Your sin, mine, and everyone else’s crucified Christ.
1 Cor 15:1-4
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (NIV)
The NAS version renders verse 3 similarly:
1
Corinthians 15:3
For [1 Cor 11:23] I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received, that Christ died [John 1:29; Gal 1:4;
Heb 5:1, 3; 1 Pet 2:24] for our sins [Is 53:5-12; Matt 26:24; Luke
24:25-27; Acts 8:32f; 17:2f; 26:22] according to the Scriptures,
(Whole Chapter: 1
Corinthians 15 In context: 1
Corinthians 15:2-4)
1 John 2
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But
if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus
Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[1]
the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him
if we obey his commands.
John clarifies in verse 3 that one who truly believes that Jesus died for their sins will not continue to practice sin. Instead they will obey his commands.
1
Peter 3:18
For [1 Pet 2:21] Christ also died for sins [Heb 9:26, 28; 10:10]
once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might [Rom 5:2; Eph 3:12]
bring us to God, having been put to death [Col 1:22; 1 Pet 4:1] in the flesh,
but made alive [1 Pet 4:6] in the spirit;
(Whole Chapter: 1
Peter 3 In context: 1
Peter 3:17-19)
This stands to reason. It would not make sense to believe that, and then continue to sin: Knowing that you are crucifying Christ when you do. You would feel remorse for your sins, which amount to murdering God on the cross. This would make you want to avoid sin ().
Jesus was crucified for you’re sin and mine. Peter tells this message to a crowd in the passage below. Some of his listeners may have been of those who conspired to kill Christ. However, certainly some of them were not. Neither you nor I conspired to kill Christ. However, Peter’s words apply to us as well. Peter told the whole crowd the following:
Acts 2:36-47
36 "Therefore
let all
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)
The proper salvific response this central claim of the Gospel are described here. Their response included:
Peter tells another crowd the same gospel message which includes the accusation that they are also God-killers.
Acts 3
13The God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you
disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14You
disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to
you. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.
We are witnesses of this. 16By faith in the name of Jesus, this man
whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that
comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all
see.
17"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did
your leaders. 18But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold
through all the prophets, saying that his Christ[1]
would suffer. 19Repent,
then, and turn to God, so that your sins
may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and
that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. 21He
must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he
promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22For Moses said, 'The
Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people;
you must listen to everything he tells you. 23Anyone who does not
listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'[2]
24"Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have
spoken, have foretold these days. 25And you are heirs of the
prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham,
'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'[3]
26When God raised up his servant, he sent
him first to you to bless you by turning
each of you from your wicked ways."
The blessing of “turning each of you from your wicked ways” is only a blessing to a person who agrees with God’s definition of sin (His Law), and his atoning sacrifice for it (in Christ’s death). A person who believes this will want to avoid sin at all cost as Christ commanded:
If your hand causes you to sin,
cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands
to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.[
(Whole Chapter: In context: )
Peter’s presentation of the gospel to his Jewish rulers also included this accusation of God-killing:
then know this, you and all the people of
11He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.[1]
'[2]
12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by
which we must be saved."
(Whole Chapter: In context: )
Acts 5
27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be
questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not
to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled
29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God
rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the
dead--whom you had killed by
hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand
as Prince and Savior that he might give
repentance and forgiveness of sins to
It is easy to only blame the Jewish rulers, the Romans, or the Devil for killing Christ. We like to blame others for our own sin/mistakes don’t we? You crucified, and continue to crucify Christ through willfully sinning.
Hebrews 6
4 For in the case of those who have once been (10)
enlightened and have tasted of (11)
the heavenly gift and have been made (12)
partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and (13)
have tasted the good (14)
word of God and the powers of (15)
the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, it is (16)
impossible to renew them again to repentance,
(17)
since they again crucify to themselves
the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls
on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those (18)
for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;
8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is
worthless and (19)
close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
Hebrews 10
Christ or Judgment
26 For if we go on (1)
sinning
willfully after receiving (2)
the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of (3)
judgment and (4)
THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
28 (5)
Anyone who has set aside the
Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 (6)
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve (7)
who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean (8)
the blood of the covenant (9)
by which he was sanctified, and has (10)
insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, "(11)
VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "(12)
THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE."
Now that you have heard the gospel, you received the knowledge of the truth. As it says above, if you continue in
“sinning willfully after receiving (2) the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of (3) judgment and (4) THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.”
While Jesus had to bear the horrible weight of such sin on the cross, his suffering for your sake will do you no good in forgiving your sins, unless you are willing to forsake them. How can He save you from something that you are unwilling to let go of?
If you were floating down the rapids while clinging to your sin raft, you might be glad if Jesus pulled up in a motor boat and told you of the deadly waterfalls ahead. You would take hold of his hand and allow Him to lift you to safety. If you did not believe his message of impending death, you might think he is a controlling nut. You would cling to your sin raft and die in your sins—never having left sin behind in order to follow Jesus.
If you prefer your sin over obeying Him, then you are not
willing to repent. As Peter says above,
you should:
Acts 3
19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord
The most common sin that everyone is guilty of is this: not obeying His scriptures. How can you obey them if you have not read them and continue to meditate upon them? This is part of how you “turn to God” as stated above.
