The King, the Kingdom, and the Coming Reign of Christ

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

God’s kingdom program is rooted in the covenants and unfolds progressively throughout Scripture. Central to that program is the Davidic Covenant, in which God promised David an eternal dynasty, throne, kingdom, and descendant who would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Ps. 89:3-4, 34-37). David had an earthly kingdom, and his “throne shall be established forever” (2 Sam. 7:16). Isaiah declared that the promised Son would sit “on the throne of David and over his kingdom” and that His government and peace would never end (Isa. 9:6-7). Jeremiah foretold a “righteous Branch” from David who would reign wisely and execute justice in the land (Jer. 23:5-6; 33:14-17). Ezekiel spoke of a restored Israel living securely under “My servant David” (Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-28). Daniel saw the Son of Man receiving an everlasting dominion that would crush all Gentile kingdoms (Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14, 27). Zechariah announced that the Lord Himself would one day be “king over all the earth” (Zech. 14:9). The New Testament opens with these promises still intact, as Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would receive “the throne of His father David” and reign forever (Luke 1:31-33). Jesus is repeatedly identified as the Son of David and rightful heir to the kingdom promises (Matt. 1:1; Rom. 1:3; Rev. 22:16). The kingdom promised in Scripture is a literal, earthly kingdom in which Christ will rule on earth, fulfilling the prayer, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Scripture also gives an extensive description of the ruler of this kingdom. The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah and possess the scepter of rule (Gen. 49:10). He would be both human and divine, born of a virgin and called Immanuel (Isa. 7:14), “God with us” (Matt. 1:23; cf. John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9), “Mighty God” and “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Psalm 45 describes Him as a righteous king whose throne is eternal (Ps. 45:6-7), while Psalm 110 reveals Him as both King and Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:1-4). Isaiah 11 portrays Him as empowered by the Holy Spirit, ruling in righteousness and equity (Isa. 11:1-5). Micah declared that though He would be born in Bethlehem, His origins are “from the days of eternity” (Mic. 5:2). Yet before reigning in glory, the Messiah would first suffer for sin, bearing the iniquities of others (Isa. 53:1-12). The New Testament identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies. He is the Son of David (Matt. 1:1), the King of Israel (John 1:49), and the returning conqueror who will rule the nations (Rev. 19:11-16).

At Christ’s first coming, the kingdom was genuinely offered to Israel. John the Baptist announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:1-2).[1] Jesus proclaimed the same message and traveled throughout Israel “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:17, 23; 9:35). The disciples were sent specifically to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” with the message that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 10:5-7). Christ authenticated His messianic claims through miracles that fulfilled kingdom prophecies concerning healing and restoration (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 11:2-6; Acts 2:22). The offer was real, the King was present, and the credentials of the kingdom were publicly displayed. According to Pentecost:

The “Gospel of the kingdom” is what was preached by both John and Jesus (Matt. 3:2, 4–17). This “Gospel” was the Good News that the kingdom was near and was a message with both a soteriological (salvation) and an eschatological (prophetic) emphasis. This Gospel directed sinners to “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and promised the expectant ones that “the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 3:2).^[2]

The Kingdom Rejected

Israel’s leadership rejected the King and committed the offense that led to the removal of the kingdom offer. This climactic rejection occurred when the Pharisees attributed Christ’s miracles, performed through the power of the Holy Spirit, to Satan himself (Matt. 12:22-24; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-20). This marked a decisive turning point in Christ’s ministry. Jesus warned of judgment for this national rejection (Matt. 12:31-32) and began speaking in parables to conceal truth from hardened hearts while revealing it to responsive disciples (Matt. 13:10-17). Later, in the parable of the vineyard, Jesus declared, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it” (Matt. 21:43). He lamented over Jerusalem and announced that the nation would not see Him again until it welcomed Him as Messiah (Matt. 23:37-39). John wrote, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). The nation ultimately cried, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).

The Kingdom Postponed

Because the King was rejected, the establishment of the kingdom was postponed. Fruchtenbaum states, “When Jesus was rejected, the offer of the Messianic Kingdom was rescinded.”^[3] This rejection did not cancel the covenant promises but delayed their fulfillment until Christ’s return. Jesus illustrated this postponement in the parable of the nobleman who went to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return (Luke 19:11-27). Even after the resurrection, the disciples still expected a future earthly kingdom for Israel, asking, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Christ did not deny the kingdom’s future restoration but only the timing (Acts 1:7). Peter later preached that Christ remains in heaven until the “period of restoration of all things” spoken of by the prophets (Acts 3:19-21). Hebrews also states that the world has not yet been subjected to Christ in visible rule (Heb. 2:5-8). Presently, Christ sits at the Father’s right hand awaiting the time when His enemies will be made His footstool (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34-35).

The Millennial Kingdom

The kingdom will finally be established at the Second Coming of Christ described in Revelation 19 and 20. Jesus will return from heaven in power and glory, destroy His enemies, and judge the rebellious nations (Rev. 19:11-21). Satan will then be bound and imprisoned for one thousand years so that he cannot deceive the nations (Rev. 20:1-3). Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years with resurrected saints who share in His rule (Rev. 20:4-6). This period of a thousand years is called the Messianic Kingdom because it will be ruled by Messiah. According to Fructenbaum, “The name Millennial Kingdom emphasizes how long this kingdom will last: one thousand years. The form of the Messianic or Millennial Kingdom is that of an earthly literal kingdom which Jesus will rule from the Throne of David.”^[4] After the millennium, Satan will be released briefly, lead a final rebellion, and then be cast forever into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:7-10). This is followed by the Great White Throne Judgment and the eternal state (Rev. 20:11-15; 21:1-4).

The prophets describe the millennial kingdom as a time of worldwide righteousness, peace, prosperity, and divine rule. Christ will reign personally from Jerusalem, and the nations will stream to Zion to learn the ways of the Lord (Isa. 2:1-4; Mic. 4:1-8; Zech. 14:9, 16-21). His government will be marked by perfect justice and righteousness (Isa. 11:3-5; Jer. 23:5; Ps. 72:1-4). War will cease as weapons are transformed into tools for agriculture (Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3). Even the animal kingdom will experience harmony as the curse is partially lifted from creation (Isa. 11:6-9; 35:1-7). Human life spans will increase, and the earth will produce abundantly (Isa. 65:20-25; Amos 9:13-14; Joel 3:18). Israel will be spiritually restored and regathered to the land under the blessings of the new covenant (Ezek. 36:24-28; 37:21-28; Rom. 11:25-27). A millennial temple will stand in Jerusalem as described in Ezekiel 40-48, and the nations will worship the King there (Zech. 14:16-21). Above all, the kingdom will be characterized by universal knowledge of God, “for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14).

The Kingdom a Reward for the Faithful

Though all believers will enter the future earthly kingdom by grace, participation in its privileges and rulership is a reward for faithfulness in this life. Scripture consistently draws this distinction. Those who suffer with Christ will also reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12), and those who overcome in the Christian life will be granted authority to rule the nations (Rev. 2:26-27). Faithful service, spiritual maturity, and endurance under trial form the pathway to inheriting the kingdom, not in terms of salvation, which is a free gift (Rom. 6:23), but in terms of honor, responsibility, and reward (Luke 19:17; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; Rom. 8:17b). Jesus will reward His servants at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and those who have proven faithful in smaller responsibilities will be entrusted with greater authority in His coming reign (2 Cor. 5:10; Luke 19:11-19). As Paul exhorted, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:23-24). This eternal perspective motivates us to live with intention and integrity, not merely content to enter the kingdom, but longing to reign with Christ in it. According to Fruchtenbaum, “All believers will enter the Messianic Kingdom but only those who live an obedient spiritual lifestyle will inherit the Kingdom (Gal. 5:21). This means that only such believers will be rewarded, honored, and given crowns of authority to co-rule in the Messianic Kingdom with Messiah, the King.”^[5]

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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[1] In Mark 1:15, “the gospel of the kingdom” referred to the announcement that Israel’s promised Messianic King had arrived and the kingdom was being offered to the nation through repentance and faith, whereas the later gospel of grace centered on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-4), truths the disciples did not yet understand and initially resisted when Jesus first revealed them (Matt. 16:21-22; Mark 9:31-32; Luke 18:31-34).

