A Summary of God’s Great and Sovereign Work

In Redemption from Eternity to Eternity

In, by, and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

"For of him, and through him, and to him, are ALL things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11:36

The work of redemption and the work of salvation are the same thing. What is sometimes in Scripture called God’s saving his people is in other places called his redeeming them. So Christ is called both the Savior and the Redeemer.

1. Isaiah 49:26- "and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Jacob." [The word ‘Savior’ is yasha, from which is derived the name ‘Joshua’ in Hebrew and ‘Jesus’ in Greek- Matthew 1:21. It means to ‘deliver,’ or ‘liberate.’ The word ‘Redeemer’ is ga’al which means ‘a near kinsman’ Numbers 5:8. In both of these words together, we have the sum of the person and work of the Lord Jesus. To deliver His people, He had to be God, for none is able to deliver but God- ‘yasha’. And yet, His authority to do so was being made like unto His brethren- ‘ga’al’ See Hebrews 2:14-18.

2. Isaiah 60:16- "I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob."

In reference to redemption and how this is a work of God, carried on from eternity, through the fall of man even into glory, is the subject of this study. Here then are a few introductory explanations regarding certain terms that we need to properly understand.

1. The term ‘redemption’ may be understood in a more limited sense, as in the purchase of salvation that Christ fully accomplished at the cross- Galatians 4:4, 5 When we take the word in this limited sense, we may say that the work was not so long in doing, but was BEGUN and FINISHED with Christ coming in the flesh (‘being made of a woman’) and on through his life until the time of His death, which ended in his resurrection. In this sense then, the purchase was finished, and the work itself, and all that pertained to it, was accomplished

2. However, sometimes the work of redemption is taken more largely, as including ALL of God’s work, preparatory to the purchase itself, and subsequent to its accomplishments. For example, I Corinthians 1:30 puts ‘redemption’ in order after ‘wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.’ The reason being, it is here referring to the final deliverance of the saints from the body of this flesh, in the resurrection at the end of time- Romans 8:23.

It is in this sense that we want to consider together this great subject in this study, I trust in a simple way that in the end, we not only have a clear understanding of God’s great work of redemption, in, by and through the Lord Jesus from eternity to eternity, but that we be brought once and again to bow to Christ as THE REDEEMER, and as sinners saved by His blood, brought by His Spirit to worship God through Him in Spirit and in truth.

The doctrine of Christ sets forth the work of redemption as ALL but ONE work with ONE design and purpose. The development of it in its various parts is not intended to imply separate works, but all one scheme. It is but one design that is formed, to which ALL the offices of Christ directly apply, and in which the Godhead (Father, Son, and Spirit) are in agreement. The several wheels are one machine, to answer one end, and produce one effect- the saving of sinners, by the full, free, and unmerited grace of God in Christ Jesus alone. All of the conditions for salvation were accomplished by HIM alone- (a unilateral contract between the Father and the Son).

All that Christ undertook in time in His great work of redemption was in complete accord with God’s eternal decree to honor His Son as Savior of redeemed sinners.

The plan of redemption was determined in God's eternal decree. (Ephesians 1:4ff; 3:11; 2 Timothy 1:9). Christ refers to promises made to Him before he tabernacled among us, and often speaks about a commission which he received from the Father (John 5:30,43; 6:38-40; 17:4-12). Definitely He is a covenant head, just as Adam was (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

In Psalm 2:7-9 the parties of the covenant are mentioned (Father and Son) and a promise is indicated to grant to Him as the heir of all things the full salvation of those given to Him in covenant grace, on condition of HIM fulfilling all that was necessary to satisfaction of God the Father- ‘Thou art my Son (His eternal sonship), ‘this day have I begotten thee’- His humanity- See Hebrews 1:5,6 with Acts 13:33.

In Psalm 40:7-8 the Lord, the Eternal Son of God expresses his readiness to do the Father's will in becoming a sacrifice for sin. Such an important doctrine (like the doctrine of the Trinity) is found throughout Scripture; it under girds all God's dealings with man. What role does Christ fulfill in this covenant? He is not only the Head but also the Surety of the covenant of redemption (Hebrews 7:22). A surety is one who takes upon himself the legal obligations of another. Christ took the place of the sinner, to bear the penalty of sin and to meet the demands of the law for His people. By so doing he became the last Adam, the life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Many confuse God’s purpose to save with salvation itself. Three particular scriptures often quoted in support are Romans 8:28-32, 2 Timothy 1:9, and Revelation 13:8.

