I was reading through Hebrews 6-10 today, and was struck with awe and gladness at the repeated superiority of Jesus over every alternative belief and value. Starting in chapter 6, the author of Hebrews uses the word "better" an astounding TEN times (not to mention all the times in the first six chapters when he says Jesus is "greater" or "worthy of more honor"). Clearly, Jesus is pretty freakin awesome. So here are 7 reasons from Hebrews why Jesus is better:
Jesus is a better hope. "A better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." ~7:19
Jesus guarantees a better covenant. "This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant." ~7:22
Jesus offers better promises. "The covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises." ~8:6
Jesus was a better sacrifice. "It was necessary... to purify the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these." ~9:23
Jesus is a better possession. "You yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." ~10:34
Jesus is King of a better country. "They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one." ~11:16
Jesus offers a better life with Him. "...so that they might rise again to a better life." ~11:35
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
How To Fight Eve's Temptation
These thoughts will be in a Daily Verse later this week, but I wanted to post them here first. I was reading in Psalms of the amazing promises of pleasure and joy that God holds forth for His people, and I couldn't help but think, "Why would we ever turn from this?" And yet I do, every day. This Daily Verse grew out of my ponderings on the subject.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
~Genesis 3:6
The power of sin lies in its appeal to our desires. The very first sin started this way, and it has been that way ever since. No one sins out of duty; we sin because we want something. Eve saw three things about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: she sawe that it was "good for food," "a delight to the eyes," and "to be desired to make one wise." She liked what she saw, she wanted what she saw, and so she took what she saw-- to the ruin of us all.
Our sin is the same-- in the moment of temptation, the sin looks more desirable to us that obedience. Sin is pleasurable, and so we capitulate. The key to fighting sin, therefore, is to fight the pleasure of sin with a superior pleasure. The superior pleasure that alone kills sin is the fullness of joy in everything that God is and has promised to be for us.
Take the sin in the garden of Eden for example. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. What she should have remembered was that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" (let alone fruit). She saw that it was a delight to the eyes. She should have known that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," and that no delight can compare to seeing Him. Finally, she saw that it was desirable for making one wise. If only she had known and believed what the Psalmist said: "Nothing I desire compares with You!" With the help of the Holy Spirit, fighting the smoldering embers of sin's satisfaction with the blazing fire of joy in God is the only sure shield against the deceptive allure of sin.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
~Genesis 3:6
The power of sin lies in its appeal to our desires. The very first sin started this way, and it has been that way ever since. No one sins out of duty; we sin because we want something. Eve saw three things about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: she sawe that it was "good for food," "a delight to the eyes," and "to be desired to make one wise." She liked what she saw, she wanted what she saw, and so she took what she saw-- to the ruin of us all.
Our sin is the same-- in the moment of temptation, the sin looks more desirable to us that obedience. Sin is pleasurable, and so we capitulate. The key to fighting sin, therefore, is to fight the pleasure of sin with a superior pleasure. The superior pleasure that alone kills sin is the fullness of joy in everything that God is and has promised to be for us.
Take the sin in the garden of Eden for example. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. What she should have remembered was that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" (let alone fruit). She saw that it was a delight to the eyes. She should have known that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," and that no delight can compare to seeing Him. Finally, she saw that it was desirable for making one wise. If only she had known and believed what the Psalmist said: "Nothing I desire compares with You!" With the help of the Holy Spirit, fighting the smoldering embers of sin's satisfaction with the blazing fire of joy in God is the only sure shield against the deceptive allure of sin.
Friday, July 29, 2011
10 Things That Will Never Happen
I love the word "never." To say something will never happen is more than just saying it won't happen; it is saying that it is impossible for it to happen. "Never" denotes impossibility, certainty. "Never" is a rock to stand on in a sea of uncertainty. So from Scripture, here are ten things that will never happen. Be encouraged:
1) God will count sin against a believer. Romans 4:8- "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
2) God will never leave a believer. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
3) A believer will never be ashamed looking to God. Psalm 34:5- "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."
