Since sin is such a serious problem, we need to know if it affects us. Are we sinners? Are you a sinner, am I a sinner? There is a general assumption which is very widely held today that most people are mostly good. Even many convicted criminals are of the opinion that they are good people who made mistakes, were the victim of unfair circumstances, or who are just really misunderstood.

Do you believe that you are generally good? Would God be generally OK with the way you have lived your life were he to meet you? Sure, you may have done a few things you shouldn’t, but is that enough to have to see yourself as a sinner – given all the other things you’ve done which are good or at least neutral?

The scripture gives an answer which should leave us with no doubt as to the answer of all these questions. One of the clearer places is the explanation of our standing before God contained in Romans 3. By quoting mostly passages from the Old Testament, the apostle explains that really none can trust in their own righteousness – for it transpires that none is righteous (no, not one):

⁹ … For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:
¹¹ “None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.¹”
¹³ “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰ For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:9-20

How then can we claim that there is any good in us, given the judgement of God upon us? If God has said that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), then if we claim to be without sin then we are saying that God is a liar. Not only that – but we are only deceiving ourselves – for God knows all our deeds, even the secret and hidden sins. As John writes:

⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us … ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:8,10

Often, the reason that God’s assessment does not seem to match our own opinion is because we have failed to take proper account of the holiness of God. There is a tendency for us all to underestimate what God demands of us – such that we think we can meet them through our own hard work. Christ himself however lays out commands which are far beyond what man can attain whilst yet weakened in his sinful and corrupt flesh. One example is how he ends the Sermon on the Mount – with the beautifully simple command that:

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

If you know you’ve lived a life as perfect as God himself, then I guess you can put down this book – however I suspect it is clear that this is far beyond the grasp of fallen man. This same truth that we are all sinners, all without exception, forms the starting point of many other passages of scripture, such as the passage we discussed earlier from Ephesians, which opens with “and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked”, talking those who still live in such a way as those “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).

We are all sinners, and in particular – I am a sinner, and you too are a sinner. All we have discussed previously regarding sin, slavery to sin, death and judgement then applies to us – and leaves us with the same problem as the rest of mankind – the problem which only Christ solves.

However, if you are a sinner, then take heart – for the same passage from I John which declared that if we claim to be sinless we likewise imply God is a liar also goes on to give us a promise of forgiveness by Christ himself:

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Likewise, as a sinner, take comfort, for it is for sinners that Christ died.

Sin in itself is an agent of enslavement, as Christ explains, saying “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). This is set the opposite of being a slave of righteousness – it is to be subjected to the power of evil and the corruption.

It is in overruling right living and fear of God that sin ensnares – we read in II Peter that “whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved” (II Peter 2:19) and it is a very fitting description of the hold that sin has over man. We see this in society at large, where one sin leads to another greater trespass – one wickedness leads to yet greater evil. Our courts are only too familiar with the seeing the same offenders before them on ever-more-serious charges, as one bad deed leads to another.

Indeed, the more we sin, the more comfortable we become in sin. Whether in private matters, or those of public order – our hesitation to commit sin becomes ever lessened as we become deadened to its growing influence and habitual hold over us. Thus, we see mature adults unflinchingly undertaking acts of depravity which they would have bemoaned as too evil to mention as children. We see persons who seek to publicly justify their sins, having become so comfortable with them that if others frown upon such deeds they are not shamed but rather angered that anyone should dare to call sin that which through enslavement and habitual action has become their “lifestyle”.

I have placed quotation marks around “lifestyle” for good reason – it is a very poor name to give to the way of a man enslaved to sin. Not so much because it is not a “style”, but because it is not “life”. For, whoever commits sin becomes a slave of sin; and the end of this slavery is death. When Paul seeks to exhort his readers in Rome to flee from sin, he starts by reminding them of this. He sets out clearly that if they sin, they are slaves of sin, and that will lead to death:

¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16

The association of sin and death arises early in the Biblical history and is first seen in the garden of Eden where Adam sins by disobeying God. The word of God on the matter was already very clear: “you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). By this act of disobedience in Adam, sin entered the world and through that sin came death as its consequence. As we read in Romans 5:

¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Romans 5:12-14

This steady progression of corruption is described by James as the result of desire, which “when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). However, physical death is not the only consequence of sin, for after physical death comes judgement – either to eternal life, or to eternal fire (Matthew 25:41). As the writer to the Hebrews puts it:

… it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment

Hebrews 9:27

Thus, when Paul explains that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23) we see that physical death is not all that is given as a reward for sin – but also a perpetual death, separation from God, and hell.