^[2] J. Dwight Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come: Tracing God’s Kingdom Program and Covenant Promises throughout History (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 251.

^[3] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 624.

^[4] Ibid., 611.

^[5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 244.

God’s Plan, Christ’s Work, Our Faith

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Salvation began in eternity past with the plan of God. Before the foundation of the world, God the Father designed redemption and commissioned God the Son to accomplish it. Scripture declares that God “saved us and called us… according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim. 1:9). The Son, the eternal Word, willingly agreed to this mission, saying, “Behold, I have come… to do Your will, O God” (Heb. 10:7). Scripture reveals, “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). He entered history as the God-Man, true deity and true humanity united without confusion or division. This is the hypostatic union, the only Person qualified to mediate between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5).

The Holy Spirit played a decisive role in the incarnation. Jesus was conceived through divine agency in the womb of the virgin Mary, a supernatural act. The angel Gabriel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). This ensured that Christ’s humanity was real yet untainted by sin. He was born without a sin nature, fully human and perfectly righteous. Scripture affirms, “He knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His unstained humanity qualified Him to go to the cross as the spotless Lamb of God (John 1:29), uniquely able to bear the sins of the world.

At the cross, the purpose of His coming reached its climax. In His humanity, in His physical body, Jesus bore our sins and paid the full penalty. Scripture states, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet. 2:24). The justice of God was satisfied as Christ was judged in our place. Isaiah writes, “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (Isa. 53:5), and “The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Isa. 53:6). This is substitutionary atonement. Christ died as our substitute, taking the punishment we deserved, so that God could remain just while justifying the one who believes in Jesus (Rom. 3:26–28; 4:5; 5:1). When Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), the work of redemption was fully accomplished. Afterward, He died physically and was placed in a grave (Matt. 27:59–60), and then was raised to life on the third day (Matt. 28:5–6).

Jesus’ resurrection was bodily, literal, and permanent. He rose never to die again (Rom. 6:9), demonstrating victory over sin, death, and the grave. His work on the cross was sufficient for all mankind, for “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Unlimited atonement means “that Messiah died for all humanity, and salvation, based upon that death, is therefore offered to all humanity.”^[1] Christ died for all, but the benefits of His work are applied only to those who believe. The sole condition for receiving eternal life is faith alone in Christ alone. Scripture states, “He who believes in Him has eternal life” (John 3:16). At the moment of faith in Jesus, God grants forgiveness (Acts 10:43), imputes His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and gives eternal life (John 10:28).

The gospel message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4). Salvation was made available to everyone, but each person must personally believe in Christ as Savior. God does not force anyone to be saved. The provision has been paid in full, and the offer is totally free to all who want it. According to Geisler, “Salvation is given by an act of God’s freedom, and it is received by an act of our freedom. To be sure, this act of freedom is aided by God’s grace, but His grace does not save apart from the co-operation of our will.”^[2]

This brings the issue to a point of personal decision. Christ has done the work. The penalty has been paid in full. Eternal life is offered as a free gift. Scripture says, “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23b). The question is whether one will believe in Him. Will you trust that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came in the flesh, died for your sins, and rose again? This is not about good works, reform, or religion. Scripture is clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). At this very moment, you can place your faith in Christ and receive eternal life. Scripture reveals, “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16b), and “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36a). We need only Christ to be saved.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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^[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, God’s Will & Man’s Will: Predestination, Election, & Free Will, ed. Christiane Jurik, 2nd Edition (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2014), 43.

^[2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004), 188.

Grace Operates in the Low Places

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

The Bible reveals that “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5b). In this passage, Peter is writing to believers, but the principle is true for everyone, saved or unsaved. Throughout Scripture, God is consistently presented as displaying grace (Ex 34:6; Psa 103:8; John 1:14). While God’s common grace shines on the just and unjust alike (Matt 5:45; Acts 14:16-17), He gives special grace to the humble (Jam 4:6). For the humble unbeliever, there is a saving grace that results in the free gift of eternal life. This gift is given at the moment we trust in Christ alone as Savior, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s greatest blessings come to those who know they need Him. Humility, in the biblical sense, is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking rightly about yourself in light of God’s Word (Rom 12:3). The proud say, “I can do it myself,” but the humble admit, “Only God can save me.” For the Lord, grace is the only way to be saved (Eph 2:8-9), and He does not negotiate with the proud. He is fixed on saving people on His terms, and His terms alone. The moment someone brings their works to the table, they nullify grace (Rom 11:6). Pride demands we contribute. Humility brings nothing, but receives that which is graciously offered. Eternal life is a gift for the guilty (Rom 5:6-8), not a reward for the deserving (Tit 3:5-7), and it is given only to those who, in humility, come to Jesus in faith (Luke 18:13-14; John 6:29).

The message of grace is offensive to the proud, but beautiful to the broken. The thief on the cross didn’t have time to clean up his act, but he had just enough time to humble himself and believe—and that was enough. Eternal life was his, not because he earned it, but because he received it. That’s grace, and grace operates in the low places. From God’s perspective, we are all in the low places, and only the humble recognize it. I pray you see yourself like the thief on the cross, guilty, condemned, and utterly helpless to save yourself, but crying out to the One who can and will save you, if you’ll simply trust in Him to do what you cannot. He will not fail you in that moment. His Word is always true, for “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Num 23:19a).

If you have not trusted in Christ as your Savior, don’t wait. Accept God’s free gift of eternal life today. Scripture states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Sin pays out a paycheck—death, both spiritual and eternal. But God, in His grace, offers a free gift: eternal life, not earned or deserved, but received by faith alone in Christ alone. We need only Christ to be saved. Nothing more. Faith is the inward conviction that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), who paid the full price for sin through His death on the cross (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3), was buried and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:4), demonstrating His victory over sin and death (Rom 6:9–10), and that He alone gives eternal life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16; 10:28; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Jesus is the object of our faith, and “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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Faith from Beginning to End

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

The Christian life begins and ends with faith. Faith is the means by which we are saved, and it is also the means by which we grow spiritually. It is not a special kind of faith, as some theological traditions suggest, but the same faith that every person exercises daily—now directed toward God. At salvation, faith fixes itself on Christ as the only Savior. He alone has the power to save, and He does so for all who place their trust in Him. It is so simple that even a child can do it. Jesus commended childlike faith because of its simplicity and trust (Matt 18:3-4). As people grow older, however, pride and worldly thinking often become barriers to simple trust in Christ (2 Cor 4:4). Yet, God’s grace reaches all who believe, regardless of age.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, entered the world through the virgin conception and birth (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35) and took upon Himself true humanity (John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:6-7). He is the unique God-Man (John 1:18; 1 Tim 2:5), fully God and fully human, without sin (1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). As a descendant of Abraham and David (Gen 12:3; 2 Sam 7:12-13; Matt 1:1, 16-17; Rom 1:3), He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah (Isa 9:6-7; Mic 5:2; Luke 24:44). Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life (Heb 7:26), willingly died in our place (John 10:17-18; 1 Pet 3:18), was buried (Matt 27:59-60), and rose again on the third day (Luke 24:6-7; 1 Cor 15:4), never to die again (Rom 6:9). His resurrection proved His victory over sin and death (1 Cor 15:54-57; 2 Tim 1:10), for though He was crucified, “God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24). Because He lives, we have the assurance of eternal life.

When we place our faith in Jesus (Acts 16:31), we receive the free gift of eternal life. Scripture declares, “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16b). The Greek verb pisteuō (πιστεύω) means to trust, rely upon, or be convinced of the truth. To believe in Jesus is to trust Him alone to do what we cannot—save us (John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9). Salvation is a one-time act in which the sinner, convinced by God’s Word, trusts in Christ alone, apart from works (Rom 4:5). Eternal life is God’s free gift, received by faith alone in Christ alone. Scripture states, “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23b), and “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). This salvation is secure, for Scripture assures us, “He who has the Son has the life” (1 John 5:12). Assurance of salvation is not based on emotions or performance but on Christ’s finished work and God’s unchanging promises. John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). If you have trusted in Christ, you have eternal life, and nothing can separate you from Him (Rom 8:1, 38-39).

