" For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the ages hath he ' appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time apart from sin, unto salvation.''
The foregoing passage sets before us three great facts in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks of what we may venture to call three distinct appearings, namely, an appearing in the past; an appearing in the present; and an appearing in the future. He hath appeared, •in this world, to do a certain work: He doth appear in heaven to carry on a certain ministry; and He shall appear in glory. The first is Atonement; the second is Advocacy; the third is the Advent. And first, then, let us dwell for a few moments on the atonement, which is here presented in its two grand aspects, first, to Godward; and secondly, to us ward. The apostle declares that Christ hath appeared "to put away sin;' and also " to * The English reader should be informed that the three words which are rendered in the above passage, <( appear," are not the same in the original Greek; but our object is to deal with the tacts set forth, rather than with the words employed. 130 bear the sins of many." This is a distinction of the utmost importance, and one not sufficiently understood or attended to. Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He has glorified God in reference to the question of sin, in its very broadest aspect. This He has done, altogether irrespective of the question of persons, or the forgiveness of the sins of individuals. Even though every soul, from the days of Adam down to the very last generation, were to reject the proffered mercy of God, yet would it hold good that the atoning death of Christ had put away sin—had destroyed the power of Satan—had perfectly glorified God, and laid the deep and solid foundation on which all the divine counsels and purposes can rest forever.
It is to this that the Baptist refers in those memorable Words, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29).) The Lamb of God has wrought a work in virtue of which every trace of sin shall be obliterated from the creation of God. He has perfectly vindicated God in the very midst of a scene in which He had been so grossly dishonored, in which His character had been traduced, and His majesty insulted. He came to do this at all cost, even at the sacrifice of Himself. He sacrificed Himself in order to maintain, in view of heaven, earth, and hell, the glory of God. He has wrought a work by the which God is infinitely more glorified than if sin had not entered at all. God shall reap a richer harvest by far in the fields of redemption than ever he could have reaped in the fields of an unfallen creation.
It is well that the reader should deeply ponder this glorious aspect of the atoning death of Christ. We are apt to think that the very highest view we can take of the cross is that which involves the question of our forgiveness and salvation. This is a grave mistake. That question is divinely settled, as we shall seek to show; for the less is always included in the greater. But let us 'remember that our side of the atonement is the less; God's side 01 it the greater. It was infinitely more important that God should be glorified than that we should be saved. Both ends have been gained, blessed be God, and gained by one and the same work, the precious atonement of Christ; but we must never forget that the glory of God is of incalculably greater moment than the salvation of men, and further, that we never can have so clear a sense of the latter as when we see it flowing from the former. It is when we see that God has been perfectly and forever glorified in the death of Christ, that we can really enter into the divine perfectness of our salvation. In point of fact, both are so intimately bound up together that they cannot be separated; but still God's part in the cross of Christ must ever get its own proper preeminence. The glory of God was ever uppermost in the devoted heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. For this He lived, for this He died. He came into this world for the express purpose of glorifying God, and from this great and holy object He never swerved, the breadth of a hair, from the manger to the cross. True it is—blessedly true, that in carrying out this object, He has perfectly met our case; but the divine glory ruled Him in life and in death.
Now, it is on the ground of atonement, looked at in this its higher aspect, that God has been dealing with the world in patient grace, mercy, and forbearance, for well nigh six thousand years. He sends His rain and His sunbeams upon the evil and upon the good, upon the just and the unjust. It is in virtue of the atonement of Christ—though despised and rejected—that the infidel and the atheist live, move, and have their being; yea, the very breath that they spend in opposing the revelation, and denying the existence of God, they owe to the atoning death of Christ. We speak not here, by any means, of the forgiveness 01 sins, or of the soul's salvation. This is another question altogether and to it we shall refer presently. But, looking at man in reference to his life in this world, and looking at the world in which he lives, it is the cross which forms the basis of God's merciful dealing with both the one and the other.
Furthermore, it is on the ground of the atonement of Christ, in this same aspect of it, that the evangelist can go forth " into all the world, and preach glad tidings to every creature." He can declare the blessed truth that God has been glorified as to sin—His claims satisfied—His majesty vindicated—His law magnified—His attributes harmonized. He can proclaim the precious message that God can now be just and yet the justifier of any poor ungodly sinner that believes in Jesus. There is no hindrance, no barrier of any kind whatsoever. The preacher of the gospel is not to be cramped by any dogmas of theology. His preaching leaves the domain of sound theology wholly untouched. He has to do with the large, loving heart of God, which, in virtue of atonement, can flow forth to every creature beneath the canopy of heaven. He can say to each and to all—and say it without reserve—" Come!" Nay, more, he is bound to " beseech" them to come. " We pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Such is the proper language of the evangelist, the herald of the cross, the ambassador of Christ. He knows no less a range than the wide, wide world; and he is called to drop his message into the ear of every creature under heaven.
And why? Because " Christ hath put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself." He has, by His most precious death, changed completely the ground of God's dealings with man and with the world, so that instead of having to deal with them on the ground of sin, He can deal on the ground of atonement.
Finally, it is in virtue of the atonement, in this broad and lofty aspect, that every vestige of •sin, and every trace of the serpent shall be obliterated from the wide universe of God. Then shall be seen the full force of that passage above referred to, " The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world;" and also another well known clause, namely, " The propitiation.........for the whole world."* 1 John 2:22And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2).
