allenroy@cs.pdx.edu (callen roy) (06/11/91)
The Cross: Turning point? End? So far we have discusseed sin and salvation in the abstract, using diagrams and words. Now let's look at the actions of God as He moves into the realm of humnanity and time to win us back. But first some important distinctions. To ignore these is to loose the flow of the rest of this note, so please consider them carefully. The First distinction: The is a difference between God winning the war between Jesus and Satan and the ending of the war. Age-old arguments between a 'complete atonement' and an 'incomplete atonement' have missed this distinction--with those who hold for a complete atonement saying Christ won the victory on the cross, and those who stress an incomplete atonement trying to explain why the rebellion still continues today. So, I'd like to suggest the phrase 'atonement in progress' to better describe what God has been doing since the cross. The Second distinction: There is a similar difference between the necessary response for my personal salvation and the distinct privilege of cooperating with God in ending the war of wars. In the Bible, human performance is not set forth as the basis for salvation, but it is urged as a necessary condition for helping God out. Perhaphs much of our confusion on the matter of Christ-like behavior stems from the fact that we seem entirely interested in just our personal salvation. The Thrid distinction: Again, we must maintain a sharp distinction as to whether we are discussing GOD'S ATTITUDES about man or discussing MAN'S ATTITUDES about God. Too often we assume that the sin problem is wrapped up in God's opinion of man. (ie.'Does He regard me as guilty, or innocent?' 'Does He love me?') It was man (Adam and Eve), changing his opiniont of God, who brought sin into the world. And it is our opinions which must be changed before sin can be eradicated from the planet. Now let's look at the cross. How could we improve on Paul's summary of praise to this, the grand turning point in the history of the universe? 'God forbid that I should boast about anything or anaybody except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which means that the world is a dead thing to me and I am a dead man to the world.'(Gala:tions 6:14) Since virtually every Christian knows what happend on the cross of Calvary, let us concentrate on the meanings of the cross in the overall plan of atonement. Two questions: What was settled at the cross? And, What reamined yet to be settled after the cross? WHAT WAS SETTLED AT THE CROSS? First: The consequences of sin were at last fully revealed. God had truthfully warned Adam and Eve that sin would cause a terrible death, bringing total separation from God, Satan immediatly refuted the warning, saying that it would not.(Genesis 3:4) Who was tellin the truth--God or Satan? strictly on the basis of available evidence, it might seem that Satan has the edge on truth. After all, for some 4000 years, God has 'passed over' those sins,(Romans 3:25), not allowing that final death to take place. Of course, had anyone suffered that deserved death, he would not have been around to benefit from the demonstration of God's truthfulness. So in His mercy, God held back the full and final consequences of sin. But then came that awful moment when all those consequences, for all of humanity, realized their full expression--in one Man! And He cried out, 'My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?'(Matthew 27:46) In that moment 'mercy and truth. . .met together.'(Psalm 85:10) It was mercy in that JESUS died rather than us. It was truth in that Jesus DIED as God had said sinners would. Thus, one purpose of the cross 'was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous.'(Romans 3:26) That is, you can count on God always to tell the truth, even if the truth is costly. (What is more, He is even willing to gear the cost Himself!) Second: On the cross, the nature and extent of God's totally self-giving love was fully revealed. The impact of that extreme sacrifice for undeserving rebels was electrifying through the whole universe. Angels, perceiving its meaning more quickly than men, were entrhalled.(1 Peter 1:12) It shattered the last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly hosts. Having seen the malicious hatred of Satan toward their loving Commander in stark contrast with Christ's compassionate forgiveness toward His murderers, the heavenly hosts would never again be duped by Satan's lies about God. And the record of those events was preserved for us humans to ponder, that--with the Spirit's aid--we might come to the same conclusions. Third: Having died in our place, Jesus won for us all the right to stand free from all guilt when we are joined to Him by the bond of faith.(Romans 8:1) This is the great truth of justification by faith: that God is eager to view us all as though we had never sinned. The sentence of death which we have borne is not only reprieved, it is fully cancelled. Nor is this because we have done anything which would deserve a different treatment. It is entirely an expression of God's gracious love to we prodigals who have come home. And it is ours as long as we stay home!(1 John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; John 5:24) Forgiveness is a concrete expression of God's attitude toward all sinners. He offers it freely to all sinners who will accept it by trusting Him. As repentant, loyal members of God's family, we can be sure we are forgiven, because we can be sure of the Forgiver. Forgivness is more a statement about God than about me. The good news is not just that 'I' am forgiven, but that GOD is the Forgiver--that it is an inherent part of His nature to treat me that way! That is the basis for my assurance. It is grounded in who God is, rather than in anything that I am or ever can do. In the strictest sense, forgiveness deals with one's legal right to return to fellowship with God. But at the practical level, that gracious expression by God does more than just open the door for me to return to God; it tugs me through that door! What thoughtful person could resis those open, extended, pierced hands? Fourth: The cross of Jesus guaranteed the victory of Jesus in the great war. No longer was the ultimate outcome in question. From that moment, Satan was a defeated foe, and Jesus was Victor. Though it sounded to the onlookers like a moan of defeat, Jesus7 cry 'IT IS FINISHED' was the victor's shout.