Reading: What the Cross Accomplished (Video Slides)

What the Cross Accomplished
by David Feddes

What the cross accomplished

• Satisfying God’s justice: Jesus took responsibility for our sins, suffered the punishment of God’s holy wrath, and made possible forgiveness of sins.

• Defeating demons: Jesus disarmed evil spirits and destroyed Satan’s grip on us.

• Entering our experience: Jesus joined himself to us, killing our selfish identity, being our example, sharing our struggles.

Satisfying God’s justice

• God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness… so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26)

• In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

• He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. (1 Peter 2:24)

How can our problem be Jesus’ problem?

• Buying: If you buy a business, you get the company’s assets and potential, but you also get any debts and liabilities that it had before you bought it.

• You were bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20, 7:23)

• …the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

• You were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

How can our problem be Jesus’ problem?

• Adopting: In adopting a child, you take responsibility for any faults, illnesses, and other problems the child may have.

• In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:5)

• God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Substitutionary atonement

• He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… it was the will of the Lord to crush him. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

• God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Why the God-Man? Cur Deus Homo (Anselm)

• Jesus is fully divine and fully human.

• He must be fully divine to bear what no mere human could bear and to unite us to God.

• He must be fully and sinlessly human in order to obey as our representative and suffer as our substitute.

Bearing the law’s curse and canceling our legal debt

• Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Gal 3:13).

• … having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 1:13-14

What the cross accomplished

• Satisfying God’s justice: Jesus took responsibility for our sins, suffered the punishment of God’s holy wrath, and made possible forgiveness of sins.

• Defeating demons: Jesus disarmed evil spirits and destroyed Satan’s grip on us.

• Entering our experience: Jesus joined himself to us, killing our selfish identity, being our example, sharing our struggles.

Defeating demons

...canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Col 1:14-15)

He shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Destroying the devil's work

• The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. (1 John 4:8)

• When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. (Luke 11:21-22)

• Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:31)

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:17-18)

He has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:12-14)

Forgiveness of sins

•God’s justice is satisfied.

He will not harm you or hold your sins against you.

•Satan’s accusations are nullified.

He has no claim against you and no right to harm you or control you.

•Your conscience is purified.

You have no reason to feel dirty or worthless.

What the cross accomplished

• Satisfying God’s justice: Jesus took responsibility for our sins, suffered the punishment of God’s holy wrath, and made possible forgiveness of sins.

• Defeating demons: Jesus disarmed evil spirits and destroyed Satan’s grip on us.

• Entering our experience: Jesus joined himself to us, killing our selfish identity, being our example, sharing our struggles.

Killing our selfish identity

• We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6)

• Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

• I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

Being our example

• If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

• Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)

• Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)

Sharing our struggles

• Because himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)

• For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Entering our experience

• Killing our selfish identity: Jesus involved us in his death, so that our old self died with him and must be considered dead.

• Being our example: Jesus shows us the way to carry our cross, to love selflessly, and to willingly suffer for doing right.

• Sharing our struggles: Jesus felt intense temptation and trouble, so he can help and comfort us in trying times.

What the cross accomplished

• Satisfying God’s justice: Jesus took responsibility for our sins, suffered the punishment of God’s holy wrath, and made possible forgiveness of sins.

• Defeating demons: Jesus disarmed evil spirits and destroyed Satan’s grip on us.

• Entering our experience: Jesus joined himself to us, killing our selfish identity, being our example, sharing our struggles.

The cross-centered Gospel

• I am sinful. God’s holy law condemns my crimes and requires punishment in hell. Without Jesus I am spiritually and eternally dead, serving Satan, unable to save myself.

• God in love put my sins on His Son, the God-man. Jesus took my punishment, cancelled all charges against me, and disarmed Satan.

• God raised Jesus bodily and connected me with Christ and his eternal life. Trusting Jesus and baptized into Him, I leave the old behind and join the new humanity in Jesus.