Featured The Atonement of Christ: What did it REALLY Achieve ? 8

He giveth Life unto the World !2

Again, the Life referred to by the Manna from Heaven Jn 6:33 is Spiritual, Eternal, and Resurrection Life, and its given to a World that He redeemed, A world that is His Sheep, or His Church, or His Body, or the Elect of God, or Israel as the Israel of God ! The Israel of God has nothing to do with ethnic national Israel, Abraham's physical offspring of the flesh, for they are not even the Children of God Rom 9:8, but Spiritual Israel Born of God, An Israel Created by God's Word of Promise like unto Isaac who was after the Spirit Gal 4:29

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Again a differential in Israel born after the flesh and Israel born after the Spirit !

Now all who belong to that World [of Jn 6:33] are given Life out of Christ's Death Jn 6:51

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

This speaks of an exchange, His Life is given so that the Life of the World for whom He is giving His Life for, is given Life, Life out of condemnation and death, and if any of that world is not given Life, Christ has been cheated ! 31

 

Christ applys His Salvation too !

If Christ did not also apply His Salvation, what His Death accomplished, it would be incomplete ! However Jesus says Jn 12:32

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

When these all men are drawn to Christ, it means that they have been given by New Birth converting or saving Faith. Drawing is Faith coming to believe on Christ for all of Salvation, because He has for them [ones being drawn] bore the wrath of God in their place and stead, So He has delivered them from the wrath to come 1 Thess 1:10;5:9 !

Now Christ having died for us, must also as our Savior, apply The Merits of His Death in giving Faith by His Spirit and Word ! If He did not Himself apply the benefits of His Own Death, He would not be a Complete Saviour and He would not be worthy of all the Honor and Glory of it ! So in Jn 12:32 Jesus is saying that He will apply Salvation unto all men that He was Lifted up in behalf of, or that He died for !

 

Produces a Life of Faith !

The Death of Christ produces a Life of Faith as its fruit. Gal 2:20

20 I[and the whole Body of Christ] am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Basically what Paul means here is that, the Life of Faith he now lives, is because of, or the result of Christ Living in him, for He in us is the Author and Finisher of Our Faith. What is True of Paul in Gal 2:20 is also true of everyone for whom, like Paul, gave Himself for them, as He gave Himself for Paul; In fact it applys to the Church in that the very same word gave paradidōmi is used here in Eph 5:25

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Again the same Two words in Gal 2:20 "Loved and gave" ! Now that greek word for gave paradidōmi actually means:

to give oneself up for, give oneself to death for, to undergo death for (the salvation of) one, Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:25;

Folks if Christ's death did not effect Salvation, it was worthless, unfruitful, for converting Life must come out of His Death for it to serve the Purpose of God ! So the Life of Faith that each member of Christ's body the Church lives, it is the result and due to Christ's Faithfulness, which results to Him coming into them by the Life Giving Spirit that He is 1 Cor 15:45

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit and the fruit of the Spirit in them produces a Life of Faith !

 

If Lifted Up shall draw all men unto me !


Jn 12:32-33

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

What Jesus means here I believe is that before His Death and for the most part only a few men had been drawn to Him in Faith and had been given a True Knowledge, and that few were mainly restricted to ethnic jews located in the land of israel, a very small remnant, and the rest of humanity along with the rest of the ethnic jews who were not of the remnant, lay in darkness and ignorance of the True God and His Salvation, that ethnic jews were ignorant of Salvation and Righteousness God's Way is indicated here Rom 10:1-3

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they[ethnic jews] being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Yet the gentile world lied in much ignorance and darkness as well, all of which was the Work of Satan !

But the Death of Christ was going to change that and put a big dent into Satans Kingdom of Darkness, and as the writer of Hebrews declares here Heb 2:14-15,16

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Notice this death blow to the power and kingdom of satan came by means of Christ's Death, and not His Resurrection, though His Resurrection was an evidence and proof that His Death was victorious over Death and satans domain of darkness, over all for whom He died in the Seed of Abraham Vs 16 ! His Death ensures that all the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, men and women from all nations, that they be drawn to Him in Faith and Repentance and begin to Live by Faith ! 31

 

Christ sets us free from the prison of Unbelief !

