Sin and Christ’s Atoning Work

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [Rom. 3:23]



We have considered some of the majestic names of our Lord Jesus Christ. We now turn to the work of redemption Jesus accomplished for us. In theology this is called the atoning work of Christ, or simply the atonement. This atoning work was made necessary by human sin, and there are three aspects of sin to consider.
First, sin is a failure to do what we are obligated to do. God as Creator has given us responsibilities for which he holds us accountable. If we fail to carry out these responsibilities, we incur a debt.
Second, sin is an expression of enmity, a violation of the personal relationship human beings are supposed to have with their Creator. When we sin against God we break that relationship. We express not devotion but rather a hostility that must be addressed.
Third, the Westminster Shorter Catechism says that “sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.” That means any time we break God’s law we sin.
We have to keep these three concepts of sin clearly in mind if we are to understand what is necessary to restore a relationship between God and fallen humanity. If a crime has been committed, we have to deal with penal sanctions. If a debt has been incurred, we have to come to grips with what we call pecuniary sanctions. Enmity has to do with personal relationships, and these need to be healed.
If I steal $1000 I may not feel I owe anything, but I do. I may not feel I committed a crime, but I did. I may not feel I acted in a hostile fashion, but the victim feels it. Whether I admit it or not, the objective fact is that a crime has been committed. Subjectively I may deny the offense, but true guilt exists, and society is right to punish the crime. In the same manner many people deny their guilt before a holy God, but the inescapable truth of the gospel is that God will hold each responsible. With the single word “all,” Paul universalizes the problem of sin.

Coram Deo

Whether a person feels the need to be reconciled to God, the fact is that God is a “consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). The Bible tells us that a proper fear of this God is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Ask God to give you a proper fear of his intolerance of sin, that you might cling to Jesus and his atonement with greater desperation.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

The Name above All Names

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” [Rev. 19:16]

A number of years ago a theological seminary invited a famous theologian to give an address on christology at an academic convocation. A convocation is not a pep rally or informal meeting, but rather a serious gathering where a renowned scholar shares insights.
All the students flocked to the auditorium to hear the scholarly lecture, and the faculty was decked out in full academic regalia. All were ready to hear a technical dissertation on some aspect of the doctrine of Christ.
The great scholar, however, shocked his entire audience. He began by saying, “This is what I want you to hear today about Jesus.” Then, instead of delivering a theological lecture, for the duration of his address he recited, one after another, all the titles that are found in the Bible for Jesus.
“Jesus is the Christ. He is the Lord. He is the Son of David. He is the Son of God. He is the Lion of Judah. He is the Lamb of God. He is our Righteousness. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Suffering Servant. He is the Savior. He is the Lily of the Valley. He is the Rose of Sharon. He is our Great High Priest. He is the Mercy Seat.… ” This went on and on and on.
By the time he was finished the entire theological community was overwhelmed. What an experience to hear all the titles of Jesus compressed into one long litany of majesty. Jesus is the incomparable Christ, and there is no limit to the wealth of glorious titles that can and must be given him for all eternity.

Coram Deo

The Bible is filled with names for Jesus. How many do you know? When you read and study the Bible, do you look for Jesus, or do you find yourself just acquiring interesting information? As you read through the Bible this year, or as you read the passages assigned with each lesson in this Bible study guide, ask yourself, “Is there a name of Jesus in this passage?” Compile your own list, including the biblical reference of its location. While you will never exhaust Christ’s character and personality, you will be able to explore new dimensions of his person and work. As with the psalmist, use these names and rich insights to lead to more artful, heartfelt praise.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

Jesus’ Enemies Accuse Him

Jesus’ Enemies Accuse Him

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.’“ [Matt. 11:18–19]

In this passage Jesus accuses his enemies of being perverse; there was no way to please them. John the Baptist’s, ascetism offended them. They said John was demon possessed. Jesus was relaxed and joyous in his lifestyle, and they charged him with being a glutton and a drunkard.
Was Jesus a glutton? No. Was he a drunkard? Of course not. Then why did people make such accusations? Jesus scandalized those who had reduced the things of God to superficial matters. Sadly we see this very thing all too often today. For many Christians religion is a list of dos and don’ts not found in the Bible.
Why did they call Jesus a glutton? He earned that unwarranted reputation because he went to feasts and ate. Why did they call him a drunkard? He was slandered because he went to weddings and even provided wine for one marriage feast (John 2:1–11).
Imagine if a minister went to a wedding and drank a champagne toast to the wedding party. In many churches he would be censured by the leaders. But what if he brought several cases of champagne to the wedding? Imagine the charges that would be leveled.
The religious leaders were offended because Jesus went to taverns and ate dinner with tax collectors, crooks, and prostitutes. If ever guilt by association could have destroyed a man, it would have been Jesus of Nazareth. We need to face this if we are going to have a biblical understanding of Jesus.
This does not mean Jesus wants us to go out and embrace worldliness and participate in sin. Not at all. Jesus was sinless. But he did go to sinners and ministered the gospel to them where they were. He came to seek and to save the lost.

