GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #457
The Blessed Comfort Of Christ’s Satisfaction
Pastor
Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville,
Kentucky 40422-9438
I want you to understand
from the Word of God both the necessity and the blessedness of Christ’s
satisfaction of Divine justice by his death on the cross. This is a doctrine of
utmost importance. It is the glory of the gospel and the glory of the Christian
religion. It is the satisfaction of Divine justice by the death of Christ that
distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. Take the cross out of
Christianity, take away the satisfaction of Christ by his death upon the cross,
and Christianity is of no more value and benefit to the souls of men than Judaism,
Islam, or Hinduism. It is of paramount importance because without satisfaction
for sin, there could be no salvation from it.
It
was necessary for Christ to suffer and die on the cross under the wrath of God
to save his people. He did not have to save us. But if he would save us, he
could not save in any other way. Justice demanded it (Pro. 16:6; 17:15; Rom.
4:5; 1 Pet. 3:18). This is what the Spirit of God teaches us in Hebrews 2:9-10.
"But we
see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. For it became him,
for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto
glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
Since it was the design,
purpose, and pleasure of the Almighty to bring some of the sons of men into
eternal glory and happiness as the sons of God by Christ, it was necessary for
Christ, the Son of God, to suffer all that the law and justice of God required
for the punishment of sin, dying under the wrath of God as our Substitute.
I am not suggesting that the
satisfaction of Christ procured the love of God for us. It does not. The death
of Christ is the fruit of God’s love, not the cause of it. But I am saying that
it is the death of Christ and the satisfaction of justice by his death that
opens the way for sinners to enjoy the glorious, saving embraces of God’s
almighty, gracious arms. We could never have been reconciled to God without the
shedding of Christ’s blood.
The great Baptist
theologian, John Gill, was exactly
right in concluding that every sinner who is reconciled to God by faith in
Christ is included in the number of those for whom satisfaction was made at
Calvary. He wrote, “Have you any reason to believe that you have, at any time,
had communion with God, in private or in public, in your closet, or in the
family, or in the house of God, under any ordinance, either the ministry of the
Word, or prayer, or the Supper of the Lord? Then you may be assured Christ has
made satisfaction for you; or you would never have enjoyed such communion.”
What a horrible evil sin is! Nothing but the
blood of Christ could make satisfaction for it. God almighty will punish sin.
The death of Christ as the sinner’s Substitute demonstrates the strictness of
God’s holy law. Yet, there is a way open for sinners to come to God. Christ is
the Way. He has made satisfaction for sin. If you trust him, if you come to God
by faith in him, he made satisfaction for your sin!
Let
us ever and increasingly admire and adore the perfections of our God revealed
in the gospel (Psa. 85:10-11). Admire his love! Adore his mercy! Rejoice in his
grace! Stand in awe of his wisdom, holiness, justice, and truth! All shine
forth gloriously in the satisfaction of Christ - “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings.” Wisdom found a ransom. Holiness approved of
it. Justice is satisfied with it. Truth proclaims it!
AMEN.