Christ

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 152

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Day 152

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…on the third day He arose from the dead with the same body in which He suffered;…“

Scripture Lookup

1 Corinthians 15:3,4

John 20:25,27

Reflection

Jesus was true to His word.

He died on the cross. His body was taken down, wrapped in burial cloths, and shut in a tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers. There was no way that body was going to get out of there.

And yet…three days later, the stone was rolled away, the cloths were folded at the tomb, and Jesus appeared to His disciples. This was no apparition! It was truly Him, in the same body that a couple days earlier had been lifeless. The marks from the nails were still there. It was Him! What He said came to pass.

With the resurrection of Christ we see the importance of the body. The Son of God was not made flesh only to cast it off once His work of redemption was complete. Instead He remained with the body He always had on earth, only now glorified. He still intercedes for us with that same body. We who are in Christ will also be resurrected with glorified bodies.

Because of the resurrection, we can be confident that those who are in Christ will not remain dead. Our bodies will be fully redeemed and conformable to His. Jesus has proved true.

Questions to Consider

  • How does the resurrection of Christ affect your life right now?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 151

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Day 151

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead; yet saw no corruption:…“

Scripture Lookup

Acts 13:37

Reflection

Jesus died on the cross.

“It is finished!” He said, and gave up His spirit. The Roman soldiers there saw He was dead. His body was prepared for burial. It was shut up in a tomb. He was dead.

There are groups that vehemently deny this fact. He only lost consciousness, they say. This way they can explain away what happened to His body three days later. But Jesus actually died. There was no ordinary way of reviving Him. His spirit was separate from His body.

His death continued for three days. Why three? Because that’s how long He said it would last: “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ” (Matthew 12:40); “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The Pharisees remembered that He said He would rise after three days, and secured the tomb with a Roman guard. During that time, Jesus remained dead.

The sacrificial work needed to atone for His people was complete in Jesus’ death. His body lay in the tomb. Yet it would not experience the effects of death. Christ’s body did not decay and turn to dust like other human bodies. The penalty due to sin paid for, there was no need for Jesus to remain dead. Indeed, God would not let Him undergo decay…

Questions to Consider

  • What has Christ’s death accomplished for you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 150

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Day 150

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…enduring most grievous sorrows in his Soul; and most painful sufferings in his body;…“

Scripture Lookup

Matthew 26:37,38

Luke 22:44

Matthew 27:46

Reflection

What is the worst pain you have ever experienced? How about the worst hurt? The worst anguish?

Jesus, in fulfilling His office as mediator, became the curse for Christians. The punishment we deserve for breaking God’s law He endured.  Much has been written about how agonizing a death was crucifixion. Slow, exhausting, torturous and barbaric, crucifixion was designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation upon a person. The crucified was often forced to carry the heavy wood to the place where it would be used to kill him. Stripped of his clothes, he was exposed to mock and ridicule. Nails puncturing hands and feet attached the victim to the cross. He would have to push against his feet to be able to breathe, otherwise he would asphyxiate.  Jesus endured this.

Not only did Jesus suffer physically, but also spiritually. He prayed that if it were possible, the cup would pass and He would not have to endure such pain. Dread accompanied that prayer, which was not a simple request but an earnest pleading with God. The mental anguish produced drops of blood. No one stuck by Him. He was betrayed; He was abandoned; He was denied. And when He experienced the suffering of the cross, He endured all of the infinite wrath that sin must receive.

Christ bore all this, and bore it willingly, so that God and sinners would be reconciled. While the pain and hurt we experience in this life are real, as Christians there can be no suffering or distress that compares with what Jesus endured: what He endured for us and our salvation. In your times of despair, look to Christ. See how He loves you in becoming a curse for you. Go to Him who cares for you, who intercedes on your behalf, and be at rest.

Questions to Consider

  • How does Jesus enduring sorrows and suffering aid you in your life today?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 149

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Day 149

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…being made sin and a curse for us;…“

Scripture Lookup

2 Corinthians 5:21

Reflection

Jesus underwent the punishment for sin that we rightly deserve. He became sin and a curse for us. How can that be? Jesus never sinned and He wasn’t defiled by sin. So how could He be made sin for us? How could the innocent Christ be a curse?

Our sin – our transgressions, our corruption, our lack of adherence to God’s law – was imputed onto Christ when He died on the cross. It was attributed vicariously to Jesus, even though He was guilty of none of it. He was the scapegoat, the one who took the fall although innocent.