These very serious consequences of sin are a major problem for man, not only consigning him to death, but keeping him in bondage to that path even until the end. The corruption and wickedness of man leaves him not only unwilling but also unable to turn back to God – no more able than a slave is able to turn away from servitude and declare himself free.

Although this is very bad news, yet we can be greatly comforted by knowing that Christ has set us free from slavery to sin. When he died, bearing our sins, he put to death our sinful and corrupt flesh along with himself ¹ – so that we might live not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit:

¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:10-11

Although the consequences of sin that we’ve seen are very serious and powerful indeed, yet so too is the saving work of Christ. Not only have we seen how Christ dealt with sin such that we might escape the wrath of God, but also that he grants freedom from slavery to sin even before death that we might start to live our lives according to his perfect commandments.

When Paul talks about the origin of sin, he goes right back to the beginning of Genesis, to the account of the events which took place in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:12). God had told Adam that he was not permitted to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17), a rule Adam broke (3:6). It was in this first sin that man fell from a perfect relationship with God into a state of separation. Indeed, no sooner had he eaten but he started to feel shame and fear of God – covering himself with fig leaves, and hiding from God as he approached (3:8). For his part, God ejected them both from the garden, sending them out into lives of hardship, and fixing a cherubim with a flaming sword to prevent their return:

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:24

So, at heart, sin is this state of separation from God – that which prevents us from approaching God without shame and fear; that which means we have no peace with God. When seen in this way, sin is not primarily a question of individual acts of disobedience, but is a state of mankind with its origin in our fall away from God in Adam.

From this corrupt foundation comes forth corrupt thoughts, words and actions. Whilst many of these specific sins are listed in the Bible, they all boil down to the breaking of one of the two great commandments:

[And he said to him,] “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

So, whilst the essence of sin is our state of separation from God, the essence of individual sins is found in our rejection of the God we should love fully, and a failure in that mutual love for our neighbours which is the pure outworking of the love of God.

It is against this background that we read the judgement of mankind in John’s Gospel:

And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:19

Do you notice how closely our rejection of God is bound up in our evil deeds? It is because of our evil deeds that we reject the light of God; but yet it is because of the darkness of sin that we persist in the evil deeds. Paul describes this sorry states as living ‘in the flesh’, because our lives are governed according to that human flesh which fell in Adam. This life ‘in the flesh’ means to “carry out the desires of the body and the mind” (Ephesians 2:3), and graphically describes the way in which sins originate within us, according to our nature:

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

Romans 7:5

Christ also discusses sin using this concept, pointing out that the evil that defiles a person actually originates from within his heart, rather than from some external influence (Mark 7:20-23). So, although we often like to think of sin being caused by society, yet the way Bible describes it, although sin may be a part of fallen society, it springs from each corrupt individual:

And [Christ] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:20-23

If the Gospel relates to our deliverance from sin, then an understanding of what sin is, and how it affects us, is prerequisite to our understanding of the Gospel. In this section we’ll answer a few basic questions about sin, starting off with the basic nature of sin, and then discussing the way in which it is related to Christ’s work on the cross.

• “What is sin?” reviews some of the basic concepts surrounding sin itself
• “What is the consequence of sin?” examines what the Bible says the effect or end of sin is on those who are guilty of such an offence
• “Which people are sinners?” asks who is guilty of sin, how we can be sure, and to what extent
• “How did Christ’s death address the problem of sin?” draws a link between Christ’s death and our sin
• “For which sins did Christ’s die?” discusses Christ’s death as a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for sin made once
• “Was Christ really about the bearing of sin?” reviews the way in which Christ demonstrated his ability to forgive our sins, his intention to die for our sins, and the complete payment for our sins

So, we have seen the characteristics of those for whom Christ died, and again the way in which his death is availed to man. We have seen how Christ died for the weak whilst they were weak, for sinners whilst they were in sin, for the ungodly whilst they did not yet repent and indeed for the enemies of God whilst they remained yet hostile; again we have seen that the death of Christ is availed to man by faith, and by faith alone apart from works.

