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How
Can I
Live Forever?
Chapter 4
A World Redeemed
Once
we understand that the demands of the law were satisfied
fully and forever at Calvary, and that Jesus, by His
sacrifice, bore the full penalty for all injustice and
sin, then only can we appreciate that humanity - every
last one of us - has been redeemed from the curse of the law. In other words,
Jesus never left a solitary stone unturned.
`He
has carried the sins of the whole
world . . . The crucified One bore them
all, and every soul who believes in Him shall not
perish, but have eternal life. The sacrifice of Christ
is of sufficient value to save the whole world.'
(LHU110;
PP67)
Calvary,
therefore, was not just for the spiritual elite, whoever
they may be, it was God's full and abundant provision
for the sinfulness of all people for all time. This is
why Scripture assures us that . . .
Jesus
`is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for
ours but also for the sins of the whole world.' (1 John
2:2)
This
being the case, we might rest in the blessed assurance that . . .
`God
was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.' (2 Corinthians
5:19)
All
of which
means, in effect, that Jesus has `made satisfaction for
the guilt of the whole world.' (1SM392)
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`The sacrifice of Christ is of sufficient value to save the whole world.' (PP67)
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When Jesus died,
therefore, He suffered the
penalty
for sins past, present and future - even for those sins
that you and I have not yet committed - even for those
sins that will one day be committed by those who are
still to be born. Is He not a marvelous Saviour? Can He
do any more than He has done?
`He
has paid the ransom money for the whole world.' (MS41,
1896)
And
now, thanks only to the blood that was shed on
Calvary, . . .
`It
is the Father's prerogative [privilege] to forgive our
transgressions and sins, because Christ has taken upon
Himself our guilt and reprieved us.' (6BC1070)
May
we say, therefore, that Jesus has purchased
the right for all mankind to be forgiven? Yes we may. This is
why there is absolute hope for all people. It is a hope
that is founded on the glorious fact that, as a result
of Calvary, . . .
`There
are no sins He will not forgive in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ.' (7BC913)
In
fact, the offering of Jesus was so complete, so
all-encompassing, so flawless, and it satisfied the
demands of justice so fully that, as a result, even
today, . . .
`No
sin can be committed by man for which satisfaction has
not been met on Calvary.' (6BC1071)
`Whatever
the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is
washed away in the blood of Christ.' (DA322)
It
is more than obvious, therefore, that we simply cannot out-sin
God. Even if we consider ourselves to be the most
heinous of sinners, God has paved the way for every one
of us to entertain a hope that is absolute. Of this we
can be sure because . . .
`Salvation
for the chief of sinners was His theme.' (DA753).
How
thankful we should be, therefore, . . .
¤
knowing
that `Christ died for the ungodly.' (Romans 5:6)
¤
knowing
that `God justifies the wicked.' (Romans 4:5)
¤
knowing
that `He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.'
(Luke 6:35)
For
those of us who have lived a little closer to the shady
side of life, this is exceptionally good news. Those of
us who have groveled in the deepest pits of sin have a
desperate need of the reassurance that comes from
knowing that . . .
`The
offering [of Jesus] is wholly acceptable, and pardon
covers all transgression.' (7BC931)
To
repeat, therefore, regardless of our past or our
present condition, Jesus has secured our right to be
pardoned and, as a result, we can find perfect peace in
the knowledge that . . .
`There
is forgiveness for the least sin, forgiveness for the
greatest sin.' (7BC933)
Of
course, we can scorn God's forgiveness; or we might
refuse to forgive another, and thus disqualify ourselves
from being forgiven; or we can refuse to acknowledge our
need of forgiveness, and thus make it impossible for God
to forgive us, but the fact remains that no matter what
impression we might have of ourselves, no matter what
our secret sins might be, God has secured the license
for all of fallen humanity to
be pardoned.
This
being the case, if we realize that we are transgressors, we should not despair, for
our `pardon has already been secured.'
(PK668)
As
such, we `may rejoice in the
sense of sins forgiven, in the love of a
pardoning heavenly Father who has encircled
sinful, repentant human beings in the arms of His love,
bound up our wounds, cleansed us from sin, and clothed
us with the garments of salvation.' (PK668)
Please
notice again that our pardon `has already been
secured.' As such, we can appreciate
that . . .
`The
only reason that we have not remission of sin [pardon]
is that we have not acknowledged to Him whom we have
wounded by our transgression, whom we have pierced by
our sins, that we are at fault, and in need of mercy.'
(1SM326)
This
is why Jesus, John the Baptist, and the
disciples had one overriding appeal - "Repent." This is
why Jesus' entreaty to Laodicea today is still that we
should repent - in other words, that we should
acknowledge that we are sinners in need of mercy, and that
we are transgressors in need of grace, and
by so doing we may avail ourselves of the provision that God
has made for all who are willing to acknowledge their
need of a gracious, pardoning Saviour.
We
must conclude, therefore, that God really is an
infinitely kind Father. He did not wait for us to be
good enough to be saved - He went out and, by His blood,
sweat, tears, and death, He purchased our right to be
saved - even while we were lost. Scripture leaves us
with no doubt as to the fact that . . .
`When
we were overwhelmed by sins, [God] atoned for our
transgressions.' (Psalm 65:3)
What
a God! What love! What a Saviour! It remains only for us
to fall on our knees at the foot of the cross so that
His blood - the blood that He shed for a lost world - might fall on us
and cover us.
Today,
as a I sat editing this chapter on my balcony, I prayed
for all who would ever read these words. I prayed for
you dear reader. I prayed that this document would
impress you with the fact that God loves you personally,
that He knows you by name, and that He has prepared a mansion in
heaven - just for you.
Please
read on . . . the good news only gets better and better.
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