“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Yesterday, we discussed that Jesus Christ paid the redemption price for our sin by dying on Calvary’s Cross. He gave His Life as a “ransom for many.” Today, the author would like to discuss the second reason why Jesus chose to die on the Cross: he loved us.
Our text says that God “commendeth his love”. What does this mean?
In the Greek, the word commendeth means “to introduce or exhibit (Strong Greek 4921)”. Thus, Christ exhibited or demonstrated His love toward us by dying on the Cross. In other words, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross proved his statement in John 3:16-17:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
The second part of our text says that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is significant because it shows that even while we were oblivious in sin and rebellion to God, Jesus Christ still chose to die for us, because he loves us unconditionally. Even for those who had never been born, Jesus still died for you and you were on his mind when Jesus was on that Cross 2,000 years ago.
As one famous preacher said:
“Why did Jesus suffer himself to be enrolled amongst sinners? This wonderful condescension was justified by many powerful reasons…our Lord Jesus was numbered with the transgressors in order that they might feel their hearts drawn towards him. Who can be afraid of one who is written in the same list with us? Surely we may come boldly to him, and confess our guilt. He who is numbered with us cannot condemn us….All our estate of misery and sin Jesus has taken; and all that Jesus has comes to us. His righteousness, his blood, and everything that he hath he gives us as our dowry. Rejoice, believer, in your union to him who was numbered among the transgressors; and prove that you are truly saved by being manifestly numbered with those who are new creatures in him (Spurgeon).”
If Jesus himself was numbered with transgressors, with sinners, then certainly he will not reject you, my friend. Will you come to Him today and ask him to save your soul? If you desire to do that right now, please click here.
Spurgeon, Charles. “March 30 (3/30/2018) – Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening – BibleGateway Devotionals.” BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. Bible Gateway, Web. 30 Mar 2018.
5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
~1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)
As we read yesterday about Christ’s crucifixion, you may be asking why would Jesus willingly be mocked, beat, scorned, and crucified just for us? You may understand the fact that it was prophesied that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world, but you still may not understand why Jesus came. The reason why Jesus came is three-fold:
He loved us (John 3:16).
To seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
To give his life a ransom for many (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Today, we will focus on Jesus Christ being a ransom for our sin. Firstly, what is a ransom?
“1. The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave, or for goods captured by an enemy; that which procures the release of a prisoner or captive, or of captured property, and restores the one to liberty and the other to the original owner.
5. The price paid for procuring the pardon of sins and the redemption of the sinner from punishment.
Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom Job 33:24.
The Son of man came – to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. Mark 10:45.” (Webster)
In the context of 1 Timothy 2:5-6, the first and fifth definitions of the word ransom fit best. This is because the Greek word used here for ransom means a “redemption price (Strong Greek 487).” Because Jesus Christ was righteous and sinless, he qualified to be the Lamb of God to pay the “redemption price (Strong Greek 487)” for our sin, which was death on the Cross. By paying this price, Jesus is able to save us from our sins via the free gift of salvation.
Remember Romans 6:23?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus paid that wage, or earning for sin, which was death on Calvary’s Cross. Well, why would Jesus do that? Because He loves us unconditionally, and he desires that all men would come to know Jesus Christ. As one commentary puts it:
“There is one God (v. 5), and one only, there is no other, there can be no other, for there can be but one infinite. This one God will have all men to be saved; he desires not the death and destruction of any (Ezekiel 33:11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then all men would be saved; but he has a good will to the salvation of all, and none perish but by their own fault, (Matthew 23:37) . He will have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to be saved in the way that he has appointed and not otherwise.” (Henry)
God desires for all of us to be saved and dwell forever in Heaven with Him. He also desires for us to live an abundant, victorious Christian life through His eternal sacrifice that was offered on the Cross over 2,000 years ago. If you are not 100% certain that if you were to die today, you would go to Heaven, please read God’s plan of salvation by clicking here.
Bibliography:
Webster, Noah. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. Ebook.
Today’s article will be slightly different. Since it is Wednesday, the author thought it appropriate to post the details of Christ’s crucifixion and burial based on the Gospel of Luke. Please allow God to speak to your heart through His Word as you read about Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
Tomorrow’s post will resume to the normal format and will be based on 1 Timothy 2:5-6.
Luke Chapter 23 (KJV)
1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.
2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.
3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.
4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean.
7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.
8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.
11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.
13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.
17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)
20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.
50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
In this lengthy passage of Scripture, we see that the Pharisees (the haughty Jewish religious sect that continuously opposed Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry) and the council (the Jewish Sanhedrin) were aware of all the miracles that Jesus had done over the past few weeks. Because of all these miracles, many people believed on Jesus Christ. However, the Pharisees feared that if Jesus continued to do these miracles, “all men would believe on Him.” Thus, the Pharisees made the proclamation that it was urgent to put Jesus to death. In doing so, the Pharisees failed to realize that they were fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus was to be “hated without reason [see Psalm 35:19 and John 15:24-25]” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962), and in plotting for his death, they failed to realize that God was about to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus would become the “vicarious sacrifice [see Isaiah 53:5 and Romans 5:6, 8]” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) that would take away the sin of the world.
