 The title of our sermon this morning is Why Christ Died. In our primary text, Ephesians 1, chapter 1, verses 3 through 14, we'll look at a couple of texts as we work through this subject of the necessity of the atonement. In our study of the essentials, we're currently in our study of the essentials. The essentials and introduction to those theological subjects that we believe to be essential to the health, the vitality, the growth of the Christian. We as a church have had the joy of considering the person and the work of our great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, over the last several weeks together. And in our consideration of his person, we looked at the text of Scripture with respect to his deity and with respect to his humanity. And then in our consideration of his work, we have looked at the text of Scripture with respect to his role as the mediator between God and men. In his threefold office of prophet, priest and king. All of this leads now to this morning and the next three sequential mornings, we pray, and the next three sequential Lord's days. Leads us to the very heart of the Lord's work to save sinners, namely the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So over the next three weeks, over the next three Lord's days, Lord willing, we'll study the atonement together. This morning we'll look at the necessity of the atonement. Next week we'll look at the nature of the atonement. And in our last week on this subject, we'll look at the extent of the atonement. This is a huge subject. It's just a great mountain that is lifted up, if you will, in Scripture. And three weeks does not even begin to do this subject justice. And so keep in mind that this is just simply an introduction and I hope that it will provoke you, goad you, spur you on to further study. This study is well worth your time and effort. And we'll be thinking about and talking about and praying about and meditating on and worshiping the Lord for his atoning work for all eternity. Now our confession of faith, the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, refers to the atonement of Jesus Christ in chapter 8, article 5, where the confession states this. The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, and we see atonement language, right? The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and the sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal spirit once offered up to God, has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given unto him. That's atonement language, right? Atonement language. In other words, the salvation of sinners is concerned with the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to how the atoning work of Jesus Christ is described in our confession. Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of himself, satisfied the justice of God. He secured or procured our reconciliation to God, and he purchased our everlasting inheritance in heaven in full communion with God. So the atonement is the Lord's work on behalf of undeserving hellbound sinners to reconcile them to God. It involves making satisfaction for sin. We'll talk about what that means. Paying the actual penalty, justly meet it out for sin. It's not simply removing an obstacle, right? It's not simply removing a barrier to reconciliation. It's not merely making reconciliation or salvation possible, making salvation potential. The atonement of Jesus Christ actually accomplishes pardon for sin. It actually accomplishes the justification of sinners, right standing with God, eternal life, through faith for all those given by the Father to the Son. Now in this, in this work of atonement, the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we've got a lot to consider. A lot to consider. The Bible is just replete with strands and threads and scarlet threads that run throughout Scripture about the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we begin first, where we must begin, we begin first with why that atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary, the necessity of the atonement. Why would God determine to humble himself, to step down out of glory, out of the majesty in which he is enthroned, take on human flesh and become a man? Why would God do that? Why did Jesus Christ, coming in the likeness of men, taking the form of a slave, why did Jesus Christ have to die? And if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to die, then why the bloody death of the cross as one accursed? Now we'll find answers to these questions as we consider the necessity of the atonement. Turn to that text, read in your hearing, Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, as we look at this text together, why was the atonement necessary? We begin to answer that question in the eternal councils of the Godhead. Look at verse 3 with me, beginning in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. In verse 3, that blessing is not a hope of Paul, that God would be blessed. Paul is proclaiming that God is blessed. And God, who is blessed, is the source of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places for those, notice the words, in Christ. In Christ. Now that's a way here that Paul summarizes every good gift that Christians receive in salvation. Every good gift that were given to us by God in salvation is every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. It's the full scope of every blessing, every spiritual blessing that pertains to life in the spirit. Every spiritual blessing has been given to us by God in Christ. Now, those blessings include our election to holiness. Look at verse 4. They include our election to holiness. Just as he chose us, elected us, right? That's election. Just as he chose us in him, in Jesus Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and without blame before him. That those blessings include our election to holiness, that we should be holy and without blame before