Coram Deo

Jesus ran the risk of being seriously misunderstood in order to minister to people. Sometimes being faithful to Christ means risking our reputation, but Jesus tells us, “Blessed are you when people … falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matt. 5:11). Let us make sure, however, that if our opponents are speaking evil of us, they are doing so falsely. Be prepared for opposition, even from within the church.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

Who “Thinkers” Say Jesus Is

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. [John 1:1–2]

We have studied who people say Jesus is, who Jesus himself claimed to be, and who the Father said Jesus is. Let us look briefly at who Christian philosophers and theologians have said Jesus is.
The oldest philosophical question is the problem of unity and diversity. This is the problem of understanding how all the diverse aspects of life hang together. The ancient philosopher would ask, “Is there any rhyme or reason to all this? How do all these things fit together? How are we to make sense of all these different parts of human experience?” In other words, they were asking the question, “Does life make sense? Is there any ultimate coherence in life?”
The very word universe is composed of uni from unity, and verse from diversity. It expresses the idea that all the diverse things in existence are related to one another, and are united in some sense. In the same way, universities were originally intended to show the coherence of all the disciplines under one overarching worldview.
The Christian answer addresses this issue in two ways. First, Christianity calls attention to the Trinity, that God is both one and three. Ultimately, the unity and diversity of all things find their resolution in God himself.
But beyond this, however, the Christian sees that the Word of God is the reference point for all creation. As John puts it, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). While the idea of an abstract reference point for the universe was not new to the ancient world, the teaching that this reference point is a person was radical. How do we make sense out of the diversity of life? John answers that we must have a personal relationship with the person who gives unity to all things.

Coram Deo

The Christian has no need to shrink from the most profound philosophical questions. For centuries Christian philosophers have taken on secular thinkers and shown the truth of biblical religion. Yet the most profound philosophical question has the most simple of answers: a personal relationship. Every Christian walks daily with the cosmic Christ, the Person who gives meaning to all life.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

Who Does God Say Jesus Is?

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” [Ps. 110:1]

Psalm 110:1 is quoted more often in the New Testament than any other Old Testament text. In it we see the name God has called Jesus—Lord.
In English translations the first use of the word Lord in this verse is in all capital letters, for the Hebrew is YHWH, for Yahweh, or Jehovah. This was the personal name God called himself when he appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The second use of Lord in 110:1 is the Hebrew word Adonai, which means “master.” Psalm 110 was a puzzle to the Jews because they understood that it had been written by King David. If the psalm had been written by one of David’s servants it would mean that Yahweh had been speaking to “my lord David, the king.” Since David wrote the psalm, however, it was David’s Lord to whom the Lord was speaking. This implied that there was a King higher than David, whose kingship had been established by God the Lord.
What had puzzled the Jews was made plain in the New Testament. At the baptism of Jesus and at his transfiguration, God spoke and said, “This is my Son … Listen to him!” (Matt. 17:5). Here God made it plain that Jesus was the Lord of all men, even of King David.
How does God look at Jesus? He views him as the One to whom he has given all authority, and as the One God commands us to obey. As Paul put it in Philippians 2:9–11, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” What is that most exalted name that Jesus has been given? It is Lord. A popular Christian song proclaims that Jesus is the “name above all names.” In fact, Jesus has been given a more exalted name—that of cosmic Lord.

Coram Deo

“King of kings and Lord of lords”—that is the name given to Jesus Christ by God his Father. It is the name before which we are to bend the knee in humble submission. Is that how you see Jesus? Many intentionally downplay the Lordship of Christ, compromising his authority. Ask the Father to give you a submissive spirit, one that delights to live under Christ’s authority.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

Who Does Jesus Say He Is?

