The Full Atonement
Matthew 27:45-53
July 23, 2017
As you know we are knee deep in our study called “500 Years of Reformation” and more specifically we are in the middle of studying that second SOLA which emerged from the Reformation.
We are studying SOLA GRATIA
Or what it means to be saved “By Grace Alone”
Without a doubt the MOST ESSENTIAL POINT that must be gained in order to understand Grace Alone is the true DOCTRINE REGARDING MAN.
We must understand what Scripture says about man,
Which is that as a result of the fall, man is spiritually dead.
He is both incapable and unwilling to come to God.
This reality (also known as Total Depravity or Absolute Inability)
Necessitates that salvation be a total work of grace.
Since man cannot help in salvation in any way, God must do it all.
The good news is that He does.
God saves us by His grace.
In spite of what we are, and in spite of what we desire, GOD HAS WILLED TO SAVE SOME. These recipients of His grace are referred to as the elect.
These are the ones whom God chose
And has effectively called out of sin and into salvation.
He raised them to life, He changed their desires,
He granted them faith, and He drew them to Himself.
And that is the reality we have been covering for the last several weeks.
But even in all of that, we have yet to discuss
The most important aspect of salvation by Grace Alone.
We have yet to discuss THE MEANS OF THIS SALVATION.
We have yet to discuss how God took sinful people
And made them acceptable to Him.
And the answer to that is of course, through the means of ATONEMENT.
God atoned for their sin, that He might be able to draw them to Himself.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Absolutely central to the gospel
Is the belief in the substitutionary atonement of Christ.
However, over time even this marvelous work
Has been subject to misunderstanding
And has even been reduced in its effect.
The reason this has happened is again due to our desire
To put man’s happiness at the center and to produce a message that sells
And is more palatable to sinners.
Just as has been done with the Doctrine Of Election
Which has been rejected because it offends our humanistic sense of fairness,
Man has also twisted the doctrine of the atonement to make it more pleasing.
The problem of course is that not only does it rob God of the glory He deserves,
BUT IT ALSO WEAKENS OUR FAITH.
Tonight we are going to talk about the EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT.
That is to say, exactly who the atonement effects.
THE POPULAR STATEMENT TODAY WOULD BE TO SAY THAT
THE ATONEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY UNLIMITED.
In other words, the atonement is for every human who ever lived.
In fact, the typical gospel call went something like this:
“I just want you to know that on the cross Jesus died and paid for your sin. The sacrifice has already been made, the gift has been given, now won’t you please just accept this free gift which has already been given on your account.”
And it is pretty much proclaimed everywhere
That Jesus already paid the sin debt of every human,
All they now need to do is accept this free gift.
And so long as you keep it on the surface level, that sounds really good.
But the reality is that statements like that do incredible damage to the gospel and incredible injustice to what Christ did on the cross.
WHY?
Well, let’s think it through for a moment.
IF WE SAY that on the cross Jesus paid the sin debt of all the sins of all people, then we have to ask the question: WHY DO THEY GO TO HELL?
I mean, if Jesus fully satisfied the wrath of God on their behalf on the cross,
Then why are they fully bearing God’s wrath for all eternity?
And make no mistake, hell is real.
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
So, if Jesus already paid their debt, then why are they then being forced to pay it in hell?
To which someone would immediately say,
“Because they rejected what Jesus did.”
OK, so then we’re saying that Jesus didn’t actually pay their debt,
He only potentially paid for it, so long as they accept it.
And people don’t like the way that sounds so they say,
“No, He actually paid for it, it’s just they didn’t take it, so they are going to pay for it to.”
So then, are we saying if they fail to accept what He did,
Then what He did is nullified, their sin is placed back into account,
And they then suffer for it for all eternity?
Is that what we’re saying?
That sinners have the ability to sort of “scratch out” what Christ did?
Well, that doesn’t sound right either.
When you think it through, there are obvious problems to this idea
That Christ fully atoned for the sin of every human on the cross.
I’ll tell you the problem with saying that Jesus died for everyone.
To make that claim is to say that
Jesus fully satisfied God’s wrath and atoned for the sin of those who are now in hell paying for that same sin for all eternity.
If you want to push it even further,
Jesus did the exact same thing for people in heaven that He did for people in hell,
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE is that the people in heaven made the choice to accept it while the people in hell chose to reject it.
But if you go down that road then
Jesus did the exact same thing
For people in heaven as He did for people in hell.
So what difference did He make?
And again, we are back to the problem.
If you believe that Jesus died for everyone
Then you are saying that all Jesus did on the cross
Was purchase a potential salvation, not an actual one.
He potentially bore all man’s sin, but he actually bore no one’s
Until they chose to activate it by accepting it.
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING PREACHER…THAT JESUS DIDN’T DIE FOR EVERYONE?
Well my question is simply this:
If He did, then why are they in hell?
There are two words I want you to write down,
Because we need to ponder them a second.
