What Those Who Trust In Christ Are Saved To, From And For - Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Introduction:

Years ago I heard a fellow-pastor friend of mine share a story of how he had worked on an oil derrick in the Gulf of Mexico as a 19 year old young man. As he was walking on the main platform, he ventured too close to the edge and fell into the water. Immediately the men up above began to cry "man over-board". As my friend drifted further from the oil derrick, he saw a helicopter lift from the platform to begin its search for him. Other than the distant lights, he could not see his hand in front of his face. He was drifting in the Gulf of Mexico, and began wondering whether he would be eaten by sharks or suffer hypothermia.  I recall my friend at that particular point in the story saying: "It was at that point that I understood what it meant to be lost." He then testified of how the helicopter spotted him, and how a life-raft sped toward him and pulled him out of the dark, cold, ink-black darkness and chilly water. In his message, he noted how although he had been lost, he was saved. He then drew the powerful parallel between his experience to the Biblical imagery of being "lost" and then "saved". 

So, what does this term “saved” mean Biblically? As early in the Old Testament we read in Exodus 14:30 "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." New Testament passages such as Romans 10:9-10 describe one's confession of faith in Christ as resulting in the state of being "saved". Ephesians 2:8-9 similarly notes: "for by grace re you "saved" through faith...". The Gospel declares upon one’s trust in Jesus Christ, they are “saved” unto something, “saved” from something and “saved” for something. Today's post will aim to unpack what the Gospel promises to save you to, from and for. Upon our reception of the Gospel by faith, we are

1. Saved to…. Romans 5:1-5

a. 5:1 peace with God  
b. 5:2 access to God  
c. 5:3-5 hope in God  
d. 5:5 love from God

Ephesians 2:14 describes Jesus Christ as "our peace" who has torn down the barriers between us and God. In Hebrews 4:14-16, we're reminded of the access we have to the Lord Jesus Christ, the believer's eternal high priest, for finding grace and help in time of need. Concerning the believer's hope in God, we find how such hope describes their status before God in Ephesians 2:12 and Colossians 1:27. Then, passages such as 1 John 4:8-16 unfold the glorious love of God. All of these spiritual graces are entered upon from one's position granted in justification by faith. Paul's point is that since we are justified by faith, we begin in our sanctification, with the attendant blessings such as peace, access to God, hope and love ours to enjoy. Henceforth this is what the Christian is saved to. But now notice what it is that Jesus can "save from" for anyone trusting in Him. 

2. Saved from….Romans 5:6-10

The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes concerning Romans 5:6-8 - 

"Since the divine dilemma of justification (3:26) has been solved on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood (cf. 3:25), certainly Jesus Christ will see that justified sinners will be saved from God’s wrath. Believers will never be condemned to hell (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1) nor will they be the objects of God’s coming Tribulation wrath (1 Thes. 1:10; 5:9)."

Concerning what we're saved from in salvation, we can note three things: 

a. 5:6-8 our sins against God
b. 5:9 wrath from God
c. 5:10 our war with God

The first has to do with God's twin act of removing the penalty of our sin in what theologians call "expiation" (see Hebrews 9:14). The second thing we are saved from, God's wrath, follows on the heels of expiation by the satisfaction of of His wrath in what is called "propitiation" (see 1 John 2:1-2). Then finally, we find that in the end of warfare or enmity between us and God, we are described as those being reconciled to Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:15-21). The great commentator Matthew Henry notes concerning what believers are "saved from"...

"The dying Jesus laid the foundation, in satisfying for sin, and slaying the enmity, and so making us salvable; thus is the partition-wall broken down, atonement made, and the attainder reversed; but it is the living Jesus that perfects the work: he lives to make intercession, Heb. 7:25. It is Christ, in his exaltation, that by his word and Spirit effectually calls, and changes, and reconciles us to God, is our Advocate with the Father, and so completes and consummates our salvation."

So due to being justified by faith, the believer in Jesus Christ is "saved to" peace with God, access to God, hope in God and love from God. Likewise, the believer in Christ is "saved from" their sins, wrath and war with God. But now, what is it that the sinner saved by grace is saved for?