1. Romans 8: 28-32 is giving a summary of how God saves sinners, beginning with God’s purpose, foreknowledge, and predestination (vv. 28,29), their calling (literally naming in election- v. 30), and manifest in their justification and glorification in the person and work of Christ when He died, see vv. 32-34. Sinners were not actually justified until Christ accomplished all of the conditions and requirements.
   1. For Christ this covenant could be spoken of as a covenant of works, for he met the requirements of the original covenant. For us it is all grace; for he did on our behalf what we could never do for ourselves. We receive the benefits which Christ merited by his active and passive obedience. We obtain the redemption and inherit the glory which Christ merited for sinners. Whatever Christ did he did as covenant head and representative of his people. "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
   2. Thus the Father required of the Son that he should assume human nature with its present infirmities, though without sin (Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 2:10-11,14-15; 4:15).
2. 2 Timothy 1:9 does not say that we were saved in eternity, but that those whom God has saved, it is manifest by an holy calling (that is one based upon a righteousness already fulfilled and accomplished in the death of the Lord Jesus, according to His purpose and grace given [granted, furnished, or supplied] to the elect before the world began. The saving however takes place in time, according to His eternal purpose.
3. Revelation 13:8 is often misconstrued to mean that Christ was already slain before the world began. However, He did not yet have a body, and therefore, no blood to shed then. A closer look at this verse reveals one of two possible meanings:
   1. Their names were written in the book of life of the Lamb slain is the complete declaration as to whose book it is and ‘from the foundation of the world’ referring back to when the names were written.
   2. ‘From the foundation of the world’ meaning ‘since the foundation of the world, He is the Lamb slain in type, picture and promise.

Perhaps one of the clearest passages of Scripture showing the relationship between God’s purpose in eternity to save by Christ, and the outworking of salvation in time is found in Psalm 40:6-8 with Hebrews 10:5-10. In the volume of the book (eternal or inspired word) it is written and therefore purposed, but then…’a body hast thou prepared me,’ v. 5. It was absolutely necessary that Christ should place himself under the law to pay the penalty that we deserved and to merit eternal life for the elect, which they could never merit for themselves (Psalms 40:8; John 10:11; Galatians 1:4; 4:4-5). On behalf of the elect he assumed and fully discharged all violated conditions and incurred liabilities of the covenant of works (Matthew 5:17-18). He accomplished this by rendering a perfect obedience to the precept of the law (Psalms 40:8; Isaiah 42:21; John 9:4-5; 8:29; Matthew 19:17), and thereby once for all justified His people, having suffered the full penalty incurred by the sins of his people (Isaiah 53; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 5:2).

Being a summary study, it is impossible to exhaust the infinite number of types and pictures of our Lord Jesus has set forth in the Scriptures from the creation of the world to the cross. It is clear that the whole of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is His Story (History). The following is a listing of different time periods from Creation to the Cross wherein, by God’s Spirit is revealed not only the story of Redemption, but most importantly, the Redeemer himself- See Luke 24:25-27, 44-47, and 1 Peter 1:9-12

Consider the outworking of God’s history of redemption in the initial instances, but the number of examples continuing all throughout the Old Testament through the time of Moses.

As soon as Adam fell, Christ’s work as Mediator was truly begun, interposing Himself between Adam and the holy, infinite, offended, sovereign justice of God, and Adam’s sin.

1. Genesis 3:15- The Gospel of Christ’s substitution was proclaimed
2. Genesis 3:21- The Gospel of Christ’s imputed righteousness was exemplified. Here was the first sacrifice of an innocent victim on behalf of the guilty, and that by God Himself.
3. Genesis 4: 1-7- The first recorded case of the death of a redeemed sinner, called righteous on the basis what his sacrifice represented, and not any righteousness in him- Hebrews 11:4. In the Old Testament, the Lord’s redeemed ones were accepted on the ground of a satisfactory ‘atonement’ [covering], but their sin was not actually put away until Christ died. For this reason, you don’t see the death of Christ termed as‘atonement’ in the N.T. but an actual reconciliation, propitiation, and redemption- The one place that the KJV translators used the word ‘atonement,’ in Romans 5:11 should be translated ‘reconciliation.’
4. Genesis 4:26- After Abel’s death, the Lord raised up another seed in the person of Seth (‘Appointed’), and Enoch, who then began to call on the name of the Lord, i.e. worshipping in the way ordained by God through the shed blood of an innocent sacrifice.

1. Genesis 6:8,9; 7:1,23- God’s covenant with Noah and his family on the basis of grace alone, and the building of the ark as their salvation is a wonderful picture of God’s salvation and redemption in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. The clear necessity of shed blood is evidenced in the extra clean animals (Genesis 7:2) that the Lord had Noah bring into the ark in view of the need for sacrifice once coming out of the ark, Genesis 8:20-22.
2. Genesis 11:1-9- The Lord scattered the false worshippers into many nations, because of the corruption of their worship and attempting to honor God by the works of their own hands and sacrifices made in the name of God to other gods. With regard to v. 4, there have been many conjectures. It appears that the design of the builders was to erect a temple to the host of heaven-the sun, moon, planets, etc., and, to support this interpretation, some say the translation should read, whose top may reach unto heaven, for there is nothing for may reach in the Hebrew, but its head or summit to the heavens, i.e. to the heavenly bodies.

From the perspective of God’s purpose of redemption, while some see only the curse of God in the scattering of the people throughout the world, Scripture itself shows it to be for God to fulfill His eternal plan to redeem and call to Him a people of every tribe, nation, and tongue. How could that be but what first the people be scattered- Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26, 27.

