sin FROM
conviction, like Caiaphas, who thought to do God a favor by destroying Jesus
Christ. (2) Those who sin AGAINST conviction, like Pontius Pilate, who was
convinced that Jesus was innocent. His was the rejection of vacillation and
advantage. (3) Those who sin WITHOUT conviction, like the Roman soldiers
and thoughtless rabble that were the tools of those who ruled or influenced
them.
As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried
out saying, If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone
who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar. (John 19:12)
Pilate finally succumbed, due to pressure from the mob, religious
persecution and fear of losing his political prestige. By means of diabolic
cunning, the religious leaders made it clear to Pilate, that to release Jesus
would place him in the embarrassing position of being declared the enemy of
Caesar. Pilate was in a trap from which only strong conviction, Truth and
Principle could extricate him. But Pilate would not place himself in a position
where he would be accused of opposing Caesar; he therefore condemned
the King of kings and Lord of lords to the dishonorable death of crucifixion
reserved only for the vilest criminals in the Roman Empire.
The crucifixion
In discussing the crucifixion, it is necessary to establish first the day that
Jesus Christ was crucified, and in order to establish it, we must begin with
the resurrection and work back. Three passages, (Matt 28:1; Luk 24:1;
John 20:1) tell us that Jesus was resurrected BY Sunday. This is a technical
point, but necessary for accuracy. By Sunday morning, Jesus Christ was out
of the grave. Here is the dividing line. Sometime immediately after Saturday,
Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Therefore, we need to establish by the
Scriptures the day that He died.
The day of crucifixion
Let me give the conclusion ahead of time: Jesus Christ could not possibly
have died on Friday. This, of course, refutes the tradition of Good Friday; if
anything, it should be Good Wednesday, and we will see why.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, Teacher, we want
to see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, An evil and
adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but
the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND
THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of
Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt 12:38-40)
The scribes did not recognize the Deity of Christ, so they would not
address Him as Lord. Yet they demanded to see a miracle. What
discourtesy! He had performed countless miracles right before their eyes.
Instead of the miracle they desired. He directed their minds to the true issue,
the Word of God! The three days and three nights are not figurative days, but
literal days. One day and one night represent a 24-hour period, just as it
does in Genesis. Some have argued that this could refer to only a part of a
day. If this were true, then how could Jesus have indicated a 72-hour period?
Only one way — by the very statement He made: “three days and three
nights.”
We have already established by the Scriptures that Jesus Christ rose on
Sunday. Between His death and resurrection there must be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth. By the application of simple arithmetic,
the time of Christ’s death is established by counting back three days and
three nights. However, in Scripture there are two timetables, Jewish and
Gentile. By Jewish time you must start with the day and go back. By Gentile
time you begin with the night and count back. For example, in (1Co 15:4) the
time is calculated from Gentile reckoning. But in, (Matt 12:40) Jewish time is
indicated. The sign of the prophet Jonah is three days and three nights.
Counting back, it brings us back to Wednesday night. In, (1Co 15:3-4) Christ
was on the Cross at midday on Wednesday, which is the time darkness
covered the earth. Sometime in the afternoon, about three o’clock, He
dismissed His spirit.
Jewish time is reckoned from sundown to sundown. When does the
Sabbath start for the Jews? Friday at sundown; and it ends Saturday at
sundown. Jesus Christ could have risen any time Saturday night after
sundown. The grave was empty early Sunday morning. The women arrived
as soon as they could see daylight, and found it empty. Of course, by our
reckoning; He could have risen any time after twelve midnight. But we are
speaking of Jewish time now, and in their reckoning. He could have risen any
time after sundown Saturday. For the Jews, Sunday actually started at
sundown on Saturday. When Jesus Christ died; He died in the afternoon.
When was His body put in the grave? Evidently just before sundown; which
would mean that His time in the heart of the earth began Wednesday night.
Then, counting the next day, Thursday, the first of Jonah’s three days and
three nights is completed. Thursday night the second night, Friday, the
second day, and Friday night and Saturday complete the three days and
three nights. Hence, any time after sundown Saturday He could have come
out of the grave and fulfilled the Prophecy of Jonah.
Between the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ there was not
one Sabbath, but two. The Passover meal, (The blood, Salvation, the cup;
what He did) which the Pharisees were so anxious to observe after having
crucified Christ, (John 18:28) and this was the beginning of the seven-day
feast of Unleavened Bread. (Sinless, no imputed sin, no sin nature, and only
used Divine Thinking, the bread; Who He was) The first day of this feast was
set aside as a special Sabbath (Exo 12:16; Lev 23:7) Therefore, on the day
after crucifixion, Thursday, they had a special Sabbath, (John 19:31) followed
by the regular weekly Sabbath on Saturday. It was for this reason that the
two Marys did not come to the tomb until Sunday morning. No work could be
done until the Sabbaths were ended. (Matt 28:1) says literally in the Greek,
“Sabbaths” (Plural), not “Sabbath.” (Singular)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
(1Co 15:3-4)
The Prophecy of Jonah says He had to be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth. But this passage says that He rose “on the third day.”
By Gentile time that would be true. Gentile time starts at midnight. So
Saturday night after sundown He rose, and that is ON THE THIRD DAY
reckoning by Gentile time. This should be clear now. Just remember that
Gentiles begin their day at 12:01 in the morning and the Jews start their day
at sundown, approximately six o’clock.
Christ on the cross
Now that the “when” of Christ’s death has been established, we will
examine the “why.” Before the Lord Jesus Christ ever got to the Cross, He is
pictured by the Word as having His face completely destroyed. He looked so
horrible that those watching had to turn away from the revolting sight. During
the entire time that His torturers scourged and beat Him, He said absolutely
nothing. Excruciating pain did not cause Him to cry out once! It was not until
the fourth time His voice was heard on the Cross that Jesus Christ cried out
in agony.
...My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my
deliverance are the words of my groaning. (Psa 22:1)
Psalm 22 is a prophetic study of the Cross. Twice Christ used the
vocative, “My God” one addressed to God the Father and one addressed to
God the Holy Spirit. As Jesus hung upon the Cross, after it had been dark for
about three hours. He suddenly cried out, or as the Hebrew says, “He
screamed!” Through all the physical torture they inflicted the spitting, the lies,
the skinning alive with a whip, the separation of His bones from their sockets
as He hung on the Cross — not once did He cry out; yet suddenly, in a
moment of time. He SCREAMED! These words were literally shrieked by
Jesus Christ in the midst of that darkness while hanging upon the Cross of
Golgatha. The impact of that scream had eternal repercussions, for when He
cried out. He was providing eternal life for YOU and for ME!
It was not physical pain or torture that caused Him to scream, but your
sins and my sins being laid upon Him that brought forth the terrible cry of
agony from His lips. Every sin that you and I have ever committed was borne
by Jesus Christ when He died on the Cross. He died for the sins of Adam and
Eve, the sins of Cain and Abel. He died for the worst person who ever lived
designated in Scripture as Paul, the religious sinner. (1Ti 1:15) He died for
every gangster who ever lived. It makes no difference whether one is a
believer or unbeliever, whether good or bad, Jesus Christ paid in full for every
sin every person has ever committed or ever will commit; (1Jn 2:2) and it was
contact with our sins that caused Him to scream, when all the physical torture
in the world did not bring one cry from His lips. This cry was the culmination
of the crucifixion, for when Jesus Christ screamed out the words, “ELOI,
ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI” — “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?” He suffered Spiritual death — in His humanity He was separated from
God; while His soul was being judged for our sins! (Isa 53:11) The words of
the scream were deliberate in order to fulfill a Prophecy, that henceforth all
might read it, (Psa 22:1-31) and KNOW that on the Cross He provided
eternal Salvation from the Lake of Fire!
SPIRITUAL DEATH
The penalty of sin is Spiritual death, which means the inability to have
fellowship with God in time. Of the ten types of death in Scripture, (Spiritual,
physical, temporal, second, retroactive positional, sin unto, sexual,
productional, uselessness and experiential death; to our old sin nature:
Spiritual maturity) Spiritual death dates back to the DAY in which Adam, of
his own free will, chose to disobey God. At that moment, he was separated
from any possibility of fellowship with God. Adam had been warned that the
consequences of disobedience would be Spiritual death. (Gen 2:17) Since
that time, every person born into the world is born Spiritually dead!
(Eph 2:1; Jas 2:26)
Therefore, just as through one man sin [The sin nature] entered into the
world, and death [Spiritual death] through sin, and so death spread to all
men, because all sinned. [In Adam, we all sinned when Adam did] (Rom 5:12)
For the wages of sin is [Spiritual death and after Salvation; temporal
death when we sin: Carnality] death... (Rom 6:23)
Physical death is not the penalty of sin. Adam died physically 930 years
after he sinned. Therefore, the physical death of Christ was not the payment
for sin. When Christ hung upon the Cross, He suffered both deaths. As He
bore the sins of the entire human race in His body, the Father and God the
Holy Spirit lost fellowship with Him. (Matt 27:46) The Spiritual death of Christ
and the judgment for our sins; is the price He paid for our Salvation! (Rom 8:3)
O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have
no rest. Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of
Israel. (Psa 22:2-3)
The intense suffering of His Spiritual death and judgment on the Cross is
amplified as Christ’s shrieking is followed by another cry, very likely one that
others could not hear. While Jesus was bearing the sins of the world — even
though He was the High Priest forever after the order (Pattern) of
Melchizedek — His prayers’ could-not be heard! Why? Because he was
taking your place and mine; He was providing Salvation — for you and for
me. Separated from God by sin, the human race is under the condemnation
of Spiritual death. Jesus Christ was taking our place — the place of
separation — that He might bring us to God.
At noon, ordinarily the brightest period of the day, utter darkness covered
the earth. So intense was the suffering of the Son of God while bearing our
sins, that the Father hid His Son’s face from view. This Verse adds a phrase
to His cry in the darkness of midday to the Father and to God the Holy Spirit;
(Matt 27:46) “But You are holy.” The Father is absolute holiness! God the
Holy Spirit is absolute holiness! They could have absolutely nothing to do with
Jesus Christ while He bore our sins; except to sustain Him, (Heb 9:14) while
He was being “made sin for us!”
