Chapter 8, Verses 28-30 Part 16

In our previous essays on this subject, we have considered God as the lawgiver, apprehender of sin, and judge of all the earth.  We have also considered the basis on which man is judged according to his works. In this essay, we will consider Christ as the representative of his people at the court room of glory. 

In Matt. 1:21 the angel declared unto Joseph, when he was considering what action he should take against his espoused wife, Mary, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."  Thus we see Jesus was to come and save "his people" from their sins. 

Numerous verses of scripture show us that Jesus came as the representative of his people.  The following is a small sample of these verses: 

     1.  Gal. 3:13 ‑ "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."  As we were under the curse of the law, Christ as our representative was made a curse "for us" to redeem us from the curse of the law. 

     2.  II Cor. 5:21 _ "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."  According to this verse, Christ, who knew no sin, became sin "for us" that we be made righteous in him. 

     3.  Heb. 1:3 ‑ "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins..."  Here we see Jesus, as our representative, purged our sins by himself. 

     4.  Heb. 9:11, 12 ‑ "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."  It was "for us" that Jesus obtained eternal redemption by the sacrifice of himself. 

     5.  Heb. 9:24 ‑ "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."  Christ ascended into heaven to appear in the presence of God "for us."  Thus at the court room of glory he appeared "for us."  According to Heb. 9:26, "but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  Thus we see, as our representative, Christ thru the sacrifice of himself appeared before God to put away our sin! 

     6.  Heb. 9:28 ‑ "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."  It was for "the many" that Christ was offered to bear their sins. 

     7.  Heb. 10:10 ‑ "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."  Jesus Christ was offered for "all he foreknew."  He was their representative and as their representative he sanctified all of them through the offering of his body. 

     8.  Heb. 10:12‑14 ‑ "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."  Thus Jesus by the one offering of himself perfected for ever them that he represented. 

     9.  Rom. 5:15‑19 ‑ "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.  For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded to many.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."   

The above passage of scripture gives us a comparison of Adam as the representative of his people (the Adamic race) and Christ as the representative of his people (the elect of God ‑ those he foreknew).  Just as Adam, by himself, brought condemnation upon the entire Adamic race, so Christ, by himself, brought justification upon his whole elect family.  

Shouldn't we all be thankful that Christ represented us at the court room of glory?   

In our next essay we will consider Christ as the perfect representative of his people. 

Rom. 8:28-30 Part 17 

In our previous essay, we considered Christ as the representative of his people, as one who stood in their place before the court room of God's justice.  In this essay, we will consider Christ as the "perfect" representative. 

God requires perfection.  Anything less than perfection before a just and holy God is unacceptable. 

God's requirement of perfection was demonstrated in the characteristics of the animal sacrifices that were offered to him under the law.  Lev. 22:17‑22, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering; ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.  But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.  And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.  Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord." 

Likewise, the principle of perfection was required for those who would serve as high priest: Lev. 21:16‑23, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.  For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, or a man that is broken footed, or broken handed, or crook backed, or a dwarf, or he that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; no man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.  He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.  Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them."

Thus from the above examples we can see that God requires perfection both of the offering and of the high priest who offered it. 

God's requirements of perfection go beyond the physical attributes described above.  The perfect representative of God's people had to be without sin.  To this end Christ was born of a virgin (according to Rom. 5:12 sin passes from father to child).  Having no earthly father his conception was perfect without sin.  Concerning Christ's high priesthood, Heb. 7:26‑28 states: "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore."  Thus we must conclude that Jesus had no infirmities, i.e., sin and was separate from sinners. 

That Jesus kept the law perfectly throughout his life on earth is proven by Matt. 5:17, 18, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  Thus, we see that Jesus came to fulfill the law to its minutest detail and that he did. 

Finally we see that Jesus because he was sinless was able to become sin for us that we might be delivered from God's wrathful judgment and be made the righteousness of God in him: II Cor. 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 

In our next essay we will consider God's wrathful judgment upon sin and what Christ suffered for us on the cross.