3. Saved for… Romans 5:11

In Romans 5:11, we can note two general realities to which the Christian is saved for: walking in fellowship with God and worship of God. In the Exodus account, we find God telling Moses to go to Pharaoh and state to him to "let my people go". We read for example in Exodus 4:21-23 "The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”

Now when you read the remainder of the Exodus account, including the Red Sea crossing and all of the events surrounding God's deliverance of the Hebrews from the Egyptians, you discover that the goal was not just to "save the people from Pharaoh". The goal was to make these slaves into worshipers and these people who "were formerly not a people in a people for God". Exodus 19-20 is the official birth of the Jewish nation. God made them a people, a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy nation. They were saved for the purpose of walking with God and worshiping Him. 

In the New Testament, we find that Christian salvation is described in these same terms. The Christian is saved for good works (Ephesians 2:10). 1 Peter 2:9-11 quotes from Exodus 19:5-6, the same exact identity in terms of Christians. As theologian R.C. Sproul has often said in conferences and in writing: "We are saved by God, from God, for God."

Closing thoughts:

Today we explored the Biblical concept of what it means to be "saved". We noted the following....

1. Saved to…. Romans 5:1-5
.peace with God  
.access to God  
.hope in God  
.love from God

2. Saved from… Romans 5:6-10
.our sins against God
.wrath from God
.our war with God

3. Saved for… Romans 5:11
.walking in fellowship with God
.worshipping God

Avoiding The Two-Thieves On Either-Side Of The Gospel

Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."

Introduction:

Preachers of old have described the Gospel's relationship to two perversions of it in the imagery of Jesus' dying on the cross between two thieves (see Mark 15:27). Such a metaphor is used due to the Gospel accounts of Jesus dying on the cross between two thieves. Jesus Christ is the Gospel and any exposition concerning His accomplished work and how such work is received in saving faith constitutes any standard definition of the Gospel. Apart from Jesus Christ and saving trust in Him, there is no salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). 

To further carry forth this point, the Gospel deals with how sinful man is reconciled and made right with Holy God of Eternity. The way the Gospel prescribes for this to occur is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8) through faith alone (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 10:9-10) in Christ alone (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). 

When we consider the two thieves on either side of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are talking about the two extremes in which sinful man conceives of salvation: legalism and lawlessness. On the surface, both thieves might seem completely different, since the former advocates good works as the basis for attaining favor with God while the latter abandons the need for good works. However, both thieves have in common a gross perversion of grace. Both thieves attempt to achieve reconciliation with God apart from His saving grace and the Gospel! To see how this is the case, we will look briefly at these two thieves in closer detail.

The thief of lawlessness

The first thief is that of license or lawlessness. Paul expresses the absurdity of this first thief in Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" There are some today who will teach that as long as someone says some type of prayer to Jesus, it doesn't matter how one lives after such a so-called profession of faith. Afterall, it is God's job to forgive. 

Such a thief mocks the true Gospel like the first thief did Jesus. The Gospel of lawlessness is no Gospel, but a perversion of it. Whenever Paul is recounting his preaching of the true Gospel in Galatians 2:9-10, he reminds his readers of the importance of good-works following after saving faith - "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do." 

The same James of whom Paul speaks in this verse warned of the first thief of a faith that has no works following in James 2:14-16  "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for theirbody, what use is that?" So Paul laid to rest the charge that he was promoting some sort of salvation that required no change following saving faith. 

The thief of legalism

The second thief on the other side of the Gospel is perhaps even more subtle and more dangerous than the first. It is the so-called Gospel of law or legalism. Such an approach attempts to preach salvation by works. This thief is the more seductive, more cunning of the two, since it is dressed in the garments of religion and ritual. 

Whenever Paul was writing Galatians 2, he was dealing with this second thief of the Gospel. A group of Jews called the "Judiaizers" were attempting to convince Paul's readers that in order to be justified or made right with God, one had to be circumcised. They mixed together faith and the added works of circumcision and adherence to the Mosaic Law. Furthermore, this particularly heresy of works-righteousness proved to be so seductive that otherwise strong preachers of the true Gospel like Peter and Barnabas were beginning to compromise (see Galatians 2:13).

