| Christian Life and Doctrine | June 1967 |
Sacrifice in the Plan of God—Section I
The Way of the Cross
IT WAS very late in the period of Jesus’ earthly ministry when he said: “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. … Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. … And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:23,27,32) These words have come to us through the corridors of time and still their impact is felt by those who have come to love the Master. They are tender words, courageous words, prophetic words—and yet they are not received without some measure of perplexity.
Our Lord Jesus, born into the world perfect, and having lived a blameless life before God and man, was about to surrender all that he had in voluntary sacrifice. He had committed no sin, he had violated no commandment. He had carried out faithfully the work which the Father had given him to do. Why then must he die?
One answer is that it was the will of God for him. This was the very purpose for which he had come. Certainly this is true, but again we are forced to ask, Why? Why did God require the sacrifice of this faultless life, this most extraordinary example of gentleness, goodness, and compassion to man, and of such devotion and obedience to God? Even if much good were to accrue from this supreme sacrifice, could not the Almighty God have devised some other method of operation to achieve the same result?
As we approach this subject of sacrifice in the plan of God, these are some of the searching questions which must be considered. We shall investigate these and other interesting aspects of this study by looking to the Bible, the Word of God, as the source of our information. Let us first of all consider this matter of the need for the costly sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.
In looking about us today, we see everywhere the evidences of a decayed and dying race. The physical symptoms are quite apparent. Where is the individual who has not tasted of illness and pain or who has not been in need of a crutch of some sort to stay well? Vitamins, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and the wares of the corner drug store are all accepted as necessary aids.
The Moral Decay
The moral decay has perhaps not been as readily discernible until our own day, yet it too has permeated the human race. The inclination to sin, the selfish heart, and the warped mind seem everywhere present. The amount of money spent each year on alcoholic beverages, smoking, gambling and narcotics is appalling. Nations and individuals alike are preoccupied in a mad pursuit of wealth and stature, without regard to their fellow men.
What this all amounts to is that mankind has been traveling on a long, downward course of sin, sickness, and death. Each generation has manifested a new low level of depravity and a further alienation from the Creator, from the perfection and holiness of his being and his laws. But this sad condition has not always existed, nor is it inherent in the nature of man as so many believe. The Bible is the only source which identifies it as the tragic consequence of an original act of disobedience to God by our first parents.
Originally, man was created perfect in the Garden of Eden. There he was made in the mental and moral image of God. There he was king over the earth and animals, reposing in a garden-like environment uniquely suited to supply all his needs. There he enjoyed the matchless privilege of direct communion and fellowship with the Creator. Perfect health, peace, and happiness prevailed throughout the domain of his earthly kingdom. But all this was lost through disobedience to the divine will, and a very heavy penalty was imposed—the penalty of death.
Upon All Men
Through the process of heredity, the adamic condemnation fell upon all of the human race. Generation after generation has found itself in an imperfect, undone condition because it shared the fate of its first parents. Try as he might, none could wrest himself free from the grasp of sin and death which took hold upon all.
True, man was profiting in one sense, for by his contact with evil he was learning the terrible results of disobeying God. But of what value was such knowledge if he was meant but to die? Thanks be to God, the Bible reveals that man is to be restored to life and to the perfection of his original condition through a divine plan of redemption.
This plan is one which is based upon sacrifice. It entails a program of redemption centering in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ. As we shall see, it is the only plan which allows God to be just in condemning the race because of disobedience and at the same time be the justifier of all who believe in Jesus. Divine wisdom called for a substitutionary sacrifice, a ransom, to provide the way of escape from the adamic condemnation, without retracting the just penalty. It also gave man a valuable lesson in the permission of evil and the terrible results of disobedience to the divine law.
In recent years, we have seen a major frontal attack leveled upon the sacrificial feature of God’s plan of redemption by those who refuse to accept the plain testimony of God’s Word, and prefer instead to replace it with their own worldly reasoning. Man is not fallen, they say, and not in need of atonement, and the concept of redemption through Christ is too “bloody” and revolting for our twentieth century intelligence. These are considered to be crude and cruel conceptions of the Christian religion, analogous to the heathen practices of presenting human sacrifices to their idol gods.