Now that you are saved, God calls you to walk with Him. The Christian life is a lifelong journey of faith (2 Cor 5:7; Gal 2:20; Heb 10:38; 11:6), learning and applying God’s Word daily (Psa 1:2; 1 Pet 2:2; Jam 1:22). God has a purpose for your life, filled with blessings and meaningful service. Yet, this journey will not be easy. Jesus warned, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Paul taught that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), and “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). Walking with Christ requires spiritual training (1 Tim 4:7-8; Heb 5:14), commitment (Luke 9:23; Phil 3:13-14), sacrifice (Rom 12:1; 2 Cor 5:15), and endurance (Heb 12:1-2). But you will not walk alone—God will equip and empower you (2 Cor 9:8; Eph 2:10; 5:18; 2 Tim 3:16-17), He will be with you (Matt 28:20; Heb 13:5), and He is for you (Rom 8:31).

Though you may suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ (2 Tim 2:3-4; 1 Pet 4:12-13), you will also experience profound peace (John 14:27; Phil 4:6-7) and joy (John 15:11). You will come to understand your place in God’s eternal plan and find confidence in His sovereignty (Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:4-5; Phil 1:6). This life of faith is the most meaningful life possible—a life of truth (John 8:31-32; Eph 6:14), humility (Mic 6:8; Phil 2:3-5), integrity (Prov 11:3; Tit 2:7-8), service (Mark 10:45; Heb 13:16), and purpose (Eph 2:10). The Apostle Paul understood this calling, saying, “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

The Lord will honor those who honor Him, saying, “I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be cursed!” (1 Sam 2:30b). And when this life is over and you stand before the King who commissioned you, He will commend you and reward your faithfulness, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21a; cf. 1 Cor 3:12-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12). The choices you make today echo in eternity. Every moment you live by faith, every test you endure with integrity, and every truth you apply brings eternal dividends. Stay the course. The battle is real, but so is the victory. Keep pressing on, knowing that your labor in the Lord is never in vain (1 Cor 15:58).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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Eternal Life Is the Greatest Gift of All!

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Good news, everyone: “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23b)! I like free gifts, especially when they’re valuable. And there’s nothing more valuable to us than the free gift of eternal life, for it ensures we will spend eternity forever with God in heaven and never face the lake of fire. What an amazing gift! What an amazing God!

God’s free and precious gift of eternal life was fully purchased by Jesus through His “precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). This payment for sin occurred on the cross, where Jesus took our sins upon Himself and paid our sin debt in full (Col 2:13-14; 1 Pet 3:18). Eternal salvation was made possible because of His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor 15:3-4). Eternal life comes to us, not because we’re worthy, but because God is love and wants us to be saved (John 3:16). God the Father did everything necessary to save us through the work of Jesus on the cross, for “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

Now, eternal salvation is available to everyone who wants it (1 Tim 4:10; 2 Pet 3:9), and it is offered freely by grace. God’s Word declares, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Faith in Jesus is the sole condition for receiving eternal life. To believe in Jesus means we trust in Him, and Him alone, to save us. We do not rely on ourselves or any system of religious works, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28). Once we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are forever justified in God’s sight, for “we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16). Jesus did all the work to save us. We do nothing to save ourselves. He gets all the glory! We get the benefits of His work on the cross. That’s grace!

Once justified in God’s sight, He calls us to live sanctified lives that align with His character and will. Scripture informs us, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:11-12). God’s call to discipleship is radical and requires total commitment to learn His Word (1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), to walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), to live in righteous conformity to His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17), to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called (Eph 4:1), to do good works (Gal 6:10; Eph 2:10), and to “press on to maturity” (Heb 6:1). Such lives will honor and glorify God (1 Cor 10:31; 1 Pet 4:11), edify others (1 Th 5:11), result in mental and emotional stability (Isa 26:3; Phil 4:6-11), and maximize our rewards in eternity when we stand before Christ (Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 Cor 5:10; 2 John 1:8).

Though good works should follow salvation, they are never the condition for it (Rom 3:28; 4:4-5; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9). This distinction is crucial because it protects the gospel from being reduced to a works-based system, which would undermine the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. While eternal life is a free gift (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9), it is not cheap. Jesus paid a great price for our salvation! He suffered on the cross, bearing our sin and enduring the wrath of God that rightly belonged to us. Eternal security is not a license to sin but a guarantee that the believer’s standing before God rests on Christ’s finished work, not personal performance (John 10:28-29). Justification lays the groundwork for sanctification but does not guarantee it. Only those Christians who possess positive volition and humility will submit to God (Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), learn and live His Word by faith (1 Pet 2:2; 2 Cor 5:7), and advance spiritually (Heb 6:1). Though all Christians sin (Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:10; 2:1), and some more than others, God has provided a means of restoration through confession (1 John 1:9), enabling believers to resume their walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16; Eph 5:18).

However, it is possible for a Christian, after receiving eternal life, to turn to a lifestyle of sin (like the Prodigal son; Luke 15:11-32). This is contrary to God’s will for His child, and though such a believer is never in danger of losing eternal life, which is impossible (John 10:28; Rom 8:1), he is in danger of incurring God’s discipline (Heb 12:6), which can be severe (1 Cor 11:30), even resulting in physical death (1 John 5:16) and the loss of eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10; 2 John 1:8). In every generation, there will be Christians who fail to grasp or appreciate God’s grace, refusing to live humbly and obediently before the Lord. As a result, they will suffer greatly for their foolishness. Yet we will see these Christians in heaven. I implore you—do not be a foolish Christian who pursues a sinful lifestyle. Save yourself the pain. Humble yourself before the Lord and pursue good works, righteousness, love, mercy, and all the Christian virtues that reflect the highest and best in the Christian life (Gal 5:22-23). You will be glad you did. And others will be blessed by your life.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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What Jesus Suffered in the Hours Prior to His Crucifixion

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin Jesus loved the Father (John 14:31) and submitted Himself to do the Father’s will (Matt 26:39-44; cf. Rom 5:19; Phil 2:5-8), which included enduring the illegal trials of His accusers, as well as the eventual mockings, beatings, and crucifixion. All that Jesus suffered was prophesied in Scripture (Gen 3:15; Psa 22:16-18; Isa 50:4-7; 52:14; 53:3-12; Matt 26:67-68; Mark 10:32-34). God the Father was in complete control of the circumstances surrounding the trials and crucifixion of Jesus (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). Though unjustly attacked, Jesus knew He was doing the Father’s will (John 6:38; 10:14-18; 12:27; 18:11) and did not retaliate against His attackers. Peter wrote, “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet 2:23).

