From the desk of Pastor Ben
Christ’s Real Sacrifice

“The bread also which I give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
                        (John 6:51b)

Over the centuries, many Christians, as well as those merely having an academic interest or curiosity in Christianity, have wrestled with the nature of Jesus’ atonement. How definitive was it, and was His death an actual satisfaction of God’s justice, accompanied by a real turning away of His wrath from specific sinners? We can answer definitively that Jesus, the Bread from Heaven, offered a genuine payment and full atonement — not one that was conditional — on behalf of God’s chosen people.

God commands people everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. And they have to exercise a certain amount of responsibility to obey that call. But redemption is ultimately the work of God, and Jesus died to accomplish it. His sacrifice on the cross did not merely make salvation possible and contingent on the sinner’s eventual acceptance. Instead, our Lord’s sacrifice actually paid the penalty for all who believe. Humans don’t limit the atonement by their lack of faith; God determines its extent by His sovereign plan.

Jesus did not give His flesh only for Israel, but for people everywhere (John 10:16; 1 John 2:2). He died for them regardless of nationality, culture, or socio-economic standing (Isaiah 45:22; Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). Christ Himself preached, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15; 12:32). The Son is the only Savior for lost sinners across the world.

Ask Yourself:
What would keep someone from being willing to accept that Jesus’ death on the cross is sufficient to cover their every transgression and sin and declare them righteous before the Father? Why do so many insist on adding more to the gospel, infusing human will into the process?