When Adam and Eve fell, the human race was plunged into a state of misery. Not only is this life filled with toil and grief, eternal punishment awaits as the result of our sin. Because of sin, we are cursed. Jesus, however, became the curse for us. All the consequences due to our transgression, He took upon Himself. Undeserving of the slightest drop of God’s wrath, Christ endured all of it.

Christian, Jesus became your sin, and the curse due to your sin. All this was done so that you may be the righteousness of God. There is no condemnation for you, because Christ was condemned in your place. Do not turn again to sin, but live freely due to Christ!

Questions to Consider

  • If Jesus became sin and a curse for you, how does that affect your daily life?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 148

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Day 148

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…and did perfectly fulfill it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have born and suffered,…“

Scripture Lookup

Galatians 3:13

Isaiah 53:6

1 Peter 3:18

Reflection

What do we deserve?

Wrath.

Tainted with sinful nature, there is nothing we can do on our own that is good. Every effort is marred from the beginning. Consumed with self, we spurn God’s rule. We deny His existence. The consequences of such transgression are severe, since they are an affront to an infinite Being. Anguish and torment for eternity. The just punishment for our sin. That is what we deserve.

What does Jesus deserve?

Praise.

Sin had no hold on Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled every aspect of God’s law. No word of His ever misspoken. No thought of His ever slipped. No step of His ever wayward.

If Jesus simply lived to show us what perfectly righteous living looked like, it would be awe-inspiring, but would lead to despair. We could never attain such a life, no matter how much we attempted to model His. But that was not the purpose of His coming! His fulfillment of the law enabled Him to be accepted as a sacrifice on our behalf. The punishment we deserve, that by rights should have been ours, He endured. He lay down His life and bore the wrath that otherwise we would have had to bear. Through His fulfilling the law and through His suffering our punishment, we now have access to God through Him alone. Such a life and sacrifice leads to awe and grateful praise. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Questions to Consider

  • How does Jesus’ life and sacrifice affect you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 147

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Day 147

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“…which that he might discharge he was made under the Law,…“

Scripture Lookup

Galatians 4:4

Matthew 3:15

Reflection

“He’s above the law.” That phrase “above the law” is common, and we pretty much know what it means: that someone thinks the rules don’t apply to them. How often, though, have you heard it said, “He’s under the law”? That’s not normally said of anyone. What does it mean?

In order to perform the office of mediator, Jesus had to fulfill some requirements. One of these requirements was to be made under the law. All aspects of God’s law had to be followed in order to meet the requirement of righteousness necessary to mediate between God and sinful man. To neglect any aspect of the law of God would make His office as a guarantor void.

So to save His sheep, the one who created the law would now have to live by it. Jesus, being God, was free from any requirements the law had, since the law concerned His creation and not Himself. He truly was above the law. Yet to rescue the elect the law would have to be followed, and followed perfectly. To be the mediator, Jesus humbled Himself and constrained Himself to the law’s demands. He took on human nature and was born as a man, and thus under the subjection of the law.

Such laying aside of rights and privileges in order to save us is incomprehensible. To voluntarily plummet from an infinite Being without form, to becoming human, with all the frailties and weaknesses that entails! To subject Himself to the law! What wondrous love Christ has for us!

 

Questions to Consider

  • Since Jesus was made under the Law, how does that affect our relationship to the Law?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 146

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Day 146

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 4.

“This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake,…“

Scripture Lookup

Psalm 40:7,8;

Hebrews 10:5-10;

John 10:18

Reflection

Jesus chose to be our mediator. Not out of compulsion, not out of fear, not begrudgingly, but freely and willingly. We know this because Scripture tells us that Jesus delighted to do His Father’s will. How often as Christians do we desire to do what God commands, and yet we fall so short? But Christ never wavered in His commitment to the Father.

In our cynical, fallen world, we eye such lavish generosity with suspicion. Usually there is an ulterior motive, a catch. There was no hidden motive behind Jesus’ willingness to fulfill the office of mediator. He loved His sheep. He loved His Father. To reconcile the two was His delight. “So free, so infinite His grace!”

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

– Philippians 2:5-8

Questions to Consider

  • How does knowing that Jesus willingly served as mediator affect your view of Him?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 145

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Day 145

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 3.