In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You
they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not
disappointed. (Psa 22:4-5)
The prayers of Christ’s forefathers had been answered. They had the
same pattern we have today: “All things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer,
believing, you shall receive.” (Matt 21:22) But no matter how much the Lord
Jesus Christ prayed during this time. His prayer could not be answered.
But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the
people. (Psa 22:6)
The word for “worm” is a very rare Hebrew word used for a special kind
of worm, which, with thousands of others of the same species, was placed
into a huge vat, crushed to extract the blood which was used to make the
most beautiful crimson dye in the ancient world. This is the color of royalty.
The robes of kings were dyed with this brilliant crimson. When Jesus said, “I
am a worm,” it was to indicate that He was being crushed for us as He hung
upon Calvary’s Cross. He was crushed that you and I, when we trust in Him,
might wear the robe of a King. Believers in Jesus Christ have the very
righteousness of the Son of God credited to their account at the moment of
Salvation. This is the King’s robe!
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Co 5:21)
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has
clothed me with garments of Salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of
righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels. (Isa 61:10)
Jesus Christ on the Cross was “a reproach of men, and despised of the
people.” Here is a reference to the fact that His visage was completely
destroyed; (Isa 52:14) and then, (Psa 22:6-8) continues to describe the
terrible events of the Cross, relating much of the agony of that moment. We
read of the vile word pictures thrown at Him by the mob and of the merciless
treatment He endured at their hands.
The uniqueness of the Person of Christ
And as they came out, [The procession to Golgatha] they found a man of
Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. (Matt 27:32)
Simon of Cyrene, like many other Jews, longed for the day when he could
leave Libya and the city of Cyrene and come to Jerusalem during the Holy
Week. The festivities started with the Passover, and included the Feasts of
Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, followed by Pentecost, covering a period of
over fifty days. Simon’s desire was realized, for he was in Jerusalem during
this time. He was standing on the street as the procession came by with the
Lord Jesus Christ staggering under the weight of His Cross. (Our cross: sin,
the penalty of sin and the old sin nature.) And He allowed Simon to pick up
the cross for a short time; because we must carry our sin nature until death.
(Mark 8:34-38) It was not because He was weak, but because He had been
so badly tortured and beaten that He could no longer carry the heavy burden
up the hill. As the Roman soldiers walked along in their column of fours, they
saw this man standing there, undoubtedly in utter amazement at the
spectacle. They immediately grabbed the man, Simon, forcing him to carry
the cross.
This was a most unusual sight: a dignified, prominent businessman from a
Roman province in North Africa was suddenly caught up in the midst of a
procession following the Person of Jesus Christ as He staggered up the hill of
Golgatha. Forced into becoming part of the entourage, Simon observed every
detail of what happened on the Cross. He marked well the uniqueness of this
One whose place he had taken on the march to the crucifixion. As a result of
his observation, he became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. When he
returned to Libya to the city of Cyrene, he told his family about the Savior.
And they compelled one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out
of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
(Mark 15:21)
When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in
from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. And
following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were
mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, Daughters of
Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the
barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.
[Blessed are those who did not live by the old sin nature] Then they will begin
TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, FALL ON US, AND TO THE HILLS, COVER
US. For if they do these things when the tree is green, [The beginning of the
new Spiritual life] what will happen when it is dry? (Luk 23:26-31)
Mark identified Simon’s two sons when he wrote his account of the
crucifixion thirty years later, and by that time they had become well known.
Simon’s wife is also mentioned as being a great believer: “Greet Rufus a
choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.” (Rom 16:13)
Here was an amazing family. Simon, who was a Jew, observing the
Person of Jesus Christ as He hung upon the Cross, came to one conclusion
— that Jesus Christ was the Son of the living God, “the lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) He understood that “...the blood
of Jesus Christ, His [God’s] Son, cleanses us from all sin,” (1Jn 1:7) and right
then and there personally trusted in Him.
There were those observing the death of Christ that day who could look at
Him objectively, who were qualified because they were not prejudiced, and
these came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was truly God, the unique
Person of the universe, the God-Man, and therefore, the only way of
Salvation. Simon was the first of three individuals mentioned who received
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord that day.
The chronology of the crucifixion
A further evidence of the uniqueness of Christ is seen in the words that He
uttered as He hung upon the Cross. To understand all the Spiritual lessons
involved, we need to review the chronology of the events of the Cross. It is
interesting to note that no one Gospel records all the events because each
has a different emphasis.
1. The procession arrived at Golgatha. (Matt 27:33)
2. Jesus was offered a stupefying drink of vinegar and gall, (Bitterness)
which He refused! (Matt 27:34)
3. Jesus was crucified between the two thieves, (Luk 23:32-33) followed by
the first cry on the Cross, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing.” (Luk 23:34)
4. The soldiers gambled for His clothes, as was the Roman custom.
(Matt 27:35-36)
5. The Jews began to mock Him (Matt 27:39-43) cf. (Psa 22:7-8)
6. The thieves began to verbally abuse Him, but one of them believed.
(Luk 23:39-43)
7. The second cry was uttered, “today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
(Luk 23:43)
8. Then, the third cry, “Woman, behold your son.” (John 19:26-27)
9. At exactly 12:00 noon, darkness covered the earth. (Matt 27:45)
10. This was followed by the fourth cry, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?
That is, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
(Matt 27:46) cf. (Psa 22:1)
10. The fifth cry, “I thirst.” Christ thirsted that we might never thirst.
(John 19:28)
12. The sixth cry, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
13. And finally, the seventh cry, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY
SPIRIT.” (Luk 23:46) cf. (Psa 31:5)
14. After this the Lord dismissed His spirit. (Matt 27:50)
The Recorded Words of Christ on the Cross
Having briefly examined the Words of Christ on the Cross from Prophecy in
(Psa 22:1-31) we will now study them historically as they are recorded in the
Gospels.
The First Phrase
When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him
and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was
saying, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. And
they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. (Luk 23:33-34)
It was of great consequence that Jesus Christ prayed for their
forgiveness before He was judged for their sins. These people had slapped
Him, beaten Him, spit upon Him, lied about Him, ridiculed Him and scourged
Him! These were the ones who cried, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” They had
pushed the Cross into the upright position, standing around to mock and to
laugh and to ridicule. Yet the first thing Jesus uttered on the Cross was a
prayer for the Salvation of His enemies. He opened His public ministry with
prayer, according to, (Luk 3:21) and He closed His public ministry with
prayer. After all; He is the “High Priest forever, after the order of
Melchizedek.” (Psa 110:4; Heb 5:5-10)
At this point Jesus could no longer minister to the poor and needy or to
the sick and lame and blind, for He was now confined to a Cross. But while
He could not come down from the Cross and at the same time provide for our
Salvation. He still had the power for service. This should be a great
encouragement to you as mature believer, when you meditate on these
Spiritual Thoughts, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” If
because of physical confinement you are not able to get out and proclaim
Christ as you would like to, then this is a significant fact for you, because one
of the greatest avenues of service and opportunity any believer could ever
have is through the avenue of prayer.
When Jesus cried, “Father, forgive them,” He was praying for the lost, for
those who were bound for the Lake of Fire. His prayer was answered later,
for when we compare (Acts 2:36-41) and (Acts 3:26) with, (Acts 4:4) we
realize something of the meaning of this prayer. At least eight thousand
people were saved when Peter preached; but it was an indirect result of
Christ’s prayer on the Cross.
Many of the remarks that Jesus made came from His hypostatic union.
(The two natures of Christ as the God-Man) Some came from Deity alone.
When He said, “I and the Father are one,” and “I have the power to forgive
sins,” He was speaking from His Deity. When He said, “Come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” He was speaking
from His hypostatic union. (Both natures at once) There were other times
when He was speaking from His humanity, as here on the Cross. In His
humanity He is our Royal High Priest, for a priest must be a man; therefore,
as the God-man and High Priest, He was praying for those who were lost. He
set us a tremendous example, one we as royal priests should use every day.
(2Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6)
Christ’s prayer on the Cross brings out another very important factor —
the blindness of the human heart; (Mind) “They know not what they do!”
Those who crucified Him were ignorant of Truth. They did not recognize the
God-man, the Savior of the world; they did not realize that here was the One
who was being judged for their sins, taking their place, and providing their
Salvation. Yet Jesus Christ had made it clear many times when He said:
Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in
Me will live even if he dies. (John 11:25)
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; he
who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.
(John 8:12)
There was no excuse for their ignorance. “The light of the glorious
Gospel” had shined unto them. Jesus Christ, in His grace, was “not willing
that any should perish,” and He prayed for them. But the human “heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked!” (Jer 17:9)
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in
whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so
that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God. (2Co 4:3-4)
Man’s greatest need is the need for forgiveness and cleansing of sin! “The
penalty of sin is death” — Spiritual death.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
He took our place. He was judged for our sins, and today His prayer on
the Cross is still being answered, as many that come to Jesus Christ and
receive Him as Lord and Savior!
The second phrase
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him,
saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” (Luk 23:39)
(Matt 27:44) adds that both of the thieves turned against the Lord Jesus.
Both rejected Him, both railed on Him and blasphemed against Him: But one
of the thieves became observant and “changed His mind” — that is, he
completely changed his attitude, to use the word in its proper connotation. He
had a complete reversal of mental attitude not in regard to sin, but in regard
to the Person of Jesus Christ!
But the other answered, and rebuking him said, Do you not even fear
God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we
indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our
deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.
And he was saying, Jesus, remember me when You come in Your
kingdom! And He said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me
in Paradise. (Luk 23:40-43)
He recognized first of all that Jesus Christ was a perfect man. Jesus
Christ was sinless; He had done absolutely nothing wrong. He recognized His
Deity also, for he used the title for Deity — KURIOS. There was nothing he
could DO for his Salvation! He was nailed upon a cross. He could not join
anyone’s church or go through the rite of baptism! He could not weep in front
of an altar nor raise his hand nor walk down an aisle! He was dying; he was
helpless; but he turned to the Lord Jesus Christ for help, and he went exactly
to the right Person! He also recognized, even though Jesus was hanging on a
Cross, even though He too was dying, that Jesus had a kingdom. The Lord
Jesus responded to this statement of faith by Promising him a place in
Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom, the abode of all Old Testament saints.