1) EXTENT – speaking of how far the atonement reached, or who it reached.
2) EFFECT – speaking of what the atonement actually accomplished.
Now, with those words come 3 options.
1) Christ’s atonement was unlimited in both extent and effect.
(That is universalism)
2) Christ’s atonement was limited in both extent and effect.
(All men are lost)
3) Christ’s atonement was limited by either the extent or the effect.
(We must settle here)
THAT BEING THE CASE,
YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF TWO DOCTRINAL POSITIONS.
1) When Christ died on the cross it was for all people, but it was limited as to its effect because most of the people He died for still ended up going to hell.
2) When Christ died on the cross it was limited as to its extent, but all those He did die for were totally atoned for and as a result go to Heaven.
You must either limit the atonement as to its extent or as to its effect.
But you cannot say He fully atoned for all people or else that is universalism
And the Bible does not teach that.
So which is it?
Did Jesus die for every human, or did Jesus fully atone for those He did die for?
Now, I’m going to save you some struggle and show you the answer.
• Jesus did not die for every human, nor did He bear the sin of every
single human,
• Rather, Jesus died for the elect and He fully and faithfully and
totally bore their sin on the cross.
LET ME FIRST JUST SHOW THAT TO YOU
And then we’ll discuss why you need to know it.
Isaiah 53:11-12 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
He didn’t bear the sin of all, He bore the sin of many.
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Not all people, “His people”
Matthew 26:26-29 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
It wasn’t for everyone, it was for “many”
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
It is for His sheep (not the goats)
Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
What Jesus did was for the church, the bride.
Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Again, “to bear the sins of many”
Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
He perfected “those who are sanctified”
Are you getting the picture?
When Jesus died, He died to fully atone for the sins of His people.
WHY THE DISCUSSION?
Because I want you to understand
What Christ actually did when He died on the cross.
• He didn’t potentially atone for all men,
• He actually atoned for the redeemed.
• He actually bore my sin on His body
• He actually paid my debt
• It wasn’t potential, it wasn’t just possible, it was actual
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
• He didn’t say, “Now, it’s possible!”
• He didn’t say, “It is started” – HE FINISHED IT THERE.
Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Hebrews 9:12 “and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
That is why we can sing songs like:
“My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole; IS nailed to the cross and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul.”
That’s why we can sing:
Man of Sorrows! What a name for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners TO RECLAIM, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
BEARING SHAME and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood, SEAL’D my pardon with His blood, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
“Guilty, vile and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He, FULL ATONEMENT CAN IT BE? Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die, “IT IS FINISHED!” was His cry, now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King, ALL HIS RANSOMED home to bring, then anew this song we’ll sing, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
That’s why we sing:
“JESUS PAID IT ALL, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow”
What Jesus did was absolutely and totally effective.
He totally and actually bore all my sin and your sin
And all the sin of all the elect on the cross.
It was not a potential atonement, it was an actual one.
And I want us tonight to simply take a look at the event,
And see that very thing.
We opened by reading Matthew 27:45-53, let’s look at it together now.
#1 HE SUCCESSFULLY BORE SIN
Matthew 27:45-46
An often considered word regarding salvation is the word “IMPUTATION”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Christian doctrine hangs upon
The imputed righteousness of Christ.
We say that we are now righteous before God,
Not based on our own righteousness,
But based upon Christ’s righteousness imputed to us.
Now, this is only possible based on the fact
That our sin has first been imputed to Christ.
We can only receive and enjoy His righteousness,
If He first receives and pays for our sin.
TO PUT IT SIMPLY:
If Christ didn’t receive our sin, then we didn’t receive His righteousness.
And that is what makes this truth on the cross so important.
For here we find Jesus suffering.
Not suffering as a martyr would suffer,
But suffering as a sinner would suffer.
He is feeling the full blunt of God’s wrath, and He is experiencing
The tragic separation from God that sinners experience.
Look at the text. (45) “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.”
Mark tells us that it was the third hour when Jesus was crucified.
So after hanging on the cross for 3 hours listening to the scorn of men,
Jesus then enters a new and greater phase of suffering.
“from the sixth hour” (that would be noon)
“darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.”
• It is not possible that this was an eclipse, the timing of Passover would not have permitted it.
• Furthermore this was a three hour darkness, and no eclipse lasted this long.
RATHER, THIS A DIVINE REALITY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT.
Darkness is associated with
The wrath and judgment of God.
We are all familiar with the plague of darkness in Egypt,
But beyond that, listen to the prophets describe God’s day of wrath.
Isaiah 13:10-11 “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”
Joel 2:1-2 “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.”
Amos 5:20 “Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?”
Zephaniah 1:14-15 “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,”
Even in the New Testament, the imagery continues.
2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;”
Jude 6 “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,”
Even Jesus used this imagery.
Matthew 8:11-12 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
It is obvious what is occurring as Christ hangs on the cross.
• God is angry.
