Ephesians 6:10-20 — The Gospel

The Confusion
Amidst the confusion in the culture between secular humanism and pantheistic postmodernism, the Gospel message is under tremendous scrutiny to conform to these incoherent philosophical frameworks. In this increasingly pagan landscape, we are told that God is unjust and a cosmic child abuser because not only did He punish an innocent person, but He took it out on His own Son no less. This fundamental misunderstanding of the doctrine of atonement and redemption is due in part to the Church's own misrepresentation of what the Scripture teaches regarding the cross, as well as its failure to offer an adequate defense.

Why did Jesus die on the cross?
Pseudo-Christians assert Universal Reconciliation (e.g., Wm. Paul Young in the Shack), namely that if God is loving and Jesus died for the whole world, then everyone has been reconciled to God. Others insist that Christ only died for a particular group of people and delights in the destruction of the rest. While the first group undermines God's righteousness, holiness, justice, the seriousness of sin, and the just punishment for unrepentant sinners, the latter group makes God an arbitrary dispenser of love. This confusion comes not from answering whether Jesus died on the cross or not but in answering why Jesus died on the cross.

The Doctrine of Atonement
The significance of the cross is found in the atoning work of Christ. The answer to the question "Why did Jesus die on the cross?" is the doctrine of atonement. The doctrine of the atonement does not merely answer that question, but it also has the cumulative understanding of what we believe about God, man, sin, and the person of Christ. It is then the transition point and lens by which we understand the purpose of the Church, our Christian walk, and the end times. Most importantly, the doctrine of the atonement determines which Gospel we preach. Therefore, whether a believer correctly has the doctrine of atonement tests whether he has everything else correctly.

Why God Must Get Satisfaction
Does God have to take it out on Jesus before He can act according to His own nature? God's forgiveness is rooted in His nature and attributes — His sovereignty, mercy, majesty, wisdom, omnipotence, justice, and love. God's righteousness, holiness, and justice demand retribution for sin. God is justly wrathful against sin. Sin is ugly, repugnant, and repulsive. It is vile and horrible. Is it all right that Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and many others killed, tortured, and abused so many with impunity? We instinctively know that it is wrong for a judge to let a rapist go. Justice is more than just the rehabilitation of the lawbreaker. Payment, a sacrifice, must be exacted. This theme is woven throughout the Old and New Testament, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Heb. 9:22). Justice is retributive. Revenge in and of itself is not wrong; it is just that we are not good executioners of justice. We are not just ourselves. Therefore, God says: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" (Rom. 12:19). He will by no means clear the guilty (Ex. 34:7). This is why a theory of atonement that does not necessitate Christ dying on the cross to atone for our sin must be rejected. God could not have forgiven us without Christ's death. Christ's death was propitiatory, meaning it appeased the wrath of God and directed His anger away from us. The sacrifice of Christ was directed to God and made atonement for sin so God can righteously cancel our sin-debt.

God is Gracious and Forgiving
Propitiation, however, does not detract from God's love and mercy. On the contrary, it demonstrates the great love by which God loved us while amplifying the ugliness of sin. Therefore, Christ's death, that beautiful demonstration of God's love on the cross, is a powerful incentive for us to abandon our hostility toward God and respond in repentance and faith to His offer of grace. The depravity of man and the holiness of God extols the greatness of God's love, mercy, and grace. I am a wicked, depraved, wretched man who is "sold under sin" (Romans 7:14), but God, "who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us" (Ephesians 2:4) provided the cross. The cross is where God's perfect justice and love met to display for the whole world "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Hallelujah! No other religion or philosophy has ever demonstrated how the holiness and justice of God can ever be reconciled with his willingness to forgive sins except Christianity through the cross. I deserved punishment, but He took my punishment on Himself.

Substitutionary Atonement
Many alternative theories have been offered to answer the question, "Why did Jesus die on the cross?" Some have said that Jesus died to be an example of self-sacrifice for us. Others have said that He died to demonstrate God's love; others God's justice. Some insisted that Jesus died on the cross to gain victory over the forces of Satan and thus sin and evil. These ideas have some truth but are limited to one aspect of God's nature. Only substitutionary atonement reflects all of God. Only the substitutionary death of Christ can provide that which God's justice demands and thereby become the basis for the gift of eternal life to those who believe. God is love and acts in a manner consistent with His nature. Nevertheless, the wickedness of the human heart is why

 
the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

In our spiritual battle, if we have Truth and Righteousness (both defensive pieces of the armor), we can then be prepared to take the Gospel to the lost. The Gospel is the first offensive weapon. If we do not get it right, we will continue to lose ground to the kingdom of darkness and bring a curse on our generation (Galatians 1:8-9).