Remember, Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and was resurrected in the
Age of Israel.
These two thieves on the cross picture the world today. One believed in
Jesus Christ; and received eternal life. The other rejected Him and continued
to be eternally condemned.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. (John 3:18)
The world is divided by its attitude toward Jesus Christ. Your attitude
toward Him determines your eternal future for Salvation, and after Salvation!
The third phrase
Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of
Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and
Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom
He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, Woman, behold, your son!
(John 19:25-26)
We can imagine the anguish in a mother’s heart, watching her Son slowly
and painfully die. She must have been torn with terrible grief. But Jesus never
called her “mother.” He always addressed her as “woman.” He sought to
emphasize that she was the mother of His humanity, but SHE WAS NOT the
mother of God! Anticipating some of the great dangers that would come in
the future relative to her place in the Plan of God, He was always careful to
avoid the title of “mother.”
Then He said to the disciple, Behold, your mother! From that hour the
disciple took her into his own household. (John 19:27)
Here are the words of responsibility. Jesus Christ did a marvelous and
wonderful thing, separating her from Himself to John, fulfilling the Law, which
said, “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exo 20:12) While He was on
earth, Jesus was very careful to obey the Law in every point. He condemned
the Pharisees who failed to do so. He condemned them on occasions for the
“Corban” gimmick. (Mark 7:10-12) Even in His dying moment, when He was
in the midst of terrible agony and pain. He took time to Think of the one who
was the mother of His humanity and to make provision for her. We see here a
beautiful picture, even in the end, of how Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in
every detail. Every negative as well as positive aspect of the Law was met
by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today we are not under the Law. Christianity begins where the Law
stopped. That does not mean we are to be “lawless.” Jesus, in fulfilling the
Law, made provision for us to move into the mature Spiritual life.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no Law.
(Gal 5:22-23)
The very Thoughts and Virtue of Christ in His humanity can be produced in
us by God the Holy Spirit when He consistently controls our life! We are no
longer under the Law, but under grace. Grace is God’s provision of God the
Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer. God the Holy Spirit controls when the
believer is “filled with God the Holy Spirit” through the use of, (1Jn 1:9).
The fourth phrase
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished,
to fulfill the Scripture, said, I am thirsty. (John 19:28)
It is wonderful to realize how Jesus Christ loved the Scriptures as they
then existed and how His life in His humanity centered in them. Oh, that we
might have the same attitude toward the Scripture! That we might have the
joy and the realization and the reverence, the absorption and the interest that
the Lord Jesus Christ had in the Scripture! The First great lesson from the
fifth phrase is THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD. All of the
information we have concerning the Son of God is found in the Word of God.
(1Co 2:16)
The thirst of Jesus indicates His humanity, for Deity does not thirst. Again
it focuses our attention on the importance of the humanity of Christ, for Deity
alone could not suffer the penalty of sin. These words remind us not only of
His painful physical suffering, but also of the fact that He is man as well as
God.
Further, it is a reminder of the fact that Jesus Christ is our Royal High
Priest forever, for in order to qualify as a Priest, He had to become a man.
As Deity; He cannot be in the priesthood; but as a man, He is the Royal High
Priest. And we as the children of God form a kingdom of royal priests, for
every believer is a priest. (cf. 1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6) You and I as believers in
Jesus Christ have the right to go before the throne of God and offer prayer.
(Heb 4:16) You and I have the right to confess our sins directly to God the
Father in order to get back into fellowship; (1Jn 1:9) because we are royal
priests forever, in the same order, the order of Melchizedek, who was both a
King and a Priest.
The cry, “I thirst,” is also a reminder that Christ is the only Mediator.
(1Ti 2:5) Whoever is the mediator between God and man must be equal with
both parties in the mediation. As the God-man, He is equal with the Father
and with mankind. Therefore, He draws the Father and humanity together.
His humanity testifies to the fact that God the Father keeps His Word.
God the Father Promised unconditionally to David that he would have a Son
who would reign forever. This demanded that God the Son must take upon
Himself true humanity, and that true humanity must be in the royal line of
David. He was truly Man, the Son of David, the fulfillment of that promise, and
He will return to keep that Promise in full. His humanity guarantees that we
have a Savior, a Royal High Priest, a Mediator and a King; the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords, who will return to this earth to reign forever and ever!
The fifth phrase
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ELOI, ELOI, LAMA
SABACHTHANI? which is translated, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU
FORSAKEN ME? (Mark 15:34)
These words, found in Matthew and Mark, as well as in, (Psa 22:1) were
literally screamed. In this cry Jesus Christ made it clear that the other two
Members of the Godhead with whom He had eternal and unbroken fellowship
had to break that fellowship at this moment. Thus we know immediately that
this is the time when Jesus Christ “bore our sins in his own body on the tree.”
(1Pe 2:24) This was the unspeakable agony of the Cross, the Spiritual death
Prophesied in, (Psa 22:1).
The fourth cry indicated that He was being judged for us. God the Father
had to pour out all of His wrath, as a matter of justice, upon God the Son,
while the HUMANITY of Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world. Our sin
separated Him from the other Members of the Godhead, even as we were
separated from them. These words were screamed by the humanity of
Christ. It is impossible for Deity to die. It is impossible for Deity to suffer
Spiritual death. This was the necessity of the virgin birth. God must become a
man in order to pay the penalty of sin, which was Spiritual death. He had to
become a man in order to take our place.
The sixth phrase
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished!
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. [Voluntarily dismissed His
spirit] (John 19:30)
When the Lord Jesus Christ uttered the words “It is finished,” He
evidenced the fact that Salvation was complete. Nothing could be taken away
from it — and above all, nothing could be added to it. It was purely a matter
of GRACE. No one has ever deserved this Salvation, and there never will be
any member of the human race who deserves something as wonderful and as
marvelous and as precious as the blood of Jesus Christ, which, as a
representative analogy of His Spiritual death and judgment, and also cleanses
from all sin. Therefore, when He said, “It is finished,” He made it very clear
that to add anything to the finished work of Salvation is sheer blasphemy!
That is why the Scripture reiterates over and over, “He who believes in the
Son has eternal life.”
Faith is the absence of works; faith is the absence of merit; faith is
dependence entirely on someone else for Salvation. There is no advantage to
human religious activities such as “believe and repent,” “believe and confess,”
“believe and join the church,” “believe and walk down the aisle,” “believe and
be baptized,” “believe and do… do… do!” None of these things make your
Salvation more real, for Jesus Christ said, “IT IS FINISHED!” How dare
anyone add another thing!
There is something else here that is even more important, as far as this
phrase is concerned. The sin problem is solved. Sin is no longer the issue in
the human race. Jesus Christ was judged for our sins. He bore every sin that
has been or ever will be committed. We cannot say to someone today, “You
must give up your sins in order to be saved.” If sin is no longer the issue,
what is the issue? What do you Think of Christ! Will you receive Him as your
Lord and Savior? Will you trust in Him?
At the Last Judgment, the Great White Throne, no one will be judged for
his sins. (Rev 20:12-15) The Scripture is clear to point out that all who stand
there do so because they have rejected Christ. They will be judged according
to their works never according to their sins. The sin problem is once and for
all solved, for sins cannot be judged again. If you reject Him, you must stand
on your own merit. As an unbeliever, you have two appointments — one to
die physically, and one to stand before the Great White Throne and be
judged for your works, which you chose in preference to the work of Christ
on the Cross. “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the
judgment.” (Heb 9:27) At the judgment bar of God, it will be demonstrated
that no amount of human works can measure up to the perfect righteousness
of Christ which a person must have in order to fellowship with Him in eternity.
The only responsibility of the human race, the only means of appropriation, is
personal faith in Jesus Christ — the One who uttered these marvelous words
of grace “It is finished.”
The seventh and last phrase
And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, INTO YOUR
HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT. Having said this, He breathed His last.
(Luk 23:46)
When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross, it was voluntary.
For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I
may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My
own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up
again. This Commandment I received from My Father. (John 10:17-18)
He gave Himself as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world.” (John 1:29) Upon His physical death; His spirit and soul went into
Hades to a compartment known as Paradise, (1Pe 3:18-19) and His body
went into the grave to wait for that glorious moment some three days later
when the body would be rejoined by the soul and the spirit, and Jesus Christ
would rise from the dead — literally and bodily.
The seventh cry was the beginning of the end; and yet the end was a new
beginning, for Jesus Christ would arise from the grave in a resurrection body,
walk among men for a short time, then ascend into the presence of the
Father to sit at His right hand as our great High Priest and make intercession
for us forever! (Heb 1:3; Heb 7:25)
There is a change in the vocative from “My God” of the previous phrase to
“Father.” In addressing Himself to the Father, it is obvious that His work has
been completed and that He is no longer paying the penalty of sin which
elicited the vocative “My God.” The Father has been propitiated by the
Spiritual death and judgment of His Son.
Jesus, through Spiritual death, fulfilled the analogy to the blood sacrifice
of the Old Testament; He was then ready to dismiss His Spirit. All references
to the blood of Christ refer to His Spiritual rather than to His physical death.
The animal on the altar bleeding to death is a reverse analogy to Christ’s
bearing our sins on the Cross. The animal literally bled to death; but was not
literally judged for our sins. Christ was literally judged for our sins; but did not
literally bleed to death. Consequently, (Eph 1:7; Heb 9:22; (1Pe 1:18-19;
Rev 1:5) was fulfilled when Christ’s was judged for our sins!
JESUS CHRIST PROVIDED COMPLETELY FOR OUR PERFECT
SALVATION! He completely finished it. He was judged for your sins and
mine. You can rest assured today that every sin, past, present and future,
was borne in that moment of time, 30 A.D., April, on the Cross. And when He
bore your sins; He settled the sin problem once and for all. To say that you
must do something about your sins — renounce them, feel sorry for them,
confess them, or forsake them — is to detract from the effectiveness of the
atonement on the Cross. It is not your attitude toward sin that saves you; it is
your attitude toward the work of Christ on the Cross that saves. God was
propitiated, or satisfied, when Jesus Christ bore your sins; therefore, the sin
problem is settled. The emphasis must be on the fact that “God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died [Spiritually] for us.” (Rom 5:8)
Immediate results of the cross
The first miracle
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and
the earth shook and the rocks were split. (Matt 27:51)
Immediately following Christ’s death, several miracles took place. The veil
of the Temple hung between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. This veil
was an elaborately woven fabric of seventy-two twisted braids, twenty-four
threads each. It was sixty feet long and thirty feet wide. It was impossible to
tear it with human hands, either from top to bottom or from bottom to top.
