Romans 3:25
In
the Garden of Eden, when Adam and his wife sinned, we see God’s first
redemptive response to the sinner. It is interesting to note that before
God pronounced His judgement upon the man and his wife for their sin,
He made a redemptive sentence in Genesis 3:15; “And I will put enmity
between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall
bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” God
looked beyond the initial offence of Adam and his wife and saw the
redemption of broken humanity in the virgin birth. God, however, did not
overlook the sin of man, therefore to provide a temporary go-between
Him and man, he slew an animal, and with its skin, made a garment to
cover the nakedness of the man and his wife. From that time going, the
blood of animals stood between God and man. And in a manner of speaking,
God transferred is anger upon the animal, in order to spare man from
the brunt of His wrath. This transfer of divine wrath was perfected on
the cross where He poured His wrath on His only begotten Son.
But
all the blood sacrifices performed on the sinner’s behalf never could
satisfy the holy anger of God against sin. Isaiah prophetically foretold
the moment in time when the anger of God would be fully satisfied in
Isaiah 53:11. “He shall see the anguish of his soul and shall be
satisfied.” This was a prophecy of the suffering of the Messiah that was
fulfilled in Christ’s death on the cross. On the cross, God set forth
Christ to be a propitiation for the sin of the whole world. To
propitiate is to stop somebody from being angry. So God stopped being
angry with the sinner after that Christ died in the sinner’s place on
the cross.
I
am sure you may have heard people say that God is very angry with the
sinner. This is not a scriptural view of God’s disposition towards the
sinner after Christ’s death on the cross for the sinner. The sacrifice
of Christ on the cross was made to propitiate God. Because of Jesus
Christ, God has ceased from His anger against the sinner, yet, hating
his sin. But when a sinner continues in his hardness of heart against
God and His offer of salvation in Christ, he is treasuring up for
himself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous
judgement of God. But for now, the anger of God against the sinner has
been fully satisfied. What wonderful good news.
Toni