him. Now that's an unfortunate verse break there between verse 4 and verse 5. In love belongs really to the first sentence of verse 5. Listen. Those blessings include our election to holiness, and then those blessings also include our predestination to adoption as sons. In love, verse 5, he predestined us to adoption as sons by or through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which, by that grace, he made us accepted in the beloved in Jesus Christ. You might want to keep a pen or a pencil with you, maybe a pad of paper on the side, and think through this text with me, okay? Hang in there. We've got to work through the details, and this is important to our understanding of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Now, those blessings, every spiritual blessing given to us in Christ, those blessings also include our redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Do you see that in verse 7? Those blessings also include a knowledge of his will to save in Christ. That's in verse 9. Those blessings, those spiritual blessings that we have in Christ include our inheritance, verse 11. They include the gift of the Spirit, that's verse 13, and they include the hope of glory, that's verse 14. Now, those who receive these blessings, all the blessings listed in this paragraph between verse 3 and verse 15, those who receive these blessings are referred to as us in verse 3, who is the us. The us in verse 3 are those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, verse 4. The us is those loved and those predestined to adoption as sons in verse 5. So that's believers, those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not lost people, but those who have been elected to grace, those who have been chosen, those who have been adopted, predestined. Now notice, all those blessings are given to us then to us believers in Jesus Christ, verse 3. In the heavenly places, in Christ. God chose us in him, verse 4. We are adopted as sons by or through Jesus Christ, verse 5. And by God's grace, we are accepted in the beloved, or in Jesus Christ, verse 6. Now think with me, okay? In Christ, in him, in whom repeated 11 times in this one paragraph. 11 times. In Christ, in him, in whom. It is in Christ alone that God has blessed those whom he has chosen, those whom he has predestined. Right? It's in Christ alone. What does that mean? What does it mean? What does it mean that these blessings come through him or come in him? It means that they come to us through him or in him because of his work. Because of who Jesus Christ is and because of what Jesus Christ has done. It means that God purposed before the foundation of the world to save those whom he chose and predestined through the finished atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Right? Through Jesus Christ means through the redeeming work of Christ. It means through the perfect obedience of Christ. It means through the suffering and the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. To choose us in him is to choose us with a plan to save sinners by the death of his son. Do you see? Verse 7, it's in him, what? We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. So in union with Christ, by faith, we are given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ through the Lord's atoning work on the cross. Sinners must be redeemed, verse 7, through his blood, forgiven of their sins in order to be accepted in the beloved, adopted as sons, holy without blame, before him in love predestined. This is the effect or the aim, the end, of Christ's atoning work. Do you see? How that fits together to accomplish that which God has determined in him Christ atoned for the sins of his people. Now, there are many reasons, many reasons why this atonement was necessary. And the Bible has many of those reasons throughout. It's all over the Bible, right? Threads, I've heard it compared to a tapestry. These many, many threads that are woven throughout the pages of Scripture. Threads of atonement, if you will, the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Types and shadows all over the Bible. We'll get to talk about some of that next week. And those threads all come together into this beautiful, magnificent, picturesque tapestry of the glorious atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But notice from the text where the necessity of that atonement begins and ends. There are several reasons why the atonement is necessary, but notice from the text where that necessity begins and ends. The necessity of the atonement begins with the love of God. It begins with the love of God, verse 4. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption His sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. And whether you put in love at the end of verse 4 or in love at the beginning of verse 5, He chose us in love, right, that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love, or He predestined us to adoption in love. Both of those are true, both of those are true. And He doesn't love us. Listen, He doesn't love us because of what we've done. That's really clear from the text. This love is not something oweable to the lovableness of the creature. It's not because we're so lovely. God doesn't have to love us. We are hell-deserving, wrath-deserving enemies of God by wicked works, sinners, right? Hell-deserving sinners. God doesn't have to love us. God doesn't have to love us. Verse 5 says that this love is simply an expression of the good pleasure of His will. The free and sovereign, unearned, undeserved love of God toward sinners. And notice also, this is not the general love or the general goodness that God chose to all mankind. This love or goodness, the general love or goodness of God would be expressed through common grace to all men. We're not talking about that kind of love or that kind of goodness. This is a distinguishing love, a distinctive love. This is an electing