worship

Jesus’ Atoning Work on the Cross

As we enter Jesus’ Passion on our calendars celebrating Palm Sunday, March 29 and Easter, April 5, let’s remember what Jesus did when he went to the cross.

On more occasions than I can count I have uttered the sentence, “Jesus died for our sins.” That Jesus died for our sins is the crux of the gospel. The glory of that sentence, “Jesus died for our sins” is even more meaningful than we often imagine. Jesus’ death atoned for our sins.

The atonement is a theological term meaning the satisfaction of divine justice in Jesus’ act of obedience on the cross.

Theological liberalism is embarrassed by the concept of divine wrath against sin and has avoided a theologically robust definition of the atonement. As Christians, we must grasp the truth of the atonement to better understand the glory of our salvation.

The Bible teaches the penal substitutionary view of the atonement. Don’t be intimidated by these terms. Penal means that we are sinful, and that our sins deserve punishment. Substitutionary means that Jesus took our place when he atoned for our sins by taking the punishment we deserve.

In his excellent book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott underscored the importance of this doctrine.

All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and humanity. If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it. When, on the other hand, we have glimpsed the blinding glory of the holiness of God and have been so convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit that we tremble before God and acknowledge that we are, namely “hell-deserving sinners,” then and only then does the necessity of the cross appear so obvious that we are astonished we never saw it before.

Stott, Cross, 111

The biblical doctrine of the atonement reminds us of three staggering truths that are deeper than we will ever fully grasp this side of eternity.

  1. God is more holy than we imagine.
  2. We are more sinful than we think.
  3. Jesus loves us more deeply than we deserve.

Only a grasp of what Jesus did on the cross—the doctrine of substitutionary atonement—can prevent spiritual distortions. . . . Only this doctrine keeps us from thinking God is mainly holy with some love or mainly loving with some holiness—but instead [he] is both holy and loving equally, interdependently. Only this view of God makes the spoiled or the neglected into the healthy and the loved.

Tim Keller

The atonement emphasizes God’s wrath against sin. The Bible is full of divine judgment against sin. From Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden, to the flood, to the plagues on Egypt, to the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, to the judgments and exiles upon Israel, to the cross, and through to the judgments described in the book of Revelation, the Bible is a book that declares judgment. Why does God judge so often? Well, God is supremely holy. He is more holy than we can imagine, and his standard for humanity is absolute perfection and holiness.

The other reason the Bible describes God’s judgments so often is that we are sinful. We are more sinful than we’d like to admit. Our motivations, desires, and longings are sinful. Our actions and dreams and words and ways are sinful. We are sinful.

Our sin deserves judgment. Thus, the cross and the penal substitutionary atonement. Jesus took our place, received in his body the punishment for our sins, and satisfied God’s wrath against sin (penal substitutionary atonement). Jesus’ death on the cross shouts loudly the staggering love of God for sinners.

At the cross in holy love God through Christ paid the full penalty of our disobedience himself. He bore the judgment we deserve in order to bring us the forgiveness we do not deserve. On the cross divine mercy and justice were equally expressed and eternally reconciled. God’s holy love was ‘satisfied.‘

Stott, Cross, 91.

What do we do with this glorious theological truth?

  • Meditate on the holiness of God.
  • Thank God for sending Jesus to take your place.
  • Worship God for the depth of his love.
  • Love God because he so loved you.
  • Follow Christ with your life because this is the only appropriate response to the atonement.

Photo by Luis Vidal on Unsplash

Thank you Wilkesboro Baptist for my Sabbatical!

I don’t think I realized how much I needed the rest and reset until several weeks into my time away. Before I left, some of you told me, “You deserve this break.” I appreciate your sentiment, encouragement, and words, but I definitely did not deserve this sabbatical. It was a gift. Thank you elders, personnel committee, staff, deacons, and congregation for letting me take this sabbatical–this season of rest or reset from typical or normal labors. Professors often use sabbaticals to research and write, and I was able to use this sabbatical for reading and writing. (More on this in a future post).

The concept of sabbatical is rooted in the biblical concept of Sabbath. In the coming weeks, I plan to address the idea of Sabbath in sermons and lessons, but the important lesson of the biblical idea of Sabbath is that it is a gift. Consider the first Sabbath. God rested. He created for six days, then modeled rest on day seven. Day seven was actually Adam and Eve’s first full day. Think about it. Adam and Eve’s first full day alive in the garden was a Sabbath day, a rest day, a day of fellowship with God. They didn’t received the Sabbath as a reward for their labors, but rather as a gift from God.

This season of sabbatical has taught me that I need to Sabbath regularly. I must set aside a day of the week to intentionally rest from normal labors. Sabbath is for rest, worship, service, and play (Yes, play. More on this in a future post/sermon). One author suggested that what we should do on Sabbath is what gives life and not what drains life. I think that is why we find Jesus healing on the Sabbath so often in the New Testament. Sabbath rest is a gift from God for our wholeness and our health. I’ve not always done well with setting aside regular labors to rest, worship, and focus on God. For me normal labors would be emails, sermon preparation, planning, vision, leading meetings, etc. Ideally, on my Sabbath, I would rest from these normal labors (and generally rest from my smartphone). This is likely to be for me Friday evening through Saturday evening as my regular labors include preaching on Sunday mornings.

Here are a few Sabbath reminders for us all. First, Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath. Legalism and judging others (as exemplified by the Pharisees in the New Testament) defeat the purpose of Sabbath. Second, Sabbath is an opportunity to worship. Most of us will be able to Sabbath on Sundays as we gather for regular worship and a regular pause in our weekly labors. Third, Sabbath is a gift of rest. Whatever you do or don’t do (activities) on your Sabbath (if you choose to keep one), rest should be a part of your Sabbath. Again, I hope to share more about this in the days to come, but for the moment review Paul’s reminder in Colossians 2:16-19:

16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

Ultimately, fellowship and relationship with Jesus through the gospel is the entry point and the purpose of biblical Sabbath. I don’t share with you these thoughts about Sabbath to create new rules or become legalistic. Rather, I share them because I’ve become convicted regarding my own need to slow down, meet with God, learn to trust him, and rest in him.

I’m deeply grateful for the staff and elders and deacons at WBC during these several weeks. Being able to rest and reset has been good for me, but it has also been good for WBC. Others have led, preached, taught, and served. The church is a body, full of members who love and serve one another. Shared leadership and shared service is good for our building up in Christ. See Ephesians 4.

This season of sabbatical came at just the right time. With my father’s death just as my sabbatical was beginning, I was able to grieve and not drown myself in work. Church family, thank you for letting me care for my father over these past several years, for the many of you that ministered to him and to me, and for your support of me and my family during this season of grief. This time away to grieve, rest, and reset have been good for my soul. To Wilkesboro Baptist, I say thank you.

There were many things I missed during these several weeks. I thought I would miss preaching the most, but actually the thing I missed the most was singing with you all on Sunday mornings. It was such a blessing to be in worship on Sunday February 22 to sing along with the choir, children, praise team, and congregation. What a wonderful and meaningful experience of congregational worship!

For much of the past few weeks, I read, rested, and wrote. Next week, I plan to share a post reflecting on several of the books I read. Thank you for the privilege of be refreshed and filled as I return to the office and my responsibilities as pastor.

Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash