THIRD REASON:
THE ATONING BLOOD OF CHRIST LIES AT THE HEART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION
THE ATONING BLOOD OF CHRIST LIES AT THE HEART OF THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION
The Birth of Christ was in order to the Bleeding of Christ. With the shadow of the Cross athwart His Person and the cries of the infuriated mob thirsting for His Blood resounding in His ears, Christ said to Pilate, "To this end was I born for this purpose came I into the world."
From His birth at Bethlehem Christ set His face to go to the Cross. His was ever the Calvary Road. In the Gospel of John the great hour when the tremendous power of the Blood would be released, is continually anticipated. To that hour all the miraculous events of Christ's life advanced and in that same hour all the purposes of heaven and the counter-purposes of hell converged. The march of the great redemptive purpose of the ages culminated in the fountain filled with blood.
Drawn from Immanuel's Veins
At the commencement of His public ministry just before He miraculously turned the water into wine, Christ exclaimed to Mary, "Mine hour is not yet come." John 2:4. Is it not significant that His first miracle was to create a symbol of His Blood? As the wine of this miracle was not produced by the usual fermentation, so the precious Blood of Christ was not produced by the usual generation. Both were miraculous products. Through the wine thus created the marriage supper proceeded with joy.
There is, however, another great marriage supper which can only proceed with joy because of that which the wine symbolises, the precious Blood of Christ. Of this supper John records, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 19:7-9. "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14.
In the seventh and eighth chapters of John's gospel we read: "His hour was not yet come." John 7:30 and John 8:20. This had reference to an attempt of the Jews to kill him. Now the Jews never put to death by blood-shedding. They executed capital punishment by stoning. Christ was not to be killed by stoning. His was to be a death of blood-shedding. His hour was to be an hour crimsoned by the life Blood of His veins. To the inquiring Greeks Christ said, "The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour but for this cause came I unto this hour. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying what death he should die." John 12:23, 27, 32, 33.
Here again the hour is associated with the death of the cross. The death He should die was the bloody death of crucifixion. With the emblems of the living God, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Exodus 12:13, before Him, Christ's last great discourse commenced with the assurance that He "knew his hour was come." John 13:1. These discourses, covering chapters thirteen, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen of John's gospel conclude with another reference to the hour. "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:32, 33.
From that crucial hour to the believing soul there issues forth in the Bloodstream peace and power. "Having made peace through the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:20. "And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb," Revelation 12:11.
It is quite evident that the great object of the incarnation was the Blood-shedding of Calvary. Its blessed culmination was the bloody cross. Daniel defines the incarnation's mighty purpose thus: "To finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness." Daniel 9:24. John declares that the Son of God was manifest --
(a) To challenge and conquer Satan. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.
(b) To carry and cleanse away sin. "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.
(c) To commend and convey the love of God. "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." 1 John 4:9.
All these objectives were accomplished when the life-tide of Incarnate Deity was released in the Death of the Cross. The torrent from Calvary's hill-crag generated sufficient power and to spare, to achieve the great goal of God's redemptive purpose. I therefore believe in the Atoning Blood because that Blood lies at the heart of the purpose of the Incarnation.
From His birth at Bethlehem Christ set His face to go to the Cross. His was ever the Calvary Road. In the Gospel of John the great hour when the tremendous power of the Blood would be released, is continually anticipated. To that hour all the miraculous events of Christ's life advanced and in that same hour all the purposes of heaven and the counter-purposes of hell converged. The march of the great redemptive purpose of the ages culminated in the fountain filled with blood.
Drawn from Immanuel's Veins
At the commencement of His public ministry just before He miraculously turned the water into wine, Christ exclaimed to Mary, "Mine hour is not yet come." John 2:4. Is it not significant that His first miracle was to create a symbol of His Blood? As the wine of this miracle was not produced by the usual fermentation, so the precious Blood of Christ was not produced by the usual generation. Both were miraculous products. Through the wine thus created the marriage supper proceeded with joy.
There is, however, another great marriage supper which can only proceed with joy because of that which the wine symbolises, the precious Blood of Christ. Of this supper John records, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 19:7-9. "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:14.
In the seventh and eighth chapters of John's gospel we read: "His hour was not yet come." John 7:30 and John 8:20. This had reference to an attempt of the Jews to kill him. Now the Jews never put to death by blood-shedding. They executed capital punishment by stoning. Christ was not to be killed by stoning. His was to be a death of blood-shedding. His hour was to be an hour crimsoned by the life Blood of His veins. To the inquiring Greeks Christ said, "The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour but for this cause came I unto this hour. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying what death he should die." John 12:23, 27, 32, 33.
Here again the hour is associated with the death of the cross. The death He should die was the bloody death of crucifixion. With the emblems of the living God, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." Exodus 12:13, before Him, Christ's last great discourse commenced with the assurance that He "knew his hour was come." John 13:1. These discourses, covering chapters thirteen, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen of John's gospel conclude with another reference to the hour. "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:32, 33.
From that crucial hour to the believing soul there issues forth in the Bloodstream peace and power. "Having made peace through the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:20. "And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb," Revelation 12:11.
It is quite evident that the great object of the incarnation was the Blood-shedding of Calvary. Its blessed culmination was the bloody cross. Daniel defines the incarnation's mighty purpose thus: "To finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness." Daniel 9:24. John declares that the Son of God was manifest --
(a) To challenge and conquer Satan. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.
(b) To carry and cleanse away sin. "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.
(c) To commend and convey the love of God. "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." 1 John 4:9.
All these objectives were accomplished when the life-tide of Incarnate Deity was released in the Death of the Cross. The torrent from Calvary's hill-crag generated sufficient power and to spare, to achieve the great goal of God's redemptive purpose. I therefore believe in the Atoning Blood because that Blood lies at the heart of the purpose of the Incarnation.
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