Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer Requests/Praise Reports:

Timothy’s special moments; A School grad, orders to C School in Great Lakes, April 5th to Dolgrin VA; friend is having hard time forgiving, Greg

Larry, Horton family, loss of a cousin

Mary, optometrist’s contract renewal

*Recap from , maybe read from 1:15-2:10 for new people for full context*

Who can tell me what we talked about two weeks ago?

I felt there was a heavy emphasis on the reality of the bad news, but not so much on the good news, so here is what I want to remind us in what we should be taking away from our last passage:

What we see happening in this transition between 1-3 and 4 is: Atonement.

The phrase “to make atonement” occurs frequently in the Older Testament, particularly in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

The term literally means ‘at-one-ment,’ which is to say, reconciliation, the making of amends, the restoration of broken relationship.

The need for atonement comes from the heavy reality that sin has alienated humans from God, placing them subject to God’s holy hostility—that is, to God’s righteous wrath.

The constant presence of sacrificial rites throughout the OT were intended to keep the following realities always and ever before the ancient Israelites:

· The irreducible, irrepressible reality of human sin.

The irreducible, irrepressible reality of human sin.

· The irreducible, irrepressible reality of God’s holiness.

The irreducible, irrepressible reality of God’s holiness.

“We insist on legislation that guarantees zero tolerance for wife-beating, drug-trafficking, sexual exploitation of children; zero tolerance for income tax evasion and impaired driving.

We insist on social policies of zero tolerance because we know in our hearts that tolerance isn’t a sign of generosity or magnanimity or large-hearted liberality.

Tolerance is ultimately a sign of confusion, blindness, and spinelessness – none of which can be predicated of God.

His tolerance, in the wake of our primal defiance and disobedience, would be only the shabbiest character defect in him.”

~Victor Shepherd

The reality that sin inevitably, invariably leads to death.

· The reality that sin inevitably, invariably leads to death.

The reality that sin inevitably, invariably mobilizes God’s holiness in the form of wrath.

· The reality that sin inevitably, invariably mobilizes God’s holiness in the form of wrath.

· The reality that God has graciously made provision for atonement.

The reality that God has graciously made provision for atonement.

· The reality that, with atonement, human sin is judged and God’s wrath is appeased—the result being peace (i.e. the restoration of shalom) between God and his people.

The reality that, with atonement, human sin is judged and God’s wrath is appeased—the result being peace (i.e. the restoration of shalom) between God and his people.

Two mistakes Christians typically believe and assume concerning the atonement of God provided in Christ:

First, Christians routinely attribute this atonement to the work of Christ but not to the person of Christ, thereby categorically separating the work of Christ from the person of Christ.

Second, Christians routinely attribute this atonement to the death of Christ but not to the life, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, thereby taking away the full scope and glory of our salvation.

Atonement literally means ‘at-one-ment,’ the making of amends, the restoration of broken relationship.

This doctrine speaks to the reality of both the very person of Christ and the work Christ performed in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension in order to accomplish—to merit, or earn—our reconciliation with God, something that Paul makes clear we’re not capable of in .

So for the rest of our time, I want to go into how the life, death, resurrection and ascension tie into our good news that we see Paul addressing in Ephesians 2:4-10, as Paul is clearly making a connection as to how these affect us corporately and individually (, )

Is anyone lost, have questions or thoughts at this point?

The Atoning Life of Jesus Christ: Incarnation

Jesus Christ is our very salvation because he has taken upon himself our humanity and united us to the Father.

In this sense, the incarnate Christ is our salvation (; ).

That is to say, salvation is someone not something, and salvation is certainly not a benefit of Christ to be had apart from Christ.

The fact that the eternal Son of God assumed our humanity is not incidental to salvation, it’s not something that happens on the side (i.e. the incarnation is not simply of historical interest, nor a mere prerequisite to the cross).

Rather, it means that the Son of God has saved us by assuming us into himself.

To put this another way: Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God himself, has taken upon himself precisely that which needed to be saved: our human persons in our estrangement from God.

“What Christ did not assume he cannot heal.”

~Gregory of Nazianzus

, this is why Christ had to put on our humanity

To better grasp the atoning incarnation of Christ, one might ask: Why did the eternal Son of God, God himself, take on human flesh?

Christ took on our humanity that he might save us to the utmost, our bodies, minds, and souls—our whole persons!

Christ came in the totality of man because man’s totality needed saving.

In this regard, the church has spoken—and must continue to speak—of the vicarious humanity of Christ.

He has borne unredeemed humanity in his person so that all he has done in the flesh is done precisely for our sake and for our salvation.

Note well: the entirety of the fleshly existence of Christ was and is for our salvation.

Thus, we are profoundly and mysteriously assumed into his existence and represented by him as he lives faithfully, blessedly, righteously, and dependently before the Father.

Think of the birth of Christ, the baptism of Christ, the temptation of Christ…what are these all about?

He has borne unredeemed humanity in his person so that all he has done in the flesh is done precisely for our sake and for our salvation.

Note well: the entirety of the fleshly existence of Christ was and is for our salvation.

Thus, we are profoundly and mysteriously assumed into his existence and represented by him as he lives faithfully, blessedly, righteously, and dependently before the Father.

Think of the birth of Christ, the baptism of Christ, the temptation of Christ…what are these all about?

This then leads us to the active obedience of Christ.

“The shadow of the cross fell upon the entire earthly life of Jesus.”

~John Calvin

We’re not just saying that Jesus only died for our sins, but that he is the human representative who fulfills all righteousness on our behalf.

While the death of Christ surely secures our forgiveness, his active, obedient, faithful life is also regarded as ours!

Christ himself is our righteousness ().

Here, we speak of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us (; ).

Is anyone lost, have questions or thoughts at this point?

What does Christ’s uniting himself with us in the incarnation tell us about the nature of salvation?

How might dichotomizing Christ’s work from his person introduce false dualisms (i.e.

abstract, external relations rather than personal, internal relations) into our understanding of theology/soteriology? What might some of these false dualisms be?

The Atoning Death of Jesus Christ: Penal Substitution

In discussing the atoning death of Christ, the key thing to keep in mind is that the death of Christ is a reality in which believers participate (; ; ).