BREAKING NEWS!!!!
JERUSALEM — Jesus Christ has been convicted of sin by heavenly tribunal and sentenced to death for the crimes. Followers desperately hoping for last minute reprieve. This is not fake news. This is not clickbait. This is the Bible truth.
God didn’t make a deal, or pass some legislation, or negotiate a plea bargain, or work out a parole, or grant a pardon, or commute a sentence, or arrange clemency, or reduce the penalty. No, none of those were possible. God is just and true. He can’t deny himself. He declared that the wages of sin is death. Those wages had to be paid. And, in order to pay for all those sins, Jesus Christ had to confess that he was guilty of all those sins. Jesus Christ had to accept the penalty of all those sins. Jesus Christ had to pay the penalty for all those sins — he had to die for all those sins — including yours and mine.
Jesus Christ became our propitiation so we could have justification.
- Propitiation
- Sacrificed for sin. Just as if he had sinned. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:14-18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 2:1-2; 1 John 4:7-14)
- Justification
- Declared righteous. Just as if I never sinned. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 3:21-26; Romans 4:2; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 2:16-17; Galatians 3:11; Galatians 5:4; Titus 3:1-8)
Jesus Christ guilty of sin
Jesus Christ has signed a full confession. He refused legal representation. He admitted to being guilty of all the sins of all humankind.
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; 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 hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53:1-8 KJV; Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; John 18:19-24; 1 Peter 2:21-25)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26 NLT)
Jesus Christ condemned to die
This is literally the most unfair event that ever happened in the history of the world. Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was condemned to die. If you think your life is unfair, consider how many zillions of times more unfair it was for Jesus Christ. He never made a mistake. He never forgot anything. He never did anything wrong. He never had to apologize to anyone. But, he was condemned to die for all the terrible sins of everyone in the whole world. All the sins of of all the worst people throughout history. And, your sins.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:32-42)
But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14 WEB)
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Matthew 27-27-44; Psalm 69:1-36; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:16-27)
In the words of the famous hymn, Ten Thousand Angels by Ray Overholt, “He could have called ten thousand angels To destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called ten thousand angels, But He died alone for you and me.” (Psalm 68:17; Daniel 7:10)
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54)
Jesus Christ paid penalty of sin
Jesus Christ is the only man who has ever been God damned. He is the only man who has ever suffered the full penalty of God’s wrath on sin. Before we can understand the loving care and protection of Psalm 23, we need to understand the wrathful vengeance poured out upon Jesus Christ for our behalf, described in Psalm 22.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30; Psalm 22)
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV)
We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 WEB)
For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. … Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:16-25 WEB)
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:31-34 KJV)
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 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: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:10-14; Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected. (Hebrew 7:26-28)
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. (1 Timothy 2:1-7)