Either our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, was made sin for us, as the Scriptures declare, or substitution is nothing more than a legal transaction, — nothing but a transfer of guilt made on paper.
Atoning Blood — Don Fortner (Tune: The Doxology —LM)
Good news the gospel herald bears, To banish all my slavish fears: — Christ, on the great atoning day, Took all His people’s sins away.
I know He thus removed all mine For I am blest with life divine; And, sprinkled with atoning blood, I trust the smitten Lamb of God.
Christ Jesus, my dear Surety, Made sin for me, put sin away! Yes, in His blood my sins were drowned, And with my Lord I shall be crowned!
Trusting Christ Jesus crucified, The Spirit has the blood applied, That seals my pardon — quells my fear, And gives the hope of glory here.
“Reproach hath broken my heart.” — Psalm 69:20.
When the Son of God assumed our nature, though untainted by the fall and without sin, he came as the sinner’s Surety. He took upon him the curse for sin. He was first made sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and then a curse for us (Gal.3:13). As such, he was invested with everything belonging to the frailties of our nature, which might expose that nature to sorrow and suffering and death. The sentence of the fall was, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen. 3:1). The curse seizing the sinner’s Surety, he sustained everything of sorrow which belonged to God’s curse against sin. —Robert Hawker
“In Him is No Sin”
1 John 3:5
The Lord Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our sins and in Christ there is no sin. Though he was made sin for us, our Lord had no sin of his own. — “He knew no sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth.” — “He was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.” In order for him to be a suitable sacrifice for sin, it was necessary that our Savior be without sin. The sinner’s Substitute must himself be innocent, righteous and holy.
Yet in order to redeem us from our sins and to justify us before God, the Son of God had to be made sin for us. By a profoundly mysterious and infinitely wise transfer of grace, the Son of God was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Being made sin for us, our guilt was imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ and he was made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). God’s holy law exacted from him the just penalty of our sins. — “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” — “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
And having taken our sins upon himself, suffering for us the just penalty of our sins, our glorious Mediator in heaven once again has no sin. That one who sits in heaven and makes intercession for us has no sin. We know and are assured that he who was made sin for us is now without sin, because he was “declared to be the Son of God with power” when he arose from the dead, being “justified in the Spirit,” and ascended into heaven, where he ever lives to make intercession for us. Our Advocate and High Priest in heaven is perfect. He is holy. He has no sin. This is the basis of our assurance and confidence with God. We have a perfect Substitute and sacrifice whom the Father has accepted.
But this text is speaking of those who are in Christ. John tells us, by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, that in Christ we have no sin. In ourselves we are sinners. The old nature of sin is with us and will be with us so long as we are in this world. Anyone who denies this is a liar and makes God a liar. Yet, before God, in the sight of God, those who are in Christ by a living faith have no sin. “He was manifested to take away our sins.” And he has done it! — “And in him is no sin!”
The all-seeing eye of God’s holy law sees no sin in the believer, because we are in Christ; “and in him is no sin!” the believer has no sin. — “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us!” And in that great day, when God shall judge all men according to their works, he declares, “the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.”
My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought, — My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, — Praise the Lord, it is well with my soul!
“Ye must be born again.”
John 3:7
All need to be born again because all are sinners; but our Lord Jesus declared to Nicodemus that he “must” be born again, as he evidently was (John 7:50; 19:39). The fact is there are multitudes scattered among the fallen sons and daughters of Adam who “must” be born again. They must be born again, because they are God’s elect, predestined to glory. Election and predestination guarantee that the chosen will enter into heaven; but election and predestination are not enough to give an entrance into the New Jerusalem. If you are chosen of God, you “must” be born again, because the purpose of God according to election demands it.
God’s elect were all redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. By the shedding of his blood, our Savior put away our sins. — “With his own blood, he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” — “Without shedding of blood is no remission.” And heavenly glory is the redemption purchase of the Son of God for his elect. Yet, blood atonement will not bring any into heaven without the new birth. Yes, every chosen, ransomed sinner shall be born again; and “ye must be born again.”
“Ye must be born again,” because you were born in spiritual death, dead in trespasses and in sins. Unless you are born again, you cannot understand anything spiritual. You “cannot see” the things of God, you “cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The natural man is totally void of all spiritual understanding. You may be very logical, rational, reasonable and well-educated, but with regard to the things of God, the unregenerate man is as ignorant and foolish as any lunatic (Romans 8:5; 1 Corinthians 2:14). Until you are born again, you cannot even see the Door, let alone enter it.
“Ye must be born again,” because unless you are born again by almighty grace, you can never enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). You can reform your life without the new birth. You can quit cussing, smoking, drinking, running around and quit any outward vice without being born again. You can be baptized without the new birth. You can join a church, be zealous in religion, teach a Bible class, serve as a deacon or elder, you can even preach with great success without being born again. But unless you are born again, you can never enter into the kingdom of God. Unless you are born again, you will never be a part of the church and family of God, you will never have eternal life, you will never enter into the worship and fellowship of God’s saints, and you will never be admitted into the glory and bliss of God’s presence in heaven (Revelations 21:27). Only new creatures will enter the New Jerusalem. Only heaven-born citizens will possess the bliss of heaven.
“Ye must be born again,” because by nature you are a fallen, depraved, sinful child of human flesh; and “that which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). All flesh is defiled, corrupt, sinful and condemned. If you would enter glory, you must have a new, holy nature created in you; Christ must be formed in you; you must be made a partaker of the divine nature, possessing that “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.” — You must be raised from the dead in the new birth (Revelation 20:6; (Revelation 21:17). — “Ye must be born again!”
Grace Bulletin
February 7, 2010
Grace Baptist Church of Danville 2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438 Telephone (859) 236-8235 - E-Mail don@donfortner.com
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor
Schedule of Regular Services
Sunday 10:00 A.M. Bible Classes 10:30 A.M. Morning Worship Service 6:30 P.M. Evening Worship Service
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