love. This is the electing love of God expressed from before the foundation of the world in which love He chose all those whom He elected in His Son. This is the particular love, the distinctive love, the distinguishing love through which He chose us and predestined us to adoption as sons. Not because of anything that He foresees in us, notice, right? Not because of something He foresees that we will do. God isn't looking down the corridor of time to see what man will decide or how man will act or what man will do before He responds with choosing or predestinating. God's not looking down the corridors of time and what He foresees we will do. It's simply according to, verse 5, His own good pleasure. Those two things are mutually exclusive. It's according to His own good pleasure that He chose to set His love upon us. Now this love is seen even more clearly in chapter 2. In chapter 2, flip the page. Chapter 2, outside of Christ we're all dead in trespasses and sins. Outside of Christ we're all sons of disobedience. Outside of Christ we're all by nature, by nature children of wrath. Verse 4, but God, who is rich in mercy, why? Because of His great love with which He loved us. Who's the us? Those chosen from before the foundation of the world. Those predestined to adoption as sons to the praise of His glory. Right? Us. Because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses. He made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved. Now think with me. What is the purpose? What is the grand purpose? The great purpose of that love? What's the aim of that love? The purpose of that love, the intention of that love. It's the eternal salvation of God's people. The eternal salvation of God's people. God doesn't love us because the atoning work of Christ is applied to us. Hey what I'm saying? God doesn't love us because the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is applied to us. The atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is applied to us because God chose to love us. Because God has set His love upon us. The atonement, the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary because it accomplishes the purpose or intention of God's love. Do you see how love then becomes a reason for the necessity of the atonement? It's a beginning cause, a first cause if you will, God's love. To reconcile His people to Himself. To bless them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and to give us an inheritance with Him. Fellowship and communion with Him for all of eternity. So the necessity, the necessity of the atonement begins with God's love. The necessity of the atonement ends or terminates upon God's glory. God's glory. Look at chapter 1 verse 4, chapter 1 verse 4. Just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. In love He predestined us to adoption His sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. Here it is in verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the beloved. Look at verse 11, in Him also we've obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of Him. How many times does He have to say it, right? It's not according to anyone else's purpose. It's not according to anything foreseen in the creature. It's according to the purpose of His own good pleasure, His own will, right? Being predestined in verse 11, according to the purpose of Him who works all things, everything according to the counsel of His own will that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Being chosen in Him according to the good pleasure of His own will, according to His own counsel has far-reaching implications. It should make us think, right? There's nothing that I can do. No choice that I can make. It is entirely a free, sovereign grace, entirely God's good will and pleasure. Should we ask ourselves, how do we know that He has elected me to salvation? There are those who presume upon His grace and live for themselves and yet believe themselves to be saved. They need to ask themselves, has God done this work in me? It is to be to the praise of His glory. Look at verse 13. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, look at all these blessings, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption, there's atonement language again, right? Until the redemption of the purchased possession that has an aim and intention, it is to the praise of His glory. The atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary because it brings about the ends for which it is intended, namely the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of God. The supreme revelation of the glory of God is the demonstration of His grace through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. What the atonement accomplishes is to the praise of His glory, to the praise of God's glory. A redemption planned from all eternity and then brought to its apex in the substitutionary death of the Son of God for His people. So the atonement of Jesus Christ begins with the love of God and ends with the glory of God. For this reason, the atonement of Jesus Christ is considered a consequent absolute necessity. A consequent absolute necessity. The term consequent means that the atonement is only necessary on the condition that God chose to save. God doesn't have to save sinners. God freely, sovereignly chose to save sinners. His choice to do so is a free and sovereign act in accord with the good pleasure of His own will. But the term consequent means that the atonement is a consequence of that free and sovereign choice. That makes sense? The atonement is a consequence of God's free and sovereign choice. The term absolute necessity means that once God makes that choice, once God determines to save, the atonement becomes then absolutely necessary in order to secure that salvation. There's no other option, no other alternative, no other option exists, but this one singular exclusive option, consequent absolute necessity. Having chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world back in verse 4, having predestined us to adoption His sons back in verse 5, it became absolutely necessary then to accomplish this purpose through the sacrifice of His own Son, through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply no other way. The atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is a consequent absolute necessity. John Murray says this, While it was not inherently necessary for God to save, yet since salvation had been purposed, it was necessary to secure this salvation through a satisfaction that could be rendered only through substitutionary sacrifice and a blood-bought redemption. The atonement was a consequent absolute necessity. Thinking about these things so far, we haven't fully answered our questions yet, have we? Not fully. We've begun to answer our questions, but we're not there yet. Why must God humble himself to become a man? God is omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnisapient. Isn't there another way? Why must God humble himself to become a man? Why did that man, Jesus Christ, have to die? And why the accursed death of the cross? Why is the accursed death of the Son of God a consequent absolute necessity? Anselm said this, For what necessity and for what reason did God, since he is omnipotent, take upon himself the humiliation and weakness of human nature in order to its restoration? Why? For what necessity? Isn't there some other way that he could accomplish salvation? No. The answer to that question is no. We'll see why. We'll see why. Many times out, witnessing over the years, I've had someone essentially say to me, What kind of God? What kind of God do you serve? What kind of God would require a bloody human sacrifice? That's barbaric. What kind of God would kill his own son for other people? That's cosmic child abuse. I didn't ask anybody, someone say this to me, I didn't ask anybody to die for me. I don't need someone to die for me, was his response. For most of those comments at the college campus, those kids at the college campus are thinkers, but they need to know what book to go to for the answers. They're seeking answers in the wrong places. But those questions, those questions really get at the heart of the issue, don't they? They really get at the heart of the issue. When they say what kind of God that's speaking of or concerning the character of God, isn't it? They're calling into question the character of God. When they say I don't need that, they're referring to or concerning the character of man and not understanding the character of man. It is the atoning work of the God-man that is necessary to reconcile the two. So what kind of God? What kind of God would require a bloody human sacrifice? A just God, a holy God would require this sacrifice. A good God, a loving God, a just God, a holy God would require this sacrifice. What kind of man needs that? A wretched sinner, a depraved, offensive, hell-bound, hell-deserving sinner. Turn with me to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. Let's begin to look at some of the strands regarding the necessity of the atonement. There are many of these texts. Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. Paul is going to begin by making the inarguable point that all people are depraved sinners. Can't argue with it. You may say to yourself, I think I'm a pretty good person. No, you are not. I'm a pretty good guy. No, you're not. I've not really done that bad. Yes, you have. Unless you come to grips with your sin, what need do you have of salvation? You won't see your need of salvation. Jesus Christ himself said, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. All are sinners. Look at verse 10. As it is written, in other words, as it is the testimony all over the Old Testament, because he's about to quote passages from all over the Old Testament. As it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. Well, I saw it after God. No, you didn't. Not in the way that God has called you to. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable, worthless. There is none who does good. No, not one. Well, I'm a pretty good person. No, you are not. By whose standard? Right? We got to look at God's standard. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues, they've practiced deceit. The poison of asps, of serpents, is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing, full of bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. This is a damning diagnosis of the condition of all people apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is the atonement necessary? Because of this. Why is the atonement necessary? Because we need atonement. We need the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God. We need, we need for His wrath against us to be propitiated. We need for our guilt to be expiated, to be removed. We need to be redeemed. We need to be reconciled. We need to be justified. We need to be forgiven. Verse 19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that, notice the intention, so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. The so that of verse 19 communicates purpose. It is God's intention through the law to show that everyone has broken his law, that everyone's a sinner, that the guilty sinner has absolutely nothing to say, no case to be made, his mouth is stopped and all the world is guilty in the sight of God. That word for guilty means answerable. Legally liable. Legally liable for what? Legally liable and answerable before God for their sin. Do you see? This speaks of the justice of God. The justice of God. God requires an obligation from every single person on the planet as those made in his image for his glory and that obligation is perfect obedience to his law. The perfect obedience to his law is called righteousness. Matthew chapter 5 verse 48. Therefore you shall be perfect just as your father in