A Verse for Easter: The Gospel in One Verse

If you could pick one verse that captures the significance of Easter, which one would you turn to? Might I suggest 1 Peter 3:18. Here, Peter packs into one little verse the treasure trove of our salvation that Jesus won for us in his cross and resurrection. Let’s consider it.

 

For Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God, by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18. My translation).

 

What Peter says here is essentially this: Jesus died and rose from the dead to bring his people into eternal life with God.

Let’s just consider this marvelous verse a piece at a time.

 

Christ suffered for sins once and for all…
First, consider the main action: Christ suffered for sins once and for all…

Jesus’ suffering for sins on the cross was final. No other death for sins is needed. This tells us something of sin. Sin must be punished with death. The wages of sin is death.

Why was Jesus’ death for sins so final? Because Jesus was perfectly righteous.

 

the righteous for the unrighteous…
Second, notice the next phrase which explains this: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous…

Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly obedient to his heavenly Father. No sin in his nature, no sin in his heart, no sin in his hand. Perfect. If he is sinless, then why must he suffer for sins? Because his suffering was substitutionary. He was the perfect sacrifice for sins. He the righteous suffered on behalf of the unrighteous. Well if Jesus is the righteous one, who are the unrighteous? You and me.

What was the purpose of this substitutionary death? To brings us to God.

 

in order that he might bring us to God…
Third, consider the next phrase which points to this purpose: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God…

Peter could have described Jesus’ purpose of the cross in a myriad of ways and yet he captures it like this: Jesus suffered for the unrighteous on the cross for the purpose of bringing us to God. This tells us something about God and our dilemma. If Jesus had to die for our unrighteousness in order for us to even be brought into God’s presence, then unrighteousness, unholiness, must not exist or be able to exist in God’s presence. This is because God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly righteous. This, here, is our dilemma. Our unrighteousness, our unholiness separated us from God. This tells us a little bit more about what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished. If Jesus died to bring us into the righteous, holy God’s presence, then that must mean that he not only eliminated our unrighteousness, but he also gave us his righteousness. Jesus died, for the dual purpose of eliminating our unrighteousness and making us righteous for the ultimate purpose of bringing us back to God.

 This final purpose unveils our purpose. If Jesus died in order to bring us to God, then we were made to be with and enjoy him. This is the greatest good for us. Alternatively, the worst place we can find ourselves is separated from him. But Jesus in his death brings us back to the greatest good for our souls, the most joyful place for you and me. He brings us back into the presence of and into relationship with our Creator God.

How can we be sure that this is ours in Jesus? Because Jesus rose from the dead.

 

by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.
Fourth, consider the last phrase which fills out what it meant for Jesus to suffer while also describing the manner in which Jesus accomplished this bringing us to God: by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.

Jesus’ suffering once for sins, as alluded to, was his death on the cross. But, he did not remain dead. Jesus dying on the cross is one half of how he brings us to God. Jesus broke the power of death through his righteousness and by the power of the Spirit, he rose to new life. Thus, the resurrected Jesus is our living guarantee that if we are in him, we too will be raised to eternal life even though we die in the flesh.

 

A Verse for Easter
So here then is the gospel in one verse: Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to bring his people into eternal life with God.

This is what Jesus did for you and me on Easter.

Meditating on the Cross

No event in history is more important than the cross of Jesus Christ. Yet the world around us distracts us from this great act of love and justice, of mercy and punishment. Thus we need times of intentional focus on this theme. In addition to our services Friday evening and Sunday morning, please take time this week to focus on the cross, and all that it entails.

Here are some resources to help you do that.

The scriptural accounts: We will read Mark’s account of the cross and the resurrection at our services. Read the other accounts also: Matthew 26-27, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19.

Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion: I have spent many a Good Friday afternoon listening to this masterpiece, which includes all of the text of Matthew’s account as well as various hymns and meditations. There are numerous recordings available on YouTube and the usual music apps. Listen especially to the account of Jesus’ dying on the cross and its immediate aftermath beginning at 5:30 of this video, and continuing to the first 2:15 minutes of this video. The links include English subtitles for the German lyrics; the text is from Matthew 27:45-54. Some consider Bach’s rendition of the centurion’s cry, “Truly this was the Son of God” the most beautiful piece in the entirety of western music.

John Piper’s narrative poem, “Pilate’s Wife”: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Pastor John wrote these poems for Advent in 2002, a few weeks after Beth and I moved to this area; I read parts to our fledgling church plant that year. Here is an excerpt from the end of part 1.

Come, children, take your fire, and light
This advent candle one. For bright
And blazing is our hope and deep
Desire that all the world would leap
To know the truth that Christ destroys
False worlds that he might fill with joys.
To know the truth that massacres
Might be forgiv’n and one who errs
A thousand times may find at last
That all his horrid sins are cast
Into the deep, and Christ, by grace,
Has made his massacre a place
Of life where even those who scorned
His face, may be with life adorned.

Bob Chilcott’s St John’s Passion. This piece, first performed in 2013, is new for me this year. In the tradition of Bach’s passions, Chilcott includes all of John’s account, intermixing the English text with hymns written between the 5th and 19th centuries. The music is all new. You can read the biblical and hymn texts via this pdf file and listen to the one-hour performance here. The musical setting for When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – the closing piece – is exceptionally beautiful. Here are the texts of three of the other hymns Chilcott uses, with links to the recordings:

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle by Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530–c. 600), translated by Percy Dearmer (1867–1936)

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,
Sing the ending of the fray;
Now above the Cross, the trophy,
Sound the loud triumphant lay:
Tell how Christ, the world’s Redeemer,
As a victim won the day.