Isa 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Its a crying shame that so many today in the name of Christianity , they teach falsely that many for whom Christ died, shall nevertheless still die in the prison of unbelief condemned for their sins Jn 8:24

24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Note: Dying in sins [plural] and unbelief accompany one another, they're hand and hand !

Now the shame in this is that it gives Christ's redemptive death no credit for being responsible for the bringing of the redeemed ones out of the prison of unbelief, which we all are in by nature as sinners Rom 11:32

32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Listen, as a consequence and result of our sin in Adam, God put us in a prison of unbelief, which is in the domain of satan. The word concluded is the greek word sygkleiō and means:


I.to shut up together, enclose

A.of a shoal of fishes in a net

II.to shut up on all sides, shut up completely

That is as a consequence of sin, God in Judgment shut us completely in unbelief, blocked us in, imprisoned us, as to no way out ! Unbelief by nature is a spiritual confinement by the Judgment of God !

Listen, man by nature cannot stop being a unbeliever by his own freewill, that would mean, he let his own self out of prison by his own freewill, he was able to breakout of God's sentence of imprisonment by his own freewill !

 

Christ sets us free from the prison of Unbelief !2

God enslaved and imprisoned His People into the power of satan and unbelief, but for a purpose of mercy Rom 11:32 ! In this scheme of mercy, satan is the strong man by the permission of God to bound and imprison the people in unbelief, hence by nature, all men are in satans prison of unbelief, the strong man, we all are so to speak satans goods Eph 2:3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others

Thats just how we are by nature, under the control of the prince oof the power of the air, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, thats being in prison !

But alas, Christ is the Stronger Man, who does spoil the strong man and releases his goods Matt 12:28-29

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Lk 11:20-22

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

You see that ? Christ is the Stronger one than the strong man satan, who is much stronger than us, and Christ as the Stronger Man releases us from the bind of the strong man !

Christ binds the strong man. That same word bind is used here Rev 20:2

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Thats Christ overcoming the strong man the devil !

Its also the same event stated here in Rev 12:7-9

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And prevailed not means that satan and his angels were overcome and prevailed against, by Christ ! 31

 

Christ sets us free from the prison of Unbelief !3

Now because of the Death of Christ for His People / His Sheep Jn 10:11,15, satans activity against them is restricted, he can no longer keep them in the prison of unbelief, and deception, and darkness, because for them,Jesus Christ has bound his activity, and made it of no effect, and so Christ is CREDITED with bringing us out of the Prison of darkness and unbelief Isa 42:7

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison[Of Unbelief], and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Yet many in false religion would rather teach falsely that many for whom Christ died and defeated the strong man satan inbehalf of, can and do remain in the prison of unbelief and under the power of satan and his darkness, giving him the vitory over Christ, making him yet stronger than Christ over a soul Christ redeemed and suppose to BRING OUT OF the Prison of Unbelief. Such wicked teaching is a mockery against Jesus Christ, and His Victorious accomplishment, and all who teach that its possible for one whom Christ died, can yet die in unbelief and their sins, makes a mockery of Christ's Victorious Death, putting it to open shame, but the Truth of the matter is this,

Satan cannot keep no one in the prison of unbelief for whom Christ died, for he is bound by the decree and purpose against it, and Christ does successfully open their eyes to Faith in Him Isa 42:7

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Acts 26:18

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.31

 

It cancels death the wage for sin !


Rom 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All for whom Christ died [The Gift of God Jn 4:10], His Death for them paid the penalty of their sins, hence for them canceling or abolishing for them death, and hence its only Just with God that they should be delivered from death [which is the consequences of their sins], that is Spiritual Death, and Spiritual Darkness, and Unbelief; Now Understand something, for anyone He died for to remain in sin/unbelief, means that His death was ineffectual, failed to cancel and abolish death which we know His Death did 2 Tim 1:10

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

That word abolished also means loosed from as in Rom 7:2

For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed G2673 from the law of her husband.

