Why Christ Died (3)

Why Christ Died (3)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

Last week’s article addressed the subject of sin. Jesus was crucified because of man’s sin. As we noted, sin is transgression against God’s law (1 Jn. 3:4), and the consequence of sin is eternal death (Rom. 6:23).

Still, the question can be asked, Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why did his blood have to be shed? The answer is rooted in the very nature of life itself. Before the time of Christ, blood sacrifices of animals were offered for the sins of mankind. Even before the Law of Moses, God had ordained that “life is in the blood” (Genesis 9:4). Then, with the inauguration of the Law of Moses, this truth was restated and joined to the concept of atonement: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). The Hebrew writer tells us that under the Law of Moses “almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). These Bible statements combine to lead us to one inescapable truth: humans cannot be saved without a blood sacrifice. Death can only be reversed by life, and life is in the blood.

The Hebrew writer also explained that the blood that was shed in the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament was not sufficient to take away sins: “For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin” (Heb. 10:4). We are told that these sacrifices were merely a “shadow” or type of good things to come (antitype, Heb. 9:23). We are told that those annual sacrifices only gave people “remembrance” of their sins “year after year continually” (Heb. 10:2-3). Animal sacrifices themselves could not atone for sin. However, the practice of blood sacrifice did train people to connect sacrifice to salvation. Old Testament blood sacrifices pointed to the real substance of a “better covenant,” that was based upon “better promises,” that was inaugurated by a “better ministry” and purchased by a “better sacrifice” (see Hebrews 8:6; 9:23). Indeed, Christians are “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20), and that purchase price is the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). Peter said that saints are “redeemed by the precious blood of Christ; as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Next week’s article will explain when and how people are saved by the blood of Christ.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

Why Christ Died (2)

Why Christ Died (2)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

Last week’s article pointed to God’s own nature as one of the reasons for the scheme of redemption being what it is. God is sacrificial love personified. It is reasonable that salvation would therefore involve some type of sacrifice for sin. But again, Why did Jesus die on the cross? The answer is found in that little word SIN. Jesus died because of the sins of mankind. Sin is contrary to the very nature and being of God. Humans cannot have fellowship with God unless their sins are washed away. John said, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). Darkness is sin, so as long as humans have sin to their account, they cannot be in fellowship with God. Hence, the need for salvation.

The Bible affirms that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). With the reign of sin comes the reign of death, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23; 5:14). Because of sin, “death has passed upon all men, for all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Isaiah tells us that sin separates humans from God (Isa. 59:1, 2). This has been true from the beginning, for man was cast out of the Garden of Eden on account of sin (Genesis 3:22-24). Access to the Tree of Life was lost, and it can only be regained through the process of redemption (Rev. 22:14).

But what is “sin?” Men tend to define sin in many different ways, but the only definition that really matters is God’s definition. We must consult the Scriptures in order to know God’s definition of sin.

1. Sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4). The word “sin” means literally “to miss the mark.” Sin is the failure to do what God tells us to do. It should be noted that God’s law contains both moral and positive commands. We must not question God’s requirements.

2. All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17). “Righteousness” is conduct that is consistent with the standard of God’s law. “Righteousness,” according to Peter, is something that is “worked” (Acts 10:35).

3. Sin is refusing to do what one knows to be right (James 4:17). I often ask people if they believe that they we must do what God tells us to do. Most people say yes. At the marriage feast of Cana, Jesus’ mother told the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). We may apply this suggestion to all of Christ’s instructions, for He is our Lord and King (Acts 2:36). Failure to comply with Christ’s terms results in sin.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

Why Christ Died (1)

Why Christ Died (1)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

People will sometimes ask the questions with respect to salvation and redemption, “Why did God do it this way? Why did Jesus die on the cross?” Of course, we could just give the simple answer, and say that this is just how God wanted it done! However, this answer does not fully satisfy our interest, nor does it help us to fully appreciate what God has done for man. The fact is that the particulars and mechanics of the scheme of redemption are rooted in the very nature of God and His creation. God, by nature, “is love” (1 John 4:8,16). The kind of love that is attributed to God is a sacrificial love (Ephesians 5:25). Hence the notable words of Jesus in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Also, “Greater love has no one than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). These two verses combine to attribute this sacrificial love to both God the Father and God the Son. This love is intrinsic in God’s nature. God is so genuinely concerned for man, that He is willing to subject Himself to the cruelty and rejection of the very men that He wants to save. This was most evidenced in the treatment of Jesus Christ. Men had tested, resisted and rejected God before (Genesis 6; Acts 7:51-53), but this rejection became quite personal when God came in the flesh. But, regardless of this rejection by His own creatures, Peter said, “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God “desires for all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). He wants them to “turn, and live.”

Let us not conclude, however, that just because God is a God of love, that He is not also a God of justice and of vengeance, for He most certainly is. “God considers it a just thing to repay with affliction those who afflict” His people (2 Thessalonians 1:6). Vengeance belongs to God, and He will one day “repay” evil men for their behavior (Hebrews 10:30). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). We are to note both the “kindness” and the “severity” of God (Romans 11:22). God is love, but He is also “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). God’s own nature is one reason for the salvation system that He devised. More to come…

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.

Abortion: A Biblical Perspective (3)

Abortion: A Biblical Perspective (3)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).

This passage explains why no Bible believer can be pro-abortion. David described the formation of his body in his mother’s womb. This “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) described himself as a person even when his body was “unformed.” He also acknowledged God’s awareness of his existence and development during this unborn stage of his life. Incidentally, anyone who has ever considered the amazing process of conception and fetal development will agree with David’s wording that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” We most certainly are!

Jeremiah is another Bible character whose existence, personality and character were acknowledged before his birth. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God here tells Jeremiah that He had plans for Jeremiah before his was even born, and the Bible contains numerous examples of this kind of thing. Again, no honest Bible believer can approve of the practice of abortion.

Exodus 21:22, 23 is a very helpful and instructive passage relating to this issue. Moses wrote, “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life.” The contrast is between a “premature” delivery and a “miscarriage.” In the case of an injury resulting in a miscarriage, the life of the killer was to be taken as a punishment for the life of the baby. The life of the unborn baby is considered to be equal in value to the life of the man who caused the loss of the unborn baby’s life. Under the law of Moses it was a capital offense to kill an unborn baby!

Look for our next article in next week’s paper. View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please visit us at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.