The historic doctrine of justification by faith alone argues that faith is not only necessary, but sufficient for reception of God's saving grace and Christ's credited righteousness. Whenever one adds faith plus baptism or faith plus some type of ritual to the mix, the result is still the same - no salvation. Paul plainly asserts in Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." As you read on down through Paul's main point regarding the true Gospel of the cross, he states in Galatians 2:17-21 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

The true Gospel rather than the two thieves

We as Christians must avoid these two thieves of the Gospel. Their efforts attempt to work their way into our hearts, our doctrine and our pulpits. Only the true Gospel of the cross: salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone can save. We are saved by grace through faith apart from works in order to live a faith that works. We are saved by grace through faith alone and are as Christians being saved by grace through faith that is never to be alone apart from works. The Apostle John states concerning our Lord Jesus Christ in John 1:14 that He alone was "full of grace and truth" and that in John 1:18 that "grace and truth are realized" in Jesus Christ. The two thieves attempt to emphasize one or the other, hence stealing away the Gospel and resulting in judgment and error. May we avoid the two thieves of the Gospel: lawlessness and legalism. We must embrace the only Gospel that saves from the wrath to come - salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Jesus, the Good, Great, Chief and Exalted Shepherd Revealed In The New Testament

John 10:1-6 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them."

Introduction:

Over the last couple of posts we have considered the imagery of "shepherd" and how it relates to God. We've witnessed how the Old Testament utilizes the "shepherd" imagery in revealing the character and power of God to His people. We then considered how such Divine connections to Deity inform our understanding of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' self-pronouncement of Himself as "the Good Shepherd" in John 10:11 assumes the Old Testament backdrop. In today's post we want to explore how Jesus develops His self-understanding as the Divine Shepherd in human flesh and what the New Testament has to teach us about this wonderful title of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Understanding Jesus as a the Good Shepherd in John 10

John's Gospel aims to make know to the reader how one can know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In John 10, John reports Jesus' words concerning His self-identity as "The Good Shepherd". The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes the following on John 10:

"The discourse on the Good Shepherd continues the same setting as in chapter 9. Comparing people to a shepherd and his sheep was common in the Middle East. Kings and priests called themselves shepherds and their subjects sheep. The Bible makes frequent use of this analogy. Many of the great men of the Old Testament were shepherds (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David). As national leaders, Moses and David were both “shepherds” over Israel. Some of the most famous passages in the Bible employ this motif (cf. Ps. 23; Isa. 53:6; Luke 15:1–7). Jesus developed this analogy in several ways. The connection with the preceding chapter is seen in Jesus’ contrast of the Pharisees with the man born blind. The Pharisees—spiritually blind while claiming insight (John 9:41)—were false shepherds. As the True Shepherd, Jesus came to seek and to heal. His sheep hear and respond to His voice."


In John 10:1-21, we find Jesus first of all starting with a figurative story or what some would refer to as His parable of the shepherd and the sheep in John 10:1-6. Key details of the story include: the shepherd, the doorway into the sheepfold, the sheep, villains such as robbers, hirelings or false shepherds and the manner in which the sheep discern between the true and false shepherds. 

John 10:7-21 entails Jesus exposition and revelation of how He is the only shepherd through which to enter (i.e the door), the good shepherd and the true shepherd that leads by His voice for the sheep follow. We can summarize Jesus' exposition as follows:

1. The Only Shepherd. 10:7-10
2. The Good Shepherd. 10:11-15
3. The True Shepherd. 10:16-21

As the Only Shepherd, no other shepherd exists through which believing sinners can enter into God's Kingdom and salvation (see John 14:6; Acts 4:12). As the Good Shepherd, we see the focus upon Christ's character and willingness to lay down His life for the sheep and to rise again of His own accord. Then as the True Shepherd, Jesus is ever associated with His Word, which functions as a true test for those who claim to love Him (see John 14:21). 

The New Testament's development of Jesus as the Good Shepherd

From what we see in John 10, Jesus Christ is without a doubt "the Good Shepherd". As one explores the remainder of the New Testament's teaching on Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we discover that this particular title is heightened as one goes further into the remainder of the New Testament. To summarize, we find the following progression, beginning with John 10:11...