Thus much as to what we may call the primary aspect of the atoning death of Christ—an aspect which cannot be too thoughtfully studied. A clear understanding of this weighty point would tend to remove a great deal of difficulty and misunderstanding in reference to the full and free preaching of the gospel. Many of the Lord's honored servants find themselves hindered in the presentation of the glad tidings of salvation, simply because they do not see this wide aspect of the atonement. They confine the death of Christ merely to its bearing upon the sins of God's elect; and they therefore deem it wrong to preach the gospel to all, or to invite—yea to beseech and entreat—all to come. They judge it to be false and wrong to invite any to come save the elect, inasmuch as they alone were the objects for whom Christ died.
Now, that Christ did die for the elect, scripture distinctly teaches, in manifold places. He died for the elect nation of Israel, and for the elect Church of God—the bride of Christ. But scripture toucheth more than this. It declares that " He died for αΙΓ (2 Cor. 5:1414For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (2 Corinthians 5:14)); that " He tasted death for every man Γ (Heb. 2:99But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9).) There is no need whatever for seeking to avoid the plain force and meaning of these and kindred statements of inspiration. And further, we believe it to be quite wrong to add our own words to God's words in order to reconcile them with any particular system of doctrine. When scripture affirms that Christ died for all, we have no right to add the words "the elect," And when scripture states that Christ " tasted death for every man," we have no right to say, u× every elect man." It is our place to take God's word as it stands, and reverently bow to its authoritative teaching, in all things. We can no more attempt to systematize God's word than we can. systematize God Himself. God's word, and God's heart, and God's nature are quite too deep, broad, and comprehensive to be included within the limits of the very broadest and best constructed human system of theology that was ever framed. We shall, ever and anon, be discovering passages of scripture which will not fall in with our system. We must remember that God is love, and this love will tell itself out to all without limit. True, God has His counsels, His purposes, and His decrees; but it is not these He presents to the poor lost sinner. He will instruct and interest His saints about such things; but to the guilty heavy-laden sinner, He presents His love, His grace, His mercy, His readiness to save, to pardon, and to bless.
And let it be well remembered that the sinner's responsibility flows out of what is revealed, and not out of what is secret. God's decrees are secret; His nature, His character, Himself, is revealed. The sinner will not be judged for rejecting what he had no means of knowing. " This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:1919And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19).
We are not writing a theological treatise; but we do feel it to be a matter of the gravest moment to press upon the reader that his responsibility, as a sinner, is based upon the fact that the aspect of the salvation of God, and of the atonement of Christ, is, most distinctly and decidedly, "unto all," and not merely to a certain number of the human family. The glorious message is sent forth into all the world.
no Everyone who hears it is invited to come. This is grounded upon the fact that Christ has put away sin—that the blood of atonement has been carried into the presence of God -that the barrier which sin presented has been flung down and abolished, and now the mighty tide of divine love can flow freely forth to the very vilest of the sons of men.
Such is the message; and when any one, through grace, believes it, he can be further told that, not only has Christ put away sin, but that also He has borne his sins—the actual sins of all His people—-of all who believe in His name. The evangelist can stand up in the midst of assembled thousands and declare that Christ has put away sin—that God is satisfied—that the way is open for all; and he can whisper the same in the car of each and every sinner under heaven. Then, when any one has bowed down to this testimony—when the repentant, brokenhearted, self judged sinner receives the blessed record—he can be further taught that his sins were all laid on Jesus, all borne and forever put away by Him when He died on the cross.
This is the plain doctrine of Heb. 9:26, 2826For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)
28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28), and we have a striking type of it in the two goats of Lev. 16 If the reader will just turn to the passage, he will find there, first, the slain goat; and, secondly, the scape goat. The blood of the slain goat was brought into the sanctuary and sprinkled there. This was a type of Christ putting away sin. Then the high priest, on behalf of the congregation, confessed all their sins upon the head of the scape goat, and they were borne away into a land not inhabited. This was a type of Christ bearing the sins of His people. The two goats, taken together, give us a Ml view of the atonement of Christ, which, like the righteousness of God, in Romans hi. is " unto all, and upon all that believe."
All this is most simple. It removes many difficulties out of the way of the earnest seeker after peace. These difficulties arise, in many cases, from the conflicting dogmas of theological systems, and have no foundation whatever in holy scripture. There all is as plain and as clear as God can make it. Each one who hears the message of God's free love is bound, not to say invited, to receive it; and judgment will, most assuredly, fall upon each and all who refuse or neglect the proffered mercy. It is utterly impossible for any one who has ever heard the gospel, or ever had the New Testament in his hand, to get rid of the awful responsibility that rests upon him to accept God's salvation. Not a single soul will have to say, " I could not believe, because I was not one of the elect, and did not get power to believe." No one will ever dare to say or even to think this. If any could take such ground, then where were the force or the meaning of the following burning words?—" The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 1:7, 87And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:7‑8).) Will any one ever be punished for not obeying the gospel, if he is not responsible to yield that obedience? Most assuredly not. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
But does God send His gospel to people merely to place them under responsibility and increase their guilt? Ear be the monstrous thought. He sends His gospel to the lost sinner in order that he may be saved, for God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. All, therefore, who perish shall have none but themselves to blame.
(To he continued, if the Lord will.)