The Cross of Christ

Introduction

• Jesus came to be the gospel but it is Paul who God set aside to explain the gospel.

• Key phrase in Paul’s writing is IN CHRIST• Phrase “IN CHRIST” introduced by Christ.• To fully understand the gospel we have to

understand what Paul means by the phrase IN CHRIST

Introduction

• As sinners, every one of us is under the condemnation and curse of the law (Rom 3:19; Gal 3:10)

• The wages of sin is death, good-bye to life forever (Romans 6:23)

• In our last study we saw that Christ bore the curse of the law for the entire human race (Gal 3:13; Hebrews 2:9)

• Legally, no law – God’s or man’s – will allow an innocent person to die in the place of, or instead of the guilty one (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:4,20).

Introduction

• The big question is: How could Christ, who committed no sin, legally die for the sins of the guilty world?

• This is the GREAT ethical issue that surrounds the cross of Christ as well as Christianity in general.

• Unless we clearly understand how God solved this problem, we will never be able to fully appreciate the good news of the gospel or experience its total power to save us from our sin problem.

I Corinthians 15:22

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Note: As we saw in study #3, the reason all die because of Adam’s one sin is not because God holds us guilty for Adam’s sin; that would be unethical. All die because the human race is the multiplication of Adam’s life (see Acts 17:26) and therefore inherit from him a life that has already sinned and stands condemned to death.

Q1:How many have to die

because of Adam’s one sin?

Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.NIV

The original mold became defective.

John 12:31-33

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.

Note: At the cross, the world (human race) was executed or judged in Christ. God could do this because Christ was the second Adam or mankind. Just as God created all humanity in Adam so that by his representative sin he ruined all his posterity, so also God united all humanity to Christ at the incarnation so that He could be the Savior of the world.

Q2:When was the condemned life of the human race executed and in

whom?

2 Corinthians 5:14

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

Q3:

Note: The corporate oneness of Christ with the Human race He came to redeem, united Jesus with all humanity so that His acts are in a real sense our acts because He is our representative and substitute in a biblical sense. His death becomes our death, and His resurrection becomes our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-23)

How many were implicated in the death of Christ?

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Q3:

Note: But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. NIV

How many were implicated in the death of Christ?

Q3:

ALL ALLRepresent One OR One Represents

Corporate Personality

2 Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Note: When Christ was made flesh (John 1:14) and assumed our humanity that needed redeeming at His incarnation. He became the second Adam (mankind) and qualified to be man’s representative and substitute. This gave Him the legal right to live and die on man’s behalf. It is in this sense that Christ was made to be sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. This constitutes the “in Christ” truth that we studied in lesson #3.

Q4:What did God make Christ to be in

order to make us [sinners] righteous?

I Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Note: Since our sins are the fruits of our sinful nature, Jesus could not bear our sins on the cross without bearing us. we actually died when Christ bore our sins on the cross in His body. As a result, by dying in Christ, the very root of our sin problem, our sinful nature, was dealt with. This is the healing power of the cross which makes holy living possible in the life of the believer.

Q5:Who died when Jesus bore our sins

in His body on the tree (cross)?

Galatians 2:19

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

Note: Because we are all sinners, we must all die. Jesus did not come to do away with the death sentence that hangs over our heads but to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17). Since “all died” in the death of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14), Paul acknowledges that he died to the law in Christ so that now he may live for God.

Q6:What does the apostle Paul say about

himself regarding the law of God?

Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. NIV

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Note: It is through the cross of Christ that we sinful humans were executed and have been set free from our sin problem. As a result we may experience justification as well as live a life pleasing to God. The cross of Christ is what sets us free from both the guilt and punishment of sin as well as from the power and slavery of sin.

Q7:When did Paul die to the

law?

Romans 7:1

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Note: All humanity is born under the law and because everyone of us has failed to perfectly obey it, the whole human race stands guilty and condemned under the law (see Romans 3:19). This condemnation hangs over us as long as we are living. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), it is only when we die that we are set free from the condemnation of the law.

Q8: How long does the law of God have dominion over us?

Romans 7:4

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Note: God set us free from under the law by our death in the body of Christ. As we saw earlier, the death of Christ was a corporate death so that all humanity died in Christ on His cross. When we by faith accept Christ’s death as our death, we experience justification from the condemnation of the law and are set free. By His resurrection we were also raised in Christ with His life, married so to speak to Him, and this makes it possible for us to bear fruit pleasing to God (see John 15:5-8).

Q9:How did God set us free from

under the law?

Romans 7:6

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter.

Note: The unbeliever who is still under the law tries to obey God’s rules out of fear. This is what it means to serve in the letter. The believer however, who has accepted Christ and has been delivered from the law, serves God out of love. This is serving in the spirit, since the spirit of the law is love (see Matthew 22:35-40; Romans 13:10).

Q10:How should one who has been

delivered from the condemnation of the law serve God?

Colossians 3:1 - 3

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Note: A Christian is one who has died to the old life of sin and has risen in Christ to serve Him in newness of life which the believer has received through the new birth experience. This is the true meaning of Baptism, which we will study in lesson 7.

Q11:What truth does Paul bring out regarding those who believe in

Christ?

2 Timothy 2:11

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; NIV

Note: There are too many Christians who want to live with Christ without first dying with Him. This is called cheap grace. This is not the teaching of Scripture. In this sinful world, we begin with life and end up with death. In God’s kingdom it is the very opposite. We begin by dying to the old condemned life and end up with the immortal life of Christ (see Romans 6:8-11). This is what conversion is all about.