Thats what Christ's death did for all whom He died, it loosed them from the law of Spiritual death, so for anyone Christ died for to remain in spiritual death and unbelief and darkness, it means His Death failed to abolish death, nor did it prevail with God in fully Satisfying His Law and Justice on their behalf, since they are not delivered from death and its consequences ! 32

 

Must be made Alive !

All for whom Christ died [and rose again ]must be made alive through His Death, to be made His Living fruit, or His Living Seed, or scripture has bared a false witness to what should be the effects of His Death, as here Jn 12:24

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Now understand something, the Corn of wheat represents Christ ! And what happens when that Corn of wheat dies ? It brings forth much fruit !

The words bringeth forth as in bringeth forth much fruit, its the word pheró and actually means in this context to produce ! To produce equally means:

To cause, create, beget, author, it even means to procreate or to give life to, give living offspring !

Remember Paul wrote of Christ as a what in 1 Cor 15:45

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam[Christ] was made a quickening spirit.

or it can read as the ASV renders it:

45 So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Hence Christ's death alone, for them He died for, was victorious over sin, death and hell, and so His resurrection from the dead proves it or evidences it, and because Christ was also the Kinsmen Redeemer for those He died for, His Resurrection from the dead shall cause them to be resurrected from the dead, or to be born again, and is what Peter means by 1 Pet 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

This verse is a confirmation of what John 12:24 means about Christ's dying shall bring forth much fruit, to be begotten again !

Hence its impossible for anyone Christ died for, whom He represented on the Cross, whose sins were charged to Him upon that Tree, its impossible for any one of them not to be born again by His Resurrection, or else that will make scripture testimony to come to nought, especially the Truth of Jn 12:24 ! Those who are born again by His Resurrection are the Travail of His Soul Isa 53:11, the fruit He speaks of in Jn 12:24, The Seed or Offspring of Isa 53:10

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

The Body must be made alive through the Head ! 32

 

The Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ !


We all have read Rom 6:23 one time or the other:

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Remember this verse comes after what Paul explained regarding Headship results by Adam and then by Christ Rom 5:12-21, through Adam our natural head out of Creation we earned the wages of sin, death, by his disobedience our eternal death is due, earned Rom 5:12

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

This death by sin by the one man Adam, is what Paul means by death in Rom 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But, on the flip side, By The Lords obedience to the Law of God for us, as a Free Gift, we become entitled to Eternal Life or the Eternal Inheritance Heb 9:15

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Gal 3:18

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Eph 1:11

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

We obtained this Inheritance through Jesus Christ !

Col 3:24

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Heb 11:8

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance[Cp Gal 3:18], obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

1 Pet 1:4

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

This Inheritance is Heavenly and its Eternal Life, that Eternal Life of Rom 6:23, and its due not by any obedience of our own, but solely by the Obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Christ, as a Free Gift, all for whom He died are Heirs of Promise Gal 3:29

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Thats again referring to that Eternal Life which is a Gift through Jesus Christ Rom 6:23.

And as proof of being heirs, we are born into the possession of it experimentally by the New Birth by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Pet 1:3-4

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Thats how its [The Gift of Eternal Life] initially received, by being begotten again, to an Inheritance !

Listen, everyone Christ died for must receive this Gift of being begotten again, as proof that He died for them as their Surety Head, entitling them to the Gift of the Inheritance, which is Eternal Life through Him Rom 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Perfected forever !

Heb 10:10-14

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

True Believers were perfected forever by Christ's Death before they were even born sinners, if Christ died for our sins 1 Cor 15:3.

Now many unenlightened minds, calling themselves Believers or Christians do fail to realize that all sinners Christ has died for, hath once and for all, solely by Hos One Offering, which means His Death, they by it hath been once and for all Sanctified Vs 10 and Perfected forever ! Both the words Sanctified in Vs 10 and Perfected in Vs 14 are in the Perfect tense in the greek :

The perfect tense in Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.

