CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS
If we are to faithfully deliver the message that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3), we must be able to explain exactly what that short statement means. We must be able to 1) properly define ‘our sin’ and 2) explain what Christ’s death means with respect to ‘our sin’.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins…” – 1 Cor 15:3
SIN is the issue and the SIN is OURS!
If you were to conduct a man-on-the-street interview outside of just about any church in America on any given Sunday and asked the question: “How did the sin of Adam effect the human race?”, you would probably hear, as the overwhelming answer: “Sin separates us from God.” If the answer is further defined, you might hear sin described as a great gulf or cloud between us and God. You would also hear sin defined as ‘wrong actions’ on our part. But while it is eminently true that sin separates us from God, and we ‘do’ sin, Scripture tells us that the sin problem is more than just an ‘impersonal’ gulf/cloud/wall of separation or wrong action. Listen carefully to ‘the rest of the story’.
Because of the sin of Adam, the following is true about all of us unless, and until, we are found in Christ by the gracious work of God in our salvation,through the shed blood of His Son:
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience–among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. – Ephesians 2:1-3
Not only were we God’s enemies, dead in trespasses and sin, and by nature objects of His wrath; we were headed for Hell:
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18
Is there anyone who, prior to their believing in Christ, isn’t in a ‘not believing’ state of existence? If that isn’t enough about the state of anyone apart from Christ, we have this:
“As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” – Romans 3:10-12
“How did the sin of Adam effect the human race?” Sin turned us into God’s enemies, dead in trespasses and sin, by nature objects of His wrath, headed for Hell, and completely unwilling to seek Him on our own! That’s quite a different picture of sin than the one painted by postmodern evangelicalism.
What then does Christ’s death mean with respect to OUR SIN?
Hear the words of Jesus to His disciples just before they departed the room where ate their last meal together:
“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” – John 14:30-31
What did God do for sinners? He sent His own Sin to die! Christ’s death for our sin was God’s plan. And the Son went obediently to the Cross to show the world how much He loved His Father.
“For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” – Romans 3:22b-25
“What, then, does the phrase “a propitiation. . .by his blood” express? It expresses, in the context of Paul’s argument, precisely this thought: that by his sacrificial death for our sins Christ pacified the wrath of God.” . . . “The doctrine of the propitiation is precisely this: That God so loved the objects of his wrath so much that He gave His own Son to the end that He by His blood should make provision for the removal of His wrath.” J.I. Packer – Knowing God
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” – Romans 5:9
Not only did Christ die for our sin, He died IN OUR PLACE. Christ’s death for our sins means that when we deserved the full weight of God’s just wrath against sin, ‘our sin’, He drank the cup of His own Father’s wrath in our stead! There is no greater expression of love in all of human history!
We mortals probably cannot even comprehend the gospel message in it’s entirety. Whatever message we communicate, with whatever words we use, the truth that Christ died for our sins MUST be part of our message. The more we can explain about what that really means, Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf, the better messengers we will be.
The Battle Cry 
I have had well-meaning, sincere Christians say that the following-
“As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” – Romans 3:10-12
-is either wrong or not for us, and for some spectacularily screwball reasons. This section cannot be taken in any manner other than a summative statement about the completely hopeless spiritual state of all Jews and non-Jews, as he has addressed so far.
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This goes right back to R.C. Sproul’s article on the bondage of semi-Pelagianism in the church. We have a nature to ‘commit sins’, but we are basically good and worthy of saving. Christianity becomes self-centered instead of God-centered and God becomes a cosmic sugar daddy.
Anyone brought to faith in this ‘we are worthy of salvation’ environment has to deny that Rom 3 is for us or seriously reexamine their faith.
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I agree with your commentary on the absolute importance of the Christ’s dying on the cross and our own guilt that required this intervention. I will have more to say when you move on to methods, methinks.
But…your last statement is problematic for me. “It’s only when we fully grasp what ‘Christ died for our sins’ really means that we are fully equipped to ‘preach’ the message. The message is simple, the full meaning of the message is beyond human comprehension.”
Two problems:
1. How can we fully grasp the meaning of the message when it is beyond human comprehension?
I think you could say, “we need to understand that Christ died on the cross because of me – that’s it’s personal, not some universal whole life insurance. We don’t understand how this worked, or all the cosmic implications, but just understand that I am responsible. Is that what you meant?
2. Fully grasping the message before we are fully equipped to preach the message.
I know many people who don’t feel like they can minister, witness, teach, or provide testimony because they aren’t “smart enough”, “don’t know enough”, or “I don’t understand the Bible” [their words]. Maybe this is a segue for the “means” discussion, but I think God can (and does) use anyone at anytime regardless of the “correctness” of the words being said. God used an ass to speak His message – he can certainly use any of us at any time!
I understand the need for correctness – but I would much rather someone speak out and make some mistakes – and hopefully start a conversation where the truth does come out – then to cower silently for fear of making a misstep.
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1. I could have been clearer and will fix it this evening.
2. The more we understand and can explain, beyond the simple words “Christ died for our sins”, the better equipped we are to properly convey the message – that’s all I was getting to. As we learn more and more from scripture and are empowered by the Holy Spirit (embedded instructor) we become better and better at delivering the message. Someone asked Dawson Trottman, the founder of the Navigators, how long it should be after someone is saved before he/she shares the gospel. His answer “Do you want that in seconds or minutes.” Additional instruction and training just means a better messenger.
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Here is a summary of the two “Message’ posts:
That Christ died for our sins is essential to the gospel message. Without the Cross, we don’t have a message. “Christ died for our sins’ means that Jesus Christ’s death was the substitute payment for the penalty that we deserved for our sin. His death is God’s only provision for the forgiveness of man’s sin and the appeasement of God’s wrath against him.
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Amen.
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That’s better – and clearer. Thanks.
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By the way – I was witnessed to (back in the day) by, among other things, being given a little booklet called “Born to Reproduce” by Dawson Trotman.
I remember a story that he related in the book about picking up a hitchhiker, sharing the gospel, praying the sinner’s prayer with the person, encouraging him to find a church, giving him a bible, and then sending him on his way.
A year later, Dawson is driving along and again picks up a hitchhiker. He starts into the whole sharing of the gospel again, and at some point realizes it’s the same guy he picked up a year ago.
His lesson was that what was missing was discipleship.
So, maybe it’s time to move on to means and methods!
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