The Atonement and Enthronement Of The Son

What this episode covers

In his book, Rejoice and Tremble, Michael Reeves makes the following insightful comment: When people, through misunderstanding, become simply afraid of God, they will never entrust themselves to him but must turn elsewhere for their security. In fact, it is when people have this confused fear of God that they turn to other gods.Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble One of the primary benefits of reading God’s Word and sitting under its preaching is that we might gain a sense of security. An improper fear of God jeopardizes that security. The solution is to have a better understanding of God. The temptation for the original audience, a small house church of Jewish believers in Rome, was to return to the temple. They were told that participation in the sacrificial system of the old covenant would bring relief. Later passages in Hebrews will make this very clear (Heb 6:6; 9:13-14; 10:1-18). So the author is addressing their concerns right from the start, keeping the issue of their redemption at the forefront of their minds. If they decide to reject Christ they will remain in their sin. As long as we live in this body of flesh we are tempted to either make peace with our sin or to make up for our sin. We either grow complacent and numb to the consequences of sin, or we think we can address our guilt through some personal means of penance. The humiliation of the Son accomplished our redemption and his exaltation secures it. Read Hebrews 1:1-4. Substitutionary Atonement This prologue opened with the idea that God’s final word has been “spoken to us by his Son” (Heb 1:2). That revelation has come in the person and work of Christ. In his person, Jesus perfectly reveals God’s character and attributes. In his work, Jesus perfectly saves God’s people from their sins. The Greek is clear, this purification has been fully accomplished by the Son. And we know that he did not do it in the same way that he upholds the universe, “by the word of his power.” Rather, he made purification for sins, by putting sin to death in the sacrifice of himself upon the cross. Later on, the author will clarify that this purification required the shedding of blood (Heb 9:14, 22; cf 1 Jn 1:7-9). The idea of purification implies that sin defiles a person. This Son is capable of purifying others because he himself was without sin (Heb 4:15). In the Old Testament, a person was made clean by the sprinkled blood of a sacrificial animal. Here, even under the old covenant, there was a connection between cleansing and atonement (Ex 30:10; Lev 16:30). His death accomplished the purification that he himself did not need. This is where the idea of “substitution” enters the doctrine of atonement. We call it penal substitutionary atonement because Christ took the penalty that we deserved. He suffered upon the cross in our place. He shed his own blood that we might be cleansed, once and for all! No Room For Self-Justification Martin Luther had to learn, that “there is no room for self-cleansing or self-justification on the part of man” (Hughes). Melanchthon, Luther, and Reformation theology broke decisively with this medieval concept of merit. The believer’s acceptance to eternal life, they maintained, was not some far-off goal, grounded in the storing up of moral or spiritual qualities in the believer’s life. It was a present reality, here and now; and as far as the demands of the law were concerned, it was based on the imputation to the believer of Christ’s righteousness.Nick Needham, 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power We explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into His favour as righteous people. And we say that it consists in the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.John Calvin, Institutes 3:11:2 It is not from works that we are set free by the faith of Christ, but from the belief in works, that is from foolishly presuming to seek justification through works. Faith r

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