4) God's mercies will never end. Lamentations 3:22- "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end."
5) A believer will never have any need to fear evil. Zephaniah 3:15- "The LORD, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil."
6) A believer will never perish. John 10:28- "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
7) God will never lie. Titus 1:2- "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
8) A believer's name will never be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5- "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."
9) The risen Christ will never die again. Romans 6:9- "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again."
10) A believer will never be forsaken by God. Psalm 9:10- "Those who know Your name trust in You, LORD, for You have never forsaken those who seek You."
1) God will count sin against a believer. Romans 4:8- "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
2) God will never leave a believer. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
3) A believer will never be ashamed looking to God. Psalm 34:5- "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."
4) God's mercies will never end. Lamentations 3:22- "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end."
5) A believer will never have any need to fear evil. Zephaniah 3:15- "The LORD, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil."
6) A believer will never perish. John 10:28- "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
7) God will never lie. Titus 1:2- "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
8) A believer's name will never be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5- "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."
9) The risen Christ will never die again. Romans 6:9- "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again."
10) A believer will never be forsaken by God. Psalm 9:10- "Those who know Your name trust in You, LORD, for You have never forsaken those who seek You."
Friday, April 22, 2011
Good Friday Meditation- Part 4
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
-Mark 15:34
Who can fathom what is taking place here? The eternal tapestry of the Trinity is being torn as Jesus “becomes sin for us,” taking the weight of humanity’s rebellion. “He Himself bore our sins in His body,” Peter tells us. And the sight of the sins of all redeemed humanity on His Son caused the Father to turn away in disgust and fury.
Here at the cross, Jesus did not just bear our sin; He bore the wrath of God that was directed at our sin. All of God’s holy anger at our lies, our lust, our anger, our envy, our murderous strife, our God-ignoring, self-exalting ways was focused on Jesus in those hours. “It was the will of the LORD to crush Him,” Isaiah observed seven hundred years earlier. The crushing blow that should have fallen on us—and will fall on all who do not fly to the cross for refuge—fell on Jesus that dark afternoon.
On the cross, the infinite and eternal Son of God bore the infinite and eternal punishment that our sins deserve. Hell broke into the present and consumed Jesus. Here we hear the cry of the damned, the cry that should have been ours: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This cry was on Jesus’ lips so that it would never be on ours.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”
Read the poem, “Satisfied” by Brendan Beale (http://blog.dailyverseonline.org/2009/04/satisfied.html)
-Mark 15:34
Who can fathom what is taking place here? The eternal tapestry of the Trinity is being torn as Jesus “becomes sin for us,” taking the weight of humanity’s rebellion. “He Himself bore our sins in His body,” Peter tells us. And the sight of the sins of all redeemed humanity on His Son caused the Father to turn away in disgust and fury.
Here at the cross, Jesus did not just bear our sin; He bore the wrath of God that was directed at our sin. All of God’s holy anger at our lies, our lust, our anger, our envy, our murderous strife, our God-ignoring, self-exalting ways was focused on Jesus in those hours. “It was the will of the LORD to crush Him,” Isaiah observed seven hundred years earlier. The crushing blow that should have fallen on us—and will fall on all who do not fly to the cross for refuge—fell on Jesus that dark afternoon.
On the cross, the infinite and eternal Son of God bore the infinite and eternal punishment that our sins deserve. Hell broke into the present and consumed Jesus. Here we hear the cry of the damned, the cry that should have been ours: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This cry was on Jesus’ lips so that it would never be on ours.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”
Read the poem, “Satisfied” by Brendan Beale (http://blog.dailyverseonline.org/2009/04/satisfied.html)
Good Friday Meditation- Part 3
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”
-John 19:26-27
This is yet another surprising encounter on the cross. Mary, we are told in Mark 6:3 and other places, had other sons and daughters. In the customs of the time, it would have been the responsibility of the other sons, in the event of the oldest son’s death, to care for their mother. But Jesus turns this custom on its head and entrusts his mother, not to his brothers, but to John, one of his closest disciples.