• God’s wrath is being poured out.
• Judgment is taking place.
Now many have assumed that God’s wrath here is focused on Israel for their deep wickedness to crucify God’s Son.
And not to make light of this grave sin.
But we must remember Christ has already prayed
That God not count this trespass against them.
Furthermore, the very next verse makes it abundantly clear
Who was feeling the wrath of God.
It wasn’t those standing around the cross, it was the One on the cross.
(46) “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
Christ was feeling the effects of God’s judgment.
WHY?
WELL, THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON.
He must really be taking our sin.
• Since we know by now that Christ was innocent.
• Since His innocence was validated by His resurrection
We can only come to one conclusion.
Christ is actually bearing sin, and God is judging it.
At this moment Christ is realizing the full separation
That sinners have experienced since the garden.
• Christ is feeling the shame of Adam and Eve with their heads down walking out of Eden.
• Christ is feeling the shame of the Israelites as they watch God move His tent outside the camp.
• Christ is feeling the shame of Ezekiel as He watched the glory of God depart from God’s temple.
• Christ is feeling the shame of separation from the Father.
And at this He cries out:
“Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Interestingly enough, this is the only time that Jesus ever called Him God,
And not Father.
The intimacy was gone. – Separation had set in.
Do you see that He is actually bearing sin?
This isn’t potential, this is actual.
Whoever He is dying for, He is right there actually taking their wrath.
Whoever He is dying for, they will never bear that wrath, He is taking it.
He successfully bore our sin.
#2 HE SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED HIS TASK
Matthew 27:47-50
Here we find that despite all the abuse Jesus has already taken,
They are still heaping more abuse on Him.
“And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
There are two possibilities here.
1) They didn’t know what He said, and took the “Eli” as a literal call for Elijah.
2) They did understand, but chose to purposely twist His words
Most believe it was the second.
That even now, Christ was being mocked and reviled.
And yet, He endures.
We even get a special prophetic occurrence in verse 48.
(48) “Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.”
WHY DID HE DO THAT?
(Well, Psalm 69:21 prophesied that they would give Him vinegar to drink
And He had to fulfill all prophecies)
John 19:28-29 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.”
I love that verse.
He had already done so much.
He had already endured so much.
And yet, obedience was so important;
Fulfilling the prophecies was so important,
That before Jesus could die,
He had to fulfill what the prophets spoke and say, “I thirst”
Jesus is cutting no corners
Jesus is not stopping short, He is doing it just as He must.
And still they mock
Even as the man is giving Him a drink
(49) “But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
The crowd isn’t even merciful enough to let Him get a drink.
They want the man giving it to Him to get out of the way and let’s see if Elijah comes.
IT WAS CONTINUOUS MOCKING.
But Jesus never took their bait…
1 Peter 2:22-24 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
Jesus just endured, and fulfilled His calling.
Right up through verse 50
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
We even know what He said:
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
It is done! – Paid in full! – Completed! – ACTUAL
That was victory.
He Successfully Bore our Sin He Successfully Finished His Task
#3 HE SUCCESSFULLY SECURED OUR SALVATION
Matthew 27:51-53
We know Christ bore our sin and we know He finished His task, but what did it accomplish?
His death obviously accomplished two things.
1) ACCESS TO THE FATHER IS GRANTED
“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;”
Man didn’t tear it, God did.
It was torn “from top to bottom”
THERE IS NOTHING POTENTIAL HERE
You know the veil as what separated the glory of God from sinful man.
Christ did what had never been done.
He made God accessible.
HOW?
• He atoned for sin.
• He was the propitiation.
• And His blood was so acceptable that God no longer needed the veil
Access was granted!
We can now know God!
The second thing?
2) DEATH WAS DEFEATED
“and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”
People today often talking about Christ
Defeating death at His resurrection.
But it wasn’t the resurrection of Christ that defeated death,
It was the death of Christ that defeated death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
And when the dead rose at His crucifixion we see without a doubt
That what Christ did on the cross was totally effective.
It wasn’t potentially effective, it was actually effective.
• He really bore sin
• He really satisfied God
• He really secured salvation
Christ successfully secured salvation.
And you need to know that so that you understand
The fullness of God’s grace in your life.
When we read verses like:
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
We understand why.
It is because on that cross Jesus actually bore all my sin.
DO YOU SEE THE GRACE?
• We were sinful man totally unwilling and totally unable to come to God.
• But God, in His infinite grace chose us to come to Him.
• He gave us a heart to respond to His call
• And He atoned for our sin through the sacrifice of His Son.
We did nothing in that.
It was GRACE ALONE
I am so thankful that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t just potential,
That He didn’t just leave it up to me whether or not to activate it
Because we have already learned that if the choice was mine,
I would have chosen wrong.
• Thankfully Jesus bore my wrath
• Thankfully Jesus fully took my penalty
• Thankfully Jesus totally covered my sin
That is grace…GRACE ALONE.