Now, we come to the most crucial question in the book. Did Christ die for me? Do I receive forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and life eternal, because Christ died for me?

The scriptures answer this question is a very straightforward way. They declare boldly and without limitation or condition, that if you believe in Christ as your saviour then indeed Christ did die for you and you are justified by his shed blood for your salvation.

We’ve already read the much-quoted passage from John 3:16, but let us read on a little to John 3:18 where Christ declares without reservation that those who believe are not condemned, but those who do not are already condemned:

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

Later, when Paul was in jail, his jailer asked him this same question, “what must I do to be saved?” to which Paul explained that being saved was a matter not of what he had to do but only that he was called to believe in Christ the Lord:

³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:30-31

Here too, we could bring forward many examples of those who have been saved by their faith. Perhaps one of the most memorable is the account of the two criminals who were crucified alongside Christ. One had started to mock Christ, but the other rebuked him, saying:

“Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:40-43

What a wonderful example of the salvation which comes by faith! The criminal, who was being justly punished for his deeds, a man who was most certainly a sinner – not only privately but publicly, was received by Christ himself based on the faith he had in his very last hours – when he had no chance whatsoever of amending his ways or adding good works to his name. This man confessed that Christ was God, trusted that Christ would enter into his kingdom despite very present death, and placed his hope in Christ’s ability to save him.

Do you believe in Christ as your saviour, and trust in his promises of salvation? If you do, then you are already saved, already forgiven, already Christian, and already reconciled with God. In this you can draw very great comfort, if you believe, for you can be “sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Further, you can be comforted that if you believe in Christ then your faith is not in vain; it is the gift of God and a sure declaration of God’s almighty will to save – not only generally, but you personally.

The way in which God saves is most certainly a worthy reason to give him praise, and truly glorifies His name – yet, it does not quite speak to our own standing. If this favour of God is not a reward for works, then by what instrument is it applied to man? How can I be availed of his blood for the forgiveness of my sins?

We’ve seen in some detail that Christ died that man could be saved, and we have understood the way in which his death achieves reconciliation with God. What we will now discuss is how this work of Christ in his death on the cross is applied to man unto salvation.

The simple answer is ‘faith’; that faith is the instrument by which salvation is availed to man. By faith is meant not only a knowledge of the truth of God’s salvation in Christ, but also a trust in the promises found therein.

It is not enough just to know of Christ as the Saviour or to understand the divinity of Christ, for even the demons confess the same but are not saved (Mark 5:7, Acts 16:17, James 2:19). What is meant is a faith in Christ as Saviour, by trusting in Christ for salvation. This faith then is not an academic faith, but a heart-felt trust in what God has done in Christ.

In this same way, when Paul explains the way in which the righteousness of God is applied or imputed to man, he shows that it comes through faith in Christ for all who believe:

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Romans 3:21-22

We see this reliance on faith set out strikingly by Christ when he teaches the crowds in in Capernaum. When asked “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (John 6:28), he answered “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29). The answer Christ gives means exactly what it seems to mean – that even before God, it is faith that ‘counts’.

Later in that discourse, Christ went on to declare God’s plan for salvation specifically in these terms, saying:

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day

John 6:40

This faith is not in itself a work or something one has to do, but is a gift from God, as we saw in our discussion of Ephesians 2:8-9 in the previous section where we read of that saving faith that “it is the gift of God”. It is God’s will to save – as we read in II Timothy, it is God who saved us, “because of his purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (II Timothy 1:9). Again, when Christ was close the time for his betrayal and subsequent death, he prayed out loud to the Father with words showing his authority to give eternal life to all those the Father had given him – eternal life which is in knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ. This faith is a gift, given according to the will of God before the ages began, to call to eternal life all who God wills:

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:1-3

So, not only is this faith a gift, but it alone leads to eternal life – it alone is the cause for which we are counted righteous or justified before God. Paul explains this specifically regarding those who do not work but do trust in Christ, showing that even their faith is counted as righteousness. There is no required mix of faith and works in order to be saved by the blood of Christ. All that is required is faith, and that in itself is a gift of God:

And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness

Romans 4:5

So, in terms of our justification – or how we are made or declared righteous before God, “we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28).

