Featured The Atonement of Christ: What did it REALLY Achieve ? 9

Two Gifts of Gods Grace to sinners Christ died for !

Two things Christ has accomplished for every sinner He Lived and died for, the election of grace, or His Body the Church before they do anything, before they are born even, are these:

#1 Forgiveness of sins and or pardon of sins Eph 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; A Gift of Grace !

as a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ,

And second, A Gift of Righteousness freely imputed to them Rom 5:17

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.)

They received it by Imputation, that's what makes it a free gift, Rom 4:6

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,



This is the Righteousness of the Law Rom 8:3-4

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This means that Christ kept the totality of the righteousness of the law required by God for man, all men He did it for have it imputed to their charge, as a free gift !

 

Destroyed The devils power of death


Heb 2:14

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;

The devil had power over death, to include spiritual death. Its he that brought about the fall of Adam, causing him to sin, which wages is death 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:

That's why Jesus calls the devil a murderer Jn 8:44

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Now as long as we are spiritually dead, we are under the devils power, cause he has power of death, though hes defeated, but his defeat by Christ is made manifest when we are made Spiritually alive. You see if any sinner Christ died for remains in spiritual death, then the devil has the victory over Christ, and many deceivers are in the world saying sinners Christ died for will remain in spiritual death ! 61

 

It turns us from our sins, iniquities !

Remember Peter preached to some jews these words Acts 3:25-26

25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.


26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Now even though at the specific time Peter was speaking to jews, people of Abrahams physical seed, the Blessing announced was not to be limited to them, for the promised blessing[ turning from sin] was of the Abrahamic Covenant and included " all the kindreds of the earth" See Gen 22:18

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. This was a restating of what God hath promised Abraham earlier here Gen 12:3

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.


Wherein Paul applies it specifically to the Gentles Gal 3:8

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

So understand, the Blessing of individuals being turned from their sins as Peter Preached in Acts 3:25-26 was not exclusively to jewish ethnicity,but did include some of the Gentile World, those of the Spiritual Seed of Abraham. Next we will look at the specific Blessing Promised and delivered by the Christ, the Seed of Abraham, a being turned from their sins, iniquities !

 

Acts 3:26

26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Now just exactly what is this turning away from iniquity ? The words "turning away" its the greek

apostrephó

Phonetic Spelling: (ap-os-tref'-o)
Short Definition: I turn away, restore, reject
Definition: I turn away, pervert, remove; I restore, replace; mid: I desert, reject.

I turn, am converted, change, change my direction


In other words Christ converts us, causes to change our direction, Christ is the Author of this action. For example, remember the prodigal son when he did this Lk 15:17-18

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

This noticeable change of direction for this wayward son is the fruit of Christ's redemption in turning one from their iniquity

Christ was the Author by His powerful Grace working in the mind and heart of this son, of coming to his senses and arisng and going to his Father in repentance and confession . This illustrates the blessing conveyed in Acts 3:26!

 

It made believers free from sin !


The atoning death of Christ made believers dead to sin Rom 6:7

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

See every true believer, prior to becoming a believer, died when Christ died, so Pauls meaning here in Rom 6:3-6

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is[was past tense] crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The sinner we were in Adam, with all of our sins was put to death with Christ as they were/had been charged to Him as our surety representative, so when He died, all whom He represented died.

Paul makes the same point here 2 Cor 5:14


14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

The ESV captures the original meaning of this verse here:

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
The all Christ died for all died with Him !

So back to our text in Rom 6:7

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now the word freed here is an interesting word and its a legal word, its the word dikaioó and means:

I make righteous, defend the cause of, plead for the righteousness (innocence) of, acquit, justify; hence: I regard as righteous.



The ASV captures the truth:
for he that hath died is justified from sin.

So everyone, all for whom Christ died have been Justified from sin, they stand just and righteous before Gods Law and Justice, as a free gift through Jesus Christ.
Those Christ died for never can be charged with sin Rom 4:8
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

This blessed man is everyone for whom Christ died !