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all people, nations and men of every language worshiped him.” [Dan. 7:13–14]

Son of man as a title for Jesus Christ occurs about 80 times in the New Testament, almost without exception in the words of Jesus. It was his favorite self-designation. Most Christians naturally think Son of man refers to the humanity of our Lord, while Son of God refers to his deity. While this appears an obvious parallel, the Bible shows something else.
The key passage to understanding the term is in Daniel 7. Daniel sees a figure coming on the clouds of heaven. This is a reference to the glory cloud of God himself, the cloud that appears so often when God appears. The attributes describing him unmistakably refer to God. Who else in the universe is sovereign or may legitimately receive worship? Who else dwells in glory and light inaccessible? Clearly this approaching person is divine.
This Son of man is the Father’s agent to rule and judge the world.
The principal role of the Son of man is judge. The Ancient of Days calls on the Son of man to bring judgment. He comes to earth from the Father, evaluates the situation, reports back to the Father, and participates with the Father in judgment. Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus spoke of the “crisis” or judgment of the world. By saying that he was the Son of man, Jesus was saying to the Jews, “I didn’t come from Bethlehem. I came from heaven. I have come to judge.” This judgment was not to be a discerning between nations or a settling of earthly disputes. The fearful revelation of Christ’s ministry was that all people, individually considered, would be called into account for their sin and rebellion. It was time for all to make up their minds whom to serve.
In Acts 7 we read of the stoning of Stephen. As he died, Stephen saw heaven opened and the Son of man standing next to the Father. He saw that the One who is judge of all was also standing as his advocate and defense attorney. The good news of the gospel is that the Christian can embrace the Son of man as judge, because we know that he has taken upon himself the penalty for our sins.

Coram Deo

There is a coming day of judgment. If a believer, you have been rescued from wrath. Set this day apart and celebrate your deliverance from sin’s power and dominion.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

Who Do People Say Jesus Is?

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [Matt. 16:15–16]

From time to time Jesus retreated to a private place to spend some time alone or with his intimate disciples. On one such occasion Jesus asked his friends, “Who do people say the Son of man is?” (Matt. 16:13).
The disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt. 16:14). John the Baptist was famous. The Jews had a history of prophets, but for 400 years, since the time of Malachi, there had been none. Suddenly a new prophet appeared. He captured the attention of many, and large numbers of baptisms and followers resulted. John stirred up great interest, but because he pointed out the immorality of Herod he was executed. After Jesus’ miracles many, including Herod himself, thought Jesus was a resurrected John.
The last prophecy of the Old Testament had been that Elijah would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Because of the ministry of John, many people were stirred to look for the Messiah. They knew of Jesus’ work and miracles, but since Jesus had not publicly claimed to be the Messiah, they thought perhaps he was Elijah.
Jesus then asked his men who they thought he was. Peter, speaking for them all, declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. It is not part of Jesus’ name, but rather his title: Jesus the Messiah.
How did Peter know this? Not from his own wisdom. The natural man is incapable of discerning spiritual things, the greatest of which is to know and believe that Jesus is the true Messiah. The only possible way Perer came to know Jesus was because God the Father had revealed it to him (Matt. 16:17). Jesus then congratulated Peter, conferring upon him a divine blessing and a new name.

Coram Deo

People were uncertain of Jesus’ true identity in his own day, even as now. If you know who Jesus really is, it is not because of your wisdom. God himself has shown him to you. This truth lays an important foundation for evangelism. We are called to present the gospel in clear, compelling ways and at appropriate times to people blinded to the truth. God alone can open eyes to the knowledge of Christ. Because you cannot persuade people into faith, pray that God will quicken them unto life with his Son.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

What Can We Know about God?

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. [Ps. 139:6]

Protestantism has at the heart of its theory the doctrine of the incomprehensibility of God. But this word incomprehensible in theology does not mean what the term itself might suggest at first glance. It does not mean that God is utterly unknowable; rather it is meant to indicate that no one can comprehend God exhaustively. None of us has total, comprehensive, exhaustive knowledge of who God is or what his character is like.
A very important formula came out of the sixteenth-century Reformation: “The finite cannot contain or grasp the infinite.” We can approach an understanding of the concept of incomprehensibility first by thinking about the idea of “containment.”
Could we squeeze the infinite God into a finite space? Clearly not, because if we could, God would no longer be infinite. The finite can never contain or envelop the infinite.
Since we are finite creatures, our minds always work from a finite perspective. So we can never understand God fully, because God lives and moves and has his being on an infinite plane, while we live and move and have our being on a finite plane. The finite cannot grasp or contain the infinite. Therefore, in theological terms we say God is incomprehensible.
That concept is very important to our understanding because it represents a check and balance—a corrective—to warn us in case any of us think we have altogether mastered every detail regarding the things of God. We know that, however we understand God, our capacity to comprehend him is limited by our own finitude. He is the Creator. We are created beings.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