 

In all of the history of redemption from Abel to Abraham, God was separating out to himself a seed from which Christ would come in the flesh. To that end, He separated out Abraham from the rest of the world, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees to the land of Canaan, which God would later give to Abraham’s descendants Israel, for the purpose of bringing forth Christ in the flesh- Romans 9:5

1. Romans 4:1-25 is the clearest commentary of God himself regarding His will and purpose of redemption in calling Abraham to himself. Several points are worth noting here:
   1. God revealed to Abraham the Gospel of Christ, the faith being accounted to Him unto the righteousness that Christ would come and establish, and God would impute in His death at the cross- Romans 4:3, 9.
   2. David is cited along with Abraham to show how God withheld His just judgment from the elect in the Old Testament, not imputing their sin to them, forbearing in view of the work that Christ should accomplish for them- Romans 3:25
   3. Righteousness was not imputed until the cross, but the whole content of faith (Christ and His finished work) was imputed to Abraham unto that righteousness as an earnest of what Christ would accomplish for him and all of the elect whose justification before God is in their sin being discharged to Christ, and God thereby acquitting them of all guilt- Romans 4:25.
   4. Romans 3:25- God set His Son forth to be a propitiation (satisfaction) for sin, having justified all of His elect at one time through Christ’s redeeming death (Romans 3:24). Put a comma after the word ‘propitiation’ in 3:25, then read the rest of the verse as ‘through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness.’ It is not the faith in his blood that is the propitiation, but rather the declaration of His righteousness in passing over the sins of His elect in the Old Testament, which is what the word ‘remission’ means there. Sins could not be put away until Christ should come, but the faith, which they were accorded to believe in Christ was given for them to look to the time that Christ should come and put their sin away. How could God pass over their sin? By His forbearance, not charging them with that sin, but showing NOW (since the cross) His righteousness in passing them by, having charged them to Christ in His death and thereby showing His justness in justifying those who believe. Their believing is NOT the cause of their justification, but the evidence that Christ died for them- Romans 3:26.
   5. Being justified by the death of the Lord Jesus, by faith (according to the faith once delivered unto the saints), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (a judicial, legal peace, established by Christ and revealed in the Gospel)- Romans 5:1.

2. Galatians 3:5-18 further explains that all of the benefits of salvation were accounted to Abraham in view of the death of Christ and Him fulfilling all righteousness on his behalf.
   1. V .18 is clear that the inheritance was accorded to Abraham BY PROMISE. Galatians 3:8- ‘seeing God would justify through the faith once delivered to the saints,’ John 8:56.
   2. Abraham lived out his days and died without ever seeing the promise fulfilled. Nonetheless, he and all of God’s elect before the cross were made perfect by the one obedience of Christ unto death- Hebrews 11:39

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From Abraham’s seed Isaac, the work of redemption was carried on in this period, God wonderfully preserving the children of Israel in Egypt, when the power of Egypt was engaged to destroy them. They seemed to be completely in the hands of the Egyptians; they were subject to the power of Pharaoh, but not to his will. In spite of his hand against them, the Lord not only preserved them, but prospered them, and in His time delivered them by His sovereign will, and through the Passover Lamb, a type of Christ- See Romans 9:15-27, Exodus 12.

The Bible teaches that when Christ died, God the Father immediately justified the elect once for all. Justification was the immediate effect of Christ having accomplished redemption. The two cannot be separated, Romans 3:24. Our Lord did not merely secure salvation for His people; they were fully justified by that death, Romans 5:9-11. He did not merely provide redemption, He redeemed- Hebrews 9:12.

Here is the bottom line, fundamental difference between those of us who believe in salvation conditioned on the Lord Jesus Christ ALONE and His free grace to sinners, and those who preach up conditions and requirements, making some part of man’s will or work to be the key.

I want to draw your attention to the one time, once-for-all exclusive justification that I believe is taught in Scripture.  That is the justification established by Christ, in time, through His obedience unto death, which God the Father accepted and approved, and therefore immediately and simultaneously imputed it to the account of all of God’s elect.  Note the following key passages of Scripture. 

1. "If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."  Galatians 3:24. The justification of sinners from beginning to end is by the FREE grace of God, through the life and death, the ONE death, and the ONE righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, apart from any work, act of the will, or warrant in the sinner.  Romans 3:24 demonstrates that God justified sinners freely, THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.  Freely means, wholly conditioned upon Christ alone and His effectual life and death. To make justification dependent in any way upon the sinner’s willing, believing, or acting first is to render the death of Christ vain. 

2. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," Romans 3:24.  The word ‘freely’ in the original means ‘without cause’ and describes the character of those whom God justified for Christ’s sake, at the cross.  Justification is the legal act of God whereby He declares sinners just (perfectly righteous) on account of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He honored and satisfied the Law on their behalf, both in its precepts and penalty, Matthew 5:17.  Having fully accomplished the work, all the blessings of forgiveness and pardon were immediately applied to the account of those for whom He finished it.  In time, by His Spirit, and through the gospel, God causes all whom He has redeemed and justified in Christ to look to Christ alone as their only ground of justification.  They believe on Him, and rest in His work accomplished and applied for them at the cross!  Their believing is not the time of justification, but the evidence of it.  Justification is in, by, and through the Lord Jesus alone, fully accomplished at the cross! Heb. 1:3.