Jesus' last cry from the cross, TETELESTAI ("It is finished!") is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely "It [the atonement] has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time."

Certain antiquated verb forms in Greek, such as those related to seeing (eidw) or knowing (oida) will use the perfect tense in a manner equivalent to the normal past tense. These few cases are exception to the normal rule and do not alter the normal connotation of the perfect tense stated above.

Hebrews 10 :: King James Version (KJV)

Also in Vs 10 the we are is in the present tense, meaning they were permanently in a state of Sanctification ongoing !

This is before they are born and certainly before they believe. They are these things based upon His Offering of Himself, His Sacrifice, also based upon it is the certainty of of their Eternal Glory which is the Capstone of having been Perfected by His Offering, to be ushered into a Permanent state of Perfection and Glory, Eternal Glory 2 Tim 2:10

Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

1 Pet 5:10

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

This Eternal Glory, the Crowning Achievement of Our Perfection, and only God knows what that all entails, is the simple consequence , outcome of having been both Sanctified and Perfected by the Offerong of Christ, meaning His Death.

All of God's Elect, even in their times of being solely in the flesh, unregenerate and totally depraved, enemies of God in their minds as stated here Col 1:21

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

They are nevertheless washed in the Blood of Christ , Clothed in His Righteousness Imputed, in the sight of God ! In fact, even the Saints who are presently inn Glory, are no more Holy in the sight of God as they are while they are enemies.

In God's Sight, they are always and forever free from any charge of sin, though they may drink it like water while joined with that body of death, but yet their iniquities Christ has already borne for them Isa 53:11

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

And by that, they have been Sanctified and Perfected forever ! 33

 

It makes all of them alive /unto God !


1 Cor 15:22

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

For all whom Christ died, they had an interest in Christ, or else it would not be accurate or appropriate to say that He died for their sins as Per the Gospel 1 Cor 15:3

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

This is not possible if God did not reckon a legal union between Christ and those for whom He died in their place and stead !

In fact its the same legal union reckoned between them and adam of which consequence when he sinned they in him died to God; oh but what blessing it is to have been in Christ legally, because as an consequence of the same, just as in adam we all died and that unto God, likewise as a consequence of being in Christ all shall be made alive and that unto God !

Remember Paul wrote the Roman Believers Rom 6:11

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

See, we were dead to God through adam, but made alive unto God through Jesus Christ Our Lord and Covenant Head !

This is no if or maybe to be made alive[Unto God] through Christ as it was no if but or maybe that we were made dead to God through and in adam.

Yes, all men in adam before the fall in him were alive to God, sin disrupted that, but those same men in Christ, and Christ doing away with their sins, must be made alive unto God, or it would be concluded that, that which adam did to cause men to be dead to God, is of a greater effect than that which Christ did to offset what adam did, to make them alive agan unto God !

Now we know that in the context of 1 Cor 15 the subject matter is that of the Physical and bodily Resurrection of those in Christ, but yet even before that comes to pass, we dare say that a spiritual resurrection from the preceded it, because this context is speaking of and to only believers ! However the believers Physical and Bodily Resurrection was a guarantee before they became believers, it was based on being in Christ and His Resurrection as the First-fruit or their Head ! Just as the Head was made alive again unto God, which is Christ as Per Rom 6:10

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Then all whom He died in behalf of shall be made alive unto God ! Because He is the Head / First fruit of them !

So if we are one today who believes that one for whom Christ died and rose again in behalf of, can somehow die or meet up with Christ without being made alive to God through Christ, then we are conceding defeat for Christ and victory for the devil, because that one Christ died for never was made alive unto God making evident Christ's Effect to be Superior to adams !

 

Only the saved person can and does believe in Jesus Christ. Thats an achievement of the atonement, it makes believers in Christ.

 

Believing in Christ cannot occur until one is regenerated.

 

When a person is saved then they believe. A Lost person cannot believe because the Gospel is hid to them that are lost resulting in unbelief 2 Cor 4:3-4

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

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.