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression [1]
and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. [2]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes [3]
his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life [4]
and be satisfied [5]
;
by his knowledge [6]
my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, [7]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong, [8]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Acts 2
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[4] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
The apostles prayed the following to God:
Acts 4
27Indeed Herod and
Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people[5]
of
So then, the Father also crucified Christ? Not exactly, but it was His will. I mean it was not His original plan, or will. It was plan B. But it was the only plan B. Plan A was for Adam to never sin.
1Co 15:21 For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man.
1Co 15:22 For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.
Christ’s death was the Father’s will because it was the only way he could maintain His righteous standard of Holiness, or separation from sin, and still offer union with fallen mankind.
Romans
6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in[
(Whole Chapter: Romans
6 In context: Romans
6:22-24)
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death
through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned–
(Whole Chapter: In context: )
Since the wages of sin is death, only a substitutionary sacrifice could atone for sin. Throughout God’s covenants with man, an innocent animal would die in the place of the sinner.
Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. comments about this as follows at http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=658:
God has decreed from the beginning
that death must follow sin, not only physical death which is the separation of the
soul from the body, but also spiritual death, or the eternal separation of the
whole man from God (Geneses 2:16-17; cf. Romans 6:23). Since all men have
sinned (Romans
He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the
wrath of God abideth on him (John
. . . because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (Ephesians 5:6).
The wrath of God is nothing like the uncontrolled passion in men, but rather His holy and just indignation against sin.
Jesus explained his fulfillment of this role of the lamb of God (who bears God’s wrath for sin) in this way:
John 3
11I tell you the truth,
we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you
people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of
earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of
heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one
who came from heaven--the Son of Man.[4]
14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that
everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[5]
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son,[6]
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because
he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[7]
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes
into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been
done through God."[8]
Jesus did not just die as an animal though, but as a blameless man--the only man who never sinned. This did more than atone for sin by postponing judgment. His death actually paid off the sin debt that we all owe God.
Mark 15
37 (1)
And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.
38 (2)
And the veil of
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 (3)
When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He
breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
The veil was an extremely thick woven curtain that served as a wall between two parts of the temple:
The historical fact that this wall of separation between God and man was ripped in two at the very moment of Christ’s death bears enormous significance.
Resurrecting dead
sinners
God resurrected Him, as you already read above:
Acts 2
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[4] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Why was it impossible for death to keep its hold on him? Because he never sinned
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature,[
7:5 Or the flesh; also in verse 25] the sinful passions aroused by the
law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.
(Whole Chapter: In context: )
Acts 5
29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God
rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging
him on a tree. 31God exalted
him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to
So now he can grant repentance to dead people? Repentance is a good gift, but what good will anything do for a dead person? Well, if the dead person is willing to obey Him, He can give of His spirit (Acts 5 v. 32), which can lead to new life. Then the person can understand mysteries such as this:
Rom 6:1-13
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in
his death, we will certainly also be united
with him in his resurrection.
6 For
we know that our old self was crucified
with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (NIV)
After one has died to his old self life, he can be born again as a new person: No longer a descendant of Adam, but a descendant of the Father of the risen Christ.
1Pe
(Good News Translation)
Not only can we be resurrected to new life in him today, but we also have a hope of a physical resurrection of our physically dead bodies after we die.
1 Corinthians 15
45So it is written:
"The first man Adam became a living being"[5] ; the
last Adam, a lifegiving spirit. 46The
spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The
first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As
was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from
heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have
borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[6]
bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death,
is your sting?"[8]
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But
thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
1 Peter 1:22-23
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth for ever. (KJV)
The “word of God” is Jesus Christ. He was the firstborn, the first to be raised from death to new life. If we follow Him and His example by giving up our own life in exchange for the Father’s will, we will also have the promise of spiritual resurrection by being born again, as well as an actual resurrection after we die.
Romans
8:29
For those whom He [Rom 11:2; 1 Cor 8:3; 2 Tim 1:9; 1
Pet 1:2, 20] foreknew, He also [Rom 9:23; 1 Cor 2:7;
Eph 1:5, 11] predestined to become [1 Cor 15:49; Phil
3:21] conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the [Col 1:18; Heb
1:6] firstborn among many brethren;
(Whole Chapter: Romans
8 In context: Romans
8:28-30)
Partake of His spirit (Acts 5 v. 32) by responding to this Gospel.
John 10
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
Even so, it was not easy for Jesus to follow through with plan B. He asked his disciples:
Matthew 26
38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here
and keep watch with
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and
prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet
not as I will, but as you will."
Luke records the Father’s response. He did not reply, but only strengthened the son to do his will.
Luke 22
41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and
prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me;
yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven
appeared to him and strengthened him.
There was no other way to abate God’s wrath on sinners. There never will be another way to bring men to God. It is a good thing for everyone that Jesus followed through.
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all . . . (I Timothy 2:5-6).
then know this, you and all the people of
11He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.[1]
'[2]
12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by
which we must be saved."
(Whole Chapter: In context: )
For an audio sermon on this topic, click Who Really Killed Jesus? Or click the link on http://www.blessedhopechapel.org.