 3. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross, " Colossians 2:14. It is clear from this that the believer’s justification before God took place at the cross.   All charges were satisfied in Christ’s death, not just dropped, set aside, or suspended. Therefore, He fully accomplished forgiveness, redemption, and justification at that time. Faith does not complete Christ’s work.  Rather, it is by faith that all the redeemed embrace and do enjoy in their experience what Christ accomplished for them at the cross!

Imagine if a man could not pay the mortgage on his house and another stepped in on his behalf and paid it all off, then the bank is satisfied and holds no claim on the house.  Even before the bank informs the homeowner of the satisfaction or if for a while he finds it unbelievable, that would not affect his standing with the bank.  The bank cannot and will not repossess the home.  The man’s peace of mind may be affected, but his house would remain paid in full because of the satisfaction by another.  Even so, the peace of mind of the sinner is the result of the revelation by the Spirit of truth of what Christ accomplished, but Christ’s work on the cross is his justification.  Faith does not complete Christ’s work.  It is finished. If you are in Christ, by grace, through faith, what a comfort and blessing this is! It is truly the Gospel (Good News)!

Those who argue that justification does not take place until a sinner believes often quote certain verses that speak of justification BY faith, Romans 3:28, 5:1, Galatians 3:24. However, according to Romans 3:28 the term ‘justified by faith’ means that sinners were justified according to ‘the law, principle or content of faith.’ The word ‘faith’ is used here in the objective sense, i.e. ‘the faith once delivered unto the saints,’ Jude 1:3. The sinner’s justification is revealed in the Gospel, of which ‘faith’ is a synonym. Romans 1:17.   We even use faith in this manner when we ask someone of what ‘faith’ they are.  Or we may refer to ‘Articles of Faith.’  Therefore, when speaking of being ‘justified by faith’, we have to understand the Scriptural context.  Even where the meaning is subjective or experiential faith, it is not the instrument of justification, but the result.

 We have to then look carefully at the context to make the determination as to whether the word ‘faith’ is used in an objective sense, i.e. having Christ as its object, or subjectively- that which is revealed in the heart by the Spirit of God. For example ‘the faith which was once delivered unto the saints,’ Jude 3, is not speaking of faith by the Spirit’s regenerating work, but faith whose object is Christ, and whose substance (the Gospel) declares His blood and righteousness as the only ground of justification before God.  It is the faith of God’s elect (the sum and substance of the Gospel of God’s Son) that declares sinners for whom He died justified. This is the meaning in Romans 3:28 where faith is used in opposition to the ‘law of works.’  The ‘law of faith’ is the sum of the conditions and requirements for justification fulfilled by Christ.  The ‘law of works,’ which is unto condemnation in opposition to justification, is the sum of conditions and requirements that can only condemn the sinner.

 The instrument of our justification is always the righteousness of Christ, once for all established by Christ, accepted, approved and imputed to the account of all the elect of all time in His obedience unto death, Hebrews 10:10.  Many interpret Romans 5:1 to mean that faith is the cause of God justifying the sinner, and thereby make justification simultaneous with faith.  However, the context reveals that God conditioned the justification of the sinner entirely upon the work of Christ in His death and resurrection, NOT FAITH.  "Therefore," refers back to the preceding verse in Romans 4:25- "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."  By putting the comma after justified rather than faith, which is how it should read, the meaning is "Therefore being, or having been declared just, (based on the redeeming work of Christ alone), by or, out of faith (the objective revelation of the Gospel) we have peace with God…"  Faith is not the reason that God justifies the sinner; it is the result of God having justified him through the blood and righteousness of Christ.  Faith is the evidence of the justification that Christ has obtained by His righteous life and death.  Those whom God justified by the blood (death) of His Son, He will most certainly in time cause to believe because their sins have already been put away, and He declared them righteous at the cross, Romans 5:9.  Colossians 2:13 clearly shows that the reason God regenerates sinners is not in order to justify them, but because they have been justified in Christ through His redemptive work-"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"

We dare not make faith the cause of justification; any more than one would make the will of man the cause of saving grace.  The meaning is that in His time, all whom God has justified in Christ, through the death of His Son, He will most certainly cause to believe on Christ.  If you are a believer, it is the righteousness and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that already justifies you before God, not your faith.  If my justification is in any way conditioned on or tied to my faith, what then when my faith is weak, or seems completely gone.  To found justification upon even the grace of faith is to lay it on weak knees at best, and in that, there is no comfort.  No! Faith is the result of the Sovereign Spirit’s work in your heart, causing you to enter into the peace, joy, and fellowship established already for you by Christ’s work at the cross.  If you are His by grace, faith is the evidence of God having justified you already in Christ.  When Christ cried, "It is finished," it is!

 Why is there such debate and dissension over a matter so plain in Scripture?  First, it is the very essence of God’s glory, and therefore, we can expect the battle to rage here.  Second, is the pride of men, and here I must take my place as a depraved sinner before God’s Word.  It is only the Spirit of God that can teach a poor sinner’s heart, and bring us to renounce any doctrine, thought, or practice that in any way detracts from the glory of the cross of the Lord Jesus.  It is to the cross (not the wooden one, but the obedience unto death of Christ), to which the Spirit will always direct the heart of His elect when He teaches them.