1. Jesus is the Good Shepherd in John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." 

2. Jesus is the Great Shepherd in Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

3. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd in
1 Peter 5:4 "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

4. Jesus is the Exalted Shepherd in
Revelation 7:17 "for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Thus Jesus is not just the Good Shepherd, He is the Great, Chief and Exalted Shepherd, worthy of worship. Let us then follow our wonderful shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus seen as the Good Shepherd from the Old Testament

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

Introduction:

Even though today's post begins with Jesus speaking of Himself in John's Gospel in the New Testament, I thought we would consider how this title is developed throughout the Old Testament. The beauty of this title of "Shepherd" or "Good Shepherd" is in how God the Father and Christ are portrayed as being Personal and Powerful. Powerfully, God easily wards off any threats that could swallow up His people in their faith. Personally speaking, God carries His people in His arms whenever they are limping, hardly walking or at their wits end. 

Whatsoever is said of Yahweh, Jehovah God, in the Old Testament is attributed to the Son in the New Testament. Whenever Christ revealed Himself as "the Good Shepherd", the background revelation of the Old Testament is included. We looked in our last post at how God is revealed as "the Shepherd". By identifying Himself as "the Good Shepherd", Jesus is equating Himself with the Father. Rather than offering detailed exposition on a few passages, I want to offer a few headings to aid the reader in tracing this divine title of "shepherd" throughout the Old Testament. We will then conclude with final observations pertaining to how this all works in making clearer to us the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

How we see the image of God as "Shepherd" developed in the Old Testament

1. The Guiding Shepherd. 
Genesis 48:15; 49:24; Psalm 23:1-6

2. Providing Shepherd. 
Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11

3. The Rescuing Shepherd. 
Isaiah 63:11; Jeremiah 31:10

4. The Divine Shepherd. Psalm 80:1

The above passages are but a sampling. Still, we know that headings such as these carry forth into the New Testament's handling of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd.

Jesus' use of the Old Testament's imagery in identifying Himself as "the Good Shepherd"

Commentators have noted how much of the Old Testament imagery connects to Jesus as "the Good Shepherd". Ellicott, the classic commentatory notes in his commentary on John 10: 

"The passage of the Old Testament referred to above has prepared our minds for this thought of Christ, especially Psalms 23; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 37:24. He is the Shepherd who is ideally good, fulfilling every thought of guidance, support, self-sacrifice that had ever gathered round the shepherd’s name. No image of Christ has so deeply impressed itself upon the mind of the Church as this has."

To cite one further example, John Gill in his commentary writes concerning the Old Testament imagery of "shepherd" and its association with Jesus Christ:

"I am the good shepherd,.... A shepherd of his Father's appointing, calling, and sending, to whom the care of all his sheep, or chosen ones, was committed; who was set up as a shepherd over them by him, and was entrusted with them; and who being called, undertook to feed them; and being promised, was sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and under the character of a shepherd, died for them, and rose again, and is accountable to his Father for everyone of them; the shepherd, the great and chief shepherd, the famous one, so often spoken and prophesied of, Genesis 49:24."

Closing thoughts

Today we briefly considered the Old Testament background and development of the "shepherd" theme as it relates to Jesus. Jesus claimed Himself to be "the Good Shepherd" in John 10:11. We noted how much of the Old Testament thought-patterns were embedded in the rich meaning of Jesus' statements. In all we noted four brief headings concerning how the "shepherd" theme is developed in the Old Testament, and how such can shed light for us on the Person and work of the Lord Jesus:

1. The Guiding Shepherd. Genesis 48:15; 49:24; Psalm 23; Mt 9:23

2. Providing Shepherd. Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; 1 Peter 2:25

3. The Rescuing Shepherd. Isaiah 63:11; Jeremiah 31:10; 1 Pt 5:4


4. The Divine Shepherd. Psalm 80:1; Revelation 7:17

God as the Mighty One, the Shepherd and the Rock - Genesis 49:24

Genesis 49:24 "But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)."

Introduction:

The opening text of today's post features one of the earliest mentions of the term "shepherd" as a Divine title for God. The verse above occurs in the context of Jacob's blessing of his son Joseph. Joseph was used mightily by God in a series of circumstances to save his family (see Genesis 50:20). The surrounding context of Genesis 49:24 gives us a clearer picture as to why God is called "the Shepherd": “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall.
23 “The archers bitterly attacked him,
And shot at him and harassed him;
24 But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
25 From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

Three Divine titles are mentioned in the verse. We can see reference to God as "Shepherd", "Stone" as well as His identity as "the Mighty One of Jacob". 
As is often the case, Divine titles that occur in tandem function together to reveal the multifaceted character of God. Today we want to observe how these three titles function to reveal to us the character of God.