Q12:In order for us to live with Christ

what must first happen to us?

Romans 6:7

For he that is dead is freed [justified] from sin.

Note: A condemned criminal can only be legally justified from his crime after he has paid the penalty for that crime. In the same way we cannot experience justification in Christ unless we first identify ourselves by faith with the death of Christ on His cross. The word “freed” in this text in the original is the word “justified” or “acquitted.” Hence, the cross of Christ is the power of God unto salvation from the condemnation of the law (see 1 Corinthians 1:17,18).

Q13: What must take place before we can experience freedom from sin?

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Note: Sin is a dual problem. It is the transgression of the law which condemns the sinner to death. Sin is also a law or a principle that resides in our sinful natures and which makes it impossible for us to live the holy life (Romans 7:14-25). Through the cross of Christ we are delivered from both of these problems. Our death in Christ does not only justify us but it also strikes at the very root of our sin problem.

Q14:Besides acquitting us from the

condemnation of the law, what else does the cross of Christ free us from?

Romans 6:22

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Note: While the cross of Christ liberates us from the condemnation of sin it does not give us the liberty to live as we please. When we accept Christ and Him crucified as our Saviour, we are accepting both salvation from the guilt and punishment of sin as well as salvation from the power and slavery to sin.

Q15:Because the cross of Christ frees us

from sin itself, what kind of life should a believer live?

Matthew 10:38

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Note: Since the death of Christ on His cross was a corporate death in which all humanity died in Him, to accept or follow Christ is to accept His cross as your cross.

Q16:What did Jesus say to those who refuse to take up the cross and

follow Him?

This is what makes the cross of Christ the power of God unto salvation!

Luke 9:23

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Note: Many Christians make the mistake of separating the cross they have to bear from the cross of Christ. This mistake leads to another error; equating the cross with the hardships of

life. In Scripture there is only one cross that saves. It is the cross of Christ. When we are baptized into Christ, the cross of Christ becomes the believers’ cross. It symbolizes self-denial and not the hardships of life, which all people, believers and unbelievers have to put up with.

Q17: How often must the believer take up the cross to follow Christ?

John 12:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Q18:

Note: Not long ago some wheat grains were discovered in one of the pyramids of Egypt. The conditions in the pyramid was dry and was not conducive to seed germination. Some of these seeds were planted and actually grew and produced more wheat. In the same way when we become Christians, we cannot produce any “fruit” unless we accept our death in Christ and die to self.

What example did Jesus give from nature that explains the principle of

the cross?

John 12:25 - 26

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.

Note: The principle of the seed is the principle of the cross. Just like the seed must die in order for it to spring up to life and bear fruit, so also we must die to the old life of sin in order for us to experience the new birth which brings forth fruit unto God. This is the principle of the cross of Christ.

Q19: How did Jesus apply this truth to the believer?

I Corinthians.15:36

[Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

Note: Christianity is not an improvement or a modification of the old life of sin we were born with, but the exchange of our old life that died on the cross of Christ for the eternal life of Christ which God gave us in His Son (see 1 John 5:11,12).

Q20: What did Paul say about the same principle of the seed?

Galatians 5:24

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Note: It was a French preacher of the 19th Century who said that all Christians are “born crucified.” By this, he was referring to the true meaning and significance of baptism, which will be study #7. Before you accept Christ, it is important that you know the cost of discipleship. As the German martyr, Dietric Bonhoffer once said, “when Christ calls you to follow Him, He calls you to die.”

Q21:What attitude must a Christian have towards the flesh or the sinful nature which has been

surrendered to the cross of Christ?

This study brings us to the conclusion of the objective facts of the gospel. Everything necessary for our salvation from the sin problem has been taken care of by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the good news of the gospel.  In this gospel God has redeemed, reconciled, and justified unconditionally all humanity in His Son Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:10, 18). But because God created us with a free will, He does not force this salvation on us. Therefore, to experience the good news of the gospel there needs to be a human response. That human response is faith. Hence, salvation as a subjective experience is conditional.

 

Conclusion

This is what this Bible course is all about. God so loved the world (the human race) that He gave us His only Son, at infinite cost to Him but as a free gift to us. In this gift we have salvation full and complete. However, only those who believe will not perish but have eternal life. As you enter the next phase of our studies dealing with our human response to the gospel, may you be willing to meet the conditions for accepting the gift of salvation. This study brings us to the conclusion of the objective facts of the gospel. Everything necessary for our salvation from the sin problem has been taken care of by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the good news of the gospel. 

Conclusion

In this gospel God has redeemed, reconciled, and justified unconditionally all humanity in His Son Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:10, 18). But because God created us with a free will, He does not force this salvation on us. Therefore, to experience the good news of the gospel there needs to be a human response. That human response is faith. Hence, salvation as a subjective experience is conditional.

Conclusion

This is what this Bible course is all about. God so loved the world (the human race) that He gave us His only Son, at infinite cost to Him but as a free gift to us. In this gift we have salvation full and complete. However, only those who believe will not perish but have eternal life. As you enter the next phase of our studies dealing with our human response to the gospel, may you be willing to meet the conditions for accepting the gift of salvation.

Conclusion

Do you understand that when Christ died on the cross the Adamic life you were born with also came to an end in Him?

Do you believe that in exchange, God gave you the eternal life of His Son so that you may live forever?

Response:________________________

My Response