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The Death of the Cross Elder James White, writing in The Review and Herald of Feb. 7, 1856 noted: The “mystery of iniquity” began to work in the church in Paul’s day. It finally crowded out the simplicity of the gospel, and corrupted the doctrine of Christ, and the church went into the wilderness. Martin Luther, and other reformers, arose in the strength of God, and with the Word and Spirit, made mighty strides in the Reformation. The greatest fault we can find in the Reformation is, the Reformers stopped reforming. Had they gone on, and onward, till they had left the last vestige of Papacy behind, such as natural immortality, sprinkling, the trinity, and Sunday-keeping, the church would now be free from her unscriptural errors. As we have noted earlier, the Adventist pioneers rejected the doctrine of the Trinity. While several reasons were advanced for this rejection, the point most offensive was that it was subversive to the atonement. Remember that the Advent movement was based on a fuller revelation of the atonement than had ever been understood before. “The Scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’” (The Great Controversy, p. 409) Anything that is subversive to the atonement is subversive to the advent movement! The reason the Trinity was considered to be subversive to the atonement involved the fact that it degraded the dignity of the sacrifice, and thus the power of the atonement. First, an appreciation of the law of God cannot be realized without an appreciation of the greatness of the sacrifice needed to atone for the transgressor. The strength of any law is revealed by the sacrifice needed to atone for its transgression. If the law is of such a low nature that only a human sacrifice, or even the life of an angel, could atone for its transgression, then the stature of the law is far different from the stature of a law that would require a divine sacrifice. In fact, the difference would be as great as that between a creature and the Creator! God’s law is so high, so sacred and just, and its transgression so abhorrent in His sight that only the life of His dear Son, and nothing less, could be accepted as an atonement for its violation. The realization of this truth will establish a tremendous respect for God’s law in the believer’s heart. Our understanding of the law and the offering for its violation go hand in hand. We cannot have a totally correct view of one without the other. To degrade the law, we must of necessity degrade the offering needed to atone for its violation. To degrade the sacrifice, we must of necessity degrade the law which requires it. The inverse is also true. If we exalt the law, we must of necessity exalt the value of the sacrifice needed to atone for its transgression. Also, an exaltation of the sacrifice must of necessity exalt the stature of the law which requires it. Since the Trinitarian doctrine only makes provision for a human sacrifice, the dignity of the law, the Lawgiver, and the Sacrifice are degraded. Elder J. H. Waggoner explains it thus: It is not our purpose to present any argument on the doctrine of the trinity, further than it has a bearing on the subject under consideration, namely, on the Atonement. Many theologians really think that the Atonement, in respect to its dignity and efficacy, rests upon the doctrine of a trinity. But we fail to see any connection between the two. To the contrary, the advocates of that doctrine really fall into the difficulty which they seem anxious to avoid. Their difficulty consists in this: They take the denial of a trinity to be equivalent to a denial of the divinity of Christ. Were that the case, we should cling to the doctrine of a trinity as tenaciously as any can; but it is not the case. They who have read our remarks on the death of the Son of God know that we firmly believe in the divinity of Christ; but we cannot accept the idea of a trinity, as it is held by Trinitarians, without giving up our claim on the dignity of the sacrifice made for our redemption. And here is shown how remarkably the widest extremes meet in theology. The highest Trinitarians and lowest Unitarians meet and are perfectly united on the death of Christ—the faith of both amounts to Socinianism. Unitarians believe that Christ was a prophet, an inspired teacher, but merely human; that his death was that of a human body only. Trinitarians hold that the term “Christ” comprehends two distinct and separate natures: one that was merely human; the other, the second person in the Trinity, who dwelt in the flesh for a brief period, but could not possibly suffer, or die; that the Christ that died was only the human nature in which the divinity had dwelt. Both classes have a human offering, and nothing more. No matter how exalted the preexistent Son was; no matter how glorious, how powerful, or even eternal; if the manhood only died, the sacrifice was only human. And so far as the vicarious death of Christ is concerned, this is Socinianism. Thus the remark is just, that the doctrine of a Trinity degrades the Atonement, resting it solely on a human offering as a basis. (The Atonement in the Light of Nature and Revelation, pp. 164 - 166, 1884 edition.) A very important point must be noted from Waggoner. A correct understanding of the doctrine of the atonement (which involves a rejection of the Trinitarian teaching) does not require “a denial of the divinity of Christ.” In fact, it is based on the concept that the sacrifice upon Calvary was a divine sacrifice instead of merely a human one. The truth that the divine Son of God died upon the cross was the center of Paul’s teachings. Writing to the Corinthians he stated: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1, 2) While Paul and other inspired writers mention the incarnation, the life of Christ, the resurrection, ascension, and His high priestly ministry, the emphasis was on the cross. That does not mean that any portion of the plan of salvation is more necessary than another. To illustrate this, let us examine a lesson from the human body. God has given man two lungs to provide oxygen for the body and to remove carbon dioxide. We couldn’t live without our lungs. God has also given each of us a liver. The liver secretes bile and acts in formation of blood and in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. We couldn’t live without it. In addition to this, God has given each of us a heart. This fist-sized organ weighing between nine and eleven ounces pumps the