1. Mighty One of Jacob.  

The Old Testament's revelation of God as "the Mighty One" speaks of God's omnipotence. Psalm 50:1 for example states - "The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting." To associate God as a shepherd with this title "Mighty One" first and foremost refers to the strength He has to lead His people. Such a title carries a second connotation, namely God's covenant relationship to His people. King David's desired had been to build a temple for God. God's plans were different from David's with God choosing his Son and heir Solomon to be the builder of The Temple instead. Psalm 132:1-5 records David's desire and God's response: Remember, O Lord, on David’s behalf, All his affliction;
2 How he swore to the Lord And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 3 “Surely I will not enter my house, Nor lie on my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids, 5 Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” So we can say that as "Mighty One", God possesses unlimited strength as the Shepherd of His people. 

2. The rock 

In Genesis 49:24, we see a second title associated with "shepherd", and which accentuates the idea of God as shepherd - namely God as "Rock". 1 Samuel 2:2 states - “There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God." God as "the Rock" gives the imagery of shelter, protection and provision. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul would refer to Jesus Himself as the Rock that accompanied Israel throughout her journeys (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-6). So just like the previous Divine title, the "Rock" fortifies the imagery of the title "shepherd" as communicating the "Shepherd's protection and provision for His people. 

3. Shepherd

We come lastly to the title "Shepherd" itself. When we consider the other two titles of "Rock" and "Mighty One of Jacob" in association with "Shepherd", we find an enriching picture of the Lord God. Shepherds tended the sheep in Israel. Joseph had tended the flocks of his father and so would had connected to Jacob's words to him. Although the shepherd's job was important, shepherds typically occupied the lower rungs of the social ladder. Despite the shepherd's humble position, God chooses to use this very title as a revelation of Himself. 

Many have been blessed by hearing the 23rd Psalm recited or preached. When David starts out with the words: "The Lord is my Shepherd", we find the tenderness of the Psalm reaching to our heart. Psalm 80:1 uses this title "shepherd" in an exalted sense: "Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!"  Why is God so pleased to reveal Himself as "Israel's Shepherd" or as "my Shepherd"? God's stooping down of Himself to the level of our understanding is the quintessential heart of the meaning of Divine revelation. Is it no wonder why Jesus Himself referred to He being "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11). The Divine Son humbled Himself by taking unto His Person true humanity - revealing Himself as the God man. Such an act was truly God stooping down to make Himself known to us - not only by words, but by the Person of the Son assuming true humanity. 

Closing thoughts

Today we considered how three Divine titles worked together in Genesis 49:24 to reveal to us the character of God. We noted how the titles "Rock" and "Mighty One" work with the title "Shepherd" to show us what kind of Shepherd God is to Israel and to all that trust in Him by faith. If we were to summarize everything we have discussed, we could do it the following way:

1. As "the Mighty One" God is the Mighty Shepherd

2. As "the Rock", God is the protective Shepherd"

3. As the Shepherd, God shows His strength and protection by How He reveals Himself to His people. 

God’s Work By Christ Through You

John 9:1-5 "As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

Introduction:

In this post we want to understand what works Jesus came to do and how you and I can appreciate and share those works with others. 

The importance of Jesus' works

When we consider the Person of Jesus Christ, one cannot separate Who He is from what He did and is continuing to do. The actions and activities of Jesus Christ are His works. The works of Christ are likened unto rays of the sun that lead us back to the Person of Christ.

In Matthew 11:2-5 we read the following: "Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." John the Baptist was held in Herod's dungeon-like prison. His cell was just wide enough for the man himself. The conditions were unsanitary, dark and exposed John the Baptist to the elements. He was the forerunner of Jesus, and now it seemed life was running over him. For a moment John's world was eclipsing His vision of Jesus. John had not lost complete faith, for He knew He needed to appeal to the works. Jesus sent word back concerning the works He was doing, validating His messianic identity. Jesus' works are important. 