 For some, there is outright rebellion against any notion of a righteousness imputed apart from works at the cross.  While professing that Christ is all in salvation, redemption, justification, and glorification, they still hold to traditions, doctrines, and interpretations of men, and therefore remain blind to what the Scriptures teach.  I speak from my own past experience here.   Yet, when the Spirit of God is pleased to teach a sinner’s heart, and bring light to the subject, He also works repentance in the heart, giving all the glory to Christ. 

The best definition of the justification is that found in Scripture itself,

• Romans 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
• Romans 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

When the Scriptures speak of the blood of Christ, it is synonymous with His death. Note how the Scriptures tie our justification before God directly to the death of Christ and redemption in Him.  Why would someone say that Christ redeemed sinners at the cross but God did not justify them there?   On the other hand, to say that God justified sinners based on decree alone and not upon a finished just payment is to pervert the truth and diminish the glory of Christ in His death. To say that Christ died, and yet the benefits of His death are not actually accounted until one believes is a conditional salvation message and foreign to Scripture.

 There is only one justification of sinners before God, and that accomplished by Christ in His cross death.  Like the orange cone, we must not confuse the different views of justification as different types of justification or times of justification.  There is but one, whether viewed from eternity, by faith, or through works.  It was all accomplished at the cross.  Perhaps the following summary will help in conclusion.  

1. Justification viewed from eternity. It is not the Lamb slain, before He was slain, but the Lamb whom God appointed to be slain, and therefore who did come as predetermined and lay down His life in sacrifice, Psalm 40:7; Hebrews 10:7.
2. Justification viewed by faith. It does not put any merit in faith, nor does it make faith the instrument of justification to appropriate the righteousness of God to itself.  Rather, it sees that righteousness already accomplished and fulfilled in the death of the Savior and Substitute, Romans 5:1.
3. Justification viewed through works. Our works do not justify us before God. They are rather the evidence of God having justified us already through the death of His Son, our Substitute. The subsequent works (regeneration, conversion, faith or repentance) are the fruits of Christ’s righteousness imputed to His people at the cross, James 2:21, 25.
4. Justification accomplished at the cross. It is the anchor that is the SOLE ground of hope before God.  Any other conclusion will leave the soul afloat and tossed about by every wind of doctrine, Hebrews 6:19.

As one commentator stated, "There is a twofold debt paid by Christ, as the Surety of his people. The one is a debt of obedience to the law of God. This he engaged to do, when he said, "Lo, I come to do thy will"; thy law is within my heart: and accordingly he was made under the law, and yielded perfect obedience to it, by which his people are made righteous.  The other is a debt of punishment, incurred through failure of obedience in them. The curse of the law he has endured, the penalty of it, death, and by paying both these debts, the whole righteousness of the law is fulfilled in his people, considered in him their Head and Surety."

Did Christ in bearing our sins become a sinner himself?  God forbid!  He died ‘THE JUST’ for the unjust, I Peter 3:18.  2 Corinthians 5:21 declares ‘He was made sin,’ it does not say he was made a sinner or sinful, and that is evident by the qualification ‘WHO KNEW NO SIN,’ never EVER became personally acquainted with it, nor tainted by it.

            What a glorious mystery this is that although He was made sin, (not practically, but by imputation), yet HE KNEW NO SIN.  I Peter 2:22 declares him as that one ‘Who did no sin."  I John 3:5 says, "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; AND IN HIM IS NO SIN."

            Some would point to 1 Peter 2:24 as proof that Christ did more than bare our sins, transposing the inspired Word to mean that in some sense our sin was put IN Christ, rather than on him.  However, the first part of the verse says that He BORE our sins. The word is used of bringing the sacrifice to the altar, Isaiah 53:12. "In His body" refers to the fact that He did it as a man, in His body which God had prepared for him (Hebrews 10:5), but in no way means that He became tainted with, or that our sin was somehow put IN Him. 

To say that Christ became a sinner, or sinful, even through the sins of His people is to make Him what He was not nor ever could be.  To say that his flesh was contaminated by our sin and so to become sinful to justify God in punishing Him is to deny Him as the perfect Lamb of God, WITHOUT blemish and without spot.  What? Christ at enmity with His Father, He whose will was ALWAYS in perfect harmony with His Father’s will- Luke 22:42. God forbid!

            Our Lord was made sin by imputation, God the Father laying ON Him the charge of sin that we deserved.  In so doing, He never became a sinner, polluted by it, nor even guilty of it, although claiming it as His own.  On the contrary, it was because He was perfectly just, the sinless LAMB (1 Peter 1:19), that He was capable of suffering FOR the unjust.  Even as no suffering was due to HIM, so the merit of what He suffered (full justification, pardon, and reconciliation of His people to God) was justly imputed to them at His death, not by merit, but by GRACE!

There are those who teach that when Christ was made sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), he was actually made a sinner, or his nature made sinful, when God charged him with the sin of His elect.  While this may seem to be the logical interpretation of what that scripture means, it goes well beyond what the Scripture teaches, and is in fact a denial of the very nature of our Lord Jesus as the sinless Lamb of God.  There are several reasons, which I prayerfully submit.

