Christs Sacrifice is the central feature of man’s salvation, and indeed of the whole Bible. It is reasonable, then, since God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible is so beautifully rich and varied, that Christ’s sacrifice — and its effects upon us — can be described under many figures of speech.
The Cherubim had four faces, because no one face could convey the diversity of the glory of God. Because no one gospel account can completely communicate the breadth and depth and impact of Christ’s ministry, the story of his life and work has been given to us in four separate accounts. So it stands to reason that we need more than one definition, or one picture, to explain redemption — what God did for us through Christ.
The Scriptures, in fact, present more than a dozen major “pictures of redemption,” and many more minor “pictures”. Each separate “picture” has subtleties and shadings, and points of contact with other “pictures”. It is good and useful for us to appreciate the truth conveyed by each individual “picture,” without at the same time allowing figurative language to confuse us as to principles. (The same is true of the Mosaic rituals and sacrifices. Sometimes, “proving” first principles from details of the Law can lead to confusion!) Like the parables, the “pictures of redemption” may mislead and distract the Bible student if he reasons too closely from the details and loses sight of the “big picture”. By getting tied too firmly to any one of these figures, one may develop false or limited concepts of the sacrifice of Christ. We can guard against this by looking carefully at a number of the “pictures of redemption,” and by determining (in conformity with some basic “principles”) what lessons we should learn from each. At the same time, we can marvel at the beauty and diversity of God’s revelation of Himself.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One