The Apostle John often will mention Jesus' works, since Jesus Himself mentioned them. In John 10:25 for instance, we read these words from Jesus' lips: "Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.'" The works of Jesus points one back to Himself. Jesus elsewhere claims to do the same works as the Father, hence verifying His claims of deity (see John 5:20,36; 10:37-38). Once more, concerning Jesus' works indicated by the Apostle John, we read in John 14:11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves."

The remarkable fact of Jesus' works working through the believer

Jesus did all sorts of works while in His ministry here on this work. The Gospel records 35 miracles, His substitutionary death on the cross and resurrection. All of those works points us back to Jesus. However, the amazing reality following His resurrection is that He, by His Spirit, and by His exaltation at the Father's right hand, works through believers in history and in the world. Jesus Himself promised His disciples for example in John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father." The Reformation Study Bible observes: "

History proves that Jesus is not affirming that each believer will do greater miracles than He did. The church’s work in the power of the Holy Spirit will be 'greater' than Jesus’ works in number and territory."

As one combs the Book of Acts and the New Testament letters, it is evident that the church as a whole is continuing on Jesus' works. Christianity, mind you, is the only religion in the world that claims its original founder to be daily experienced in the life of His followers. Moreover, followers of Jesus Christ claim that Christ is working in them and through them. What follows below is a summery of the types of work God by Christ works through believers in Jesus Christ. This summary of Christ's works is gleaned from John 9 and finds their spiritual counterparts in the remainder of the New Testament.

1. Sight to the spiritually blind. John 9:1-12

The Apostle Paul is recorded saying in Acts 26:17-18 concerning God's call on His life: rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ Just as Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind in John 9, every follower of Jesus Christ has been charged to share the Gospel with those who are born spiritually blind. Only God's word spoken, preached or explained can open the spiritual eyes of the sinner. 

We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5: "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness". We are reminded in Galatians 6:9-10 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." According to 2 Corinthians 5:15-20 reminds us as well that God is making His plea through believers for sinners to be reconciled to Himself. Jesus works through the Christian to verbalize the gospel to open spiritual eyes. Notice another work of Jesus through the Christian....

2. Speak the Word to the spiritually dead. John 9:13-17

The audience which got wind of Jesus' miracle in the healing of this man born blind was a hostile one. The religious leaders more and more hated the Lord Jesus Christ. He was unfazed though and continued to speak for God's truth and embody such truth as God in human flesh. Whenever the follower of Jesus Christ shares God's word with unbelievers, such words carry with them life giving power. John 5:24-25 notes: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." The preaching forth of God's word is the voice of Christ calling forth sinners from their tomb of unbelief, connecting it to what will be the literally resurrection of the dead from their graves in the future when He returns. We see, in other words, parallels between the spiritual reality of the new birth and the physical reality of resurrection. Concerning how God's words bring forth spiritual life, James 1:18 notes: "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." The Apostle Peter writes similarly in 1 Peter 1:23 "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God."

So in terms of Jesus works, believers in Him continue on in spiritual terms what He did for the blind man in John 9. We speak forth His word which opens spiritual eyes and speaks life into spiritually dead souls. Now notice one more work God desires to work by Christ through His people...

3. Set free those who are captive. John 9:18-29

When this man's sight was given to Him by Jesus, it did not mean his life was going to be easy. In fact, before it was all said and done, this man lost everything humanly speaking. He lost his place in that Jewish culture, temple life and clearly his relationship with his family. But do you know, this man had Jesus! Jesus set him free from the captivity of darkness that had held him at bay all his life. John 8:32 and 8:36 reminds us of the one set free by Jesus and by His words is free indeed! Far better to walk a free man in this world with no commendation from men than to have all the world has to offer. 

Jesus states in Mark 8:34-38 - "And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Closing thoughts

In this post we aimed to understand what works Jesus came to do and how you and I could appreciate and share those works with others. We looked at three such works:

1. Sight to the spiritually blind. John 9:1-12

2. Speak the Word to the spiritually dead. John 9:13-17

3. Set free those who are captive. John 9:18-29

Reflections On Jesus Christ - The Lamb of God

John 1:29 "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Introduction:

Today's post will only but skim the surface of one of the most profound titles to describe the Lord Jesus Christ - namely, "the Lamb of God". This concept of "God's lamb" or "lamb of God" spans both Old and New Testament revelation. In this brief post, I want the reader to have a spring board from which they can launch into further study of this incredible name for Jesus. 