God in pity saw man fallen,
Shamed and sunk in misery,
When he fell on death by tasting
Fruit of the forbidden tree;
Then another tree was chosen
Which the world from death should free.

Jesu, grant me this, I pray, 17th century Latin, translated by Henry Williams Baker (1821–77)

Jesu, grant me this, I pray,
Ever in thy heart to stay;
Let me evermore abide
Hidden in thy wounded side.

If the evil one prepare,
Or the world, a tempting snare,
I am safe when I abide
In thy heart and wounded side.

If the flesh, more dangerous still,
Tempt my soul to deeds of ill,
Naught I fear when I abide
In thy heart and wounded side.

Death will come one day to me;
Jesu, cast me not from thee:
Dying let me still abide
In thy heart and wounded side

There is a green hill far away by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–95)

There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all,
Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there,
He hung and suffered there.

He died that we might be forgiv’n,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heav’n,
Saved by his precious blood,
Saved by his precious blood.

Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved,
And we must love him too,
And trust in his redeeming blood,
And try his works to do,
And try his works to do.

May our Lord work though His Word, His church, and the musical gifts He has given us to highlight our sinfulness that necessitates the cross, and thereby to magnify the riches of His grace poured out on us through the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of our Lord Jesus, so that we as His people might endure in faith in Him, boasting only in the cross, Good Friday after Good Friday after Good Friday, until He returns.

They All Left Him and Fled

And they all left him and fled (Mark 14:50).

Jesus fed thousands. So many gathered to hear Him, He had to leave the lakeshore and get in a boat to teach. A multitude welcomed Him to Jerusalem, shouting “Hosanna,” proclaiming Him as the fulfillment of the promise of a coming Son of David.

But now, after a show of force by the authorities, Jesus is alone. “They all left Him and fled.” All abandon Him. Not just the crowds. Not just those who saw miracles. But even those who have spent years at his side. Even those who have shared His bread. Even those He loved to the end. Even Peter, who only hours before proclaimed his faithfulness to Jesus until death. That faithfulness lasts only until a servant girl says she saw him with Jesus.

Only Jesus is faithful until death.

Something in us desires to be the hero. We all are tempted to say with Peter and the other disciples, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you” (Mark 14:31).

And whenever we try to be the hero, we fall flat on our faces – months or years later, if not (like Peter) that very day.

Only Jesus is the hero.

The Gospel is not the story of great men who do great deeds for God. The Gospel is not the story of heros of the Christian religion who, through tenacity, boldness, and strength conquer kingdoms and overcome evil. The Gospel is not the story of women of great insight and cleverness who outsmart evil oppressors.

The Gospel is the story of a holy and loving and faithful Trinitarian God: The Gospel is the story of God the Father planning and orchestrating all affairs of this world to display His character, His glory. The Gospel is the story of God the Son leaving His throne to become incarnate as Man, living the life God always intended for mankind, and then suffering and dying on the cross so that He might rise to be the first among many brothers. The Gospel is the story of God the Holy Spirit making alive hell-deserving sinners, opening their eyes to treasure God the Son, and empowering them to accomplish good works by faith for God’s glory.

By faith. That is, by looking away from their own abilities and limitations, by looking away from their strengths and their weaknesses, by looking away from themselves and their organizations, and leaning on God and His power to accomplish His purposes.

The Gospel is the story of man’s dependence and God’s independence, of man’s failures and God’s successes, of man’s moral bankruptcy and God’s moral integrity. The Gospel is about Jesus, not us; He must increase, and we must decrease.

Yet as we decrease in our egotistical self-confidence, something marvelous happens. His increase does not result in our fading into obscurity. As we walk by faith and not by sight, He increases, while we revel in our dependence. As we become poor in spirit and meek, we become heirs of the Kingdom; as we delight in His greatness and our weakness, we become the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

So as we consider over the next several days Jesus’ triumphal entry, His arrest, trial, beatings, and crucifixion, and as we rejoice in His resurrection, remember: The Gospel is all about Him. He is the center. Faith is a looking away from ourselves and what we have to offer. He paid the penalty. He rose from the dead. He is at the right hand of the Father. He always lives to make intercession for us. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us. The Gospel is all about Him.

We must decrease. Praise God! We are dependent. Praise Jesus! We are children. Praise the Spirit! We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Amazing grace! Amazing love!

 

Is Jesus’ Death Just?

Jesus is condemned to death. Jesus is condemned to death! Is this just?

Surely on a human level, this is a travesty of justice. Jesus’ trial is a sham, violating virtually every rule regarding fair trials under both Jewish and Roman law. There was no due process exercised in this trial; Jesus was innocent of any wrongdoing.

But consider Jesus’ condemnation from God’s point of view. Was Jesus’ death justified?

Listen to these words of Scripture:

· The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

· He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. (1 Peter 2:24)

· He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. (Hebrews 9: 26-28)

These Scriptures tell us that from God’s point of view, Jesus’ death was justified. Indeed, Jesus’ death was necessary if anyone is to be saved – for without His death, God would have to punish you and me for our sins. (more…)