How did the Lord Jesus Christ become our
Surety? The Holy Spirit tells us, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a
better testament.” He was made our Surety by the oath of God himself (v.
21), by the eternal decree of the Almighty, who accepted him for us and
accepted us in him.
With men a Surety is a mere guarantor,
a co-signer who is jointly responsible with the principle debtor for the
payment of a debt. Not so with Christ! Our Lord Jesus Christ did not merely agree to meet our
obligations to God’s law if we, by some circumstance or condition, became
incapable of meeting our own obligations. Our blessed Savior, as our Surety,
took the whole of our obligation before the law of God upon himself.
With men a surety may be legally forced into
suretyship. A man is legally responsible for the debts of his wife. A father is
legally responsible for the debts and legal liabilities of his minor
children. But Christ voluntarily, cheerfully placed himself in servitude to
God’s law and will as the Surety of his own elect. From the instant he became
Surety for his people, he became servant to his Father (Isa. 42:1; 49:3; John
10:17-18). The Lord Jesus Christ is an
absolute Surety by voluntary consent.
When he became our Surety, Christ took the whole of our debt upon himself. He became responsible for our obligations. As soon as he was accepted as our Surety, we were released from all of our debts and obligations to God’s holy law. As soon as God accepted his Son as our Surety, he set us free. He ceased looking to us for satisfaction. He freed us from all bondage, all curse, all penalty, and all obligation; and looked to his Son for satisfaction of our debts (Job 33:24; Phile. 1:18). When Christ became Surety for us, our sins were imputed to him. By divine imputation, our sins were placed to his account. He became responsible for them. Christ was made to be sin for us when he hung upon the cursed tree. But he became responsible and accountable for sin when he became our Surety (2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 53:6; Ps. 40:12; 69:5).
When Christ became our Surety, we were then and there redeemed, justified, pardoned, and made righteous in the sight of God (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-6; 2 Tim. 1:9-10). God’s forbearance, patience, and long-suffering with this world are due to the suretyship engagements of Christ. God’s eye has always been on the blood. It is the blood of Christ our Surety that held back the hand of God’s judgment when Adam sinned. The Old Testament saints were pardoned, justified, and forgiven upon the basis of Christ’s obedience as our Surety, though he had not yet actually rendered that obedience (Isa. 43:25; 45:24-25; Heb. 11:13-16). Those saints of old, like believers today, had knowledge of and faith in Christ as their Surety (Job 19:25-27; Ps. 32:1-4; 119:122; Isa. 38:14).