The four Gospels record the arrest, trials, mocking, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke refer to events taking place according to Jewish time in which the day ends at sunset; whereas John relies on Gentile time in which the day ends at midnight. A brief chronology of Jesus’ trials, mockings, beatings, crucifixion and burial is as follows:

Jesus was arrested during the night—perhaps around midnight—and faced six illegal trials, three religious and three civil.[1] The trials must have happened relatively early, as they concluded “about six in the morning” (John 19:14 CSB).[2]
During the religious trials, the chief priest and Sanhedrin tried to secure false testimony about Jesus so they might have grounds to crucify Him (Matt 26:59).
Jesus was beaten in the face and mocked during His Jewish trial (Matt 26:67-68).
After Pilate agreed to the demands of the mob (Matt 27:17-25), he had Jesus scourged (Matt 27:26a), and then “handed Him over to be crucified” (Matt 27:26b).
Jesus was mocked and beaten by Roman soldiers (Matt 27:27-30), and then was led away to be crucified (Matt 27:31).
Jesus was crucified by 9:00 AM (Mark 15:25).
Jesus was judged by the Father and bore our sins on the cross from 12:00 to 3:00 PM (Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44).
Jesus died about 3:00 PM (Matt 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37).
Jesus’ body was placed in the grave before 6:00 PM (i.e. sunset) because the Jews did not want His body on the cross for the Sabbath (John 19:31, 38-42).[3]

The Jewish trials declared Jesus guilty, whereas the Gentile trials found Him innocent. Jesus was crucified by Gentiles because of the pressure of the Jewish leadership. The crucifixion of Jesus was physically horrendous and involved not only great physical pain, but also psychological anguish and social humiliation. According to William Hendriksen, crucifixion included “severe inflammation, the swelling of the wounds in the region of the nails, unbearable pain from torn tendons, fearful discomfort from the strained position of the body, throbbing headache, and burning thirst (John 19:28).”^[4]

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

[1] Jesus’ religious trials: 1) Annas (John 18:12-24), 2) Caiaphas (Matt 26:57-66), and 3) the Sanhedrin (Matt 27:1-2). Jesus’ civil trials: 1) Pilate (John 18:28-40), 2) Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12), and 3) Pilate (Luke 23:11; John 19:1-16).

[2] This CSB assumes John calculates events using Roman time (where the day begins after midnight) rather than Jewish time (where the day starts at sunrise). The ESV and NAU translate the Greek literally, “about the sixth hour,” whereas the NET and NIV translate it, “about noon.” If the sixth hour is calculated by Roman time, then it would be about 6:00 AM, and if calculated by Jewish time, it would be about 12:00 PM. This author favors the CSB translation.

[3] After His death, Jesus was resurrected on the third day and appeared to numerous persons over a period of forty days (Matt 28:1-10; John 20:10-29; 1 Cor 15:5-7). Afterwards, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). It is recorded that God the Father “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20).

^[4] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to John, vol. 2, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 427.

Jesus’ Return for His Saints

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Jesus Coming for His Saints The eschatological subject of the Rapture of the church can be related the study of Soteriology because it is regarded as a form of deliverance. When Messiah returns at the end of the church age, He will deliver His church from an evil world and a coming judgment that will last for seven years (Read Revelation chapters 6-18). A distinction is here drawn between Jesus coming for His saints at the Rapture, and Jesus coming with His saints at His Second Coming (Dan 7:13-14; Matt 19:28; 25:31; Rev 19:11-21). Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for believers to be with Him there (John 14:1-3). Paul revealed Jesus will return for His church and that all Christians will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air (1 Th 4:13-18).

The doctrine of the Rapture was first presented by the Lord Jesus when He provided new information to His apostles on the night before His crucifixion. After speaking of His soon departure (John 13:33), Jesus comforted them, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). The place where Jesus was going was heaven. The purpose of His going was to prepare a place for them. And, at some unspecified time, Jesus promised He would come again to receive them to Himself, that they may be with Him.

Paul described this as a time when “we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53). And, when writing to the church at Thessalonica, Paul explained, “the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th 4:16b-17). According to BDAG, the meaning of caught up (ἁρπάζω) is “to grab or seize suddenly so as to remove or gain control, snatch/take away.”^[1] John Walvoord states, “The important point is that the verse says Christ will come for believers and take them from the earth to heaven, where they will be in His presence till they return with Him to the earth to reign. The Rapture will mean that all believers ‘will be with the Lord forever,’ enjoying Him and His presence for all eternity.”^[2]

As Christians, we are “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Tit 2:13). This Rapture is immanent, meaning it may occur at any time and without prior notice. All Christians who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, will go with Him to heaven, and be saved from the wrath to be poured out during the seven-year Tribulation. Our future is not one of judgment; rather, we are assured we will be saved from God’s future wrath, both in time and eternity (Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9; Rev 3:10).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

^[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 134.

^[2] John Walvoord, eds. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 1265.

Jesus’ Ascension and Session

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Jesus Ascending into Heaven After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to many on several occasions. His final appearance was to His apostles. Luke wrote, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51). And in Acts we’re told, “He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). It’s important to note that Jesus ascended bodily into heaven, and that He will return the same way. Jesus’ ascension into heaven was the beginning of His session at the right hand of God. Concerning Jesus’s session, R. B. Thieme Jr. notes, “At His session, the humanity of Christ was ‘crowned with glory and honor’ and exalted to a position far higher than the angels (Heb 2:9). The Father put all powers and authorities in subjection to His Son and confirmed the ultimate subjugation of all who oppose Him.”[1] Jesus is, right now, “at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (1 Pet 3:22; cf., Eph 1:20), and He was “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb 2:9), and holds the title of “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:16). According to Werner Foerster, “Session at the right hand of God means joint rule. It thus implies divine dignity, as does the very fact of sitting in God’s presence.”^[2] And Ryrie notes, “By His resurrection and ascension our Lord was positioned in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father to be Head over the church, His body (Eph 1:20–23).”^[3] Walvoord notes:

In the ascension of the incarnate Christ to heaven, not only was the divine nature restored to its previous place of infinite glory, but the human nature was also exalted. It is now as the God-Man that He is at the right hand of God the Father. This demonstrates that infinite glory and humanity are compatible as illustrated in the person of Christ and assures the saint that though he is a sinner saved by grace he may anticipate the glory of God in eternity.^[4]

Ryrie states, “The Ascension marked the end of the period of Christ’s humiliation and His entrance into the state of exaltation…The Ascension having taken place, Christ then was ready to begin other ministries in behalf of His own and of the world.”^[5] Lewis Chafer notes seven aspects of Jesus’ current ministry in heaven.

Seven aspects of His present ministry are to be recognized, namely: (1) exercise of universal authority. He said of Himself, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt 28:18); (2) Headship over all things to the Church (Eph 1:22–23); (3) bestowment and direction of the exercise of gifts (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:4–31; Eph 4:7–11); (4) intercession, in which ministry Christ contemplates the weakness and immaturity of His own who are in the world (Psa 23:1; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25); (5) advocacy, by which ministry He appears in defense of His own before the Father’s throne when they sin (Rom 8:34; Heb 9:24; 1 John 2:1); (6) building of the place He has gone to prepare (John 14:1-3); and (7) “expecting” or waiting until the moment when by the Father’s decree the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Messiah—not by human agencies but by the resistless, crushing power of the returning King (Heb 10:13).^[6]

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

[1] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Session of Jesus Christ”, Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 238.

^[2] Werner Foerster and Gottfried Quell, “Κύριος, Κυρία, Κυριακός, Κυριότης, Κυριεύω, Κατακυριεύω,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 1089.

^[3] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 313.

^[4] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Galaxie Software, 2008), 121–122.

^[5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 312.

^[6] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 7 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 82.

Theological Implications of Jesus’ Resurrection for Salvation

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

I am the resurrection and the life - square Jesus’ resurrection is an essential element in soteriology. In fact, every writer of the NT assumes that Jesus was resurrected from the grave and treat it as an event that took place in time and space. Paul wrote that Jesus “was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:4), that He was “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor 15:20), and that “having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to numerous persons over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3), namely, Mary Magdalene and other women (Matt 28:1-10; John 20:10-18), two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), the disciples without Thomas (John 20:19-25), the disciples with Thomas (John 20:26-29), the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23), Peter, James, and more than 500 brethren at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7). After these appearances, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11). It is recorded that God the Father “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20). Ralph Earle notes the importance of Jesus’ resurrection as follows:

Without the Resurrection the Crucifixion would have been in vain. It was the Resurrection which validated the atoning death of Jesus and gave it value. Paul describes it strikingly this way: “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom 4:25). The resurrection of Jesus proved that his sacrifice for sins had been accepted. The whole redemptive scheme would have fallen apart without it. For by his resurrection Jesus Christ became the first fruits of a new race, a new humanity.^[1]

Charles Ryrie adds:

In the classic passage, 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, Christ’s death and resurrection are said to be “of first importance.” The Gospel is based on two essential facts: a Savior died and He lives. The burial proves the reality of His death. He did not merely faint only to be revived later. He died. The list of witnesses proves the reality of His resurrection. He died and was buried; He rose and was seen. Paul wrote of that same twofold emphasis in Romans 4:25: He was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification. Without the Resurrection there is no Gospel…If Christ did not rise then our witness is false, our faith is without meaningful content, and our prospects for the future are hopeless (1 Cor 15:13–19). If Christ is not risen then believers who have died would be dead in the absolute sense without any hope of resurrection. And we who live could only be pitied for being deluded into thinking there is a future resurrection for them.^[2]

The resurrection of Jesus is an essential element of the Christian gospel. Paul wrote, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you” (1 Cor 15:1). And the content of the gospel Paul preached was “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Believing the gospel message means accepting this information as true, and then trusting in Christ as one’s Savior. According to R.B. Thieme Jr., “First Corinthians 15:3-4 defines the boundaries of the Gospel, beginning with the work of Christ and ending with His resurrection…Any Gospel message that strays from the cross or denies Jesus Christ’s resurrection from physical death is inaccurate and out of bounds.”[3]

Amazingly, there were some at the church in Corinth who taught “that there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor 15:12). Paul addressed this issue head on, saying, “if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is useless…For if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:13-14, 17). The clear teaching of Scripture is that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor 15:20), and being “raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). By His resurrection, Jesus proved that He overcame sin and death. Robert Mounce states:

Having been raised from the dead, Christ cannot die again. His resurrection was unlike that of Lazarus, who had to meet death once again. But Christ’s resurrection broke forever the tyranny of death. That cruel master can no longer exercise any power over him. The cross was sin’s final move; the resurrection was God’s checkmate. The game is over. Sin is forever in defeat. Christ the victor died to sin “once for all” and lives now in unbroken fellowship with God.^[4]

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

^[1] Ralph Earle, “The Person of Christ: Death, Resurrection, Ascension,” in Basics of the Faith: An Evangelical Introduction to Christian Doctrine, ed. Carl F. H. Henry, Best of Christianity Today (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019), 184.

^[2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 308.

[3] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Gospel”, Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 113

^[4] Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 152.

Jesus’ Substitutionary Atonement in Salvation

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Atonement is a very important concept in the Bible. In the OT, the word atonement translates the Hebrew verb kaphar (כָּפַר) which means to “cover over, pacify, propitiate, [or] atone for sin.”^[1] Theologically, it means “to bring together in mutual agreement, with the added idea, in theology, of reconciliation through the vicarious suffering of one on behalf of another.”^[2] The animal sacrificial system—which was part of the Mosaic Law—taught that sin must be atoned for. The idea of substitution was clearly taught as the sinner laid his hands on the animal that died in his place (Lev 4:15, 24; 16:21). The innocent animal paid the price of death on behalf of the guilty sinner.

Sacrificial Lamb The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law taught that God is holy, man is sinful, and that God was willing to judge an innocent creature as a substitute in place of the sinner. The animal that shed its blood gave up its life in place of the one who had offended God, and it was only through the shed blood that atonement was made. A life for a life. The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law was highly symbolic, temporary, and pointed forward to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Levitical priests would regularly perform their temple sacrifices on behalf of the people to God, but being a symbolic system, the animal sacrifices could never “make perfect those who draw near” to Him, for the simple reason that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:1, 4). For nearly fourteen centuries the temple priests kept “offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb 10:11), until finally Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and through that one offering “perfected for all time those who are sanctified” by it (Heb 10:14). What the Mosaic Law could never accomplish through the sacrifice of symbols, Christ did once and for all time through His substitutionary death on the cross when he died in the place of sinners.

Christ our Hope in Life and Death Jesus’ death on the cross was a satisfactory sacrifice to God which completely paid the price for our sin. We owed a debt to God that we could never pay, and Jesus paid that debt in full when He died on the cross and bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to us. In Romans 3:25 Paul used the Greek word hilasterion (ἱλαστήριον)—translated propitiation—to show that Jesus’ shed blood completely satisfied God’s righteous demands toward our sin, with the result that there is nothing more for the sinner to pay to God. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. The Apostle John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf., 1 John 4:10). Jesus’ death on the cross forever satisfied God’s righteous demands toward the sins of everyone for all time! God has “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Regarding Christ’s death, J. Dwight Pentecost states:

You can be adjusted to God’s standard, because God made Christ to become sin for us. The One who knew no sin, the One in whose lips had never been found guile, took upon Himself our sin in order that He might bear our sins to the cross and offer Himself as an acceptable substitute to God for us—on our behalf, in our place. And when Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners and went to the cross on their behalf and in their place, He was making possible the doctrine of reconciliation. He was making it possible for God to conform the world to Himself, to adjust the world to His standard so that sinners in the world might find salvation because “Jesus paid it all.” You can be adjusted to God, to God’s standard, through Christ, by His death, by His cross, by His blood, and by His identification with sinners^.[3]

In the NT, the idea of substitution is observed in the use of two Greek prepositions. The first is the preposition huper (ὑπὲρ), translated “for,” which means “in behalf of, for the sake of someone.”^[4] The idea of Jesus dying as a substitute in the place of sinners is seen in Romans 5:8 where Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The second preposition that denotes substitution is anti (ἀντὶ), also translated “for,” which expresses the idea “that one person or thing is, or is to be, replaced by another, instead of, in place of.”^[5] The preposition anti (ἀντὶ) is seen in Jesus’ statement, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). According to Robert Lightner:

The biblical view of the Savior’s death is that he died to satisfy the demands of the offended righteousness of God. The Savior died in the sinner’s place. This is an essential, indispensable truth in evangelicalism. It is true that Christ died for the sinner’s benefit, but that does not fully describe the nature and purpose of his finished work. He gave his life in the sinner’s place. He died as the sinner’s substitute. The strongest expression of Christ’s substitutionary death is given with the Greek preposition anti, translated “for.” Christ himself used this word when he said, “even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. Matt 26:28; 1 Tim 2:6). Christ died in the sinner’s place. He died instead of the condemned.^[6]

Jesus’ atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God’s righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners into heaven. The blood of Christ is the only coin in the heavenly realm that God accepts as payment for our sin-debt, and Christ paid our sin debt in full. That’s good news!

Because Jesus’ death satisfied God’s righteousness demands for sin, the sinner can approach God who welcomes him without reservation. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile humanity to Himself. The debt that was owed to God was paid in full by the blood of Christ.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

^[1] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers 1979), 497.

^[2] G. W. Bromiley, “Atone; Atonement,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 352.

[3] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Mi., Kregel Publications, 1965), 89.

^[4] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1030.

^[5] Ibid., 87.

^[6] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 194.

The Purposeful Suffering of Christ: A Look at Isaiah 53

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Christ-on-the-cross It is in the understanding of the suffering and death of Christ that the sinner appreciates God’s great love and the price that was paid for our salvation. Christ suffered in our place, bearing the penalty that rightfully belongs to us. Scripture tells us that “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). Perhaps no section of Scripture in the Old Testament bears greater testimony to this truth than Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, in which the prophet reveals the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 53 is mentioned several times in the New Testament as specifically referring to Christ (Matt 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:30-35; Rom 10:16; 1 Pet 2:22-25), so that there is no mistake in the minds of the New Testament writers that the passage points to Jesus. According to John Stott, “The New Testament writers quote eight specific verses as having been fulfilled in Jesus…eight verses out of the chapter’s twelve are all quite specifically referred to Jesus.”[1] And Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes:

“It was Isaiah the Prophet who first provided the hope that the day would come when the burden will be lifted. In Isaiah 53, God declared that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, would be the sacrifice for sin…The point of Isaiah 53 is basically this: The animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were intended to be of temporary duration, a temporary measure only. God’s intent was for there to be one final blood sacrifice, and that would be the sacrifice of the Messiah Himself.”^[2]

In Isaiah 53:10 we observe the Father’s judgment on Christ for our sin, and Christ’s willingness to be judged in our place. Isaiah, wrote, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10). It was the Father’s will for the Son to go to the cross to die for sinners, but we must also realize that Christ willingly went to His death and bore the Father’s wrath in our place. It is simultaneously true that God sent and Christ went. Jesus was not forced upon the cross, but willingly, in love, surrendered His life and died in our place. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “no one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Paul wrote, “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:2), and “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), and “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered up Himself” (Heb 7:27), and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14).

