Magnify the Lord
Chapter 6 (Part 4)
He's Come to Deliver
THE MEDIATOR
Jesus is the only Mediator between God and rebellious man. Jesus gave Himself, as a substitution, to be a specific payment for sin. Through the shedding of His own blood, He forgave hostile sinners of their rebellion and reconciled us to His Father. (1 Tim. 2:5-6) It was through this great work of mediation that the problem with our rebellion could be dealt with. Jesus is the only Mediator (go-between) who could declare to us God's heart and holiness while establishing the fact He loved us even while we were in our sins and hostile to His ways. As a go-between, He is the only way possible we could have access to and fellowship with the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
AN OFFENSE
We were an offense to God while in our sins. Therefore, God delivered up His Son upon the cross to deal with our offenses against Him. God placed upon Jesus our sin, making Him become sin so it could be possible for Him to deal with us: "Who (Jesus) was delivered for (on behalf) our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25). This passage reveals to us the essence of our deliverance in Christ. We were bound to our sinful nature and the offenses that resulted from it until we were born again as a new creature in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is our life. (Col. 3:3-4) When God made us a new creature, we also died with Jesus. This all takes place in the new birth. This is a complete work of God from start to finish. Jesus, by way of His life, death, and resurrection, made it just and legal for God to deal with the problem, "US." When Paul is explaining to the church at Ephesus about these blessings that surround the new birth, he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:3-4). Paul is glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has currently blessed us with every supernatural blessing there is as a direct result of His eternal grace. Grace belongs to God, and He can grant it, bestow, it or release it as He desires. Paul reveals to the church that the new birth is a complete work of God and the eternal benefits of this work are in line with His plans or "just as He planned" since before time began. God is the rightful owner of eternal salvation, which is totally through the work of Christ and utterly of His own grace. What are the supernatural blessings? It is the new birth that comes from above and the glories that follow the redeemed.
GOD AT WORK
God, who brings about the new birth, is the One who also puts us to death in Christ. Why are we put to death? Because we were bound by a law we could not fulfill. His law was like a wall that separated us from Him. His law is a manifestation of how holy He is and just how sinful we really are. God's law was given to show us there is a barrier between God and fallen man, the barrier being the corrupt and sinful nature inherited from Adam. God's law was given so that man could see how exceedingly sinful he is. His law was good and right; therefore, it was opposed to our nature as sinners. His laws as they stand are completely contrary to us and what we have become as humans. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross." Colossians 2:13-14 This was His purpose in giving the law to us. "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:19-20). By design, the law was given to shut us down and to reveal how messed up we are compared to God.
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