heaven is perfect. Therefore when we sin against God, we incur a debt to God. It's a moral debt. The Bible says that the wages of our sin is what? Death. Death is the moral debt owed for sin and eternal death in the lake of fire. We have transgressed the law of the one who created us in his image, the one who created us to live for his glory and because he is infinite, it means that the moral debt that we owe to him for our sin is also infinite. It is ever before his eyes. It's a debt we cannot pay. That's why hell is eternal. Now people of course try. They attempt to pay this debt. People all over the world doing works of penance. Works of penance. Rubbing their beads, saying their Hail Mary's and our fathers and fasting, taking the mass, going on pilgrimages, performing ceremonies, saying ritualistic prayers, thinking they're a good person. No. No. They all believe that those works justify them before God. In other words, they believe that through them, this is what they're essentially saying, they are judicially or legally vindicated despite all their sin against God, that they have somehow before God met all the requirements then of God's law through these works of penance or through these good works that they do. What does God's word actually say? The law can't save them. The law can only condemn them. They're righteous. Look at verse 20. Therefore, by deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law with the intention that they all may become guilty before God, that their mouths would be stopped. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh is going to be justified in his sight. Only through the law will come condemnation. Therefore, by the law, verse 20, is the knowledge of sin. Works of the law, good works, all those things, cannot atone. Do you see? Cannot atone. The law, good works, cannot atone for sin. God is a just judge and the due punishment for sin must be paid. God's own perfect justice. God's own perfect character. God's own perfect holiness. God's own perfect righteousness demands that our debt to him must be paid. And it's not paid through works of the law, through doing those things. Do you see? An atonement. An atoning work. A satisfactory atoning work is necessary. A judge who does not uphold the law. A judge who does not punish transgression against the law is not a just judge. We all know that to be true. That judge is not a good judge. God is just. God is good, and so God will punish sin. Do you see how God's justice and God's goodness and God's righteousness and God's holiness is all wrapped up in the character of our God, right? How? So how then? How then can God be both just and the one who justifies guilty sinners? That is a critical question for us as Christians, isn't it? How can we be justified? How can we stand before a holy God? When you break some laws in our country, you incur what is called a pecuniary debt. A pecuniary debt. For example, you're caught breaking the speed limit as a teenager. I know you wouldn't do that now as adults, right? Well, when you were a teenager, I broke many speed limits as a teenager. When you are caught breaking the speed limit, most of the time, or unless you've done it many, many times, most of the time, or unless you do it in a very grand way, most of the time that's a pecuniary debt, meaning that money is owed. Just a simple monetary transaction. Doesn't ultimately matter who pays the debt, right? As a teenager, I had no money. So who paid the debt? My dad. My dad paid the debt. Money changes hands, and as long as money changes hands, your debt to society is paid. However, we're not talking about a pecuniary debt, we're talking about a moral debt. Moral debt is a debt incurred in your person, right? Because it's a debt incurred in your person, you have to go to jail. Our laws say that someone else can't go to jail for you. You do the crime, you do the time. However, by God's grace and in God's infinite mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, God is determined as the righteous judge he has allowed and established for us representation by another. There was representation in Adam, the first Adam, represented by Adam as our head. Adam sins in the garden, he fails, he punches the world and all of his posterity into sin, misery, death, and woe, right? The last Adam comes and through his atoning work through his act of obedience, Romans 5 talks about, he secures the salvation of his people, of many. I heard a story about a small town in Kansas and they were having a serious problem speeding through a school zone. Terrible time, couldn't get people to slow down in the school zone. They kept giving tickets, giving tickets, giving tickets and it simply wasn't helping the situation. People were still speeding. So the judge, the judge in the town he put out a notice in the paper, this is the prerogative of the judge to do this, he put out a notice in the paper the next person that we catch speeding through that school zone is going to spend a night in jail. He's going to up the ante, he's going to make sure. He's going to try to get people to stop speeding through the school zone. So the next morning after the notice came out in the paper reporters were out at the site, people hanging around, loitering at the site waiting to see what was going to happen. Who was going to break the speed limit in the school zone? Who would be the first to spend a night in jail? Sure enough, as they're standing there a car is zipped right through the school zone the police pull her over arrest her and take her to jail. It was the judge's wife that puts the judge in a bit of a dilemma, doesn't it? Not unlike our dilemma in sin and God's great love with which he loved us puts the judge in a bit of a dilemma he loves his wife but he has his character his integrity his justice as judge on the line here he can't sacrifice his character his justice, his integrity but he as the judge has the