Therefore, to summarize the goal for today's post: The Old and New Testaments both center God’s redemptive purposes around the concept of a sacrificial lamb. This idea turns out pointing to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In focusing upon this title "Lamb of God", we will find a means of increasing our awe of Him.

So, when we say Jesus is the Lamb of God, what do we mean? How is Jesus seen as the Lamb of God in the Old and New Testaments?

1. Sinless, spotless Lamb for our sins. 

In Exodus 12:5, we find God giving the prescription for the Passover. The Hebrew people had been in Egypt for over 400 years. Their daily life consisted of bondage and enslavement. They cried out to God, and God heard their cry. God met Moses on the backside of the Midianite desert, shepherding the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro. In Exodus 3 God meets Moses in a theophany of the burning bush. From that bush thunders the Divine voice of Yahweh - calling Moses to go to Pharoah and to say: "let my people go". When Moses inquired as to Who or what was sending him, God's response to Moses was this: "I am, Who I am." So, Moses goes to Egypt and God works forth ten plagues to make a mockery of the Egyptian pantheon and to show forth the glory of His power to both the Egyptians and the Hebrews.

On the final night prior to their crossing of the Red Sea, God sends the death angel over the land. God had told the Hebrews to take a lamb and kill it. The blood shed by the lamb was to be applied to the door posts of their homes and to the entryways of their gates. When the angel would see the blood of the lamb, he would "passover" that home, sparing the first born son. In effect, the lamb, prescribed by God, "saved" the lives of the firstborn of the Hebrew people and thus secured their future. 

In Exodus 12:5 we find out about the kind of lamb that needed to be killed for this initiatory passover: "Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats." The Hebrew word translated "unblemished" is elsewhere translated in the Old Testament as "perfect" or as the NIV renders it: "without defect". This word gives the idea of having all of its parts in perfect working order, having not one fault. The Lord Jesus Christ is described as a sinless, spotless lamb in 1 Pt 1:18-19 "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." So Jesus as the Lamb of God is the sinless, spotless Lamb. In order for Him to be the Savior of sinners, he needed to be sinless. As God, He is incapable of sin and as man, He never chose to sin in thought, word nor deed.

2. Saving Lamb to take away sin. 

We've seen Jesus as the sinless, spotless lamb of God. Now notice with me a second trait of Jesus as the Lamb of God, namely as the "Saving Lamb". Isaiah 53:1-6 states: "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Isaiah's prophecy takes us directly to the foot of the cross, even though that event was over 700 years removed from Isaiah's day. Isaiah then writes in 53:7 "He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,  so he did not open his mouth." Clearly we find this saving substitute being compared to a saving lamb. The Apostle Peter picks up Isaiah's words and brings out their ultimate intention in 1 Peter 2:22-24 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

So we see then that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, is the spotless lamb and the saving Lamb. Let's consider one final observation, namely....

3. Sovereign Lamb Who will soon return. 

As we arrive at the final book of the Bible and the New Testament, we find the Apostle John recording under divine inspiration the Heavenly throneroom. Notice what he beholds in Revelation 5:6-10 - Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Dr. John Piper has noted on this passage in Revelation that we see a "lion-like lamb"and a "lamb-like lion". As the Lamb of God, Jesus' humanity is underscored with reference to His work on the cross. However, following His resurrection and ascension into Heaven, we find the Lamb of God imagery attaching us to His deity as well. Why? If for anything else, the Son's incarnation as the God man means that He will forever be the God man, the Lamb of God, as much God as He is man, with both natures united in His person. 

Closing thoughts

When I often write these posts, I feel like I only skim the surface of God's profound truth. The notion of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God is an incredibly rich name of Jesus that could easily occupy a life-time of reflection. Nevertheless, my hope is that his has whetted the appetite of the reader. We learned three things about Jesus as the Lamb of God:

1. The Spotless or Sinless Lamb

2. The Saving Lamb

3. The Sovereign Lamb