The reason for Jesus’ strange words is found in John 7:5- “Not even his brothers believed in him.” Later, of course, Jesus’ brothers would come to believe in him, and even author the biblical books of James and Jude. But here at the crucifixion, they are still unbelievers. Jesus does not want to entrust his mother to his unbelieving family, and so he gives her a new family: a family of believers, the church.
Jesus here is establishing the primacy of a new family, the church. He had alluded to this in Matthew 12, when his mother and brothers were outside wanting to talk to him. “Here are my mother and my brothers,” Jesus said, pointing to his disciples. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
EXTEND THE LESSON
Spend some time praying for your family members, especially any who do not know Jesus.
-John 19:26-27
This is yet another surprising encounter on the cross. Mary, we are told in Mark 6:3 and other places, had other sons and daughters. In the customs of the time, it would have been the responsibility of the other sons, in the event of the oldest son’s death, to care for their mother. But Jesus turns this custom on its head and entrusts his mother, not to his brothers, but to John, one of his closest disciples.
The reason for Jesus’ strange words is found in John 7:5- “Not even his brothers believed in him.” Later, of course, Jesus’ brothers would come to believe in him, and even author the biblical books of James and Jude. But here at the crucifixion, they are still unbelievers. Jesus does not want to entrust his mother to his unbelieving family, and so he gives her a new family: a family of believers, the church.
Jesus here is establishing the primacy of a new family, the church. He had alluded to this in Matthew 12, when his mother and brothers were outside wanting to talk to him. “Here are my mother and my brothers,” Jesus said, pointing to his disciples. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
EXTEND THE LESSON
Spend some time praying for your family members, especially any who do not know Jesus.
Good Friday Meditation- Part 2
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
-Luke 23:43
How costly are Jesus’ words on the cross! Grace to a thief, purchased at the cost of His own blood! I’m so thankful for this encounter, recorded for us in Scripture, because it shows more than practically any other story how much our salvation rests on grace alone.
This thief had done nothing to earn Paradise. In fact, he had earned the very opposite: a slow, painful execution. The other thief, on the other side of Jesus, had earned, deserved, and was getting the very same. But there was one difference, and it wasn’t this thief’s inherent goodness, or promise to follow Jesus: it was faith.
In that moment, hanging on the cross, he saw Jesus for who He really was. And his words were surprising: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Now THAT takes a lot of faith to say to a bloody, dying man. Looking at Jesus hanging on the cross, nobody would think, “Here’s a King about to inherit a kingdom.” Even Jesus’ own disciples had fled. But this condemned thief saw the glory of what Jesus was doing, and though all circumstances pointed to the contrary, he realized the truth: the Messiah was hanging next to him.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the hymn, “There Is A Fountain”
Jesus’ words to the thief are his words to you if you trust him. Read Revelation 21:1-7 and meditate on the Paradise prepared for you.
-Luke 23:43
How costly are Jesus’ words on the cross! Grace to a thief, purchased at the cost of His own blood! I’m so thankful for this encounter, recorded for us in Scripture, because it shows more than practically any other story how much our salvation rests on grace alone.
This thief had done nothing to earn Paradise. In fact, he had earned the very opposite: a slow, painful execution. The other thief, on the other side of Jesus, had earned, deserved, and was getting the very same. But there was one difference, and it wasn’t this thief’s inherent goodness, or promise to follow Jesus: it was faith.
In that moment, hanging on the cross, he saw Jesus for who He really was. And his words were surprising: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Now THAT takes a lot of faith to say to a bloody, dying man. Looking at Jesus hanging on the cross, nobody would think, “Here’s a King about to inherit a kingdom.” Even Jesus’ own disciples had fled. But this condemned thief saw the glory of what Jesus was doing, and though all circumstances pointed to the contrary, he realized the truth: the Messiah was hanging next to him.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read or listen to the hymn, “There Is A Fountain”
Jesus’ words to the thief are his words to you if you trust him. Read Revelation 21:1-7 and meditate on the Paradise prepared for you.
