GOD REVERSED THE ORDER

Someone said once, “There are many things in the Bible I cannot understand.  There are many things in the Bible I only think I understand.  But there are many things in the Bible I cannot misunderstand.”  So what did Jesus mean when He said, on His final night before crucifixion in John 14:31, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me?”

Some translate it to say, “He has no hold on me,” or “He has no power over me,” or “He has no claim on me.”

Satan was coming…but not like he came at Jesus when Jesus was tempted of the devil in the wilderness.  This time Jesus was going to massively suffer as a human being.  He was about to partake of pain and agony few have known, and in addition to His physical suffering, the forsaking of His disciples, the mocking of the crowds, all which would add the fuel of loneliness to the pain.  Perhaps Satan was coming in hopes that these combined sufferings would turn Jesus from His mission.  He would like to have heard the words from the cross, “I have failed,” instead of “It is finished.”  These verses ALL declare His sinlessness: 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, John 8:46, Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26.  I call these the SIX SINLESS SCRIPTURES.

Jesus Christ could not have atoned for the sins of anyone if He had been anything other than sinless.  Every Old Testament sacrifice had to be without blemish, teaching us that God was expecting a perfect sacrifice.  However, in the Old Testament, you will notice that when it came to atoning for sin, or making our sins right with God, making amends, making reconciliation with God, that the person who had sinned had to bring the offering and make atonement through the high priest.

READ ON, PLEASE…

In the NT, GOD HAS REVERSED THE ORDER- WE RECEIVE IT FROM HIM, NOT HE FROM US!  WE DON’T OFFER THE ATONEMENT SACRIFICE TO GOD, GOD OFFERED THE ATONEMENT SACRIFICE FOR US, His Son, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:10- ” For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

2 Corinthians 5:18- ” And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Colossians 1:21- “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.”

In the OT they did the work of reconciliation, but in the NT God has done the work of reconciliation!  That is the GRACE OF GOD.  He has done FOR us what we could NOT do for ourselves- atoned for sin.  he didn’t use an animal, but the perfect, sinless Son of God.

Isaiah 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

God put Him on that cross for us!  Satan was coming to attempt to confront and destroy the mission of Jesus, to atone for our sins.  But the head of the serpent was about to be crushed as the sinless Son of God successfully atoned for the sins of the whole world.

Hebrews 1:3- “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

The Bible says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”  So many major in the minors and minor in the majors.  When people understand the most important teaching in the Bible, they will live victorious lives.  Satan came to Jesus, but left empty handed, with no victory, because Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world.  God reversed the order, and made atonement for us!  That is grace!