A Full Cure (The New City Catechism #25)

One of my favorite current preachers is Alistair Begg, a pastor in Cleveland, Ohio. I listen to him through his “Truth For Life” app.

Alistair also has written a helpful commentary for the 25^th question and answer in The New City Catechism, which reads: “Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more.”

Here are his comments:[1]

Some years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, my great concern was that the surgeon would get it all. I wasn’t really interested in a cure that was only partial. And when we think about Jesus bearing our sins, the mystery and the wonder of the gospel is that he deals with all of them. He who was absolutely perfect died in the place of sinners, identifying with us in our guilt and becoming liable to our punishment. When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he tells them that God was not counting their sins against them. And the reason for that is because he was counting them against him. Jesus died not as a martyr, but as a substitute. The invitation of the gospel is given to all, but the assurance of forgiveness is only for those who are in Christ, whose sins have been counted to him.

 

Augustus Toplady captured the security of this when he wrote:

 

“Rock of ages cleft for me,

let me hide myself in Thee;

let the water and the blood,

from thy riven side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure;

cleanse me from its guilt and power.”

 

Peter tells us that the angels, actually, long to look into this (1 Pet. 1:12). And what they have observed from a distance, the believer knows perfectly.

 

The wonder of it all is that our disobedience is completely covered by the obedience of the Lord Jesus—all of our sins dealt with forever.

Delighting in Christ’s Full Cure With You,

Tom

---

[1] This can be found either in the app for The New City Catechism or the devotional book for the catechism.

Why The Cross? (The New City Catechism # 24)

The longer we are a Christian the more we can forget just how foreign some of the tenets of our faith sound to those who are not believers or who have just come to Christ. At the top of the list is the necessity that Jesus had to die on the cross for God to save sinners. It is common especially for the uninitiated to ask, “Why?” 

That is the question that The New City Catechism takes up and answers in #24, which reads: “Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?  Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.”  

Here we find a fourfold answer.

To start, we are reminded that God, whose very nature is to live and exist and give life (Gen. 2:7; Jn. 10:10; 1 Jn. 5:1) and whose very nature is to be both just and merciful (Rom. 3:26), ordained that with the entrance of sin into the world the punishment would be physical and spiritual death (Gen. 2:17; Prov. 14:12), that is, a brokenness and separation from God’s blessed presence that would become permanent if a person does not turn to his remedy (Jn. 3:16; Rev. 20:14-15).

Next, the Son of God joyfully decided in eternity past to accomplish salvation for those whom God chose to save and gave to him to save (Jn. 6:37; 39; Heb. 12:2). It is true that the Father joyfully ordained salvation in eternity past (Is. 53:10), made a covenant with the Son to give the elect to him to save (Jn. 6:37), and sent his Son into the world to save sinners (Jn. 3:16). Yet, the Son was not coerced. He gladly humbled himself, took on flesh, and suffering on the cross (Phil. 2:5-8) for his sheep (Jn. 10:15).

What is more, we are reminded that since Jesus took the full punishment for sin, he satisfied God’s wrathful judgment against sin and so there is no more penalty to be paid by those who have trusted him (Jn. 3:36; Rom. 8:1). What is also true is that through this salvation Jesus both won the right to pour out the Holy Spirit permanently upon the saved (Acts 2:33) and to reconcile sinners to a holy God—having removed the sin separation between them (1 Pt. 3:18). The result of these realities is that the power of God working through the Spirit in the person delivers them from sin’s power and enslavement to it (Rm. 6:17-18).

Finally, the discovery is also made that through salvation in Jesus Christians are saved from the eternal judgment of hell (Rev. 20:14-15). Conversely, they are given true life that someday will be full restored life that lasts forever in his presence (Rev. 21-22). All of this is the case since through his perfectly righteous life and death they are forgiven of their sins and declared righteous by God (Rom. 5:1-5; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 3:9).

