FOURTH QUARTER 2022
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #6
NOVEMBER 5, 2022
“HE DIED FOR US”

 

“He died for us.” Four simple words, but in them are encompassed the entire everlasting gospel! As we study together this week, my hope and prayer is that we will come to see more of the depth and importance of these words for me, you, and the entire human race. His death for us was the core of the most precious message being shared by Ellen White as well as God’s messengers – Waggoner and Jones.

 

When He died for us, it was the fulfillment of a promise made to the human race of His plan of salvation reflecting an infinite unselfish agape love that goes beyond our comprehension.

 

We see this in the following E.G White quote from Patriarchs and Prophets:

 

The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8), yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race…. Oh, the mystery of redemption! The love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which “passeth knowledge”? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore.

 

God was to be manifest in Christ, “reconciling the world unto Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19).  Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the law could impart divine power to unite with human effort. Thus, by repentance toward God and faith in Christ the fallen children of Adam might once more become “sons of God” (1 John 3:2). (PP 63-64)

 

Similarly, in Steps to Christ we see clearly the infinite love of the Godhead for mankind represented by the infinite sacrifice of His Son on the cross for us:

 

It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became “a Man of Sorrows,” that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse…… The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God –it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God.

 

But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father’s heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no!  “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16).…… Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption. (SC 13)

 

Again, when we look at the writings of Jones and Waggoner, it becomes evident that the fact that “He died for us” is at the core of the most precious message they were given to share with His people and the world!

 

As an example, below are excerpts from a talk that A.T. Jones gave at the 1893 General Conference (emphases supplied here and onward):

 

The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been—just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents—perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled.... We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God.”

 

That is so. Then how in the world are we ever going to have eternal life? [Congregation: “Through Christ.”] Ah! “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But we have got to have “perfect righteousness” before we can have that gift, don’t you see? Oh then, just like the Lord, He comes and says, “Here, in Christ, is perfect righteousness; here is perfect obedience to the law of God from birth to the grave; you take that and that will fully meet the condition on which alone anyone can have eternal life.”

 

“We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us.”

 

Thank the Lord!

 

“He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us and now he offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness.”

 

What a trade! What a trade! Brethren, isn’t it awful that men will so hesitate and linger and dally before they will surrender up everything and make that blessed trade? Isn’t it awful?

 

“If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned.”

 

Yes sir, you and I, when we have done that, you and I stand before God, just as though we had never committed a sin in this world—just as though we had been angels all the time. Brethren, God is good! He is good! Oh, our Saviour is a wonderful Saviour! [Congregation: “Amen!”] Brethren, that is so. Let us let Him have His own way.

 

“More than this.” Could there be any more, think ye? Why the Lord says so:

 

“More than this, Christ changes the heart; He abides in your heart by faith.”

 

That is the blessedness of it. What good would eternal life do me with such a heart. No, He does not stop at that; He changes the heart.

 

“You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him;”—

 

“Our only ground for hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us.” (GCB/GCDB 1893, p. 344-5)

 

Now let’s take a look together as E.J. Waggoner shares his thoughts on Christ’s death on the cross for us as well in excerpts from an 1891 General Conference sermon:

So, Adam died; and because of that, every man born into the world is a sinner, and the sentence of death is passed upon him. Judgment has passed upon all men to condemnation, and there is not a man in this world but has been under the condemnation of death. The only way that he can get free from that condemnation and that death, is through Christ, who died for him, and who, in His own body, bore our sins upon the cross. He bore the penalty of the law, and suffered the condemnation of the law for us, not for Himself, for He was sinless.

“As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; ... even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” What is the free gift? It is the free gift by grace, and it appertaineth unto many. The work of Adam plunged man into sin; the work of Christ brings men out of sin. One man’s single offense plunged many into many offenses; but the one man’s obedience gathers the many offenses of many men, and brings them out from beneath the condemnation of those offenses.

Then the free gift is the righteousness of Christ. How do we get the righteousness of Christ? We cannot separate the righteousness of Christ from Christ himself. Therefore, in order for men to get the righteousness of Christ, they must have the life of Christ. So the free gift comes upon all men who are justified by the life of Christ. Justification is life. It is the life of Christ. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous.” These are simple and positive statements. No good can come to man by questioning them. He only reaps barrenness to his soul. Let us accept them and believe them.

There is one spotless life. There is one man, the man Christ Jesus, who resisted successfully all the powers of sin, when he was here upon earth. He was the Word made flesh. God in Christ reconciled the world to himself. He could stand before the world, and challenge any to convict him of sin. No guile was found in his mouth. He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” and by his obedience shall many be made righteous.

The plan of salvation cannot be explained to man. It was made by an infinite being, and we cannot understand it. As to how it takes place we are ignorant. Through all eternity we will not understand how it was done. It is only infinite power that can or could do it; it is only infinite wisdom that can understand it.

His obedience must be manifested in us day by day. It is not our obedience, but the obedience of Christ working in us. By those “exceeding great and precious promises,” we take the divine life into us. The life we live is the life of the Son of God. He died for us, and loved us with a love that we cannot fathom. The righteousness that we have is his. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR THIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT. He lets us get all the benefit of that obedience, because we have shown our intense desire for obedience. That is why he gives it to us.

When you go to God, take these Scriptures on your lips: “We shall be saved by his life.” “By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Take them to God in prayer. They are true, for the Lord himself has said so. How can these blessings be obtained? By faith! Take it by faith, and it is yours, and no one can take it from you. Then you will have it, although you do not understand how it can be done. When you have it, you have life.

There never was a time in the life of any man when of himself he had power to resist temptation. We cannot do it. That proves that we must have a life different from our natural life in order to resist sin at all. That must be a life that sin has never touched and can never touch. Repeat the glorious words over and over again, “His life is mine, I cannot be touched by sin. His strength is my strength; His obedience is my obedience, and His life is my life. That was a sinless life, and by faith I have it. I hold to it because it is mine, and sin cannot touch it.” That is the only way to resist them, and that will be successful every time. (GCDB March 17, 1891, p.137-9)

In closing, here are some additional EGW excerpts from Steps to Christ:

It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned.

More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. So you may say, “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.” Galatians 2:20.

So we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast. We have no ground for self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us. (SC 62-3)

Looking at these quotes from Waggoner, Jones and Ellen White we see a consistency in that Christ’s death on the cross clearly results from a God with an infinite love for the entire human race resulting in an infinite sacrifice allowing His Son to suffer an eternal death for all of us.

As we consider what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have already done for us so that we may be with them for eternity, may our desire be to share this most precious message.  Christ is waiting to take us home!

Blessings,

John Campbell