1. There is a word for ‘sinner’ that the Spirit of God could have used if the purpose was to reveal that Christ was actually made a sinner as some say, by taking on Him the sin of His people.  However, the Spirit of God used the words ‘made sin,’ and qualified them with, ‘who knew no sin,’ [never became experientially or intimately acquainted with sin in any way] lest any should conclude that he became something other than sinless, except by the imputing of the sin of God’s chosen ones ON Him, charging them TO Him, and thereby punishing Him FOR their sins, which were never His own.  The same word is used to describe ‘the sin offering,’ Psalm 40:6, Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10:6, which Christ fulfilled by His death.   SUBSTITUTION is what the Scriptures teach, i.e. our sins put on Him, not transfusion, supposing that sin was put in Christ.

2. The best commentary on scripture is scripture itself, and the language of Isaiah 53 clearly shows how sin was laid on our Lord as the Lamb of God, not put in him.  ‘He hath borne [to lift up] our griefs [weaknesses which are the effects of sin], and ‘carried [to bear a load that is laid ON one] our sorrows’.  When Christ was made sin, it was that the whole charge of the sin of all of God’s elect was put to His account once for all, and that He suffered at one time for them, putting away their sin, being obedient unto death, Phil. 2:8. He took on Him the just sentence of sin that the law required, and thereby satisfied the law, justifying God in showing mercy to His chosen ones, Christ having paid the full price by His death.  He certainly appeared to be a sinner in the eyes of others who condemned him to die, but in God’s eyes, He was the spotless Lamb, I Peter 1:19, who willingly laid down His life, suffering the consequence of sin that God might be just to justify, upon Christ’s death, everyone He chose.  I rejoice in Him who was made sin, by imputation, which then has made me righteous before God, also by imputation.  THAT’S SUBSTITUTION!

Does believing that Christ finished the work of forgiveness of sins and justifying His people at the cross negate the need for regeneration?  This appears to be a misrepresentation being leveled at those of us who do believe and proclaim what the Bible teaches concerning our Lord having come "to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness," Daniel 9:24.   

For any who may be confused, I hope to set the record straight regarding what I know to be true and what is my hopeful experience with regard to the Lord’s dealing in my own heart.  May the Lord be pleased to bring comfort to His people through this testimony of His free and sovereign grace! 

Simply stated, I believe that it is the sovereign work of the Spirit of God, in conjunction with the will of the Father and the Son, to give life to all elect, redeemed, and justified sinners, which in turn causes them to hear Christ’s Word, believe on Him as He is revealed in the Gospel, and submit to Him as their righteousness before God, John 5:21, 24-27. 

Can any say that Christ has died for them if they have not been regenerated by the Spirit and called out of darkness into light?  NO!  No more than someone can say that they are elect of God, if they are yet in unbelief.  However, just as it is not regeneration that is their election before God, neither is the new birth their justification before God.  Their election was from eternity, in Christ, according to God’s sovereign will and purpose and their justification before God was accomplished in time by the blood of the Lord Jesus.   

When Christ told Nicodemus "ye must be born again," He was not giving him something to do in order to have forgiveness of sins or to be justified before God!  Rather, He was telling him what the Spirit must do in him in order for him to renounce his self-righteous, works grounded religion, and truly ‘see’ (perceive and know) the kingdom of God- John 3:3,8. As is true of any sinner (depraved, blind, and dead in sin), unless the Holy Spirit reveal to us the deep things of God, we cannot know the things of God in truth, 1 Corinthians 1:9-14. 

What is the answer to any who may ask, "How can I know whether I am the Lord’s and whether God has chosen me unto salvation and Christ died for me?" YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!  We do not enter into a relationship with God in our experience through mere intellectual reasoning, but rather the revelation of Christ, by His Word and Gospel, to the heart, and that only after the Spirit of God has made us alive unto God, and given faith to believe on Christ in truth, Ephesians 1:13. 

Up until the time of regeneration, even those who are elect of God the Father and redeemed and justified by Christ’s blood, are said to be lost.  That does not mean that they are under the wrath of God or that until they believe God’s looks on them as ungodly.  To believe that is to deny what Christ accomplished at Calvary in putting away their sin and drinking dry the cup of God’s wrath for His people in His death.  If they are lost, it is not that God has lost them, but that THEY are lost, yet unregenerate and without the Spirit of God, and therefore rebels and wicked IN THEIR MINDS- Colossians 1:21.  Therefore, it requires that in time, the Spirit of God be given them to turn their otherwise rebellious hearts to Christ, and to learn of the righteousness of God fulfilled in His obedience unto death, and cause them to submit to the ONE righteousness of God imputed there- Romans 10:3, 4.  "Christ is the end (fulfillment) of the law to everyone that believeth." That does not mean that our believing is what fulfills the law and brings satisfaction to God, but rather that all who believe are brought by God’s grace to see, know, believe, and rest in Christ as the ONE who fulfilled the LAW and JUSTICE of God on their behalf in His obedience unto death.  If righteousness come by the law (any obedience thereto) Christ is dead in vain- Galatians 2:21. 

