As He is, so are we!

Noah's Ark reminds me of a sublime truth which is often not enjoyed/understood by believers. It relates to our identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. God views Christ as our representative and, as such, what He has experienced is reckoned to be true of the people He represents. The Ark serves to illustrate this:

The Ark passed through the waters of judgment once, and emerged triumphant to rest eventually on Ararat. Never again must the Ark take that journey through the flood waters. Noah and his family likewise passed through the waters (inside the Ark), and when they made their exit from the Ark, the waters of judgment were forever behind them.

The apostle John records that "[Christians] may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4.17). The meaning is that with respect to judgment, God views each believer as being in the same position as the Son of God, "as He is, so are we". This gives great confidence for the "day of judgment".

As far as the Son of God is concerned, judgment is forever behind Him. It happened once when, under the hand of God, "He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities" (Is 53.5). At Calvary, the "LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is 53.6), and the flood waters of divine wrath swept over Him. But He has emerged from those waters, and He will never enter them again. The Son of God, in a finite period of time, bore the infinite wrath of God against sin. It was a never-to-be-repeated event of history. He was "once offered to bear the sins of many", He "offered one sacrifice for sins for ever" (Heb 9.28, 10.12). We are sanctified "through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb 10.10).

So, for the risen Son of God all judgment is past. But the wonder is that, "as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4.17)! In the reckoning of God our judgment is also past, and we stand now before God in all the acceptability of the risen Christ! Just as my judgment was borne by Christ, so my righteous status before God is "in Christ", for He is my representative. What boldness, what confidence this gives!

"Death and judgment are behind me,
Grace and glory are before;
All the billows rolled o'er Jesus,
There they spent their utmost power.

First-fruits of the resurrection,
He is risen from the tomb;
Now we stand in new creation,
Free, because beyond our doom."

(Mrs J A Trench 1843-1925)

"No condemnation O my soul
'Tis God that speaks the Word
Perfect in comeliness art thou
In Christ thy glorious Lord"

(R C Chapman 1803-1902)

Christ in Abel (2)

In our last post we considered Abel's shepherding and reminded ourselves of the "good shepherd", our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today I would like to consider Abel's sacrifice, and see how it is a preview of the sacrifice of Christ.

The Sacrifice

Abel "brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Gen 4.4)

Abel brought an offering to God which was acceptable to Him, and accepted by Him. On the other hand, "unto Cain and to his offering, [God] had not respect" (Gen 4.5). What made the difference? Why was Abel's offering acceptable, and Cain's unacceptable? Consider two facts:

1. Abel offered what God Demanded

The writer to the Hebrews confirms that it was "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ..." (Heb 11.4).

Faith in scripture is a believing response to a God's self-revelation. It is trust in God's word. Thus Abel, in his offering, acted in response to a prior revelation of God.

It seems evident that Adam and Eve would have rehearsed in the ears of their family the events of Eden. They would have instructed Cain and Abel that disobedience is punishable by death (Gen 2.17) and that the sinner requires a substitutionary sacrifice (Gen 3.21). Abel responded to these truths trustingly - he believed God, and his offering manifested the faith that he had.

Abel sacrificed his little lamb, acknowledging God's demand that his sin be punished, and appreciating that an innocent substitute could, and would (in symbol) bear that punishment for him!

Is this not the faith that brings acceptance with God still? A person who acknowledges that they are sinful and worthy only of divine judgment, and accepts the sacrifice of Christ as sufficient payment for their sins, is accepted with God. Upon trusting Christ as their Saviour, they take Christ as their Substitute, and are thereby safe from judgment.

On the other hand, Cain ignored God's word. He did not accept that his sin was punishable by death, and he therefore did not see the need for a substitutionary sacrifice! He reasoned that what he produced would be sufficient for God to accept him. Sadly there are many who think the same today, and they will suffer the same dreadful disappointment as Cain.

It would be healthy for all of us to ask ourselves the question "Why should God allow me into heaven?". If my answer to that question is "Because of what I have done", then I am like Cain, and God will not accept me. If, however my answer is "Because of what Christ has done for me", then I am like Abel and God will accept me because my faith rests in Christ and His sacrifice alone.