As a result of Jesus bearing the sin of many, Isaiah wrote, “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10b). When Isaiah said, “He will see His offspring”, it meant that Christ’s death would bear the fruit of spiritual offspring as people turn to Him as Savior and are born again (cf. John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). Fruchtenbaum notes, “The Servant’s seed would be those who benefit from His death by spiritual rebirth. The moment they accept for themselves His substitutionary death for their sins, they are born again spiritually by the Holy Spirit. By this spiritual rebirth, they become the Servant’s seed.”[3] And the phrase, “He will prolong His days” refers to Jesus’ bodily resurrection, never to die again. And the phrase, “the good pleasure of the LORD” most likely speaks of heaven’s wealth that will be known to those whom Christ will justify and who will share in His riches and heavenly estate (John 14:1-3; 1 Pet 1:3-4).

Though Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, His death was infinitely purposeful, as it satisfied the Father’s demands toward our sin, and also justified the many who would trust in Christ as Savior. Isaiah wrote, “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11). Here is a picture of substitutionary atonement, as the Suffering Servant will “justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11b). Peter also reveals the doctrine of substitution when he states, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). It is important to grasp that Christ bore our sin, but this did not make Him a sinner in conduct. On the other hand, we are declared righteous in God’s sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us at the moment of salvation, but this does not make us righteous in conduct. God gives us “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17) at the moment we trust Christ as our Savior. This is what Paul meant when he stated, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). Paul understood the doctrine of substitution, that Christ died in the place of sinners and that sinners are declared righteous because of the work of Christ credited to their account. This explains Paul’s desire to “be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). Concerning Isaiah 53:11, Edward Young states:

“When the servant bears the iniquities of the many and has been punished for the guilt of these iniquities, the act of bearing the iniquities in itself has not changed the character of those whose iniquities are borne. When the iniquities are borne, i.e. when the guilt those iniquities involved has been punished, the servant may declare that the many stand in right relationship with God. Their iniquities will no longer be able to rise up and accuse them, for the guilt of those iniquities has been punished. Thus, they are justified. They are declared to be righteous, for they have received the righteousness of the servant and they are received and accepted by God Himself. Of them God says that they no longer have iniquities, but they do have the righteousness of the servant. This can only be a forensic justification.”^[4]

If we had stood at the trials of Jesus, seen His beatings, seen His crucifixion and sat at the foot of the cross, surely we would have wept at the injustice and brutal cruelty of it all. However, the Scripture reveals that it was the will of God that Christ go to the cross and die for sinners (Acts 2:23; 4:28), that His death would be an atoning sacrifice that satisfied every righteous demand of the Father (Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2). In the willing death of Christ, we have the Father’s righteousness displayed toward our sin as well as His love toward us, the sinner, whom He seeks to save.

There is a purpose to the suffering of Christ. He suffered that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. His substitutionary death propitiated the Father’s righteous demand for justice concerning our sin and now we can come to God with the empty hands of faith and receive the free gift of eternal life and be clothed in perfect righteousness. This was accomplished while were helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10). God graciously acted toward us to reconcile us to Himself, and this was accomplished through the suffering of Christ.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

[1] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, 1986), 145.

^[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998), 130.

[3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Isaiah: Exposition from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (San Antonio, TX. Ariel Ministries, 2021), 577-578.

^[4] Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), 358.

The God-Man: Understanding the Deity and Humanity of Jesus

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Hypostatic Union Diagram At a point in time, the eternal Son of God added humanity to Himself, simultaneously becoming God and man, Creator and creature, the unique theanthropic person (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 10:33; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8). Jesus is the God-man and exists in hypostatic union, as a single Person with a divine and human nature (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 4:2-3), both natures being distinct and preserved, not mixed or confused, fully God and fully man. The hypostatic union is forever, from conception onward. Jesus was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (parthenogenesis – Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; Luke 1:26-38), who is the mother of Jesus’ humanity (Christotokos – bearer of Christ). Some see Mary as the mother of God (Theotokos – bearer of God), and though Jesus is God, His divine nature is without origin and eternal. Being the mother of Jesus’ humanity honors Mary without elevating her to a place beyond what the Scriptures teach. And Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:17). Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52), and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 3:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father’s holy character and divine revelation. Cults such as Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witness deny the full humanity and deity of Jesus, and for this reason are not within the true Christian community. Henry Thiessen states:

The Council of Chalcedon, in AD 451, established what has been the position of the Christian church. There is one Jesus Christ, but He has two natures, the human and the divine. He is truly God and truly man, composed of body and rational soul. He is consubstantial with the Father in His deity and consubstantial with man in His humanity, except for sin. In His deity He was begotten of the Father before time, and in His humanity born of the virgin Mary. The distinction between the natures is not diminished by their union, but the specific character of each nature is preserved and they are united in one person. Jesus is not split or divided into two persons; He is one person, the Son of God.^[1]

His Deity

The Bible presents Jesus as God. In the OT, the proper name of God is Yahweh (יהוה) and is generally translated LORD, using all capital letters. When the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) was written around 250 B.C., the translators chose the Greek word kurios (κύριος) as a suitable substitute for the Hebrew name Yahweh (יהוה). Though kurios (κύριος) is sometimes used in the NT to mean sir (John 4:11; Acts 16:30), and master (Col 3:22), it is also used to refer to the deity of Jesus Christ (compare Isa 40:3 with John 1:23; and Deut 6:16 with Matt 4:7; cf. John 20:28; Rom 10:11-12; Phil 2:11). According to Thiessen, “Although the second person of the trinity often appears in the Old Testament, He is never referred to as Christ. Instead, we have the names Son, Jehovah, and the angel of Jehovah. In Psalm 2:7 Jehovah calls him His Son. More frequently He is called Jehovah.”^[2] The NT writers clearly saw Yahweh-God from the OT as referring to Jesus.

Concerning the NT evidence, the apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). And “the Word” which became flesh also existed with the Father “before the world was” (John 17:5). The Jews of Jesus’s day understood His claims to deity, that He “was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). On another occasion they said to Jesus, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God” (John 10:33). The apostle Thomas, after seeing the resurrected Jesus, said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul wrote of Jesus, saying, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9), and elsewhere said that He is “our great God and Savior” (Tit 2:13). And the writer to the Hebrews said of Jesus, “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever’” (Heb 1:8).

As God, Jesus created the universe, for “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:2-3). And Paul wrote, “For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:16-17).

As deity, Jesus accepted the worship of men and angels. The magi who came to see the newborn Jesus said, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matt 2:2), and “after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (Matt 2:11a). On three separate occasions the disciples worshipped Jesus. Matthew wrote, “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’” (Matt 14:33), “And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matt 28:9), and “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him” (Matt 28:17a). And after Jesus healed a lame man, we are told “he worshiped Him” (John 9:38). And of the angels it is written, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (Heb 1:6). It follows that Jesus is God, since only God can receive worship. John Walvoord states, “In any orthodox statement of the doctrine of the Trinity, the second Person is described as possessing all the attributes of the Godhead, being distinguished as the second Person in contrast to the first or third Persons of the Trinity and as the eternal Son in contrast to the Father or the Holy Spirit.”^[3]

Hypostatic Union

Baby in Manger The apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). At a point in time, God the Son added to Himself humanity, forever uniting His divine nature with a perfect sinless human nature, becoming the God-man (John 1:1, 14, 18). In the field of systematic theology, this is called the hypostatic union. Lewis Chafer states, “Though His deity is eternal, the humanity was gained in time. Therefore, the theanthropic Person—destined to be such forever—began with the incarnation.”[4] God the Son did not indwell a human, but forever added humanity to Himself. According to Paul Enns, “When Christ came, a Person came, not just a nature; He took on an additional nature, a human nature—He did not simply dwell in a human person. The result of the union of the two natures is the theanthropic Person (the God-man).”[5] Reading through the Gospels, there were times that Jesus operated from His divine nature (Mark 2:5-12; John 8:56-58; 10:30-33), and other times from His human nature (Matt 4:2; Luke 8:22-23; John 19:28). Concerning both natures, Paul Enns wrote:

The two natures of Christ are inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity. He remains forever the God-man, fully God and fully man, two distinct natures in one Person forever. Though Christ sometimes operated in the sphere of His humanity and in other cases in the sphere of His deity, in all cases what He did and what He was could be attributed to His one Person. Even though it is evident that there were two natures in Christ, He is never considered a dual personality. In summarizing the hypostatic union, three facts are noted: (1) Christ has two distinct natures: humanity and deity; (2) there is no mixture or intermingling of the two natures; (3) although He has two natures, Christ is one Person.[6]

Jesus is the God-Man. He is eternal God (Isa 9:6; John 8:56-58), yet He was born of a woman in time and space (Gal 4:4). As God, He is omniscient (Psa 139:1-6), but as a boy, He grew in knowledge (Luke 2:52). As God, He created the universe (Gen 1:1; John 1:3; Col 1:15-16), but as a man, He was subject to weakness (Matt 4:2; John 19:28). John Walvoord notes, “When the second Person of the Godhead became incarnate there was immediately introduced the seemingly insuperable problem of uniting God with man and combining an infinite and eternal Person with one that is finite and temporal.”^[7] Concerning the complexity of the union, Lewis Chafer states:

The reality in which undiminished Deity and unfallen humanity united in one Theanthropic Person has no parallel in the universe. It need not be a matter of surprise if from the contemplation of such a Being problems arise which human competency cannot solve; nor should it be a matter of wonder that, since the Bible presents no systematized Christology but rather offers a simple narrative with its attending issues, that the momentous challenge to human thought and investigation which the Christ is, has been the major issue in theological controversy from the beginning to the present time.[8]

As finite humans, we struggle to comprehend the union of God and Man; however, it is with certainty that the Bible portrays Jesus this way (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Heb 1:8 cf. Luke 1:31-33; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), and this truth is essential to Christianity. As God, Jesus is worthy of all worship and praise (Luke 24:51-52; John 9:38; 20:28; Heb 1:6). As a perfect sinless Man, He went to the cross and died a substitutionary death in our place (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:6-10; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Pet 3:18), and bore the wrath of God that rightfully belongs to us (Isa 53:1-12), so that we might have the gifts of righteousness and eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

^[1] Henry Clarence Thiessen and Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 208.

^[2] Ibid., 209.

^[3] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Chicago, Ill; Moody Press, 1969), 106.

[4] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1993), 383.

[5] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1989), 227.

[6] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, 225.

^[7] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, 107.

[8] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, 387.

The Role of God the Father in Salvation

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

Bridge_to_Salvation God the Father is seen as the initiator, planner, and orchestrator of the salvation of mankind. God the Father is loving, merciful, and kind, and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin in the human race. All mankind is utterly helpless to bring about a remedy by human effort (Rom 3:10, 23; 5:6-10; Gal 2:16, 21; 3:21-22). Everyone is said to be “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph 4:18), and “dead” in their “trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1; cf., Col 2:13). This refers to spiritual death, which means separation from God. We are trapped in sin and stand guilty before a holy and righteous God and are completely unable to save ourselves. Warren Wiersbe observes:

The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skid row may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both are dead in sin—and one corpse cannot be more dead than another! This means that our world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while they live (1 Tim 5:6).^[1]

If God had not made a way for us to be saved, we would be forever lost. But the Father made a way for us to be saved, and this because He loves us. Robert Lightner states:

God is the only one who could solve the problem which man’s sin presented to Him. After man’s fall God the Father began in time the plan of salvation which He devised before time began. This divine plan centered in his divine Son: “He gave His only begotten Son” because He “so loved the world” (John 3:16). “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).^[2]

But God intervened. He broke into time and space and displayed His mercy, love, and grace upon mankind. The apostle Paul wrote:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:4-9)

The Father’s actions are based on His love for all mankind. He loves because of who He is and not because of the beauty or worth of the object. Scripture reveals that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), which means love is part of His nature. God loves because it is His nature to love.

The Father’s Plan for Salvation

God the Father’s soteriological work is traced back to what He planned before time began. He was motivated to provide for our salvation before we existed. According to Lightner, “We are often led to believe that our salvation began when we made our decision to trust Christ as Savior. The fact is, God was at work on our behalf long before that time.”^[3] Paul wrote that God the Father “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4). That the Father elected us to salvation is straightforward in this passage, and the doctrine of election will be addressed later in this work. For now, this passage is noted because it speaks of the Father’s salvation-work “before the foundation of the world.” According to Lightner:

God the Father’s work in salvation centers primarily in what he did before time began. With infinite love and compassion he acted on our behalf even before we were born. Paul told the Ephesian Christians that they had been chosen in Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). To the Roman Christians the same apostle wrote about the Father’s foreknowledge, predestination, and call of them before time (Rom 8:29–30). Peter, writing to saints scattered throughout Asia Minor, described them as “elect” of God the Father (1 Pet 1:2). While evangelicals differ on how these and other such passages are to be understood, they all agree that God the Father initiated the plan of salvation in eternity past.^[4]

God’s election starts with His sovereign choice, but also includes the individual choices of those who trust in Christ as Savior. Both are true. Though there is tension at this point—and this because of limited information and limited human capacity to comprehend—both God’s sovereignty and human volition must be acknowledged at the same time. Lightner states, “God the Father is sovereign. He must be to be God. Human responsibility is just as biblical as divine sovereignty. Jesus stressed both. Jesus said no one can come to him unless drawn by the Father but he also said none who come to him would be cast out (John 6:37).”^[5] And Paul Enns states, “While there is human responsibility in salvation, there is first a divine side to salvation in which God sovereignly acts to secure the sinner’s salvation.”^[6] The Christian must be content to live with this tension and not try to force a solution one way or another.

The salvation of mankind, with all its details, was fully comprehended and planned by God the Father from eternity past. It’s not as though God was surprised by the fall of Lucifer and mankind. He is eternal, and His plan is eternal. Lightner states, “We must never view salvation as an afterthought or as the only possible way out of a hopeless dilemma on the part of God. The plan of salvation is as eternal as God is. God was not shocked when Satan and then man fell. He is eternal, and his plan is from eternity past to eternity future.”^[7]

God the Father Commissioned God the Son

God the Father commissioned God the Son to provide our salvation. God the Son agreed to the Father’s mission, came into the world, added humanity to Himself, and executed the Father’s plan perfectly. Though Jesus said and did many things during His time on earth, of which many books have been written, His primary mission was to save sinners. Jesus said, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus lived a sinless life and then sacrificed Himself on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, salvation is offered to all who believe in Him as Savior. Bruce Ware notes, “In eternity, the Father commissioned the Son who then willingly laid aside the glory He had with the Father to come and purchase our pardon and renewal.”^[8]

God the Father Sent the Son to Die

It was the Father’s will for the Son to go to the cross to die for lost sinners, and the Son willingly went to His death and bore the Father’s wrath in our place. This was explained in Isaiah, where the prophet wrote about the Suffering Servant, saying, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10a). It is simultaneously true that the Father sent and the Son went. In the Gospel of John, we’re told, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29), and “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). The apostle John wrote, “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10), and “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). John Walvoord states:

Jesus Christ’s main purpose in coming to the world…was to provide salvation for those who put their trust in Him. Jesus expressed this in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” In His public ministry Jesus spoke of many truths, and His teachings were so comprehensive that a systematic theology could be written based on what He said and taught. However, this was a background to His dying on the cross for our sins. In this supreme act of dying, He fulfilled His main purpose in becoming incarnate, of being “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).^[9]

Dr. Steven R. Cook

Related Articles:

^[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 18.

^[2] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 189–190.