The clear teaching of Scripture regarding regeneration (new birth or being born from above) may be summed up in the following verses:

1. The elect were bought by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ- 1 Corinthians 6:20
2. The Spirit of God is given in time to every blood bought sinner as the guarantee of their full glorification when Christ comes for them. 
3. It is the Spirit indwelling the elect of God that gives them assurance that they are the Lord’s, and causes them to look to Christ alone for righteousness, and not anything in them, not even the grace of faith.
   1. Romans 8:10- ‘The Spirit is life BECAUSE of righteousness,’ not in order to righteousness. The reason the Spirit brings a sinner to life in Christ is because He has already been justified, Christ having already established, and finished righteousness, and God having accepted it and imputed it at the cross.
   2. Romans 5:18- ‘justification of life’ means a justification that demands life, Spirit given life as evidence of a justification full, free, and complete already at the cross.’

Here is the real issue that must be settled with regard to regeneration or the new birth.  It is not whether or not the elect must be born again, but rather, what happens when they are born again. 

This is a centuries old debate, and one which each one of us must be fully persuaded in our own minds.  Is the new birth a matter of the elect being given a new sinless nature as many believe?  I do not believe so, either according to the Word of God or my own experience.

1.     Romans chapter 7 is not teaching that we have a sinless nature in us combating our sin nature.  A careful study of it shows just the opposite. Paul is saying that the good he would do, he does not.  If there were a sinless nature in him, as was in Christ, it would never yield to the flesh, would it?  In fact, his conclusion is, ‘O wretched man that I am!’  That is all that any regenerated sinner can say about himself.  See the testimony of the Publican in Luke 18:13. 

Romans chapter 7 is showing what happens when we begin to look away from Christ and His satisfaction of the Law and Justice of God, and think that we can by our obedience to it find acceptance with God.  Paul states this premise in the very first verse of the chapter- "for I speak to them that know the law…"   It can only condemn.  Only Christ has removed the condemnation by His obedience unto death- v. 25. 

2.     I John 3:9 is often quoted as a proof text of a sinless nature in the believer, but again, a careful study of the context will show that this is not what it is teaching.  When the Scripture says, ‘Whosoever is born of God does not sin,’ I have yet to find any professing believer to tell me that they have lived even a moment without sinning, if they are honest. Even our best righteousness is but filthy rags and tainted with sin.  Therefore, the only valid interpretation is that one born of God cannot sin, because where the law has already been satisfied for them fully in the death of Christ, that one cannot be considered a transgressor (sinner) from God’s perspective. See 1 John 3:3, 4.  God sees those whom Christ redeemed as justified (righteous) before Him- 1 John 4:17.  In our experience, we know ourselves to be nothing but sin, but before God, there is no sin committed because there is no law against us in that Christ satisfied it fully. 

When John writes of "his seed remaineth in him," one must also look at the context to see what seed he is referring to.  It is not the seed of sinlessness as some would think.  Rather, it is the seed of the Word, or the Gospel, as already described in 1 John 2:27- ‘the truth that abides (remains) in you.’  What truth is that?  It is the fact that our righteousness before God is in the imputed righteousness of Christ alone as the Just one, 1 John 2:1.  When I sin, my conscience would accuse me as being unworthy of salvation, but the seed, the revealed Word, abides in me to remind me where my righteousness is and thereby gives me hope and assurance before God, all the while drawing my heart to Christ once again in repentance.

 To do righteousness as described in 1 John 2:29 and 3:7, is not to have a sinless nature, nor to live sinlessly, but rather to live in full dependence and submission to the ONE true righteousness of God in Christ.  To live by any other supposed righteousness is a delusion and can only condemn.  

Some may ask, "What then changes when a sinner is born again, if we are not given a sinless nature?"  The answer is simple: 

1. We are given the very Spirit of God to indwell our hearts- John 14:17 "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

     Don’t you get upset when you hear people talking all the time about ‘Mother Nature,’ rather than attributing the works of creation to God Himself?  Why would it be any different here when talking of the work of the Spirit in us, to keep referring to some "new nature," rather than the Spirit of God Himself indwelling our hearts?  He truly is sinless, but there is nothing in our nature as falling creatures but deadness and corruption.  He does cannot and does not sin, but anything related to our hearts is tainted with sin. Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."  The Spirit lusting against the flesh, in that He never allows the regenerated sinner to put any confidence in anything in us but only in the Christ by whom we are justified, saved, reconciled, and kept unto the day of our final redemption when we shall be completely rid of the presence of sin- 1 John 3:1-3  

2.  We are given life- What is created in us is not a ‘new’ nature; separate from who we are, but LIFE ITSELF!  Just as when God created Adam and breathed into his nostrils and he became a living soul, so it is when God is pleased to regenerate one of His elect, that one is given spiritual life.  Where the Spirit of God dwells, there is LIFE!  The very word ‘spirit’ means ‘breath.’ 

