part0005

The good news of how God reconciled the world to Himself in Jesus Christ has always been radically and fundamentally different from the world’s way of thinking. In fact, measured by human standards of logic, it is pure foolishness. [1] I mean, how wise is it to give abundant life to those who deserve death? How wise is it to forgive, even before a person realises how wrong they have been ... even before forgiveness is sought [2] ... to love those who are at enmity against you? [3]

It is in the light of this radical declaration of the gospel that questions are stirred, so before I get to the question, let me set the scene ... the context in which this question is asked.

Man began in God. No matter how far man has fallen from his original place of innocence, God has never been confused about the true identity of man.

Jesus Christ is the place, the event and the person in which God and man meet once again. In Christ Jesus, God has taken the initiative to reconcile man back to Himself - to restore man to blameless innocence. [4] Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and as such does not only represent God’s initiative, He also represents man’s perfect response of faith to God’s initiative.

2 Cor 5:19 says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

While we were at our ugliest, incapable of offering God anything worthwhile ... while we were dead in our sins, He raised us up together with Christ! [5]

He dealt with sin, guilt, every offence that stood between Himself and man, so completely that He could remove sin from His own memory. [6] Nothing in His thoughts towards man, remind Him of sin.

In God’s reality, Jesus Christ represents man more fully and completely than any other man. He was handed over to death because of our sins, and He was raised because of our justification! [7] Jesus, raised and ascended to the right hand of God, represents humanity’s justification.

We have our beginning and our present being in him. He is the force of the universe, sustaining everything that exists by his eternal utterance! Jesus is the radiant and flawless expression of the person of God. He makes the glory (intent) of God visible and exemplifies the character and every attribute of God in human form. (Gen.1:26, 27) This powerful final utterance of God (the incarnation) is the vehicle that carries the weight of the universe. He is the central theme of everything that exists. The content of his message celebrates the fact that God took it upon himself to successfully cleanse and acquit mankind. Jesus is now his right hand of power, seated in the boundless measure of his majesty. He occupies the highest seat of authority, in which our innocence is represented. (“Having accomplished purification of sins, he sat down...”)

Hebrews 1:3 Mirror Translation

Jesus is what God believes concerning you! This is not only potentially true, or only legally valid - what God achieved is reality ... it is true with or without your agreement. [8] He is the lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. [9]