prerogative since he initiated the law so to speak he has the prerogative to accept a substitute he can set the terms and so what does he do? he spends the night in jail rather than his wife and justice is upheld justice is satisfied the law is honored the debt is paid and his wife is a free woman and happy about it and the judge becomes both just and the justifier do you see? well God has determined in grace he's rich in grace abounding in mercy he's determined in grace in mercy to set similar terms for us look at verse 21 but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe perfect obedience to the law is referred to as righteousness what do we need to stand before a holy God? we need righteousness as if we had obeyed God's law perfectly ourselves what is it that you and I have lost due to our sin? we've lost righteousness there is none righteous no not one verses 21 and 22 Paul speaks of the righteousness of God himself the perfect righteousness that we need it is revealed and given to us as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ who is our representative before God's bar of justice he's our representative for there is no difference verse 23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God of this righteousness verse 24 being justified freely by his grace it is a gift of God through what? the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus the idea in verse 24 of redeeming someone has to do with the idea or the concept of purchase of purchase it's a transaction whereby someone is bought back in this case redeemed or bought back from sin from their debt under sin and this purchase it's through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus this purchase is made at an exceedingly unimaginably high cost the cost of the Lord's own blood and by blood we mean life the cost of the Lord's own life his shed blood at Calvary we are redeemed bought back by the blood of the Lamb in fact the Lord's last word it's a singular word in the Greek the Lord's last word on the cross to telestei means it is finished it's a commercial word it's a transactional word that is borrowed from the marketplace speaking of someone who's making installments right and now finally makes the last installment saying paid in full it is finished to telestei Ephesians 1-7 in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace this is all through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ verse 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith in order to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed in order to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness that so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus this is a magnificent salvation a marvelous plan it is glorious and wondrous the infinite wisdom of God to have planned and determined such a way to save his people in love that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ it's only through the only way that it works it can work in no other way it's only through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is a consequent absolute necessity the propitiation in verse 25 by his blood refers to the sacrifice of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ made in satisfaction of our debt paid in full the payment is made to God God's justice is satisfied God's wrath pointed full barrel at us is averted it's satisfied God is fully satisfied with the price that has been paid and his wrath is averted why because that price came at the death the shedding of the blood of his only begotten son the second person of the trinity God became man God man the son of God Christ does this for us who pair on our behalf in our stead it means that his atoning work is substitutionary the Lord Jesus Christ is our substitute it speaks of an atonement a work that is accomplished vicariously it's accomplished by someone else it's substitutionary in the sense that Jesus Christ pays the debt secures the work in our place it's penal in the sense that he paid the penalty due our sin all these words then begin to come together all these threads of the tapestry right substitutionary vicarious penal atoning work God's justice is demonstrated at the cross by punishing sin he punishes his own son God's mercy is demonstrated at the cross by that payment from our representative from a substitute and God's love God's love is demonstrated at the cross by paying that price himself glory glory on the cross our sins the sins of believers are imputed they're credited to Jesus Christ so that in condemning Jesus Christ at the cross and punishing him in our place our sins were condemned in Christ and we are saved from the wrath of God through him in turn the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is imputed to us through faith in him through his righteousness we are declared to be righteous ourselves and we are then accepted in the beloved through this atoning work of Jesus Christ God upholds his justice God upholds his justice pouring out the divine retribution that we rightly deserve he pours it out upon Christ and God justifies then he declares righteous those who put their faith in Christ for Christ's atoning work in all of that God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus this is really important exceedingly important when you consider a text in the bible like Proverbs chapter 17 verse 15 where it reads he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord well how does God acquit the guilty how does God justify the ungodly and how does God in that remain just it's through the perfect and necessary the consequent absolute necessity of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ the efficacy or the effectiveness of that atoning work is entirely wrapped up in the constitution and the character of Christ person himself it's unique to him because of who he is and what he's done to be reconciled to God our sin must be effectively dealt with