When I first trusted in Christ as my Savior, I had no doubt that He had died in my place.

I was fully persuaded that His death and suffering and blood had paid the Full Price for my sins.

I never entertained some theological charge that God was engaging in some kind of “child abuse” toward His Son! Never did I think such as thing!

And yet, there are men and women today, within the highest levels of Evangelical Christianity, that say this is the case. That God would never sacrifice His Son to pay for the sins of men.

And those same men and women are not rebuked for their heresy; but are heralded as great men of God by the mainstream Evangelical church.

On this “Holy Thursday” (which is when I believe the crucifixion of our Lord truly occurred), I am thankful for the absolute wonder of all that He did for us. 

And of His complete and total work of salvation for those who trust Him. For every soul that will believe in Him alone as their only hope for salvation. 

A Clear Dividing Line

This has become the increasingly clear dividing line between those who are saved and those who are lost. 

It is the line that has to do with the Total Sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross. 

Not some partial sufficiency, but Total. 

Not some belief that good works or rituals combined with faith in His finished work = salvation. But the trust in His finished work.

The scriptures tell us that there is no more sacrifice that remains for sin. “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” (Hebrews 10:12)

There is no more sacrifice that can be added to what has already been accomplished. The Great High Priest offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and sat down. Because He was and is the Perfect Lamb of God. 

His job was forever finished!

No Partial Atonement Will Do

What is very sobering about all of this is that, not only do many of our contemporary “Christian” leaders deny this, but also many of the supposed “heroes” of the faith from the past. Men who have been held up for generations as great examples of faith in the gospel of Christ. 

And yet, it really doesn’t take some deep search to find men who were preachers, theologians, scholars, famous writers of children’s books, pastors, etc. who actually denied the substitutionary atonement of Christ. 

These are men who, instead, trusted in some type of “formalism” or “sacraments” or piety or good works to “make up for what was lacking” in their faith. In other words, they were not trusting fully and totally on Christ as their substitute. 

Instead, their lives demonstrated a belief in their faith + works or in Christ + another mediator. Which is seen in any who are trusting in someone or something in addition to Christ as the mediator between themselves and God. 

Let us thank God for His wonderful provision in Christ for us. For all the horrors of our eternal debt that He paid for us. 

And that we may rest and rejoice in Him – having true peace with God through the death of His Son. 

 

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