Though it was not necessary for God to save sinners whom he had decreed in eternity past to permit to sin, the fact that he also decreed he would save sinners made the death of the Son necessary. There was no other way to save wherein God would remain both just and merciful (Rom. 3:26).

Praise God both for his severity toward the unrepentant and his kindness toward the repentant (Rom. 11:22)!

Delighting In Our Savior With You,

Tom

The Two Natures Of Jesus Christ And Salvation (The New City Catechism #’s 22-23)

Questions 22-23 of The New City Catechism and their answers are as follows: 

Why must the Redeemer be truly human?  Answer: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.  

Why must the Redeemer be truly God?  Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death. 

Since this is part of the bedrock of the Christian faith, we need to understand that Jesus is fully God and fully man and why this is important for salvation. Here is a brief explanation meant to help to that end.

Jesus Christ is fully God (Jn. 1:1; 20:28; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15, 19; 2:9;  Heb. 1:3, 5-13) and fully man (Jn. 1:14; 19:17-34; 20:27; Phil. 2:7-8; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:15), which means all that makes up God makes up his divine nature and all that makes up humans makes up his human nature. The one distinction between Jesus and every other human is that Jesus was and is without sin (Lk. 1:35; Heb. 4:15; 7:26).

Regarding his divine nature, he has existed for all eternity as God, second person of the Godhead, and the eternally begotten Son of the Father (John 1:1, 18; 3:16; Col. 1:16-17). That means for all eternity he has existed at Son to the Father in the Trinity. Regarding his human nature, in these last days, for the salvation of the elect, he was conceived and born of Mary, the virgin (1:26-38; 2:1-14; Heb. 1:2). Though from the time of his conception onward into eternity future Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in two distinct natures (Phil. 3:21; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:9; 7:25; 1 Jn. 4:2; 2 Jn. 7), these two natures are such that they are not confused or changed (the human nature remains fully human and the divine fully divine—without either being diminished or being taken over by the other). Compare Mt. 24:36 and Lk. 2:1-7 with Mk. 2:5 and Col. 1:17 for proof. What is more, his two natures cannot be divided or separated—he is always and at one and the same time fully God and fully man [compare Jn. 20:27 with 20:28]). 

It is important to salvation that Jesus Christ was and is fully human for the following reasons:

(1) That he might obey perfectly the whole law of God on the behalf of sinners, which is required for those part of the kingdom of God (Ps. 15; Mt. 5:48; 7:21-23;  John 5:19, 30; Gal. 3:10; James 2:10).

(2) That he might suffer the punishment of death for human sin on behalf of sinners (Rom. 6:23; 2 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 20:14-15). 

(3) That he might be raised from and conquer death on behalf of sinners and thus serve as the pioneer and model for those who have been saved and persevere in salvation (Rom. 6:1-11; Heb. 2:9-18. 

(4) That he might continually apply his saving work to his people as advocate and intercessor that that they can persevere in faith and so he can save them fully (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 2:9-18; 7:25). 

(5) That, as the risen, conquering Savior he might receive and pour out richly upon his people the Holy Spirit by whom they are regenerated, sanctified, preserved, and transformed in accord with the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:25-27; John 3:1-8; Acts 2:33; Gal. 5:22-23; Titus 3:5-6).

It is important to salvation that Jesus Christ was and is fully God for the following reasons:

(1) That his obedience and suffering would be complete and effective (Lk. 1:26-38).

(2) That he would be able to undergo the righteous wrath of the Father against sin and yet still overcome death (Acts 2:24).

(3) Salvation belongs to the Lord and so it must be God providing salvation and bringing God and man back together (Joel 2:32; Jonah 2:9; Rom. 10:13; Rev. 7:10). 

(4) As the God-man he is qualified to reconcile God and humans (2 Cor. 5:14-21; Eph. 2:11-22; 1 Tim. 2:5).

Delighting In The God-Man, Our Savior, With You,

Tom