Sacrificial Offering for Human Nature (Part 8 of 0)

Summary – Part eight

In this editorial series on the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice, the following points have been set forth:

  1. Sacrificial offerings are for our benefit, not God’s, which is made obvious by the fact He provides the offering. Clearly, we are saved by God; we are not saved from Him (Psa. 50:12-15).
  2. Under the Law, sacrifice was offered and atonement accomplished for non-transgression situations (Lev. 12:6-7).
  3. We inherit the consequences, but not the guilt, of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12-14).
  4. The primary purpose of sacrificial ritual is instruction in divine prin­ciples that we might develop right attributes of character (Mic. 6:6-8).
  5. It is pointless to discuss Jesus Christ apart from his saving work as that is the reason God provided him (I John 4:9-14).
  6. Christ’s willing compliance with His Father’s plan is the basis of his own salvation (John 10:17).
  7. Mankind’s propensity to sin re­quired that the savior be God’s Son (Rom. 8:3).
  8. Christ was raised to eternal life on the basis of the covenant of prom­ise ratified through him (Gal. 3:13-16).
  9. Man’s heart is so disposed to rebellion that salvation must be by promise, not law (Gal. 3:21).
  10. At baptism, we become heirs to immortality which will surely be ours if we do not return to walking in sin (Heb. 6:17-19).

(In the foregoing, only one key verse has been listed for each point. Additional support has been offered throughout this series of editorials.)

Look at the whole, not just part

In considering the atonement, we have been impressed that a right view only comes from looking at the whole of God’s redemptive plan. Concentrating on only one or two aspects of the subject leads to wrong views or distorted emphasis. This should come as no surprise because that is exactly the mistake the Jews made. They became so absorbed in legal definitions, they forgot the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath. They magnified the ritual of sacrifice, forgetting the book of the covenant (Ex. 20-24) said much about moral conduct but hardly anything about offerings.

We tend to repeat their mistake by viewing the atonement as satisfying legal requirements rather than exhorting us to godly living. This whole subject should be a powerful force in our lives, filling our hearts with thanksgiving for God’s grace and committing our lives to the repudiation of sin. This will not happen, however, if we think of the issues in legalistic terms which divert the subject into academic discussions.

Christ benefited — human nature a major factor

When the subject is viewed as a whole, there can be no doubt that —

Christ benefited from:

  1. Blessings for humble obedience
  2. Life through the covenant
  3. Strength from being Son of God

Moreover, there can be no doubt that certain features of God’s plan of redemption were —

Occasioned by the weakness of human nature:

  1. God was required to provide His Son to overcome sin
  2. Eternal life must be based on promise, not law

These points do not come from ambiguous passages or debatable symbolic interpretations; they are founded on explicit statements and upon themes clearly developed in scripture. They are confirmed by, but not dependent upon, the symbols of the law.

For example, the necessity of God providing His Son to overcome sin is explicitly stated in Romans 8:3. But that statement does not stand alone; it is one of the out-workings of the theme developed in Romans chapters 1 – 7 demonstrating the inability of any Jew or any Gentile to overcome sin.

We feel this is important. Any major teaching should be clearly articulated in scripture. It should not be dependent on a single verse or on our own interpretation of symbols.

Beware of summary statements

A pitfall to avoid is wrangling over summary statements whether made by other people or used in scripture. We can not always communicate in fully-elaborated comments, or all communication would sound like legal documents.

For instance, “Christ died for our sins” is an incisive but incomplete statement of the atonement. Christ’s death would have been ineffective apart from his perfect obedience; his obedience and death would have accomplished nothing without his resur­rection; his divine sonship was critical to his perfect life. “For our sins” is an abbreviated statement referring to the forgiveness of sins which we realize upon baptism into the gospel and enjoy so long as we continue therein. Furthermore, “our sins” expresses our total problem, including the mortality from which we are delivered by association with promises affirmed by God through Christ. Obviously, if all these points, and others, were mentioned every time scripture alluded to the atonement, the impact of concise phrases would be lost.

Similarly, when we say that the sacrifice of Christ was for human nature as well as personal sins, we make an incomplete summary statement. The phrase, “the sacrifice of Christ” does not refer exclusively to his physi­cal death. It includes his divine son-ship, perfect life and resurrection. When we say “for” human nature, we do not mean as reparation for being human but that certain aspects of the atonement are occasioned by human nature (i.e. the divine sonship of the Savior and basing life on promise, not law).

We need to keep in mind that scripture, and other brethren, frequently emphasize one aspect of the atonement when, in fact, they intend for us to call to mind the entirety of the subject. When the entire subject is viewed, not only do we rejoice in the wonder of God’s grace, but we also eliminate much of the disagreement that surrounds this topic.

Motivated to a vibrant life

As we contemplate a crucified savior, we are awestruck and determined to crucify the old man of the flesh. As indicated last month, it should be equally compelling that we are associated with a glorified Lord. We enjoy a new life through baptism in which we should be vibrantly alive in spiritual thinking and living. Accordingly, may our continued reflections upon the salvation of God be a compelling force in our lives that we might develop into the spiritual likeness of His Son, as we go “from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”