^[3] Ibid., 192.

^[4] Ibid., 191.

^[5] Ibid., 191.

^[6] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 328.

^[7] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 192.

^[8] Bruce A. Ware, “Tampering with the Trinity: Does the Son Submit to His Father?,” in Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, ed. Wayne Grudem, Foundations for the Family Series (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002), 248.

^[9] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe, 73.

Trusting God’s Provision: Resting in His Promises

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

As Christians, we can depend on the Lord to provide for our daily needs. Abraham knew this to be true and said of Yahweh, “The LORD Will Provide” (Gen 22:14). And Paul wrote, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8), and “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Of course, as Christians, we must not confuse need with greed.

God’s greatest provision was for our eternal salvation, which came through His Son, Jesus, Who died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Pet 3:18). When we trust in Christ alone as our Savior, we receive forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), are transferred into “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), become “children of God” (John 1:12), and are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). God’s wonderful grace is amazing! And God, having done the most for us at the cross, will not do less for us after our salvation. Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:31-32). Since God has already demonstrated His maximum love and generosity by giving His Son for our salvation, it only stands to reason that He will certainly provide everything else needed for our well-being, and for a life that glorifies Him and edifies others.

Bible Promises - 1 By faith we trust God and rest in His promises. Failure to trust God will result in worry, fear, and an anxious heart that is never at rest. Do our hearts ever become anxious? Of course they do. And does fear ever rise up? Yes, of course it does. Well over a hundred times in the OT & NT believers are told “do no fear” and “do not be afraid” (e.g., Gen 15:1, Deut 1:21; Isa 41:10; Matt 10:28; 1 Pet 3:14). These directives would be superfluous if sinful fear was not a problem for the believer. Sometimes we become like Peter and look at the storm around us (Matt 14:30), become frightened, and sink into what we fear. But when fear rises up, faith must rise higher, always trusting God to keep His Word. When trials come (and they will), we must see them as opportunities to grow in our faith (Jam 1:2-4). The benefit of living by faith is a relaxed mental attitude as the believer focuses on the Lord and His promises. Remember, God always keeps His promises, for “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num 23:19). Yes, He will always keep His Word, for “the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind” (1 Sam 15:29), for “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18). God has integrity and keeps His Word, and “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20a).

Walk by Faith God will provide. The challenge for us, as His children, is to accept His Word as true and apply it to our lives on a regular basis. The walk of faith requires us to have discipline of mind and will, to learn and live God’s Word, and to stay focused on Him and His promises. As God’s children, we are to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). The walk of faith is what He wants, for He says, “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38), and “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). The life of faith is what Pleases God, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). Will there be failure on our part? Yes, more often than most of us would like to admit. But that’s why daily confession is important (1 John 1:9), as we acknowledge our sins to God, trust that He forgives, and then move back into a walk of faith. Let us continually learn and live God’s Word, always trusting the Lord will provide and that He will keep His promises to us. This way of living will glorify God, edify others, and result in a relaxed mental attitude for us as we lean on the Lord.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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Atonement for Sins

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Dr. Steven R. Cook

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. (Lev 17:11)

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb 9:22)

Atonement is a very important concept in the Old Testament. The word atonement translates the Hebrew verbכָּפַר (kaphar) which means to “cover over, pacify, propitiate, [or] atone for sin.”^[1] Theologically, it means “to bring together in mutual agreement, with the added idea, in theology, of reconciliation through the vicarious suffering of one on behalf of another.”^[2] The animal sacrificial system—which was part of the Mosaic Law—taught that sin must be atoned for. The idea of substitution was clearly taught as the sinner laid his hands on the animal that died in his place (Lev 4:15, 24; 16:21). The innocent animal paid the price of death on behalf of the guilty sinner. God established the Levitical animal sacrificial system as a way of teaching that human sin must be atoned for. The atoning animal sacrifices were performed daily by the Jewish temple priests on behalf of Israelites who committed sins in ignorance (Lev 4:1-4, 20, 26, 31). More serious sins—those deliberately committed—were atoned for once a year on the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur—by the High Priest who would enter the Holy of Holies in the temple and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull and goat on the mercy seat which was on the top of the Ark of the Covenant (Lev 16:14-15). There were two sacrifices on the Day of Atonement: a bull was sacrificed for the sins of the High Priest (Lev 16:6, 11), and two goats for the sins of the nation (Lev 16:7-10). The sacrifice of the goats were “to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year” (Lev 16:34). One goat shed its blood on the altar, and the other was sent away into the wilderness after the High Priest had laid his hands on it and confessed over it “all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins” (Lev 16:21). The innocent animals died in place of those who were guilty of sin.

The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law taught that God is holy, man is sinful, and that God was willing to judge an innocent creature as a substitute in place of the sinner. The animal that shed its blood gave up its life in place of the one who had offended God, and it was only through the shed blood that atonement was made. A life for a life. The whole animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law was highly symbolic, temporary, and pointed forward to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Levitical priests would regularly perform their temple sacrifices on behalf of the people to God, but being a symbolic system, the animal sacrifices could never “make perfect those who draw near” to Him, for the simple reason that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:1, 4). For nearly fourteen centuries the temple priests kept “offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb 10:11), until finally Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” and through that one offering “perfected for all time those who are sanctified” by it (Heb 10:12, 14). What the Mosaic Law could never accomplish through the sacrifice of symbols, Christ did once and for all time through His substitutionary death on the cross when he died in the place of sinners.

Jesus’ death on the cross was a satisfactory sacrifice to God which completely paid the price for our sin. We owed a debt to God that we could never pay, and Jesus paid that debt in full when He died on the cross and bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to us. In Romans 3:25 Paul used the Greek word ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion)—translated propitiation—to show that Jesus’ shed blood completely satisfied God’s righteous demands toward our sin, with the result that there is nothing more for the sinner to pay to God. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. There’s nothing for us to pay. The Apostle John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation [ἱλασμός hilasmos – the satisfactory sacrifice] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf., 4:10). Jesus’ death on the cross forever satisfied God’s righteous demands toward the sins of everyone for all time! God has “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). Regarding Christ’s death, J. Dwight Pentecost states:

You can be adjusted to God’s standard, because God made Christ to become sin for us. The One who knew no sin, the One in whose lips had never been found guile, took upon Himself our sin in order that He might bear our sins to the cross and offer Himself as an acceptable substitute to God for us—on our behalf, in our place. And when Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners and went to the cross on their behalf and in their place, He was making possible the doctrine of reconciliation. He was making it possible for God to conform the world to Himself, to adjust the world to His standard so that sinners in the world might find salvation because “Jesus paid it all.” You can be adjusted to God, to God’s standard, through Christ, by His death, by His cross, by His blood, and by His identification with sinners^.[3]

Atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God’s righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners before His throne of grace. The blood of Christ is the only coin in the heavenly realm that God accepts as payment for our sin-debt, and Christ paid our sin debt in full! That’s good news! Paul wrote, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19). According to Charles Ryrie:

God’s provision of reconciliation is universal. Because of the death of Christ the position of the world was changed—people were now able to be saved. But that alone saves no one, for the ministry of reconciliation must be faithfully discharged by proclaiming the Gospel message. When an individual believes, then he receives the reconciliation God provided in Christ’s death (2 Cor 5:18–21). The world has been reconciled, but people need to be reconciled. The universal reconciliation changes the position of the world from an unsalvable condition to a salvable one. Individual reconciliation through faith actually brings that reconciliation in the individual’s life and changes the position of the individual from unsaved to saved. Then, and only then, are his sins forgiven, though they were paid for on the cross.^[4]

Because Jesus’ death satisfies God’s righteousness demands for sin, the sinner can approach God who welcomes him in love. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile us to Himself. The sin debt that we owed to God has been paid in full by the blood of Christ.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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^[1] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers 1979), 497.

^[2] G. W. Bromiley, “Atone; Atonement,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 352.

[3] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Mi., Kregel Publications, 1965), 89.

^[4] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 338.

Thinking on Scripture

Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

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