Certainly it is true that the heathen practice of sacrificing human lives to appease their idol gods was abominable. But this should not be permitted to discredit the concept of sacrifice as a just and loving plan for blessing the human race. The heathen practice represented the vilest abuse of a legitimate and noble method for expiating human sin. In considering God’s plan for selecting Jesus Christ as the ransom price, we note that its purpose was to benefit Jesus and the human race in particular, rather than to satisfy the anger of a wrathful, vindictive deity.
Jesus Not Harmed
As we shall observe in the scriptural study to follow, the character of Jesus was matured by the trials and sufferings which were inherent in his earthly work as the world’s ransomer. Whereas his humanity was surrendered forever on the altar of sacrifice, Jesus was resurrected from the dead as a spirit creature on the divine plane of existence—the highest form of life—and exalted to the right hand of the Father himself. From this standpoint, certainly no harm was experienced by Jesus, who delighted to do the Father’s will and who was highly rewarded for his faithful performance.
Then, too, we would note the operation of divine wisdom in the economy of the redemptive plan. Only one redeemer and one sacrifice for sin were required, since only the one man Adam was held accountable for sin and all others were condemned in him. One perfect human being who had remained loyal and obedient to the divine will was substituted in place of his counterpart, who had sinned because of a lack of experience. The acceptance of the merit of that sacrifice by divine justice will ultimately cancel the condemnation upon Adam and his race, making possible the blessings of restitution and a restoration to favor with God.
Think also of the personal sacrifice of the Father which was involved in willingly sending the Logos, his closest heavenly associate, on this mission to earth: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) Do not parents experience the same or even greater suffering than their offspring in sympathizing with their difficulties and misfortunes? How it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to see his most beloved Son mistreated and maligned, persecuted and crucified by those whom he had come to save.
Are we really to consider such a sacrifice by Jesus, and such a plan which results in the salvation of the human race, as too repugnant for our refined and sophisticated thinking of the present? Society finds no difficulty in glorifying those who give their lives for others, or those who risk their lives to save a friend from death. Many a soldier or policeman or other individual has thus been honored. Why, then, should any turn his back upon the greatest exhibition of love of all time and call this bloody and revolting? How we wish that more might come to appreciate the sacrificial work of Jesus and the church for what it really is—the careful design of a loving Father to help his wayward creation.
Another objection has been advanced by those who cannot comprehend the plan of God. Adam’s disobedience in Eden, even if it amounted to a violation of principle in trespassing the law of God, was only a first offense. Why, then, could God not have forgiven him forthwith, in demonstration of his attribute of love? Coupled with a strong warning of the consequences of future transgression, would not this procedure have simplified everything and obviated the need for human sacrifice?
The Call for Justice
In replying to this, we find it quite interesting to turn the question around and bring it to bear upon those who raise it. When these critics even suspect that their own rights have been imposed upon or a wrong committed against them, are they not the first to call for justice in the loudest terms? And in general, is not the cry for justice one of the outstanding characteristics of our day, as races and nations clamor for their rights? The point is that God’s concept of justice is certainly no less exacting than that of his creatures, for he is the very personification of this attribute itself.
Let us enlarge our viewpoint of God, recognizing him as the Sovereign of the universe as well as of earth. He is the Lawgiver of many creations on various planes of being. Man’s transgression had to be dealt with fairly and in strict accordance with those laws; it could not go unpunished. Would it be right to measure out one standard of justice to man and another for the remainder of creation? Would this not have had the disastrous effect of leading various intelligent orders of creation to believe that God’s word was untrustworthy?
How thankful we are that God’s word is indeed dependable and unchanging. The Bible states that in him there “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) This serves to increase our confidence in him, realizing that he will accomplish all the good things he has promised.
No, it was not necessary that God violate his attribute of justice in dealing with man’s rebellion. His wisdom and love found another way, a more perfect way, to handle the situation. A substitutionary sacrifice would be arranged, which would satisfy the requirements of justice and bear the full brunt of the death penalty. This would release man from the adamic condemnation and pledge the full power of God to raise him from the dead.
What a plan we thus see unfolding before us and what a Planner! Notice how all reasonable objections are overcome by the logic of the Word of God. Not all, however, have been privileged to understand the divine philosophy behind the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, nor to comprehend the depth of meaning attached to the sin-offering. These are subjects wholly unknown or grossly misunderstood even in wide circles of the churches today. This realization lends added importance to our study and should give all of us a very deep sense of humility and gratitude as we approach it.