“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”
suffered once
“Suffered” – Jesus died on the cross innocently and undeservedly. This is the point of bringing Christ’s suffering into this passage. Jesus suffered undeservedly, and we suffer undeservedly.
At the cross, God the Father poured all of the sins of the world upon Christ. Jesus and died for all sin there. No more dying is necessary for sin. No one needs to pay a further penalty than what he paid. Now God is free to save those who believe in Jesus but only by way of the cross. He is satisfied with the suffering of Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
Only Jesus’ suffering holds efficacy before God for our salvation.
APPLICATION:
I submit to you the Bible fact of the eternal efficacy of the death of Christ. We cannot add to the finished work of Christ on the cross. Christ plus nothing equals salvation. If this good news reaches your heart, you will enter into right relation with God eternally. God will eliminate your sins forever. You will know emancipation from paying for sins yourself. Christ’s death eliminates all sins of all time.
Christ’s death for sin is the opposite of good works salvation. Good works gospel is spurious, counterfeit, and an imitation of the real thing. Joining a church, baptism, trying to do good, and being nice to your neighbor is not the gospel of the Bible. The finished work of Christ accomplished our redemption forever. The split-second we accept this message, God puts to our account in the bank of heaven all that Jesus is. This cannot happen apart from the cross. When we come to the cross, this takes place.
Have you mutually exclusively accepted Christ’s death for your salvation?