God Himself split the veil of the Temple to indicate that the Barrier between
man and God was removed by the work of Christ on the Cross. We know
from a study of the Tabernacle, as well as from the Book of Hebrews, that
the veil represented His body. His humanity; it was by His being torn — by
the death to His will: mind, Judgment of all our sins: soul, cut off from
fellowship: spirit, and the physical death — of the Lord Jesus Christ that
makes it possible for you and me to have fellowship with God in time and in
eternity!
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated [Opened]
for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, (Heb 10:19-20)
That is why Jesus said, I am the way, and the Truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)
The second miracle
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and
the earth shook and the rocks were split. (Matt 27:51)
So great was the earthquake, that rocks were literally split in two.
The third miracle
The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they
entered the holy city and appeared to many. (Matt 27:52-53)
This miracle occurred after the resurrection but was a repercussion of the
Cross. Here is the transfer of the Old Testament saints from Paradise
(Abraham’s Bosom) to the New Paradise in heaven. (Eph 4:8; (2Co 12:4)
Certain saints received their bodies to function as witnesses after the
resurrection of Christ, just as Lazarus had done before the resurrection.
These believers functioned in the same manner as the two witnesses will do
in the Tribulation. (Rev 11:3-12) This is resuscitation rather than resurrection;
for after their ministry of witnessing is completed, they will eventually die and
their bodies will return to the grave, while their soul and spirit will enter into
the presence of the Lord. In the case of a genuine resurrection it is not
necessary to open the graves.
The Salvation of the centurion
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over
Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening,
became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
(Matt 27:54)
The centurion was a soldier, an officer in the Roman army. Officers are
trained to observe, to think logically, and to think logically under pressure. It is
interesting how many times the Bible records the incident of a military man
who received Christ, for example.
And Jesus said to the centurion, Go; it shall be done for you as you have
believed. And the servant was healed that very moment. (Matt 8:13)
In the Book of Acts, a Roman centurion was the first Gentile to have a
church in his home. (Acts 10:1-48)
The religious crowd around the Cross would have nothing to do with the
Son of God; but this centurion, who was in command of all the troops on the
hill, put the religious crowd to shame. He observed that this was no ordinary
crucifixion. The chief priests, scribes and Pharisees ridiculed; but here was a
man who observed the uniqueness of Christ and received Him as Savior.
The centurion was the third person mentioned who was saved on that hill
that day. Only one religious person (And religion was certainly represented)
accepted Christ Simon of Cyrene. There were many immoral people there,
people who enjoyed watching torture, who enjoyed watching someone suffer;
yet only one immoral person was recorded to have accepted the Lord, and
he was a gangster; one of the thieves. Three categories of people live on the
earth, and can all be saved; the religious, the non-religious and the military
man!
The glories of the person of Christ
Nowhere in Scripture is the uniqueness of the Person of Christ so evident
as in the first chapter of the Book of Hebrews. The superiority of the Son of
God and the seven glories of His Person are revealed in this passage. The
author of the Book of Hebrews has purposely chosen to remain anonymous
so that “no man may be seen, except Jesus only,” (Matt 17:8) presenting Him
in all His unique beauty, along with many deeper Thoughts relative to His
Person.
This Epistle begins with the highest and greatest subject in the universe —
God — THE GOD; literally, the only God! There are two Concepts of God:
(1) Essence: God is One; (2) Personality: God is three Persons. In essence
God is ONE sovereignty, righteousness, justice, love, eternal life,
omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability and Veracity! In
personality He is God the Father, (Soul) God the Son, (Body) and God the
Holy Spirit, (Spirit) each a separate and distinct Person, yet possessing
identical characteristics or essence of Deity! Three Persons ONE GOD!
God is 4D as we are four dimensional: Body, soul, spirit and eternal!
(Eph 3:18)
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many
portions and in many ways, (Heb 1:1)
This Verse begins with a relative pronoun referring to God the Father,
who is the Author of the Divine Plan of grace for the human race. There were
different ways in which God revealed Himself in the Old Testament —
through dreams and visions, direct communication, certain types of
ceremonies, the offerings of the sacrifices, the Holy Days, through various
Types, (Such as the Tabernacle and furnishings) and through the written
Word.
During the emergent period of the Old Testament Canon, (“Times past”)
God spoke unto the fathers (Jews of the Old Testament) by means of the
prophets. All the writers of the Old Testament Scriptures had the ministry of
prophet, from Moses right on through to Malachi. God has spoken in only one
way since the Canon of Scripture was completed, and that is through the
Person of Jesus Christ as presented in the Word of God, the “Mind of
Christ.” (1Co 2:16)
In these last days [New Testament Canon] He has Spoken to us in His
Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
world. (Heb 1:2)
In the New Testament, God spoke in one way — THE SON. There are
separate Revelations in the Old Testament. Each Revelation disclosed part of
the Truth. Each generation needed a fresh voice. But now all Truth is set forth
in Christ. The Old Testament dealt in shadow Revelation; but with the First
Advent, the shadows were removed by the Reality: Jesus Christ incarnate!
So for believers NOW; we have the privilege of reading! While the Revelation
of the two Testaments differs in mechanics, the Source is the same — GOD.
All Revelation focuses on Christ!
Heir of all things
In these last days has Spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir
of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Heb 1:2)
The first glory of Christ actually reverts back to eternity past, for it is in
the aorist tense in the Greek, meaning “once and for all appointed.” In
eternity past, long before man or angels were created, Jesus Christ was
made Heir of all things. This is part of the Divine Decrees found in,
(Psa 2:7-8) when in the Plan of the Father; Jesus Christ was appointed Heir
of all things that will survive in the eternal state!
Heirship comes through sonship. Generally speaking, you cannot be an
heir unless you are either the adopted or the real son of someone. Believers
are, by both adoption, (Gal 4:5) and regeneration, (Tit 3:5-7) the sons of God!
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:12)
We are not sons of God because we are born physically into this life. We
are not sons of God because we have joined a church. We are sons of God
because we are born again; and the only way to be born again is to receive
Jesus Christ personally as Lord and Savior. (John 3:3; John 3:15)
And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if
indeed we suffer with Him [By not living by the old sin nature] so that we may
also be glorified with Him. (Rom 8:17)
To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not
fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of
God through faith [Spiritual life] for a salvation [Deliverance] ready to be
revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a
little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that
the proof of your faith, [Spiritual life] being more precious than gold which is
perishable, even though tested by fire, [Adversity and prosperity] [That our
Spiritual life] may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ. (1Pe 1:4-5)
It is my privilege to tell you that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you
have trusted Him for your Salvation, you are an heir of God; you are the heir
of an inheritance which is incorruptible, which can never be changed and
which can never be taken away from you, no matter who tries. You have an
eternal inheritance — all because of a relationship with the Person of Jesus
Christ. The opening phrase of the seven glories of the Person of Christ
reminds us of this marvelous and wonderful fact. At the moment of Salvation,
God the Holy Spirit put us into union with Christ, (1Co 12:13) thus bringing us
into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Father through Him.
Union with Christ is the basis for this relationship.
Christ as the Heir of all things also reminds us that Christianity is not a
religion! Religion is man’s seeking the approbation of God by his works; but
Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP with God, apart from works. Christianity is
what God has done for sinful man, not what man can do for God! Everything
necessary to bring sinful man into a relationship with a holy God has been
provided in full through the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross. If you
have trusted in Jesus Christ, you are an heir of God, a Spiritual millionaire!
You have riches which cannot be removed or taken away from you, and you
can face life with true orientation and perspective. You can have the
assurance that your life; NOW has a purpose, no matter who you are, what
you are or where you are.
Has this been a difficult week for you? Have you had problems or troubles
and difficulties? I must remind you that there will be many more before you
depart from this earth; but as an heir of God, your life has definition and
meaning! When you learn to appropriate what God has for you, you can face
the difficulties of this life with the proper perspective: GOD’S! You will know
that as a result of trusting in Jesus Christ, you are connected with an event
which took place in eternity past, our appointment to heirship! As Jesus Christ
was appointed in eternity past, so we are appointed by reason of the fact
that we are in union with Him. Our position IN CHRIST dates back into
eternity past when God the Father said to God the Son, “I ordain that
everyone who believes in You will have everlasting life!” (Acts 13:48)
Heirship is based upon the death of another. The death of the Lord Jesus
Christ on the Cross provided the basis for our heirship. We inherit from God
because Jesus Christ paid the penalty of our sins.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us. (Psa 103:12)
I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own
sake, And I will not remember your sins. (Isa 43:25)
We are heirs right now heirs because of the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ; heirs because we have received Him as Lord and Savior and have
been made sons of God through faith in Him; heirs because of a relationship;
heirs because of regeneration; heirs because of our union with the Person of
Jesus Christ!
Blueprinter of the ages
In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir
of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Heb 1:2)
This is not only referring to the universe and the galaxies about us, but to
the Dispensations; or ages designed by God for time. It is true that the Lord
Jesus Christ created the universe, as we shall see in, (Col 1:16) and in,
(Heb 1:10) but here the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who “blueprinted the
ages.” Paul talks about “ages past” in, (Eph 3:5) as well as in, (Col 1:26) in,
(Eph 2:7) he mentions “ages to come.” From these we know that we live in
“an age.”
Even though you may not be familiar with these Dispensations, they DO
exist. A Dispensation is a period or category of human history expressed in
terms of Divine revelation. Dispensations constitute the DIVINE VIEWPOINT
of history. God is working out His will through these periods of history; so
regardless of whether we understand them or not, they do exist and there is
a Divine Plan, even for time. God the Father, the Author of the Plan, designed
the Dispensations around the Person of Christ.
There is a purpose for everything that happens! There is a reason for our
existence; there is a reason why today every believer is a royal priest, why
every believer is indwelt by the Lord Jesus Christ as well as by God the Holy
Spirit; why every believer has been made an ambassador for Christ. This is a
complete study in itself. Each age demonstrates to the human race, that the
only solution to man’s problems; are in the Lord Jesus Christ! He not only
blueprinted ages past and ages to come, but is Himself the focal point of
every age!
