Here we get the great Fount and Source of life.
The testimony of creation, majestic and passing wonderful as it is, does not, however, reveal God's heart to us. It reveals His fingers, for the Psalmist David, contemplating the night sky, exclaimed, "When I consider the heavens, THE WORK OF THY FINGERS, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him." (Psa. 8:3, 43When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psalm 8:3‑4)).
Creation reveals God's almighty power and wisdom, but man needs an Object for his affections, and above all a Being, whom He can worship. We shall now see how this need is met.
It is just here that we take an immense step forward in our inquiry. It has, pleased God to reveal Himself in infinite love in sending into this world His only begotten Son. Scripture leaves us in no doubt as to who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Scripture plainly predicates both His Deity and His Manhood. We read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, AND THE WORD WAS GOD... All things were made by Him." (John: 1-3).
Here the Deity of our Lord is stated as distinct from that of the Father and the Spirit, yet one God. "AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the, only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:1414And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)).
Here we get the Manhood of our Lord emphatically stated.
Could anything be more wonderful than that the Son of God, the Eternal Word, should become incarnate, should come into this world to make a God of love known. Man's sin involved the atoning death of our Lord on the cross of Calvary. Was there ever such a gesture of love shown as was seen at the cross? God's righteousness was there upheld, even to the outpouring of His unsparing judgment of sin upon the spotless Sin-bearer, when He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). It was there that God's love shone in all its splendor. The greatest event that ever happened in this world was the entrance into it of the Man, Christ Jesus. He was "God... manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)), "Christ ... who is over all, God blessed forever." (Rom. 9:55Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:5)). In Him the full revelation of God was made. We read, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, HE HATH DECLARED HIM." (John 18).
The reader may ask, But how does this throw light on the subject of eternal life? We would reply that we are seeking to go step by step, clearing the ground as we go. Here then is a Scripture clearly showing the connection between what we have been considering and the subject of eternal life. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER, AND WAS MANIFESTED UNTO US)." (1 John 1:1, 21That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) (1 John 1:1‑2)).
Here we have clearly identified "the Word of life," and "that Eternal Life" in one and the same Person, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover the eternal Son-ship of our Lord is plainly implied in that the Eternal Life was WITH THE FATHER. It is clear that where there is the Father, referring to God, as it does in the Scriptures, there is also the Son, for there cannot be the Father without the Son. "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." (1 John 2:2323Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (1 John 2:23)).
Thus we see how eternal life in its source is seen in our blessed Lord, first with the Father in past eternal ages, and then in time manifested to men.
The manifestation of eternal life shone forth in incomparable splendor when our Lord companied with His chosen disciples during the three-and-a-half years of His public ministry in the land of Israel. But here we do well to raise the question, Why was the manifestation of eternal life necessary? Why does man need eternal life? The answer is that man is a sinner, and his natural life is forfeited. Hence the necessity for life—eternal life—-a life not subject to death. In order that God's righteousness should be upheld, and God's love flow to sinful men, the atoning death of our Lord on the cross was an absolute necessity.
Not only did our Lord come into the world to make God known as Father, but He must needs meet man's sinful condition, or else that manifestation would be unavailing. So we read, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might LIVE through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sins." (1 John 4:9, 109In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9‑10)).
Here are two grand results—LIFE AND PROPITIATION—flowing from 'the atoning death of our Lord.
One by itself would not suffice. To have our sins forgiven, and nothing more would be an intolerable condition, for the carnal mind is enmity against God. (Rom, 8: 7). To have life and a new nature without the forgiveness of sins would be equally an intolerable condition. We need both—LIFE AND PROPITIATION—if we are to be happy in the presence of God.
The word, propitiation (Greek, hilasmos), is akin to mercy seat (Greek, hilasterion), the place of propitiation in Heb. 9:55And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. (Hebrews 9:5). This beautiful Old Testament type may well illustrate for us the grand truth of atonement. On the great Day of Atonement the High Priest went into the holiest of all, carrying the blood of the sin offering, which he sprinkled once on the mercy seat and seven times before it. The holiest of all contained the Ark, made of two materials—shittim wood, setting forth the Manhood of our Lord; and pure gold, setting forth His Deity. On the top of the Ark rested a slab of pure gold, setting forth Divine righteousness. This was stained by the blood of the sin offering.
The slab of pure gold set forth God's immutable demand for righteousness to be upheld at all costs. God would not be God, if it were not so. The blood sprinkled upon the slab of pure gold in figure was the full and perfect answer to this demand.
Does not this beautiful type help us to understand the wonder of the antitype? Our Lord being the eternal Son of God, becoming in grace a true Man down here, accepting the body prepared for Him, laying down His precious life in sacrifice for sin, bearing to the full the judgment sin deserved, is it any wonder that His precious blood " cleanseth from all sin"? (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). This the blood of bulls and goats could never do. They were simply types pointing on to the grand Antitype, to the one effectual, eternal sacrifice for sin. So through the atoning death of our Lord the throne of inflexible righteousness, of God's holiness, becomes a mercy seat, where God can meet and bless the vilest sinner, who repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely here in this we see that "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." (Psa. 85:1010Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalm 85:10)).
Not only did our Lord meet man's guilt on the cross of Calvary, He likewise dealt with his state. We have therefore to ask a question as to where sin comes from? This is plainly from a sinful nature. And just as thistles can only produce thistles, however cultivated, so a sinful nature can only produce sin. That sinful nature, "the carnal mind," (Rom. 8:77Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)) is enmity against God, and cannot please Him. This was seen pre-eminently in that when our Lord came into this world testifying of God's goodness, grace and mercy, the flesh rose up in bitter hatred, and crucified the Lord of glory. And this was not merely the act of an ignorant rabble, or of the common crowd. It was the High Priests and religious leaders of the nation, who were foremost in the terrible cry, Crucify Him, crucify Him.
How then, we ask, can man be happy in the presence of God? Only by the impartation of a new nature, a nature suitable to God, and finding its pleasure in the presence of God. We have already seen that the cross of Christ brings two things—propitiation and life—to the believer. Our Lord said to Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews, a minister of the synagogue, "Ye must be born again." (John 3:77Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)).
A word surely for us all. It was said of George Whitefield that he preached on this text a thousand times on both sides of the Atlantic, and when asked why he preached, "Ye must be born again," answered, "Because ye must be born again."
But if the evil nature is condemned by God at the cross, and set aside by Him, a new nature is then necessary for the believer. We read, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH." (Rom. 8:33For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)).
Sin thus being dealt with, the way is opened out for God righteously to give the gift of eternal life to all, who believe on His only begotten Son. Seeing that not only are sins atoned for, but the sinful nature from which the sins arise, is condemned and set aside, it behooves believers to judge the flesh. So we read what we are to do: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Col. 3:55Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)).
We now come directly to the consideration of eternal life as the possession of all, who repent and trust in the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John again and again proclaims eternal life as the possession of the believer. Take two well-known verses: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but HAVE everlasting life." (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
This is perhaps the best known verse in the Bible. Untold thousands have been blessed by it. Martin Luther called it, The Miniature Bible. And now here are the very words of our blessed Lord, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
Could there be anything grander, or simpler, or more profound, than these Scriptures?