2. Abel offered what God Deserved

It is also worthy of note that Abel offered "the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof". This describes the best of the animals at Abel's disposal. Abel came as a worshipper, and he offered the best to God.

In bringing the best, Abel was bringing (in symbol) what God deserves from His creatures, but never gets. Here was recognition on Abel's part, not only of God's righteous requirements in respect of sin, but also of God's glorious person.

Praise God, in the death of His Son at Calvary, God received what He demanded for man - a sufficient substitutionary sacrifice, full payment in respect of sin. However, he also received what He desired from man - complete whole-hearted devotion to Himself.

Ultimately there was only One sacrifice acceptable to God. Every Old Testament sacrifice looked forward to the "offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all" (Hebrews 10.10). And every Christian looks back with joy to the fact that "this man ... offered one sacrifice for sins forever" (Heb 10.12). This once-for-all sacrifice has been offered and accepted!

May we rejoice that the one who is the "good Shepherd" (John 10.11) is also the "Lamb of God" (John 1.29)! And for all those who trust Him alone, there is security: both in His shepherd care, and in His substitutionary sacrifice.

Christ in the Fall (4)

In our previous posts on Genesis 3, we have traced out the Lord Jesus as contrasted with Adam and Eve, as calling to Adam and Eve, and as conquering for Adam and Eve. Today, we see Him typified in the covering provided by the LORD God for Adam and Eve. 

The Covering 

The immediate result of the fall was that "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (v7). 

From the moment when they became conscious of "good and evil" in the broadest moral sense, they knew that nakedness was unsuitable for the presence of God. A covering was required, "and they sowed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (v7). 

This covering showed some awareness of need, but did not properly assess God's righteousness. It did not cover them as God intended them to be covered. God intervened and "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (v21).

Thinly veiled under historical detail is a symbolic meaning which is expanded upon through Scripture. 

The Covering of Works

Adam and Eve were exposed before God, and they knew it. So "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4.13). With the backdrop of their disobedience, they were conscious that they were unfit for His presence. 

Thus they endeavoured to solve the problem by the application of initiative, ingenuity, and industry. They "sowed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (v7). However, even with this covering they were aware that they remained unfit for God's presence, for when they "heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day ... Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden". 

All of their efforts did not give peace to the conscience or assurance of acceptance. Is this not, in embryo, the problem of man-centred religion which has been perpetuated down through the centuries?  Adam and his wife must learn that nothing of man, no work or endeavour, will satisfy God's demands, or give peace to the troubled conscience. 

The Covering of Grace

However, on the principle of grace alone, another covering was soon provided. Consider:

The Source: This covering was provided by God Himself! "Unto Adam ... did the LORD God make coats of skin, and clothed them". This is most important because it was God before whom they were exposed, and His covering would meet His own requirements! It was not man's ingenuity, but God's idea. It was God's plan and not mans. 

The Sacrifice: The fact that "coats of skin" were used is the first record of the sacrifice of an animal. God had previously stated that sin would bring death (Gen 2.17), and here the death of an innocent victim, for the purpose of making the man acceptable before God, clearly indicates the inflexible character of God's righteousness. 

The Symbolism: Once again, the spiritual import of these historical details is evident. The covering required for acceptance with God is provided by God, and obtained through sacrifice. At the very dawn of humanity's existence God provided an object lesson on His intended means of salvation. 

The Son of God, sent by the Father, would come to provide salvation for the world (John 3.17). To do so He must die, suffering the punishment for our sins, dying the death we deserve. His life would voluntarily be given. He would offer "one sacrifice for sins" (Heb 10.12). More than that, His personal acceptance before God would become the acceptance of those who trust Him. "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" (2 Corinthians 5.21). Upon believing, a person is placed "in Christ", and therefore declared righteous, treated as righteous, and accepted with the same acceptance that is Christ's before God! 

"Behold a spotless Victim dies,

My surety on the tree;

The Lamb of God, the Sacrifice,

He gave Himself for me"

(Anonymous)

"So dear, so very dear to God,

More dear I cannot be;

The love wherewith He loves the Son;

Such is His love for me!"

(Catesby Paget).