There are many lessons to be learned from the various Dispensations.
One is that perfect environment is not the solution to man’s problems. How
many times have you said, “If we just had perfect environment, if we just had
this, or that, then everything would be wonderful!” As a matter of fact, this is
often the approach of politicians today. Sooner or later they promise the
“chicken in every pot” gimmick: more Social Security for the aged; more
unemployment insurance for the unemployed; better conditions for everyone.
Man today continually strives for so many things because he has been
brainwashed by satanic thinking into believing that improved environment will
make him happy. That is as untrue as anything can be!
Even though this nation is on the decline today, we still have a wonderful
environment; yet the people are not happy. They are not satisfied. Suicides,
drug addiction, pornography, alcoholism and the occult (Demonism) are at an
all-time high! The more material prosperity people gain, the less happiness
they seem to have. The standard of living is higher here than in any other part
of the globe, (For the majority of the population) and perhaps in any other
time in history; yet there is little real happiness, for happiness does not come
from the things that we possess. Happiness does not come from our
association with people. Happiness does not come from the stimulation of
praise and or approval. Happiness comes in ONLY ONE WAY, and that is by
A PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER through God the Holy
Spirit and Jesus Christ our Lord God; and by Thinking with the grace
provision of Truth!
In the first part of the Age of the Gentiles, the period of perfection, there
was perfect environment, but it did not satisfy man. Perfect environment does
not bring man closer to God. Under the worst conditions the world will ever
know — the extreme violence of the Tribulation; the most difficult and
hazardous of all times; and under the best conditions the world will ever know
— the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ over a world of perfect environment —
men will still turn their backs on the Lord. Regardless of external conditions,
man will always have the free will to accept or reject God’s solution to his
internal desolation; His Son, Jesus Christ and growth to Spiritual maturity!
The essence of God
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His power. When He had made
purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
(Heb 1:3)
We know from, (John 1:18; John 6:46; (1Ti 6:16; (1Jn 4:12) that no one
has ever seen God the Father. All we know about the Godhead, we know
through the Person of Jesus Christ, for He is the manifestation of the
Godhead.
The words “unapproachable light” means the effulgence, or shining forth
— Jesus Christ is the “shining forth” of God. Actually, this particular Greek
word for “shining forth” is a technical term denoting radiation in the sense of
light from an original source, which increases as it moves out into space. A
“flashing forth” might better describe the word. In like manner, the more we
know about the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater His glory becomes. Glory
refers to His Divine essence, (As in Rom 3:23) Christ is, therefore, the
“flashing forth” of Divine essence.
The revealer of God
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His power. When He had made
purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
(Heb 1:3)
“Exact representation” is literal because He is the exact image of God; He
is the Revealer of God. What we know about the Father, we know from
Christ, God’s love, His grace, and His judgment; and this can only be known
through the Person of Jesus Christ, the visible Member of the Godhead.
The Sustainer of the universe
Here is an amazing thing: not only is He the Revealer of God, but in the
same verse, it declares that He is the Sustainer of the universe. This poses
quite a problem. If you know much about the universe, you are aware that
numerous galaxies, hundreds of thousands of solar bodies, the planets and
stars exist; and if you realize that there are literally billions of them spaced
millions of light years apart, all moving at rapid rates of speed, and then you
are cognizant of the tremendous traffic problem in space.
What keeps them from colliding? What keeps this universe from utter
chaos? The more you know about outer space, the more you realize that
Someone must have His finger on the traffic pattern; Someone must hold all
of this together and that Someone is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is further discussed in, (Col 1:17) “...by Him all things are held together.”
If it were not for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sustaining us through the law of
gravity on this globe, we would not be able to stay on the ground. We would
float around in space, as the astronauts have demonstrated. Yet more than
just sustaining the universe, Jesus Christ is sustaining US!
See now that I, I am He, And there is no God besides Me; It is I who put
to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no
one who can deliver from My hand! (Deut 32:39)
The Redeemer of Mankind
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made
purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
(Heb 1:3)
This is the most marvelous and astounding of all the glories of Christ! How
is it that the One who created the universe, the One who is the Revealer of
God, the One who is the Sustainer of the universe, the One who is
omnipresent and omnipotent, this great God, the eternal King, the everlasting
Sovereign, could come to this earth and take upon Himself the form of inferior
man? Why did He become humanity? Why did He become incarnate? There
could be only one answer — because His integrity compelled Him to do so!
God’s integrity, or holiness, is composed of His righteousness and justice.
Righteousness demands righteousness; justice demands justice. What
righteousness demands, justice executes! There was a way for man to be
saved from the condemnation of sin, and Christ, out of love for His own
integrity, executed the Father’s perfect Plan for our Salvation! Adam’s sin had
catapulted the human race into Spiritual death; Christ became flesh to pay
the penalty for sin and to offer man eternal life! Justice had condemned man;
Christ was judged by the justice of God for our sins, so that God would be
free to justify all who believe in His Son!
The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the
one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many
transgressions [Imputed and judged in Christ] resulting in justification.
(Rom 5:16)
Those who have accepted His substitutionary sacrifice have the positive
assurance that there is no Lake of Fire judgment for them. “There is . . . no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1) Since Jesus
Christ has done all the WORK necessary, all that is required of us to
appropriate Salvation is faith. Any other means would be an insult to the Son
of God. To add anything to faith would be equivalent to saying that His work
was not effective, that it was not sufficient. The only thing man does for
Salvation is believe, accept what the Savior has already done for him, and by
doing so, Jesus Christ receives the glory!
The glorified humanity of Christ
. . .[He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb 1:3)
When Jesus Christ sat down; He was not sitting down as God. It is true
that Jesus Christ is God, and as God He is omnipresent hence, always in the
presence of the Father. He has eternal fellowship with the Father and with
God the Holy Spirit and is coequal with them. There was never a time when
the Father, Son and Spirit, in the essence of their Deity, did not exist or did
not have fellowship together; but the One who sat down at the right hand of
the Father was different from the Father and different from the Spirit!
When He sat down in the Throne Room, He had just come from earth
where He had provided our Salvation. And in order to provide this Salvation,
there had to be some changes in God the Second Person. These changes
encompass what we call the Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union. Eternal God
had to become true humanity. It was man who sinned — it must be man who
pays the penalty of sin! Who was qualified in all of humanity to pay the
penalty of sin? All of those in Adam’s race (And we are all in Adam’s race)
are born Spiritually dead. We are all born with three strikes against us —
imputed sin (The sin of Adam imputed to the human race — Rom 5:18) the
sin nature (Inherited from Adam; Rom 5:12) and personal sin. Therefore,
none of us is qualified to purchase our own freedom from the slave market of
sin or to cleanse anyone else from sin!
The greatest and most magnanimous person who ever lived is not
qualified. None of the religious teachers, many of whom today are the objects
of worship throughout the world, is qualified to pay the penalty of sin. Not one
of them is qualified to bring us into the presence of God. Only Jesus Christ is
qualified, for in His humanity He was without sin — personal, imputed or
inherent! Jesus Christ was and IS perfect! He went to the Cross as a perfect
man. He died there for you and for me as a sinless man! (2Co 5:21) Yes,
Jesus Christ is different — He IS God and He IS man in One Person forever!
He is different from all other members of the human race because of His
Deity; and He is also different from the other Members of the Godhead
because of His humanity.
The greatest issue this world has ever known is: did this Jesus, who died
on the Cross, rise from the dead? The Salvation of the human race depends
on the answer. The Word of God settles it once and for all — yes, He did —
literally and physically! (Luk 24:39) His work on the Cross was vindicated in
the eyes of the Father by His resurrection. But that was not the end of it.
Essential as the Cross and resurrection were, important as it was for Him to
be seen after the resurrection, yet even this was not sufficient; for until A
MAN can stand in the presence of God, no member of the human race can
stand in the presence of God!
All those who had trusted in the Son of God before His Incarnation and
who had indicated their trust by offering the animal sacrifices and by the
shedding of blood, were looking forward to the historic fulfillment of their
shadow worship. They were looking forward to that day when Jesus Christ
would die on the Cross, when He would hang there and bear our sins,
satisfying the perfect character and perfect righteousness of God by His
death, when He would rise from the dead and be acceptable to God the
Father as a man. A man must stand in the presence of God the Father, and
that man must be acceptable to God the Father. Therefore, forty days after
His resurrection, Jesus Christ stood upon the Mount of Olives, and bid His
disciples good-by, and departed from this earth to ascend into the presence
of the Father. While the disciples were still looking up, angels descended
from heaven with a message.
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were
looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were
gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white
clothing stood beside them. They also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into
heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into
heaven.
(Acts 1:9-11)
So the disciples were given that word of comfort by angels; but in the
meantime, Jesus Christ in resurrection body was passing through the realm
of Satan, “the prince of the power of the air.” (Eph 2:2) As the God-Man, He
was facing a very serious crisis, for on that occasion Satan undoubtedly put
his entire demonic organization into the fight, doing everything in his power to
keep Christ from coming into the presence of the Father. Today we live in an
age when Christians do not understand the importance of the Bible and the
Thoughts of Scripture; but it is very clear that Satan understood, for there is
little doubt that he exerted tremendous pressure to keep the Son of God from
moving toward the Throne Room. We do not know how long it took, perhaps
just a second, or maybe longer, but Jesus Christ arrived, victorious! Heaven
was opened wide, the Father ushered Jesus Christ into His presence, and
said, “SIT DOWN!” GOOD JOB!
But to which of the angels has He ever said, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET?
(Heb 1:13)
The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand Until I make Your
enemies a footstool for Your feet. (Psa 110:1)
When the Father said, “Sit down” to Jesus Christ, He was not saying it to
His undiminished Deity, but to His humanity. By reason of the fact that Deity is
omnipresent and neither sits nor stands, we know that it was the humanity of
Christ which was told to sit down. This was the first time in the history of the
universe that a man was ever told to SIT in the presence of the holy, just and
righteous God! Do you see the significance of this dramatic moment? Do you
recognize how important it was that the Father said, “Sit down at My right
hand”? This is complete acceptance! This is the conclusion of the Doctrine of
propitiation. This is the Father saying, “I am satisfied with This MAN!” The
acceptance of Jesus Christ as a man meant the acceptance of His sacrifice,
and therefore, the acceptance of all those who seek entrance into the
presence of the Father through Christ!