blood around the body 60 - 80 times a minute, every minute we live. In one day alone it pumps an astounding 4,000 gallons of blood. We couldn’t live without it! Now very simply, if we were to ask which of these organs is the most vital to you, what could you say? Take any away and the person dies! All are important, and the failure of any one organ leads to the failure of the whole body. In like manner, the different aspects of the plan of salvation are all necessary. If we remove any one portion of that plan, the whole plan fails. This being true, why did Paul emphasize the death of Christ on the cross so much? It was because, as Wieland and Short elegantly wrote, “Through the death of Christ He (God) could break and win the hearts of sinners, and thus reconcile them to Himself.” (1888 Re-Examined, p. 173, 1950 edition) The medium of the cross is God’s way of speaking to the heart of man in a way that nothing else could. Not only does it fulfill the demands of the broken law, but it illustrates the love of God and His Son for sinful man. Virtually anyone who has ever claimed the title “Christian” has heard about the cross. Have we really studied the cross and the events surrounding it? What really happened at Calvary? We quote John 3:16 and freely speak of Christ dying on the cross, but as Elder Waggoner pointed out over 100 years ago, many have a very faulty understanding of what Golgotha is portraying to us. This chapter will investigate the following three points: 1.) Did Jesus die in totality? 2.) How could the Son of God die if He was divine? 3.) If Christ really died in totality, how does He live to make intercession? Christ Died For Sinners Today we live in a troubled world. Racial differences, “ethnic cleansing,” and prejudice cause divisions. While we live in a very fragmented and divided world, the one common denominator that links all humanity is the fact that all are sinners! “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here we are told that Christ was given for one class of people: sinners! In the heart of his message on justification as found in Romans, Paul testifies, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) Paul states that Christ did die and that He died for those who hated His Father. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul also declared: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3) Two significant things from Paul’s words will be noted at this time. First, the gospel he taught was that which he received. Paul declares that he had received first hand instruction from Christ Himself. Earlier in this epistle, he had written: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.” (1 Corinthians 11:23a) He also instructed the Galatians: “For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:12) Clearly, what Paul claims to have taught was the pure, direct Gospel of Christ. Second, neither Paul, nor the other Bible writers, used words in meaningless ways. When Paul wrote that “Christ died,” he meant just that. The term Jesus Christ is more than a name, it is really a compound of the Son of God’s earthly name, “Jesus” which means Saviour, and His heavenly position, “Christ” (the Anointed One or Messiah). If Paul had wanted to emphasize that it was only the human nature of the Son that died, he could have written that “Jesus died” but instead he wrote “Christ (the Anointed One or divine Messiah) died.” Paul believed that the Son of God really died. The testimony of Jesus Christ Himself is equally clear. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus says: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Jesus says that he was dead. Friend, did He lie? I don’t believe that He ever told anything but pure truth. We can agree with Peter when he stated that Jesus “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22) No, Jesus told the truth when He said that He was the Son of God and that He died. He is “the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14) When Jesus and the disciples came to the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He told His disciples that He was going to die. After giving Peter and the other disciples an opportunity to acknowledge that He was the Son of the living God, the Bible says, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21) Peter didn’t take this very favorably. The next verse records: “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” (verse 22) Peter tried to deny that Jesus must die. This brought the rebuke from Christ, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (verse 23) It was Satan, the father of all lies (see John 8:44), not God, who had inspired Peter into his rashness. When Jesus had opened before his disciples the fact that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of the chief priests and scribes, Peter had presumptuously contradicted his Master, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee.” He could not conceive it possible that the Son of God should be put to death. Satan suggested to his mind that if Jesus was the Son of God he could not die. (Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 3, p. 231) The evidence is clear that God wants us to understand that the atonement is based on the real and full death of the Son of the Great Lawgiver. Satan wants us to believe “that if Jesus was the Son of God he could not die!” “According to the Scriptures” Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” The most graphic and detailed account of Christ’s death is found in Isaiah chapter 53. This chapter describes the totality of Christ’s death. We have been counseled: “The entire chapter should be committed to memory. Its influence will subdue and humble the soul defiled by sin and uplifted by self-exaltation.” (Youth Instructor, Dec. 20, 1900) The last three verses of chapter 52 and the first six verses of chapter 53 begin with the sufferings of Yahweh’s servant. However, it must be remembered that the law required death, not torture. Verses seven through twelve speak explicitly of death.1
