Bulletin Articles
HIS SUFFERING WAS LESS, BUT ITS VALUE IS GREATER
HIS SUFFERING WAS LESS, BUT ITS VALUE IS GREATER
I have spent literally decades contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. I did this for my own edification and enlightenment. I truly wanted to comprehend, as much as humanly possible, the nature of His sacrifice; and I wanted to be able to communicate that in my preaching. My view has evolved over the years, with every new thing I learned. I believe the true nature of His sacrifice could be stated thusly: “The blood of the sinless Son of God was given in exchange for the souls of a sinful humanity” (cf. 1Pt.3:18).
As we ponder this, we are immediately impressed by the “inequality” of this transaction: blood for souls; the sinless for the sinful; the Son of God for the sons of men; one for many. There is nothing equal about this at all! Isaiah said it best, when he wrote, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Is.53:5-6).
When the Lord “laid” our iniquity upon Jesus, He did NOT lay our guilt on Jesus (He was sinless, Is.53:9). NOR did He lay our punishment on Jesus (Jesus went to paradise, not Hell, Lk.23:43). Instead, the Lord laid our iniquity on Jesus by means of the wounds, bruises, chastisements, and stripes that He endured for our sins. Those physical sufferings simply do not “add up” to an eternity in Hell for everyone who has sinned! Simply put, “His suffering was less” (see the title of this article).
That being said, we must not underestimate the horrific nature of everything He endured. He was betrayed, denied, falsely accused, wrongly convicted, scourged, mocked, beaten, and then crucified. I would not want to endure ANY of those things, let alone ALL of them! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died one of the most cruel and painful deaths imaginable. Though not equal to an eternity in Hell, His sufferings were extremely great!
And this cruel and painful death of Jesus is a sacrifice which holds great value. That value is demonstrated in at least three ways. First, it was the blood of the incarnate Son of God. This is not the blood of an animal; nor the blood of an ordinary human being. GOD HIMSELF put on human flesh, and offered it for our sins (Ph.2:5-8). There is a great value to the fact that our God gave His own life for us! Second, the blood He offered was sinless blood. Sinless blood is clearly of greater value than sinful blood. Sinful blood deserves to die (cf. Rm.1:28-32); but sinless blood is not deserving of death. Hence, it has far greater value in that it deserves to live. Third, He offered His blood voluntarily. No one made Him do this; it was purely an act of love and devotion toward mankind. Even in the everyday affairs of this life, we impart great value to a voluntary sacrifice (cf. Jn.15:13). Think of all of the soldiers, sailors, police officers, and first responders who lay their lives on the line every day for us! For these reasons, THE VALUE of the blood of the Son of God, offered on the cross for our sins, IS GREATER than the sins of “the whole world” (cf. 1Jn.2:2). In the words of a popular hymn, “Amazing love! How can it be, that you, my God, would die for me?”
The cross of Christ is a singular piece of genius, which could never have been invented by man. In one sublime act, God demonstrated His great love for us (Rm.5:8), the horrific nature of our sins (Hb.9:22), and the power to break our stubborn wills that we might serve Him (2Cor.5:14-15). And yet, all of this is for naught, if we fail to appreciate and accept what was done on our behalf. So, my friend, what about you? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe He offered Himself for your sins? Do you believe His is raised from the dead, and reigning as King of the universe? If so, then repent of your sins, confess His name, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Ac.2:36-39). If we can help you, please let us know!
--Lanny Smith