The superiority of Christ
Having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a
more excellent name than they. (Heb 1:4)
Having presented in one succinct sentence the transcendent glory of the
Person of Christ, (Heb 1:3) this passage goes on to develop His superiority.
The angelic creation is used as the norm, for they are the highest of all
created beings. God is superior to angels. Man was created vastly inferior,
but becomes positionally higher than angels at the point of Salvation through
union with Christ. (Seated at the right hand of the Father) And experientially
higher at Spiritual maturity. (Thinking with the Mind of Christ and the Virtue of
God the Holy Spirit!) And physically; when Church Age believers receive their
resurrection bodies! Although angels were created superior to the human
race, in the realm of His humanity Jesus Christ BECAME superior to angels
by means of His ascension and session at the right hand of the Father. In His
glorified body He has obtained, or inherited a better name, a supremacy of
character over angels, because the Father said to Jesus, “Sit down at my
right hand.” We as believers are joint-heirs with the Son; and also inherit the
supremacy of Christ.
(Heb 1:5-13) reveals seven ways in which Christ is superior to angels.
Superior in His relationship
Or to which of the angels did He ever say, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I
HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU? And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE
SHALL BE A SON TO ME? (Heb 1:5)
This is a quotation from, (Psa 2:7) and is part of the eternal decrees,
which were a declaration made by God the Father in eternity past. “Son” is
used in the New Testament only for Christ as a Member of the human race,
and for those regenerate members of the human race in union with Him, who
is the Body of Christ. Although angels are collectively known as “sons of
God” in the plural, (Gen 6:2; Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 38:7) they are never
individually or personally called “a son.”
For to which of the angels did He ever say, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I
HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU? And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE
SHALL BE A SON TO ME? (Heb 1:5)
The last half of this verse is a quotation from. (2Sa 7:14) We understand
that the words “father” and “son” form a part of the language of
accommodation. They are words of relationship in the human race, and while
they do not adequately express relationship between the First and Second
Persons of the Trinity, they do give us some idea. The First Person is the
Father, the Second Person, the Son. In eternity past, when Salvation was
prepared and the First Person made the Second Person the Heir of all things,
this statement in, (Heb 1:5) is one of the things He said. It established the
fact for us that there is a relationship between the First and Second Persons
of the Trinity.
This means that we also can have a relationship with the First Person of
the Trinity on the basis of relationship with Jesus Christ. We were entered
into union with the Son of God by faith in Him, and as the Father and the Son
are One, so we are one with the Son and with the Father. (cf. John 17:19-24)
We now have a relationship with God the Father, the First Person of the
Trinity, because of our position in Christ Jesus!
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; [New Nature] the
old things [Old sin nature’s control] passed away; behold, new things have
come. [New Thoughts and Virtue; we just have to learn to use Them]
(2Co 5:17)
To the praise of the glory of His grace, [Generosity] which He freely
bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Eph 1:6)
Time after time we are brought face to face with this phrase, and always
it refers to our union with Him. It further demonstrates to us that Christianity is
not a religion. Christianity is a relationship with a Person — the Son of God!
Superior in His second advent
And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, AND LET
ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM. (Heb 1:6)
“When He again brings the firstborn into” [The author of Hebrews is
quoting, (Psa 97:7) refers to the Second Advent. The Greek word indicates
someone brought back into something; hence, Christ is brought back into the
world by the Father. When Christ is brought back into the world at the
Second Advent, mature believers will be brought with Him. (Heb 1:13;
Rev 17:14) In the Greek this means an event in the future certain to come,
but the time of the event is unknown.
There are three points connected with “the firstbegotten” or “the firstborn.”
(1) Rulership or sovereignty; Christ is the Ruler of the family of God.
(2) Priesthood; Christ is the Royal High Priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek.
(3) The double portion; Christ is the Heir of all things, including two
regenerate kingdoms: the Kingdom of Old Testament saints (The regenerate
of Israel) and the Church.
“He says” — God the Father Commands that all the elect angels will
worship Christ at the Second Advent because “operation footstool” will be
completed, (Fallen angels will be removed from the earth and Satan bound)
and the angelic conflict will be suspended.
Superior in His ministry
And of the angels He says. He makes the winds His messengers, [Of
blessing] Flaming fire His ministers. [Of discipline] (Psa 104:4) But of the Son
He says. YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE
RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM. (Psa 45:6)
Quoted in, (Heb 1:7-8).
Angels are servants of God, as indicated by the word “ministers.” As
servants of God, they are also used to administer blessings and judgment.
“But” (Verse 8) introduces a contrast between Christ as sovereign and the
angels as servants. Jesus Christ, by becoming the Servant of Jehovah,
actually became superior to the servants in the angelic realm. Angels are
servants, but Christ has a throne. As a Man, Christ has the Davidic throne. At
the right hand of the Father, Christ is Ruler over the Church. When God, the
First Person, addressed God, the Second Person, He addressed Him as
Deity! Jesus Christ is God! And this was addressed to Jesus Christ after He
became flesh and dwelt among us — He is called God! Christ rules forever,
while elect angels serve forever. And just as Jesus Christ reigns forever, so
Spiritually mature believers will reign with Him. (Rev 3:21)
In His humanity He was “a scepter of righteousness” perfect
righteousness. This is the Doctrine of Impeccability. The perfect
righteousness of Christ is contrasted to the unrighteousness of Satan, who
attempts to rule the world. Satan’s world policy, first represented by the tree
in the Garden, is human moral and immoral degeneracy: evil. (Gen 2:17) His
“good” — religion, socialism, altruism, etc. — is actually evil, and in promoting
the improvement of his domain he seeks to displace God and create a
counterfeit “millennium” before Christ returns. The misery and depravity in the
world are not by the devil’s design; sin is an embarrassment to him. They
prove his inability to execute his plan, and he is doomed to failure because he
disregards the Reality of God’s Plan and opposes; THE THINKING OF
CHRIST! TRUTH!
Superior in His appointment
YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS [Being filled with God the Holy
Spirit and Thinking with Truth] AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; [Satan’s
thinking] THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE
OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS. (Heb 1:9)
While the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth in the flesh; He always
chose the righteous Plan of God the Father rather than the iniquitous plan of
Satan! As revealed by the Satanic temptations of, (Matt 4:1-11) the plan of
Satan was to persuade the incarnate Christ to act independently of the Father’
s Plan to bypass the Cross and take the crown. (As Satan is still offering US
today) In God’s Plan, the Cross must come before the crown. But because
Jesus Christ “set His face like a flint,” (Isa 50:4-10) and would not be moved
from the Plan of the Cross; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS
ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR
COMPANIONS. [Maximum Spiritual happiness]
During the ministry of Christ on earth, God the Holy Spirit indwelt His
humanity. Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His own Divine
attributes, depending completely upon the power of God the Holy Spirit to
perform miracles and to live in a manner as a man, pleasing to God. He used
His omniscience, but not to benefit Himself. He was empowered “ABOVE HIS
COMPANIONS..” Having the same God the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we can
be empowered and controlled by the “Oil of Gladness” also!
Superior as creator
Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your
hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out
like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.
(Psa 102:25-27) Quotation from, (Heb 1:10-12)
All that you can see, as well as all that you cannot see, came into
existence by the Lord Jesus Christ! (Isa 44:24; John 1:3; Col 1:16)
Furthermore, it says that they came into existence by His hands. It was His
hands that created the universe; it was His hands that moved, and everything
came into being.
Yet those same hands were nailed on Calvary’s Cross that you and I
might have life eternal! I cannot explain it! It is AMAZING GRACE! How could
Jesus Christ do that for me? How could the hand that created the universe be
nailed to Calvary’s Cross? Jesus Himself cried, “They have pierced My hands
and my feet!” He did it because He loved you and me! Jesus Christ had an
appointment with death so that you and I might have life. Every member of
the human race has an appointment with death. Christ kept His appointment.
Will you?
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes
judgment, (Heb 9:27)
If you accept Christ’s judgment as a substitute for your own; BEFORE
you die, you will never have to keep the appointment to judgment AFTER you
die!
Superior in His character
Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a
garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
(Psa 102:26) Quoted in, (Heb 1:11).
After the Millennial reign of Christ the heavens in their present form will be
destroyed. (Matt 24:35; (2Pe 3:12-13; Rev 20:11; Rev 21:1)
But the Lord Jesus Christ IS “the same, yesterday, today and forever.”
(Heb 13:8) As clothes wear out, so shall creation; but not the Lord Jesus
Christ. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psa 90:2)
AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT
THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR
YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END." [Quotation from Psa 102:27)
(Heb 1:12)
A time is coming when the universe as we know it now will be destroyed;
and the Lord Jesus Christ will bring a new one into existence! Nature is at the
mercy of Christ, but He is never at the mercy of nature. “For I the Lord, do
not change!” (Mal 3:6)
Superior in His position
But to which of the angels has He ever said, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET?
(Heb 1:13)
The answer is — none! Since He did not say this to any of the angels,
here is almost a paradox. Man is an inferior creation to angels, but Jesus
Christ THE MAN is superior to angels. We know this because the Father
never said to any angel, “Sit on my right hand.” He said it to a man the Lord
Jesus Christ.
“On My right hand” is the place of highest honor. Christ the MAN is placed
above the angels — the most dramatic moment in the history of the universe,
for the angelic conflict was won by Jesus Christ, THE MAN. (cf. 1Pe 3:22) He
is to sit there until the Second Advent, at which time “operation footstool” will
be completed. His enemies, Satan and all fallen angels, will be removed from
the earth, (Zec 13:2; Col 2:15; (1Co 15:24-25) paving the way for the perfect
environment of the Millennium.
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake
of those who will inherit Salvation? (Heb 1:14)
Angels, who were created superior to us, now minister to those who are
believers in Christ! Because of our position in Christ, in union with Him,
because we are heirs with Him, the angels who were once superior to us are
now inferior. The angels serve us, even as we serve Jesus Christ.