Our text tells us that Jesus should die “not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” This parallels with yesterday’s topic verse: 1 John 2:2
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus did not die just for our sins, or for the sins of Israel, but for the sins of the whole world. You might be asking: how is this possible? Let’s take a look at the book of Isaiah for some insight on the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross:
The first part of this verse says that Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions. This refers to the crucifixion of our Lord as he was “pierced through hands and feet” (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) This was first prophesied by Zechariah in Zechariah 12:10:
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
The above was later confirmed in John 20:27 (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962) when Jesus told Thomas to feel the wounds in his hands and the wound in his side:
“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”
Secondly, Isaiah says that “he was bruised for our iniquities.” This refers to the fact that Jesus was “spat upon and smitten” as recorded in Matthew 26:67; this was prophesied by Isaiah once again in Isaiah 50:6 (Hindson, Falwell, et al., 1962):
“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”
Now let’s look at Matthew 26:67:
“Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,”
Thirdly, Isaiah says that the “chastisement of our peace was upon him.” In other words, Jesus died so that we might have an opportunity to be saved and be at peace (or reconciled) to God. This was fulfilled in 1 Peter 2:24:
Jesus died so that we, as sinners who were condemned to death, could live unto righteousness (be saved and live for him).
Finally, Isaiah said that “with his stripes, ye are healed.” When Jesus shed his Blood on Calvary’s Cross, it successfully atoned (or paid for) our sin. On the Cross, Jesus was truly displayed as the “mirror of agonizing love” (Spurgeon); his love was displayed like no other. Jesus Christ showed the greatest example of love on this Earth. His love was unconditional, yet so precious that his bloody stripes are able to heal us of the deadly disease of sin if you will simply accept Him as your Lord and Savior today. If you would like to do this, please click here.
For the Christian, as we reflect upon Jesus death and burial during this time of Easter, and “as we feel the sure and blessed healing which his stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief” (Spurgeon)? Let us check the condition of our hearts this morning and reflect upon the price that was paid by Jesus to save us and let us thank God continually for his vicarious sacrifice, Jesus Christ, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Bibliography:
Hindson, Edward, Jerry Falwell, et al. “Messianic Prophecies.” The King James Study Bible. 2.Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013. 1962. Print.
Spurgeon, Charles. “March 31 (3/31/2018) – Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Bible Gateway Devotionals.” BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” ~1 John 2:2 (KJV)
This short yet very powerful verse in 1 John is no doubt an interesting passage of Scripture to dissect. Throughout the course of this week, we will discuss this verse in detail through reference verses and examination of the context surrounding 1 John 2:2. Today, the author would like to give a general overview of the meaning of this important verse.
First, it is important to understand that the subject of this verse is the Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 John 2:1). Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins; no one else qualifies for this role. (see 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:1, John 1:14, John 1:27, 1 Peter 1:19)
Secondly, what is a propitiation? Let’s take a look at the Webster’s definition for a moment:
The act of appeasing wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.
In theology, the atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners. Christ is the propitiation for the sins of men. Romans 3:25. 1 John 2:2.
Based on the definition given above, what the Bible is really saying is that Jesus Christ is the atoning (reconciling or satisfying) sacrifice that has been offered to God, so that we will not have to endure God’s wrath as a result of our sin. In other words, Jesus Christ took our place when he died on the Cross. How so? Let’s take a look at Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Bible says that the wages (earnings) of sin is death. According to Romans 3:23, we all have sinned and come short of God’s standard. Based on Romans 6:23, we are the ones who deserve death and eternal damnation. However, Jesus, the perfect Son of God came to earth so that he could show his eternal love to us by dying in our place on the Cross, so that we would not have to pay the penalty for sin (which is death). Thus, it is by Christ’s sacrifice that we are enabled to believe on Him and be saved from God’s wrath in a place called Hell.
Perhaps you are asking yourself at this very moment, “Can Jesus Christ save me?” The answer is yes! Jesus can and will save you right now if you simply believe on Him and ask him to save you! If you would like to know how to accept Jesus’ gift of salvation, please click here.
If you are still having trouble understanding what Jesus’ sacrifice means for you and for me, please consider the following verses:
John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
If you believe on Christ and trust Him to save your soul, God promises that you will not perish (or go to Hell), but you will have everlasting (eternal) life instantly (the moment you are saved)!
Romans 5:8–But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God commendeth (continually shows) his love toward us by what he did on Calvary’s Cross. Because he paid the penalty for our sin, we can be sure he loves us. He wants you and me to be saved and experience the abundant life in Christ that he wants us to have.
Hebrews 7:25–“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
God can save even the vilest, most wicked sinner. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, God is willing to save to the uttermost (the lowest person) that desires to accept his gift of salvation that he offers freely to every one of us.
Once again, if you would like to know how to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please click here.