Good Friday Meditation- Part 1
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
-Luke 23:34
This is astonishing mercy. Having been beaten, tormented, falsely accused, betrayed, and now nailed to a cruel instrument of execution, with soldiers gambling for his clothing and the watching crowd mocking in derision, Jesus utters these unexpected words: “Father, forgive them.”
I would probably have been consumed with bitterness and anger, overflowing from emotional pain and physical agony. When I stub a toe, I am likely to lash out. How much more so with the pain of crucifixion! But Jesus doesn’t lash out, and here in his first word from the cross, we see the mystery of mercy.
Here at the cross, we see the enormous cost of the forgiveness that falls, unbidden, from Jesus’ lips. Jesus is asking the Father to forgive them, at the cost of His own life. Think back to the other moments of mercy in Jesus’ life: the woman caught in adultery, the words of forgiveness to the paralytic, and more. All of those were only possible because of what is happening here. The only way the holy and just God could say to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more,” is because the condemnation would fall on someone else. The only reason Jesus can say to the paralytic, or to any of us, “Your sins are forgiven,” is because of the costly price paid at Calvary.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read Isaiah 53
Read or listen to the hymn, “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted”
Pray for those in your life who you struggle to forgive. Then give them a call and work it out.
-Luke 23:34
This is astonishing mercy. Having been beaten, tormented, falsely accused, betrayed, and now nailed to a cruel instrument of execution, with soldiers gambling for his clothing and the watching crowd mocking in derision, Jesus utters these unexpected words: “Father, forgive them.”
I would probably have been consumed with bitterness and anger, overflowing from emotional pain and physical agony. When I stub a toe, I am likely to lash out. How much more so with the pain of crucifixion! But Jesus doesn’t lash out, and here in his first word from the cross, we see the mystery of mercy.
Here at the cross, we see the enormous cost of the forgiveness that falls, unbidden, from Jesus’ lips. Jesus is asking the Father to forgive them, at the cost of His own life. Think back to the other moments of mercy in Jesus’ life: the woman caught in adultery, the words of forgiveness to the paralytic, and more. All of those were only possible because of what is happening here. The only way the holy and just God could say to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more,” is because the condemnation would fall on someone else. The only reason Jesus can say to the paralytic, or to any of us, “Your sins are forgiven,” is because of the costly price paid at Calvary.
EXTEND THE LESSON
Read Isaiah 53
Read or listen to the hymn, “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted”
Pray for those in your life who you struggle to forgive. Then give them a call and work it out.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wrecking Doubts on the Rock of Christ
I'll be preaching on James 1:2-8 in about a month and a half, and so I've started meditating on the text, especially the hard words at the end of it:
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
This is a hard word from the Lord, but on closer examination, we doubters are not left without hope here. The Greek word translated "unstable" in verse 8 is rare; it only occurs two other places in the Bible. James 3:8 says that the tongue is "restless" (same word in Greek), and Isaiah 54:11 uses the same word, holding out a remarkable promise that uses the same imagery of James 1:
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires."
James warns storm-tossed doubters, but carefully uses the same imagery and language of God's promise to those very same doubters, that if they will turn from their instability and plant their hope on God's foundation, they will never be moved.
This is God's word to doubting sufferers: "O afflicted one, storm-tossed by your fears, driven to despair and not comforted, yield command of your vessel and let your doubt be wrecked on the Rock of Christ! Load up your ship of faith with the ballast of God's precious and weighty promises, and do not jettison your confidence, which has a great reward. Entrust your safety to the Sovereign of the sea, who has infallibly promised to bring you through every storm of suffering safe to the eternal shore."
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
This is a hard word from the Lord, but on closer examination, we doubters are not left without hope here. The Greek word translated "unstable" in verse 8 is rare; it only occurs two other places in the Bible. James 3:8 says that the tongue is "restless" (same word in Greek), and Isaiah 54:11 uses the same word, holding out a remarkable promise that uses the same imagery of James 1:
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires."
