The Work Is Completely Done!       

Isaiah 53:6

 

     Here is the most soul comforting truth in all the world. "The LORD hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all." Notice the tense of the sentence. It does not say, "The Lord shall lay the iniquity of us all upon Christ, if we will meet certain conditions or terms, if we will do something for him, if we will do our part, or if we will let him." The inspired sentence reads, "The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." The transfer of sin from God's elect to Christ is not something that must be done. It is something that has already been done. (Read Romans 10:6-8!). The work is completely done. And the Lord himself, all by himself, has done it. There is nothing for us to do. Faith simply receives what the Lord has done, believes it, and rejoices in it. But faith adds nothing to the work.

     When did the Lord do this? It is true, God applies the pardon of sin at conversion. It is received and enjoyed by faith. But our sins were laid upon Christ and put away by him long before we believe. God the Father laid our sin upon Christ as our Surety in the covenant of grace before the world began (I Pet. 1:18-21; Rev. 13:8). In his purpose and decree, God sacrificed his Son for us as the sin atoning, sacrificial Lamb before the foundation of the world. When the decree was made, God ceased to look to his elect for satisfaction of their debt. He looked to Christ. In the fulness of time, God executed his decree, laying sin upon Christ and exacting from him the penalty of our sin when he hung upon the cursed tree (Gal. 3:13). When Christ died Divine justice was satisfied. The sins of God's elect which he bore were thoroughly expounged from existence before the law of God. Be sure you understand this: God will never make another transfer of sin! There is no moment in time, or condition possible, in which God will transfer sin back from Christ to his people (Rom. 4:8). Sin, once laid upon Christ, the Scapegoat, is carried away into the land of forgetfulness, never to be seen, or brought back, again!

 

Don Fortner