Its an whole world of men 2 Cor 5:19

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Why doesnt God charge these ones with their sins ? Because they have died with Christ and have become freed from Sin Rom 6:7 ! 61

 

It the death of Christ, for those He died, He through His death redeemed them from all iniquity Titus 2:14

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Hence, none for whom He died can be of these here Matt 7:23

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.


Christ could never say those words to them He gave Himself for and redeemed them from all iniquity, for they have no iniquity to work !

 

Christ's Covenantal Death, opens the eyes of the blind !

Did you know that one of the purposes and residual effects of Christ's Death for all whom He died is that they will have spiritual eyes open ? Isa 42:6-7

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; See Rom 8:32

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.

Gods elect are by nature spiritually blind, but Christ's death for them effects an opening of their spiritually blind eyes. Jesus said once that His purpose for coming was Judgment, observe Jn 9:39

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that[hina of purpose] they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Thats why He says His Fathers Will was this Jn 6:40

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Believing on Him accompanies the seeing of Him, and this was the result and the will of Him that sent Him, that gave Him to be a Covenant of the People, the People of the Elect or His Sheep, or His Body the Church !

 

Christ's Covenantal Death, opens the eyes of the blind !2


The Opening of the blind eyes here in Isa 42:7 is not speaking of regular physical blindness, but a spiritual blindness of the mind as per Eph 4:18

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

This is important because true conversion must and does believe with the heart Rom 10:10

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

But not possible if in our native blindness of heart.

Man cant believe the Gospel with a blinded mind 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.

In fact being in that condition is being in a lost condition.

Now that this opening of blind eyes has to do with bringing them to Faith or Believing is confirmed by the next phrase as to what the Covenant Death of Christ Effects, 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.

Now what meanest this "to bring out the prisoners from the prison" ? Why its the prison of unbelief ! 61

 

Christ's Covenantal Death, opens the eyes of the blind !3

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.

This is the prison house of unbelief ! Paul writing to the Romans Chapter 11, speaking of both jew and gentile elect writes this Rom 11:32

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

In Gods Purpose of Mercy for the Elect both of the jews and gentiles He concluded them in unbelief. What does the word concluded mean ? Its the greek word sygkleiō and means

1. 
   to shut up together, enclose
   1. 
      of a shoal of fishes in a net
   
   to shut up on all sides, shut up completely

The word is used here as shutting of a prison Acts 5:23

Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

The Elect as well as all men by nature are imprisoned in Unbelief !

However the Death of Christ effects a bringing out of the prison of unbelief !

62

 

Two blessings accomplished by the death of Christ:

#1. The death of Christ accomplished for them it was for " Remission of sins" which is Justification.See Matt 26:28

#2.It shall purge the conscience from dead works to serve the Living God Heb 9:14

 

Christ by His vicarious death achieved Salvation. When He suffered and died for the sins of all those given Him of His Father, the Elect, He bare their sins in His body 1 Pet 2:24, hence His death brings them to God 1 Pet 3:18

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Thats Salvation being brought to God BY HIM Heb 7:25

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

How do they come to God BY HIm ? 1 Pet 3:18

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh !62

 

The sins of Gods sheep/elect,chosen were charged to Christ and they became His, so God punished Christ for their sins, the sins they committed that earned them the wages of death, even eternal death Rom 6:23a.

So Christ paid the full debt they owed to Gods law and justice so that they have in and through Him the forgiveness of sins, through His Blood Col 1:14

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Thats Salvation Lk 1:77

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

 

It imputes righteousness without works !

Rom 4:6

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Those whose sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ, see Vs 7 have also righteousness given them. See all of Christ's Suretyship righteousness, as He lived in perfect holy obedience to the Law of God, for He perfectly did this which is required Matt 22:37-40

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.


Christ did this perfectly in His Mind Will and Affections, and this Righteousness is given as a free Gift to all for whom He lived and died.

And so Paul understanding this Suretyship righteousness writes Rom 5:19

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

See Christ's one Surety-ship obedience makes many righteous ! 62

 

The accomplishment of Christ's death for those He died, it gives them the right to Spiritual Life from Christ ! Christ as their Savior raises them from the dead, that spiritual death they incurred in Adam. All of them died in Adam because of sin Rom 5:12, death reigned because of sin upon them Rom 5:17,21

17 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.)