James warns storm-tossed doubters, but carefully uses the same imagery and language of God's promise to those very same doubters, that if they will turn from their instability and plant their hope on God's foundation, they will never be moved.
This is God's word to doubting sufferers: "O afflicted one, storm-tossed by your fears, driven to despair and not comforted, yield command of your vessel and let your doubt be wrecked on the Rock of Christ! Load up your ship of faith with the ballast of God's precious and weighty promises, and do not jettison your confidence, which has a great reward. Entrust your safety to the Sovereign of the sea, who has infallibly promised to bring you through every storm of suffering safe to the eternal shore."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Rob Bell, Universalism, and the Atonement
It looks like Rob Bell, the popular emergent pastor and author, is moving farther away from the vague uncertainties and generalities of the emergent movement and toward theology that is more explicitly and openly un-Christian. That's usually the road false teaching takes.
In his new book is "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived," Rob Bell argues for universalism, the idea that everyone is saved. Whole books can and have been written against this idea (see, for starters: The Bible), but I was most concerned by one statement he made in his promotional video (which can be viewed here).
In the video, Rob Bell says: "Millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus, is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?"
It is tragic that Rob Bell misses the heart of the gospel here. He casually questions, criticizes, and dismisses what Scripture holds out as the most precious reality in the universe: that Jesus really does rescue us from God.
We are in desperate need of rescue from many things. We need to be saved from the stranglehold and slavery of sin. We need to be saved from ourselves, from our bent toward wayward self-destruction. We need to be saved from the tyranny of unjust social structures. But over, above, and underneath all of these rescues is the foundational rescue that we need: we need to be saved from the wrath of God.
"Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." ~1 Thessalonians 1:10
"Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." ~Romans 5:9
John Piper says it this way. It's a long quote, but worth reading and celebrating:
"Sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore, failure to love him is not trivial-- it is treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness.
Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: 'For the wages of sin is death.' 'The soul who sins shall die.'
There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish would be unjust. The demeaning of God would be endorsed. A lie would reign at the core of reality.
But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore God sends his own Son to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who trust him. 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.'"
This is the most precious reality in the universe. Sin must be answered, punished, and condemned. So God answers, punishes, and condemns His Son in the place of sinners. This is love so amazing, so divine. This is breathtaking. This is the gospel.
"In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (a sacrifice that absorbs and removes wrath) for our sins." ~1 John 4:10
In his new book is "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived," Rob Bell argues for universalism, the idea that everyone is saved. Whole books can and have been written against this idea (see, for starters: The Bible), but I was most concerned by one statement he made in his promotional video (which can be viewed here).
In the video, Rob Bell says: "Millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus, is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?"
It is tragic that Rob Bell misses the heart of the gospel here. He casually questions, criticizes, and dismisses what Scripture holds out as the most precious reality in the universe: that Jesus really does rescue us from God.
We are in desperate need of rescue from many things. We need to be saved from the stranglehold and slavery of sin. We need to be saved from ourselves, from our bent toward wayward self-destruction. We need to be saved from the tyranny of unjust social structures. But over, above, and underneath all of these rescues is the foundational rescue that we need: we need to be saved from the wrath of God.
"Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." ~1 Thessalonians 1:10
"Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." ~Romans 5:9
John Piper says it this way. It's a long quote, but worth reading and celebrating:
"Sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore, failure to love him is not trivial-- it is treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness.
Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: 'For the wages of sin is death.' 'The soul who sins shall die.'
There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish would be unjust. The demeaning of God would be endorsed. A lie would reign at the core of reality.
But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore God sends his own Son to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who trust him. 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.'"
This is the most precious reality in the universe. Sin must be answered, punished, and condemned. So God answers, punishes, and condemns His Son in the place of sinners. This is love so amazing, so divine. This is breathtaking. This is the gospel.
"In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (a sacrifice that absorbs and removes wrath) for our sins." ~1 John 4:10
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