The Passion to Know God

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. [Rom. 1:28]

It is almost impossible to grasp the full strength of what the apostle is saying here. It is not simply that people are unwilling to know anything about God. Rather Paul teaches that they prefer not to maintain epignosis. The Greek epignosis combines the word for knowledge (gnosis) with an intensifying prefix (epi). We can translate it this way: Humans did not see fit to seek after a full knowledge of God.
The people Paul is describing here did not see any worthwhile purpose or value in pursuing the knowledge of God in any kind of depth. Nor did they even see the value of maintaining the knowledge they already had.
The very word theology often is regarded as repugnant, and people glibly say, “I’m not interested in theology. It’s not practical.” By that, some may mean that they have an aversion to academic and scholarly research into the things of God. Certainly most people will never be academic theologians. But in its general use the word theology simply means “the knowledge of God.”
So how is it possible for a person to be a Christian and not have a passion for theology? Apart from merely knowing things about God, such as the creeds and the doctrines, I question how a believer can not passionately want to know God or have a real understanding of who he is.
The human problem stems from corruption and fallenness. A person converted to Christ is certainly changed and transformed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; but just as Adam and Eve hid from God, we have a natural aversion to the pursuit of the knowledge of God. The basic human disposition of fallen humanity is to see no great value in seeking a fuller knowledge of God. How incongruous is our aversion to God’s desires that each of his children seek him with a whole heart.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

God’s Poetic Justice

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. [Rom. 1:24]

This verse makes a strange statement, but if we note the pattern of God’s judgment in sacred Scripture, we see that a form of poetic justice tends to emerge in God’s punitive measures. By poetic justice I mean that God’s punishment is perfectly matched to the sin. In other words, there is a kind of identity between the particular type of sin and the particular type of punishment. Let me explain.
The sin referred to in this verse is that of dishonoring God. The resulting punishment is that men and women are given over to their own evil desires. It isn’t as if God visits evil upon them out of nowhere; instead, he gives them over to their own lusts and to their desires and inclinations to dishonor him. In effect God says, “All right. You refuse to honor me; you don’t want to honor me; then you don’t have to honor me. I’ll let you do what you want to do. And I’ll let your evil desires run their course.” God allows their evil to go unchecked to its natural outcome.
The effect is dreadful. Those who are given over by God to their sinful nature will find that their bodies are dishonored and degraded among themselves. In our age there is a crisis of human dignity, a crisis of honoring one another. But when the honor of God is ignored, it is virtually inevitable that humankind will slide headlong into degradation and dishonor.
When God’s honor is exalted and his majesty worshiped, then human dignity is elevated. Conversely, wherever the dignity of God is attacked, sooner or later the dignity of humanity suffers. Since human beings are created in the image of God there is a very real sense in which, as God goes, so goes the image-bearer. If we corrupt and denigrate the living God who is our Creator, then the image of himself, which he has made, suffers accordingly.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.

The Irrationality of Idolatry

They … exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles … They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. [Rom. 1:23,25]

Imagine it: A man buys a costly block of wood, brings it back to his workshop, and then uses all his artistic skills to carve that block of wood into the likeness of an animal or person. He sands, polishes, and varnishes it, and when he is done he cleans his tools, returns them to their places, and sweeps the wood shavings from the floor.
He then takes his carving to a religious leader for consecration, returns home, sets the statue in a prominent place, spreads a mat, and bows before it in prayer. There he implores the very wood he has carved with his own hands to help him through difficulties and bring him safely into the afterlife.
Can you imagine anything more irrational than for a man to worship the product of his own hands? That’s what idolatry is. It substitutes the corrupt things of this world for the majesty of God. The glory of God is traded in for the “glory” of a snake, or of a crocodile, or of a block of wood.
What would we think of a woman who, after receiving a new mink coat as a gift, stuffed it into a garbage can and pulled soiled rags from the can to wear instead?
Of course we would be appalled. Onlookers might whisper, “What’s wrong with this nut? Doesn’t she have any taste, any idea of glory?” Yet, in many respects, that is how irreverently humankind has treated God’s glory.
But the analogy is a poor one, for the difference between the glory of God and the glory of the crocodile is an infinite gulf.
There is no comparison. God alone deserves worship. He will not share his glory with another.
Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Book of Romans, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1992.