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

But since Christ by His death put away their sins and offences, they through Him have the right to being raised from the spirtual dead, so hence its said of them Eph 2:1,5

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)

Quicken means made alive, given life. These are the ones that believe on Him, for they had the right to be called the children of God Jn 1:12

But as many as received him, to them gave he power or right to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

To become the manifested children of God they must first be made alive, because God is the God of the Living and not the dead Matt 22:32

I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

 

It gives life unto serving the living God !


Another way we know that Christ didnt die for all without exception is by realizing that those He did die for, or shed His blood for,
they are made to serve the living God, observe Heb 9:14

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

"How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"To serve the Living God or to Worship Him must be in Spirit and Truth Jn 4:23-24

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And so Spiritual life must be given in order for this to happen. Spiritually dead sinners cant serve/worship the True Living God ! But those Christ shed His Blood for shall come to do that, and credit goes to the Blood of Christ !64

 

The results of Christ death !

Its easy to see from scripture that Christ didnt die for all without exception simply because all without exception receive the saving and sanctifying results of His death. Only His Sheep do, or Gods Elect, or His Church do, who He specifically die for Jn 10:15

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

We may be specific when scripture is specific ! See all are not sanctified [set apart for God] however all those Christ died for are Heb 10:10

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

Its no such thing in scripture as a death of Christ that didnt sanctify them He died for !

 

The results of Christ death ! cont,

It causes the spiritually blind to spiritually see.

Now all men are by nature spiritually blind and cant see spiritually. Eph 4:18

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

The blindness is a spiritual blindness of the heart.

All by nature are lost and blind 2 Cor 3:14; 4:4

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

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.

But fortunately for the Sheep Christ death remedies that blindness, Jesus came for that purpose Jn 9:39

39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Notice this Prophecy of the work of Christ Isa 42:1,6-7

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;


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.
The Judgment Jesus spoke of in Jn 9:39 is the same in Isa 42:1,7 to open up blind eyes, and it didnt mean just for jews, it meant elect gentiles also

Jesus says in Jn 6:40

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth[spiritually] the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Theres no such thing as a sinner remaining spiritually blind who Christ died for ! Yet many shall remain spiritually blind ! 64

 

The results of Christ death !

Another blessed result of the death of Christ according to the Covenant Suretyship engagement is to

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.

All men by nature are in the prison house of spiritual darkness and unbelief. Paul when writing to the Church of rome wrote that all[jew and gentile] in the prison of unbelief Rom 11:32

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

Now even though this verse is speaking of Gods elect from amongst the jews and gentiles, its applicable ton the non elect too ! Now the word concluded is the greek word sygkleiō and means

1. to shut up together, enclose
   1. of a shoal of fishes in a net
2. to shut up on all sides, shut up completely
   
   b. to shup up on all sides, shut up completely; τινα εἰς τινα or τί, so to deliver one up to the power of a person or thing that he is completely shut in,
   
   By nature we are delivered up to the power of darkness and of satan Acts 2618
   
   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.

Col 1:13

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

But now Christ death brings those He died for out of darkness and from the power of satan, and with that they are given Faith and become believers, thats a testimony to what Christ has done in delivering them from darkness and unbelief.

Thats why to say that one for whom Christ died can and does die in unbelief is to speak against, testify against Christ and His finished work ! 64

 

It gathers in the Sheep, the Elect, or the Children of God !

This is something religionist dont understand about the atoning death of Christ. Its the effective means by which all of Gods children are gathered unto Him. Ps 147:2

2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

I believe this scripture does also apply to a spiritual jerusalem and israel, the Church of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ does the gathering Isa 49:5

And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

Jn 11:51-52

51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;


52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Jesus dying is in connection with His gathering together of Gods elect, the children of God.

Gen 49:10

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh[Jesus] come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

This gathering is also equivalent to bringing about obedience to the One gathering.

Eph 1:10

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring[gather] us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit 65