none but the perfect son of God could pay such a price for all those chosen by God the blood of bulls and goats simply will not do the blood of another human being who is a sinner himself simply will not do a scratch wouldn't do well if all that's necessary is a blood sacrifice if it's necessary is blood well then just cut yourself a scratch will not do a life a life was necessary a human life was necessary not just any life but a perfect holy and righteous life the only sacrifice that would be acceptable the only sacrifice that could satisfy the just demands of a holy God is the sacrifice the atoning work the life of the God man consequent absolute necessity when we think about these things it more clearly and more fully answers our questions doesn't it why did God become man why did that man have to die and why the accursed death of the cross next week we'll consider the nature of the atonement what did this necessary work of Christ entail regarding the necessity of the atonement or simply no other alternative given in scripture for the salvation of sinners no other option no other alternative exists the only other option is condemnation the only other option is condemnation turn with me quickly to John chapter 3 John chapter 3 in John chapter 3 beginning in verse 14 in verse 14 and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must that word must divine necessity the necessity of the atonement even so must the son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life for God so loved the world that he gave the only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life the necessity of the atonement begins with the love of God the cross of Christ is the supreme superlative preeminent demonstration of the love of God right John says again doesn't he in 1 John 4 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 in verse 17 for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved he who believes in him is not condemned there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus but verse 18 he who does not believe is condemned already currently presently citizens of hell sons of disobedience sons of their father the devil by nature children of wrath as the others because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son to reject or to deny or to neglect the perfect and necessary atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is to by default be resigned to your default position which is condemnation the only other option other than the wrath satisfying sacrifice because the son of God is condemnation verse 19 and this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil that eternal peril is remedied by the atoning sacrifice of God the son he gave his life a ransom for many nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name there are many mountains up the mountain many paths up the mountain to God no there aren't there is no other name well what about Buddha what about Muhammad no they are dead there is no other name under heaven given among men by which be saved that's why Paul would say I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified shedding his blood on Calvary an atonement for sin why would anyone reject such love such splendor, such glory such magnificence such wondrous mercy and abounding grace why? it's because you love darkness you love your life you love living life I can't be inconvenienced to obey all those commands and do all those things and follow the Lord as his disciple you know what I'll just I'll go to church on Sunday morning I don't make me feel better I think that's sufficient you love darkness rather than light the deeds are evil and you don't like it how do I know you don't like it? because when someone preaches the gospel to you you get offended when they call you out on your sin when someone says you're a sinner your face should go in your hands and in tears you say yes I know it to be true but by the grace of God in Christ I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb turn from your sin acknowledge what the Bible says about you and entrust yourself to him the only option for hell bound hell deserving sinners if you've embraced this love of God through faith in Christ if you're a brother if you're a sister then fulfill the end for which the atonement was necessary begins in love it terminates on the glory of God in Christ and he is worthy of that glory you were bought at a price at an infinitely high price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods do you see? you say with Paul I have been crucified with Christ it's no longer I who live but Christ lives in me all praise honor and glory to the one who is our righteousness amen let's pray Father in heaven we worship you and praise you and thank you with full just overwhelming overflowing with gratitude in our hearts for all that you have done for us in him blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in him thank you Lord for your love that you have freely chosen to set upon us thank you in love that you have predestined us for adoption as sons I praise you Father that we feeble sinful creatures can because of the Lord Jesus Christ ultimately be to the praise of the glory of your grace and I pray that even now on this side of eternity as we battle with our sin and as we strive the power of the spirit to put off the old man and put on the new man I pray God that we would fervently pursue conformity to that intention that purpose and live for your glory we love you you are blessed forever our God and our Lord Jesus Christ and I pray Lord that there's anyone the sound of my voice who isn't converted who is still living in their sin Lord I pray that you would save them for your glory save them through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ through faith in him and make them trophies of your grace we love you we thank you we praise you we worship you in these things in Jesus name we pray amen