(John 19:30) The Son of man had met the prince of this earth on his own ground and came away undefeated. Throughout eternity, as the redeemed join the myriads of heaven in singing, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,'(Revelation 5:12) they will know that He was willing to even die for His creation. That Jesus is victor is assured. Only two question reamin: Who shall share the victory with Him? When shall He claim that victory? WHAT REMAINS TO BE SETTLED AFTER THE CROSS? The cross was the turning point in the war of wars But it was not the end. The very fact that Jesus did not destroy Satan on resurection morning and take home His band of loyal followers is evidence that some aspects of the atonement are still in progress. To identify some of these aspects is not to depreciate the cross in any way. Rather, it is to acknowledge that the cross was intended for the winning of the controversy, but not, by itself, for the ending of the controversy. Notice these additional factors: First: The world's inhabitants did not yet fully know or understand the saving revelation of God in Jesus. The truth about God is of value only when it gets into the minds of the people whom God wants to win back. This message He has entrusted into the hands of His people, His continued body on earth. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) And He has asked that we share it with the whole world, for He loves the whole world.(Matthew 29:19,20) God intends that no person should ever make a decision about Him without a clear picture of who is being accepted or rejected. 'You will know the truth,' Jesus promised, 'and the truth will make you free.'(John 8:32) Second: The world nees to witness sin's ultimately self-destructive nature. Indeed, whtn God leaves sinners to reap the final consequences of their rebellious choices, this seems so out of character with His patient love that it is called His strange deed, His alien work.(Isaiah 28:21) Had God destroyed Satan and his followers when they first rebelled, even the angels of heaven would have viewed it as an act of arbitrary power and would have served God from fear. Paul describes how that in contrast to the clear portrayal of the truth about God, there will also be a fuller manifestation of Satan's character and work in the final days before Jesus returns.(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) Again, the purpose of this fuller revelation is not so that God can view sinners any differently, but so that namkind can understand why God views them as He does. They need to see WHY God views them as unfit for heaven's fellowship. Third: The universe needs to know whether God's methods of restoration really work. They have seen that He can indeed forgive sinners. But forgiveness, relatively speaking, seems the easiter part. It has to do with God's attitude toward man; and God is the stable, clear-thinking One. But what about man's attitude toward God? That has always been the trouble spot. Our thinking always seems so prone to poor reasoning--so vulnerable to bad information. Yet God has proposed to bring these way- ward minds back into informed, settled, unchanging loyalty to Himself, solely through a loving revelation of Himself. No 'spiritual magic' to be worked on our brains. No loyalty-by-restuctured-neurons approaches. Just TRUTH, FREEDOM, TIME--and LOVE!! But will it work? Satan can no longer validly argue that repentant sinners do not have the right to return to fellowship with God. He knows the meaning of the cross. But now he charges that rebels cannot be made ready to remain in heaven's fellowship.(Zechariah 3:1-7; Psalm 24:3-5; 1 John 3:2,3,8-10) And that's a fair question! Even as we rejoice in the present assurance of God's forgiveness, we know enough about ourselves to wonder if we could be trusted with the perfect, endless freedoms of that pure place without 'messing it up' all over again. Many have set that readiness as their goal, yet have died enroute, knowing precious little about the principles of the kingdom and its resulting life-style. But they kave known heaven's Lord, and thus He has reserved the right to complete their readiness process 'in residence.'(remember the promise made by Jesus to the dying thief: Luke 23:39-43) But God is proposing that He is indeed able fully to prepare a people to relocate directly into the kingdom without seeing death.(1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55) The issue is NOT that such persons are required to attain some higher degree of righteousness to deserve salvation! It is not a matter of what they can do for God, but of what God can do for them--if they are willing to accept the privilege. For a number of reasons (to be discussed later), heaven longs for such people.(Romans 8:18-24) For such a people Paul pleads: 'Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleans ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.'(2 Corinthians 87:1) Fourth: All living, thinking persons must have an informed basis for making a final, total decision for against God. The heavenly angel told John that a time would come when people would no longer be changing sides in the controversy--that even though they are alive, they would not be changing their minds.(Revelation 22:11) Time for choosing (probationary time, we call it) would be no more. Not because God has arbitrarily shut it down, but because it would no longer be needed. Everyone will have made a final, unchangeable choice for the lordship of Satan (described as receiving the 'mark of the beast'. Revelation 13:16 and chapters 17 and 18) or they will have made an unchanging decision for the gracious lordship of Jesus (refered to as the 'seal of God' Revelation 7:3). No more middle ground. No more undecided persons, pleading 'Well, I really don't know which way to go.' The issues will be starkly clear: Jesus and His character versus Satan and his character. And this is the whole point: It would be contrary to every aspect of the way God works for Him to bring the world to the point of this final choice without giving them adequate information upon which to base their choices. Thus Jesus said the gospel 'will be preach throughout the whole world as a TESTIMONY to all nationa; and then the end will come.'(Matthew 24:14) Truth will be a final, confronting evidence, bringing the whole world to the point of decision. Were God to say today to the world, 'Choose you this day whom you will serve,' (Joshua 24:15) most of the world would have to say, 'Who is the Lord? What is He like?' Forced to make decisions about Jesus, many would understandably choose against Him, because the picture thay have of Him is Satan's picture. And God won't force such a choice. And so we wait. God took the time to win the War of Wars in such an impeccably fair way that none could challenge it throughout eternity. We can trust Him to end it the same way. Even if it takes more time. God's intense desire to bring the universe to oneness again is exceeded only by His desire to do it in such a way that it can never be questioned throughout eternity. For this reason, the work of at-one-ment is still in progress. God loves you. All He want's is for you to love Him back.