“…who also put all power and judgement in his hand, and gave him Commandment to execute the same.“

Scripture Lookup

John 5:22,27

Matthew 28:18

Acts 2:36

Reflection

Who are you to judge?

Throughout this paragraph, we have seen what kind of man Jesus was in His human nature. Sanctified and anointed by the Holy Spirit, He had wisdom and understanding. Holy, harmless, and undefiled, no sin was found in Him. He was full of grace and truth. In all things He did the will of His Father.

It is the same Jesus, holy, wise and truthful, that the Father appointed to execute all power and judgement. In the hands of anyone less, such power and judgment would be corrupting, and we would anticipate injustice. But the qualities that enable Him to be mediator also enable Him to be the perfect judge. Jesus, having the Holy Spirit without measure, will never be unjust.

As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. – John 5:30

Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. Do you think that He will let you off easily?  If you are an unbeliever, you may have convinced yourself that Jesus is like the cool teacher who overlooks the rulebreaking of his students. But Christ is just. Eternal transgression against a holy God must be punished, and it definitely will be punished, with those who rebel against Him paying the price. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:18-19)

If you are in Christ, you have escaped punishment for your sin, but you were not let off easily: the price paid for your sin was paid with the blood of Jesus Christ Himself. Such a reality should encourage us to flee sin all the more swiftly. When we do sin, though, remember that Christ is just. He is the perfect mediator, and will not require more than His sacrifice for your redemption. The judge of all the earth will do justly.

Questions to Consider

  • Does Jesus being a judge scare you or comfort you?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 144

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Day 144

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 3.

“...which office he took not upon himself, but was thereunto called by his Father;…“

Scripture Lookup

Hebrews 5:5

Reflection

You’ve probably heard it before. The harsh, stern, vindictive Father, demanding in His laws, unyielding in His punishment. The meek, gentle, loving Son, who fulfills the law and brings grace. But pitting the Father against the Son is not what the Bible teaches. The Father and the Son – indeed, all the members of the Trinity – are behind the redemption of the elect, 100%.

The Father never sat and brooded over the offense committed by man. There is no vindictive bitterness in Him. Rather, He was proactive in seeking reconciliation. In eternity past, He entered into covenant with the Son, appointing Him to the office of mediator and surety. Love towards the elect was and is the continuing motivation of the Father in sending Jesus to earth. Look at Ephesians 1:3-6:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

It is the Father who blesses us in Christ! It is the Father who predestined us in love! It is the Father whose will is kind! “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us…” (1 John 3:1)

Likewise, Jesus was not a rebel. Time and time again in the Gospels, we read of Him doing the will of the Father: “…I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 5:30) “…not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)  He came to make His Father known. (John 17:26) There is no renegade Son, no schism in the Trinity. The Son willingly agreed to be the mediator between God and His people. The covenant of redemption was entered into freely.

The Father and Son are of one mind concerning the redemption of sinners. The roles they play in carrying out that redemption differ, but their goal is the same. God is love. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are love. Let’s not fall into the trap of pitting one against the other.

Questions to Consider

  • Do you attribute love to one member of the Trinity more than another?

A Little Time With The 1689: Day 143

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Day 143

Of Christ the Mediator.

Chapter 8, Paragraph 3.

“...he might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of Mediator, and Surety;…“

Scripture Lookup

Hebrews 7:22

Reflection

Stand in awe at the wisdom of Christ. Reflect on His holiness. Explore how Jesus is full of truth. But if you stop there, then you miss the reason why Jesus is all these things. For every quality of Jesus existed to enable Him to be a mediator and surety.

Jesus executes the office of mediator and surety. What does it mean for Jesus to be a mediator? There is conflict between sinners and God.  Jesus is the go-between among the two. He brings reconciliation and peace between God and His elect. Not only is He the mediator, He is also the surety. What’s a surety? One who takes a role of responsibility in the place of another who is liable. Jesus pays the debt that we owe as a result of our transgressing God’s law.

No Joe Schmo could be the mediator and surety between sinners and God. The credentials and qualities of such a man must be literally impeccable. “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus, fully God and fully man, is thoroughly furnished for those two offices. Full of grace and truth, He is our advocate before the Father. Being holy and undefiled, He is able to make the payment necessary due to our sin.

Before the Throne my Surety stands,
My name is written on his hands.

-Charles Wesley

Questions to Consider

  • Could anyone else be our mediator and surety?