That introduces a most interesting subject — the Doctrine of the Guardian
Angel. This passage indicates that every believer has at least one guardian
angel. I do not know about you, but there are times when I would like to
converse with my guardian angel. I am going to have a talk with him some
day in heaven. I would like to find out how many “close shaves” I have had
that I was not even aware of. It should prove to be very interesting!
The Kingdom of God
The Superiority of Christ and its many ramifications are manifest
throughout the entire Book of Hebrews. But let’s move now to a closely
related portion of Scripture, (Col 1:12-20) which reveals the exaltation of
Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the preeminent Ruler over the Kingdom of
God.
Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the
inheritance of the saints in Light. (Col 1:12)
Union with Christ is the foundation for every Spiritual blessing in the
Christian life and is the basis on which we become children of God the
Father. “You are all the children of God BY FAITH in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26)
There is no such thing as the universal Fatherhood of God (In relationship; but
is true in origin) or the universal brotherhood of man! “Giving thanks unto the
Father” is for believers only, and as believers we have much for which to be
thankful. Jesus Christ is the “Heir of all things,” (Heb 1:2) and by reason of
our Salvation, the Father qualifies us to be partners in His inheritance.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son. (Col 1:13)
In addition to qualifying us for a share in Christ’s inheritance, the Father is
able to take people from one kingdom (The kingdom of darkness — Spiritual
death) and transfer them into another Kingdom. (The Kingdom of Christ —
Spiritually alive and members of the family of God) Russia in a sense has
tried the same thing. They have taken people from one nationality and
transplanted them in another place in an attempt to completely change their
pattern of thinking and behavior. But you cannot change individual
characteristics begun at birth. That is the point here: you cannot completely
transform a person WITHOUT BIRTH. We are transferred to a new Kingdom
by a NEW BIRTH.
We were born physically under the authority of darkness — insecurity,
confusion, instability, uncertainty and fear. There is no fellowship with God in
the kingdom of darkness — only Spiritual death. (Separation from God) “All
have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) Sin is darkness
and the penalty for sin is Spiritual death. Jesus Christ paid the penalty at the
Cross in order that we might be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness.
There is no happiness in this kingdom. Unbelievers and believers living in
carnality are constantly seeking new ways for obtaining happiness. How
tragic it all is, for there is no way to find lasting happiness in the kingdom of
darkness! Yet today, as always, while millions of people are struggling for
peace or power or for the approbation of men, all they succeed in doing is to
grasp at straws and they are miserable! But when one trusts in Jesus Christ,
he is immediately translated out of that miserable darkness into a new
Kingdom, and his whole outlook starts to change. You can begin to see
where this is the basis for the continuation of thanksgiving.
If you can understand the aorist tense of “transferred us,” as well as the true
meaning of this verb in the Greek, you can understand eternal life without
ever going to another passage. We are transferred “once and for all,” which
means that we cannot be transferred back again. The Greek word also
conveys the idea of removing people from their native land and putting them
in a colony which is in a better location not Siberia! So we have been
transferred once and for all out of our native state of sin and place of no
fellowship with God into a perfect place, a perfect Kingdom, where we have
the righteousness of God credited to our account; where we possess eternal
life; where our sins, past, present and future, have been blotted out, removed
by the Son of God on the Cross; where we are sure of a resurrection body;
where we are certain of living in His presence; and as mature believers
reigning with the King of Kings forever and ever; where we can be sure of
peace and power and stability and security in this life as well! We have been
transferred out of a situation that is hopeless and desperate to a status that
is wonderful and secure! It is called literally, “the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
As long as there has ever been anything in existence (And there has
always been God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) the First
Person has loved the Second Person. God the Father has loved God the Son
eternally. He has always been the focal point of His love; the infinite love of
the Father has always been poured out upon His Son. This Kingdom into
which we have been transferred is a Kingdom of regenerate creatures in
union with Christ.
Being in union with Christ means that we are the recipients of the same
Divine love that has always existed on the part of the Father for His Son. This
Kingdom is position in Christ or union with Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has
said, “I in you and you in Me.” (John 14:20) We are IN CHRIST, and this is
the NEW KINGDOM; this is Christianity; this is the Church. Here it is called a
Kingdom. And it is called “the kingdom of His beloved Son,” because the
primary factor in that Kingdom, the primary basis of assurance, the basis of
every Promise, the basis of every marvelous thing we have from the Lord, is
the fact that we are the objects of the same love that has always existed; the
eternal love of the Father for the Son; and that is the kind of love that is
directed toward us. Since that kind of love is directed toward us from the
Father, even if we did not have the thousands of Promises in the Word, even
if we did not have the Truth which we do have, we would still know that our
life has a purpose, that our future is secure and that nothing can ever change
it!
The King of Kings
We might very well wonder how it is possible for the Father to transfer us
into such a marvelous Kingdom. The answer is found in the nature of the King
of Kings. Beginning with (Col 1:14) we have several facts concerning the
incomparable, preeminent Person of the King of Kings.
The Redeemer
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:14)
To be the Redeemer, Jesus Christ had to come to this earth; He had to
become the Last Adam. He came as a perfect man through the virgin birth.
The sin nature, or “old self,” (Col 3:9) originated with Adam and is passed
down through the man; therefore, to be born without the sin nature, one must
be born without a human father. The virgin-born Son of God is the ONLY
Person who has ever lived upon the face of this earth since Adam sinned,
who was a perfect, sinless Man, and therefore, under the Truth of
redemption, a free Man. He was the only Person who was not born in the
slave market of sin, and therefore, the only Person qualified to purchase the
freedom of the slaves on the inside.
Only a free man can free a slave, and the only FREE MAN is Jesus
Christ. He came as a free man, He went to the Cross as a free man, and as
a sinless man bore our sins. He paid in full for every sin we could ever
commit. Those who accept His ransom can now be in a new Kingdom
because He purchased their freedom. We are free from the bondage of sin.
We have been transferred as those who are free men because Jesus Christ
paid for our freedom. We are therefore in a new Kingdom today because the
King of Kings is our Redeemer.
Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or
gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with
precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
(1Pe 1:18-19)
The visible image of God
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Col 1:15)
Here is the remarkable character of Jesus Christ; Deity and humanity in
One Person! The first phrase asserts His Deity, while the second is an
expression of His humanity. He is said to be “the EXACT image of the
invisible God.” The absence of the definite article calls attention to and
emphasizes the nature of the person. Thus, it declares emphatically and
unequivocally that JESUS CHRIST IS ETERNAL GOD, coequal with the
Father and coequal with the Spirit. He is exactly the same in essence;
(Col 1:15) perfect in His Deity, and subsequently when He completed the new
nature by reaching Spiritual maturity; then He became the first born of the
new creation in resurrection body; the exact image of the Thinking and Virtue
of God!
All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows
the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son,
and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Matt 11:27)
The Creator of the universe
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all
things have been created through Him and for Him. (Col 1:16)
Jesus Christ is omnipotent and omniscient, the One responsible for
creating the original universe. His fingers moved, and everything came into
existence.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and
the stars, which You have ordained; (Psa 8:3)
He created everything from the individual atoms to galaxies of stars with
the snap of His fingers. The aorist tense tells us that it was accomplished in a
moment of time less than a second. But when it came to providing our
Salvation, the Scripture declares that this was “arm” work. (Isa 59:16) The
creation of the universe was as nothing in comparison! In (Isa 53:1) we read,
“Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?” the “Arm of the Lord” is a Messianic title in connection with our
Salvation. It was arm work to go to the Cross and die for us. If He had the
power to create the universe by snapping His fingers, and if He were able to
accomplish the even greater work of Salvation, then certainly He has the
power to provide a new creation, a Kingdom of born-again believers, and to
continue that Kingdom forever and ever! (So He must be able to supply our
daily needs!)
In the second occurrence of the word “created” in, (Col 1:16) the tense
changes to the perfect tense: “created in the past with results that go on
forever.” Actually in this tense the universe becomes an exhibit or an evidence
of the power and might of the King of Kings. It was created by Him and “for
Him,” to bring many angels and humans into His family; to love Him and to be
loved by Him!
The Sustainer of the universe
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:17)
Jesus Christ sustains the universe! When you understand this tremendous
Principle, you can see that scientific laws cannot be true laws because
science has no way of enforcing them or even guaranteeing that they will
continue to operate! Science is merely an observation of the consistency of
Jesus Christ. But Scripture affirms that the universe with its matter, energy
and laws will not always exist. (2Pe 3:12-13; Rev 20:11) Known scientific
laws depend entirely on the omnipotence and immutability of God. Every text
on the pattern of the universe and the “Laws of Science” is a Treatise on the
faithfulness of Christ who holds all things together “by the word of His power”
(Heb 1:3)
His reason for holding all the galaxies in their places, for keeping the
traffic of the universe on its course, is so that He “might bring many sons into
glory.” (Heb 2:10) So that grace might run its full course, Jesus is keeping the
universe together. The laws of the universe define God’s faithfulness in time.
They can be changed, overruled or removed and have been. Only the
Promises of the Word are absolutely unchangeable. God has not Promised to
maintain the universe in its present state; but the believer in Jesus Christ
under the Promises of God will survive the destruction of the universe. Thus,
scientific laws are simply the faithfulness of Jesus Christ holding back eternity
so that the human race will have the opportunity to appropriate the grace of
God at the point of the Cross. The completion of the Plan of God will bring
glory to God forever!
Did you ever stop to think that while the humanity of Christ was bearing
our sins on Calvary’s Cross the Deity of Christ was still controlling the
universe? Otherwise, the millions of stars and planets would have simply
disintegrated. Tremendous, isn’t it? Do you begin to see something of the
One to whom you and I are related? It makes us realize how great and how
wonderful our Redeemer really is. Nothing is too great for Him. “With Him,
nothing shall be impossible” (Luk 1:37)
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from
the womb, I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the
heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone! (Isa 44:24)
The Ruler of the church
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in
everything. (Col 1:18)
Verse 18 presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the sovereign Ruler of the
Church and sets forth a threefold description of His rulership.