Here then is the real definition of the place of regeneration with our justification before God.  Romans 5:17 declares that the ‘gift of righteousness shall reign IN LIFE by one.’  The gift of righteousness was accorded in the death of Christ, imputed there at the cross, and it is revealed by the Spirit of God in LIFE, when He is pleased to bring the sinner from spiritual deadness to spiritual life.  Both are the effect of righteousness being imputed at the cross, not when we believe.  The ‘justification of life’ described in Romans 5:18 is stating that God giving life to dead sinners is justified by Christ having removed condemnation in HIS DEATH, v. 18.

Some mistakenly refer to 2 Corinthians 5:17 as proof that there is a new sinless nature given whereby ‘all things become new.’  However, again, CONTEXT is everything.  ‘If anyone is in Christ as a new creature (creation) it is BECAUSE old things are (have passed away), not our old sinful nature, but rather the old things of the LAW and its condemnation against us.  Christ by His death fulfilled it and put it away once for all.  Is this not what the previous verses declare leading up to the ‘Therefore,’ in verse 17?  All things are (have) become new in that on the ground of Christ’s righteous obedience unto death, there is NOW no condemnation toward those who are in Christ Jesus, by electing and redeeming grace (Romans 8:1).

Once again, LIFE is given at regeneration, BECAUSE it is not possible for those whom Christ redeemed to be held in deadness, even as it was not possible that Christ should be held in His death, having satisfied law and justice by His death (Acts 2:24). 

3. We are given LIGHT- Those who are yet blind, trusting in themselves that they are righteous (Luke 18:9) and despising others, cannot see the light unless the Spirit of God gives them eyes to see.  2Co 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. "

It is only as God commands the light to shine out of darkness, into the heart that sinners are made to believe, and submit to the righteousness of God in Christ.  This is what is created in the elect upon regeneration- THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST.  Those who say that knowledge is insignificant, and relate regeneration to something other than imparting of the KNOWLEDGE of Christ, need to read this verse carefully.  The day the light of the KNOWLEDGE of Christ is minimized and mocked, how great is the darkness, as Christ Himself testified in Mt 6:23  "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! "

4. We are granted REPENTANCE- Repentance and faith are synonymous, Acts 20:21. It is the gift of God, based on the sinner’s justification by the imputed righteousness of God at the cross, because of which the Spirit of God causes chosen, redeemed, and justified sinners to turn from their false notions of God (idols) to turn to the true and living God (one who has already been satisfied on their behalf, sins forgiven, and declared righteous by the death of His Son)- 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

I thank God for the light of the knowledge of Christ that He has caused to shine in my heart, by His grace and continue to pray for more light.  Don’t be deterred by any who endeavor to dissuade you by referring to this as "new" light.  It is as old as the Scriptures, and let us be like the Bereans, not looking to men, but to the Scriptures alone, and weighing every doctrine in the light of God’s Word- Acts 17:11.  As we look to the Word, relying only on the Spirit of God as our teacher, and truly rest in Christ alone, and His finished work at Calvary, it brings true unity and oneness of spirit and heart with those who are the Lord’s.  They that ‘trouble’ you are those who would have you look within for righteousness, but it is not within, other than in the person of the Spirit of God.  But even the Spirit of God would not have us glorify him, but rather HIM who gave him, the Lord Jesus Christ alone.  Therefore, being born again, given the very life and light of the Lord Jesus, ALL the focus is on HIM as my righteousness, which He established, and God the Father accepted and imputed to the account of all His elect once for all.

As my earthly pilgrimage passes, and I draw near to the time when I shall stand before a holy God, I have no other plea, than that when He died, He died for me!  This is my testimony of grace, and one I believe to be confirmed by the very Word of God HIMSELF!  May the Lord grant us all this persuasion!

As stated in the beginning, salvation encompasses everything from eternity to eternity with regard to how GOD saves sinners in accord with His strict justice and righteousness. The purpose of salvation is as eternal as God Himself. We speak logically in breaking it down into its parts of election, redemption, justification, sanctification, perseverance of the saints and final glorification, but these are all essential parts of the whole. The following outline is a good breakdown of the salvation of God revealed at the cross, in regeneration, and in the final glorification of the redeemed.

Defining then the glorification of the saints, it is helpful to remember that because they were glorified in Christ as their federal head in His resurrection and ascension, it is sure that they will indeed be ‘made like Him’ and truly be like Him, free from the very presence of sin throughout eternity, when He comes again to receive them unto Him in the final resurrection- John17:5 and 1 John 3:2,

1. To teach that we have a sinless, holy nature given to us in regeneration contradicts the Scripture. Nowhere in Scripture is such terminology ever used to describe regeneration.

2. To teach that we have a sinless, holy nature given to us in regeneration, what need more is there for the blood and righteousness of Christ if by it some say that we have been made just as holy as Christ Himself? Even throughout eternity there will never be a time we won’t still need His blood and righteousness, Revelation 5:12,13.

3. To teach that we have a sinless, holy nature is to attribute to a nature what belongs to the Spirit alone- Galatians 5:17 And if holy, what need more for the Spirit of God?

4. To teach that we have a sinless, holy nature given us in regeneration is to confuse regeneration with what can only be true in our final glorification- I John 3:1- "it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but when we shall see him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."