The Divine Son of God Died This brings us to the second question of our study: How could the Son of God die if He was divine? To answer this we need to first understand some of the attributes of God that set Him apart from his creatures. The first attribute of God is that he is omnipotent. This simply means that he is all powerful; His power is unlimited. This is especially noticeable concerning His creative ability. In fact, it is this ability that God says sets Him apart from all false gods. Notice the contrast illustrated in the following verses: But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. (Jeremiah 10:10-12) For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. (Psalm 96:5) The second attribute of God is that He is omnipresent. This means that God can be anywhere or everywhere at any time. In fact, by His spirit He can be all places at all times. David said, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (Psalm 139:7, 8) The third attribute of God is that He is omniscient. This means that God is all knowing. He has total knowledge of that which has occurred in the past as well as what is currently happening. He also knows the future before it happens. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10) Not only does God have total knowledge of events, He also understands all scientific and psychological mysteries. (See Job chapters 38 - 41.) The fourth attribute of God is that He is inherently immortal. That means not subject to death. This is also the exclusive property of God.2 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17) Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16) The Form of a Slave The Apostle Paul, under inspiration, writes concerning Christ: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6, 7) The original Greek in the first part of verse 7 is: alla eauton ekenwsew, which literally translates to: “but himself emptied.” Paul says that the One who was divine - “in the form of God,” “emptied” Himself of that divine form. In other words, Christ emptied Himself of the divine attributes in the incarnation and accepted the essential attributes of a slave. Jesus laid aside His omnipotence. “The faithful and true witness” stated very clearly: “Verily, verily (truly, truly), I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. ... I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:19, 30) Ellen G. White wrote: “All the miracles of Christ performed for the afflicted and suffering were, by the power of God, through the ministration of angels.” (Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, p. 67) Christ did not retain His omnipotence in the incarnation, but rather totally depended on the Father. Christ laid aside His omnipresence. Even a casual reading of the gospels reveals that Jesus accepted the physical restrictions of humanity. This is one reason that Jesus told the disciples that it was “expedient” for Him to go away so that the omnipresent Comforter could come.3 Christ laid aside His omniscience in the incarnation. Luke 2:52 states that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” One can not increase in wisdom if he already possesses it all. In fact, Jesus plainly told the disciples that He did not even know the exact time of the second coming. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)4 Finally, Christ laid aside His immortality in the incarnation. The Scriptures teach that the soul of Christ died, that He gave up the “breath of life” at Calvary. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. (Matthew 27:50)5 When we consider these four attributes together, we see that Christ, in the incarnation, laid aside the attributes of divinity while retaining His divine relationship with His Father, i.e.; He was divine because of who He was and not because of powers or abilities He had within Himself. He was still the divine Son of God. The Scriptures confirm what the servant of the Lord wrote nearly 100 years ago: At the time when He was most needed, Jesus, the Son of God, the world’s Redeemer, laid aside His divinity, and came to earth in the garb of humanity. (Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, Oct. 12, 1896) It must be understood that Christ came from the Father, “not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person.” (Signs of the Times, May 30, 1895) Christ received by nature all the attributes of God. Because Jesus was the begotten Son of God, He received the attributes of God, including inherent immortality. This immortality, along with His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, Christ laid aside in the incarnation and could do so because He had received these from God. A mere creature, one created from nothing, would not measure up to the divine stature necessary to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. If Christ had been co-equal and co-eternal with God in every respect, then He could not have laid these attributes aside. Divinity Clothed in Humanity How do we relate to statements from Ellen White where she writes that Christ “clothed his divinity with humanity?” (R&H, June 1, 1905) Was His divinity “clothed” or “laid aside?” We do not believe that these statements are antithesis one to the other, but rather that they complement one another. We find the answer to their relationship in the following Scriptural passage, and in some of Sister White’s comments on this text. And the Devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the Devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Luke 4:5-7) He presented the world to Christ as a most dazzling, enchanting spectacle. But Christ saw that which Satan tried to veil from his eyes, and that which he flattered himself he had done. Christ had not exchanged his divinity for humanity; but he had clothed his divinity in humanity, and he gave Satan the evidence for which he had asked,—showed him that he was the Son of God. Divinity flashed through humanity, and the evil one could not resist the authority of the divine voice, as Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (R&H, Oct. 29, 1895) It was not His omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, or immortality that Satan could not resist. No, it was His divine authority! While Christ laid aside the physical and mental attributes of divinity at the incarnation, He was still the divine Son of God invested with authority because of who He was! He was still the Son of the living God. In all of His humanity, He never gave up His divinely appointed authority which the Father had given Him. This explains why Satan’s temptation in the wilderness was not to make the stones turn into bread, but rather to command them to be bread. (See Matthew 4:3, 4) In the parable of the wicked husbandmen, the householder said that they would respect his Son because He was his Son! “But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.” (Matthew 21:37) Our Hope is in His Resurrection If Christ really died, how can He live today? The answer is that the One who bestowed life upon His Son before eternity began raised Him from the dead. Nearly thirty times the New Testament makes mention of God raising Christ from the dead. The testimony of Scripture is plain: And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. .... Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (Acts 3:15; 4:10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he [God] raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10) Who by him do believe in God, that raised him [Jesus] up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21) The Word of God is very clear that our hope would die without the resurrection of Christ. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul noted: “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:12-17) In each of these and other statements from the New Testament, when the construction of the Greek is examined, the following is to be noted. First, when speaking of the Father as being the One who raised Christ, the Greek syntax is always in the active voice which represents the subject as the doer or performer of the action. In each case, the Father is the One who performs the action. Secondly, in each case where it describes Christ as receiving life, it is always in the passive voice which represents the subject as being the recipient of the action. The Scriptures hold out the resurrection of Jesus by the Father as being our real hope. Notice these clear statements by the apostle Paul: “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14) Paul states that he received the gospel directly from Christ. Since Paul wrote about Jesus being raised by the Father, it should not be surprising to find that the Saviour also mentioned the fact that he would rise from the dead. Notice the following clear statements from Jesus as recorded by Matthew: “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21) “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.” (Matthew 17:22-23) “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Matthew 20:18, 19) In reviewing the facts of Scripture from this study we may restate the following points: First, Christ laid aside His immortality to die. Second, He died in totality; His “soul” (nephesh) was poured out. Third, to be raised from the dead, He had to die! The Trinitarian doctrine states that God and Christ are co-equal and co-eternal in every respect; that Christ was and is self-existent, not depending on God for His life. It teaches that Christ had three natures: the divine spirit, the human body, and the human soul. The only one capable of dying was the human body. The Adventist version accepts the human body and divine spirit, but leaves out the human soul. Either theology has only the human body, (the part considered the most inferior of the three (or two) natures) as the sacrifice for the sins of the world! While we are not instructed as to the manner in which God gave life to Jesus in the resurrection, we do know that it was the second time that God gave life to His Son. The record of the first time can be found in Proverbs 8:22-25.6 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works. He established me before time was in the beginning, before he made the earth: even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth: before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me.” (Proverbs 8:22-25, LXX) The word in verse 23 for “time” is aiwnoV (aionos). The root word for aionos is aiwn (aion) from which we have the English word, “eon” - an indefinitely long period of time, or eternity. God brought forth His Son before time, before the eons, and gave Christ His spirit. At His death, Jesus committed the keeping of His spirit to His Father; therefore God could restore that spirit to Christ in the resurrection. Peter writes: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) God’s law has been broken by man. The penalty is death. Our hope of eternal life centers in Jesus Christ whohas truly paid that penalty for us. Jesus said: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:24-29) The Cross Demonstrates God’s Love The death of Christ proves the love of God. “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) That love is what motivates the Christian: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) Christ is the perfect revelation of the character of God. “When Paul beheld Jesus lifted up on the cross, he didn’t just see Jesus, but the Father Himself crucified with His Son. Not that the Father died physically, but rather His message at the cross was a revelation of the eternal, unselfish principles of His character. God through Christ has declared that He will serve even the creatures He has made, no matter what the personal inconvenience, pain and suffering to Himself. He is willing to serve and save man at any cost to Himself.” (Fred Allaback, sermon “The Double-Cross”- emphasis in the original) Referring to the charges that Satan had made against God, Ellen White wrote: “Satan had accused God of requiring self-denial of the angels, when he knew nothing of what it meant himself, and when he would not himself make any self-sacrifice for others. This was the accusation that Satan made against God in heaven; and after the evil one was expelled from heaven, he continually charged the Lord with exacting service which he would not render himself. Christ came to the world to meet these false accusations, and to reveal the Father.” (Review & Herald, February 18, 1890)7 Not only did the cross answer questions concerning the character of God, but the death of Christ also revealed the true nature of Satan and sin. Calvary revealed the character of rebellion. It showed that Satan would go to any length to cause suffering to God. There is no limit to the effort Satan would put forth to have things his way. Satan was demonstrating the principle that has motivated him: he expects others to serve him at any expense necessary. Unlike God, who is willing to offer service at His expense to us, Satan expects our service to him at our expense! Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” What Christ is telling us is that as our love for Him grows, we will accept the principle of the cross: a willingness to serve others at our own expense. The unconverted heart follows the principle of Satan. The converted heart follows the principle of Christ. Only the actual death of Christ as demonstrated at Calvary can motivate men’s hearts to make such a change. |
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