(1) The Head of the Body. The Church, referring here to the Universal
Church, (Rom 12:5; (1Co 12:12-13; Eph 1:22-23; Eph 5:23) made up of all
believers in Jesus Christ, is often described as a body, because the body has
function and action. The human body also produces power; and in carrying
out the analogy, the Body of Christ, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit,
has power and impact for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The head is the area where the brain is located, and while the body has
function and motion, coordination and power, each of these depends upon
certain parts of the brain — not only the right and left lobes, but the motor
parts of the brain as well. In like manner, Jesus Christ, as the Ruler of the
Church, sets up the policy and provides the power whereby the body
functions to the glory of God.
(2) The Origin of the Church. Jesus Christ is called, literally, “the beginning
Who IS the beginning.” The word for “beginning” here means “origin.” Christ is
the origin of the Church through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and
session. These formed the foundation for the Church.
(3) The Firstborn from the Dead. We have already seen that “firstborn”
denotes three responsibilities and privileges of leadership: sovereignty,
priesthood, heirship or the double portion. By resurrection, the humanity of
Christ became the sovereign Ruler of the Church, emphasizing His ministry of
intercession for the saints. And He became the Heir of the new Spiritual
creation, in the sense of providing for the existence of the royal priesthood;
as a regenerate kingdom which will always exist.
The King of Kings preeminent
(Col 1:18) concludes with a purpose clause: “that in all things He might
have the preeminence.” In the Plan of God it is the purpose of the Father for
the Lord Jesus Christ to have the place of preeminence. “Preeminence” is
translated as a noun, but it is actually a present active participle, meaning
“the one who holds first place.” It was used to describe athletes who had
won the various events at the Olympic, Pythian, Isthmian or Nemean games,
which were the great athletic events of the ancient world. The winners were
those “who held first place.” It was also occasionally used to describe the
mayor of a city or a ruler of a country. It is used here for the Lord Jesus
Christ, the One who constantly holds first place.
The Scripture declares Jesus Christ to be preeminent. But whether or not
He is preeminent in the life of the individual believer depends upon the growth
level called: “Occupation with the Person of Jesus Christ.” The believer who
is not growing and or not Occupied with Christ, is a very miserable person,
no matter who he is or what he has. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ and you have your eyes on yourself, you are guaranteed misery. A
close companion of “eyes on self” is “eyes on other people.” These two
usually coordinate and run together! (Rev 22:15)
If you have your eyes on yourself, you also have a tendency to get your
eyes on other people, for you interpret people in the light of your sensitivity.
Too many believers are ultra-sensitive to what other people think and
consequently are utterly and totally miserable. You will never have strength,
power, or blessing until you come to the place of Occupation with Christ, until
He is truly the One who holds first place in your life! Furthermore, the moment
you get your eyes on self and begin to feel sorry for yourself or to magnify
yourself, the moment you get your eyes on people and get upset whenever
someone crosses you, the moment you get your eyes on things and or
circumstances, then you have become vulnerable for Satanic attack.
How may you as a believer become Occupied with Christ so that He
constantly holds first place in your life? First, Occupation with Christ is based
on knowledge of Truth. You can neither know nor love Jesus Christ unless
you know Truth and are filled with God the Holy Spirit! (John 4:23-24) These
two things are prerequisite to Occupation with the Person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. If you are ignorant of Truth, you will never be Occupied with Christ. If
you do not log a maximum amount of time in the filling of God the Holy Spirit,
you will never be Occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ! Occupation with Christ
is absolutely vital and necessary if you are to have any happiness or any
peace as a Christian.
Perhaps some preacher or evangelist has suggested in some way or
other that you will be happy all your life if you will just accept Christ as Savior.
But the single act of Salvation does not guarantee the moment-by-moment
experience of happiness, regardless of circumstances; which is a monopoly
of Spiritual maturity! Apart from Occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ, this
kind of happiness does not exist. (Col 1:18) is the crossroad of that Principle
— “that He might have the first place!” It is a phrase for the attainment of
Occupation with the Person of Christ; and the mature Christian life.
Here is an experience that stops Satan in his tracks — Jesus Christ takes
the preeminence; but only in the point of time when you are filled with God
the Holy Spirit and Occupied with Christ as a mature believer; is His
preeminence a Reality in your life. Once you become a Christian, the
Standard of happiness is based — not upon any human factor in life, not upon
the thoughts of human life that the world counts important, but upon
Occupation with Christ and the resultant preeminence of the Lord in your life!
(The Word; God’s own Thinking is to rule our Thoughts in EVERY AREA;
money, family life, relationships, job, entertainment, Etc.) Since, along with
Salvation, it is a part of the Father’s Plan that Christ should always have first
place, this is the only way a believer can have a permanent happiness!
The possessor of Divine attributes
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
(Col 1:19)
Here is where the preeminence of Christ begins. The Father is pleased
that “all the fullness” should dwell in the Person of Jesus Christ. “Fullness” is
the sum total of all Divine power and attributes of God residing in the Person
of Christ. Our happiness begins with the fact that God the Father is pleased
with one Member of the human race, and since the believer is “in Him,” these
words mean a potential Spiritual happiness for every Christian.
All believers have the potential to possess happiness. There is no excuse
why every believer should not have perfect orientation, peace and happiness
under every circumstance of life, whether it be success or failure, difficulty or
blessing! The joy or happiness which belongs to Christ is available, but it
depends upon our Understanding and use of Truth. Positionally, this fullness
belongs to you and to me; but experientially, it depends upon the techniques
of the filling of God the Holy Spirit and Occupation with Christ through Truth in
the right lobe, which results in the construction of the edification complex; the
temple of the soul; the mature Christian life.
Can you look back over the past week and say, “In every set of
circumstances Christ has been preeminent”? If you cannot, it is time for
rebound and the filling of God the Holy Spirit, followed by Occupation with
Christ! Only then can He be preeminent; only then can He be glorified. Christ
cannot be glorified before the unbeliever until He is glorified in your life!
(2Co 3:17-18)
A personal challenge
And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace
through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or
things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in
mind, engaged in evil deeds, (Col 1:20-21)
Alienated from God and in a continuous state of estrangement since the
time of Adam’s sin, all mankind is under the condemnation and wrath of God,
and therefore, separated from fellowship with Him. This Verse goes even a
step further to indict the thoughts of mankind as at enmity with God! The area
of the unbeliever and believer’s hostility is in the mind! Human thinking is
hostile to God! (Rom 8:7-8) Furthermore, no work of the unbeliever is
acceptable to God. All human moral and immoral production is relegated to
the category of “sin nature dead works.” “We are all as an unclean thing, and
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...” (Isa 64:6) There are six strikes
against every person born into the world, which constitute an impassable
Barrier between God and man.
This Barrier consists of: http://dictionaryofdoctrine.com/files/The Barrier.jpg
(1) Sin; the sin which was imputed to the human race through the sin of
Adam, the sin nature inherited from Adam, and personal sins. (Isa 59:2;
Jer 17:9; Rom 3:23)
(2) The penalty of sin, which is Spiritual death. (Rom 5:12; Rom 6:23)
(3) Physical birth; all are born Spiritually dead. (Eph 2:1)
(4) Relative righteousness: human moral / immoral human production; which
does not and cannot measure up to the righteousness of God! (Rom 3:23;
Isa 64:6; Prov 14:12)
(5) The essence of God: God is a just, righteous and holy God who cannot
have fellowship with sin or sinful man! (Psa 24:3) His perfect justice demands
that a penalty be paid for sin. (Rom 6:23)
(6) Position in Adam. By reason of Adam’s willful disobedience, his Spiritual
death and limited physical existence have placed an insurmountable obstacle
between man and his Creator — physical life! (1Co 15:22)
Although the Barrier has been raised since the time of Adam, Jesus Christ
has made peace; He has established harmony between the two parties at
enmity with one another God and man. Man is reconciled to God on the basis
of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, (Eph 2:16-17) Christ made the way
for man to be made compatible with Himself. Reconciliation is the removal of
the Barrier between man and God. It is the work of God through the death of
Christ by which sinful man can be in Spiritual fellowship and Virtue; harmony
with God; by reaching SPIRITUAL MATURITY! (Gal 5:22-23) The agency by
which reconciliation took place was “through the blood of His Cross.” The
total Concept of Salvation encompasses six Doctrines by which the Barrier
was removed, one for each of the six strikes against man.
(1) REDEMPTION: Removal of the Barrier of bondage to sin and slavery to
the sin nature; the price being the valuable work of Christ (1Pe 1:18-19;
Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7)
(2) EXPIATION: The payment demanded for sin was paid by the death of
Christ, “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.”
(Col 2:14)
(3) REGENERATION: The new birth quickens or gives life to those who were
“dead in trespasses and sins,” enabling them to be born into the family of
God.
(4) IMPUTATION and JUSTIFICATION: The solution to the problem of
relative righteousness. The perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to the
account of the believer (Rom 3:22; Rom 4:2; (2Co 5:21) On the basis of
imputation, God is free to justify the believer because he has the
righteousness of God. (Rom 4:25; Rom 5:1; Gal 2:16)
(5) PROPITIATION: The death of Christ satisfied the righteousness and
justice of God, making it possible for God to be just in justifying the sinner
and allowing Him to act in our best interest. (Rom 3:23-25; (1Jn 2:1-2;
Rom 4:10)
(6) POSITION IN CHRIST: The death of Christ enables man to be placed in a
new position “in Christ,” severing his old relationship to Adam. (Eph 1:3-6;
(2Co 5:17; (1Co 15:22) Thus, the last Barrier is removed and man is
reconciled.
The “blood of His Cross” is the sum total of all these Doctrines and adds
up to “reconciliation.” The work is done, peace is made, reconciliation has
been provided, the Cross of Christ has removed the Barrier and satisfied
every just claim which God had against us, so that every member of the
human race can be saved. In place of the Barrier, Jesus Christ now stands
between God and man as the Way to eternal life. The One who removed the
Barrier “through the blood of His Cross” becomes the Door through which all
may enter into eternal relationship with God! Jesus said, “I am the door: by
Me if any man enter in. He shall be saved . . .” (John 10:9)
The way has been opened for all to enter, and we enter by personal faith
in the Son of God. Justification, redemption, expiation, regeneration,
propitiation and eternal life become our personal possessions when we
BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us Wisdom from
God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. (1Co 1:30)
But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, (Rom 4:5)
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)
And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and
the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from
our sins by His blood--and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His
God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen. (Rev 1:5-6)
End
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