It is worth also noting that the question here is not the quantity of faith, but the presence of faith. Because faith is the expression of the will of God to salvation, even that which seems weak has the power to save – as it is according to the almighty will of God¹.

Having briefly reviewed those for whom Christ died, we need to start getting more practical. How did those people for whom Christ died earn his death? What did they do to qualify themselves to receive this great mercy from God?

The simple and shocking answer is that they did absolutely nothing. The noted preacher, Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “The only thing I contribute to my salvation are the sins from which I need saving”.

We’ve already seen that in the list of those for whom Christ died, the only listed qualifications have been negative: the weak, the ungodly, the sinners, and the enemies of God. There was not even a requirement that they make some improvement first, for the scripture has explicitly said Christ died for them whilst they were still in that rotten state.

We can read about this in a positive way as well as negative, particularly in explanations such as that of the letter to the Ephesians, which reads:

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

So, speaking of those who have been saved, we first see that their faith has been the instrument of salvation – rather than anything they have done. Then, we see that even their faith is not their own work – but has been given them by God as a gift. There is nothing they can boast about, because there is nothing they have done!

Those for whom Christ died did absolutely nothing whatsoever to earn or deserve Christ, and this is a very important thing to understand. Christ did not die for them because they had turned to God, had improved their lives, had refrained from sin or anything else. Christ died for them because it was the will of God to send his beloved Son that they might be reconciled in his death:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17

The cause or reason for the death of Christ then is not anything they have done to deserve it but rather due to the love of God. It is to a world which deserved condemnation that Christ came, but he came not to condemn, but to save from perishing. Further, this love in itself is not something earned or merited, but something which acted even whilst they were still sinners, still enemies and still weak. The very shortest chapter in the Bible is the 117^th Psalm, which simply reads:

¹ Praise the Lord, all nations!

Extol him, all peoples!

² For great is his steadfast love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117

For this steadfast love of God, who has been faithful and loving to us even while we were unfaithful and hostile to him, we truly can praise the Lord. Quite unlike the idols and false gods of the Greeks and Romans which were said to need many offerings and inducements to persuade them to smile upon the people, the true and living God acts in love to save those who are ungodly and caught in the jaws of sin.

When an employer hires staff, he usually tries to hire those who are best prepared for the job, who have studied the right things, who have gained the right experience and who seem to be particularly motivated by the opportunity to work for the company. It seems only natural to choose those who seem the best qualified.
In the death of Christ, God calls men to become sons of God, an honoured position indeed! So, if we were asked to suggest criteria to God, what would we suggest? If we were to follow the logic of our own human interactions, perhaps we’d suggest that Christ should die to save those who have studied the Bible, who are keen to be saved, who have a track record of worshipping God, who do good, and who seem to love God. Strangely, and as it turns out – very fortuitously, God’s criteria are somewhat different.

Take a look at how Paul sets out to describe those for whom Christ died in his letter to the Romans:

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ 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 5:6-10

Within that part of the letter there are a few very instructive points, four of which we’ll have a closer look at: that Christ died for the weak (verse 6); that Christ died for the ungodly (verse 6); that Christ died for sinners (verse 8); and, that Christ died for enemies of God (verse 10).

Christ died for the weak

To be weak is to lack the strength or power to do what is requisite; and in this context it is a description of those who are bound by Satan, shackled by sin, and not only unwilling but unable to save themselves. Thus, Christ died for us ‘while we were still weak’ (Romans 5:6). This word ‘weak’ which Paul uses is also used in other places to describe the sick and the crippled.

Christ did not wait for us to become strong enough to save ourselves, but rather died for us while we were still weak. The religious leaders who falsely thought themselves strong and so insisted they could save themselves were justly condemned for it. It is to them that Christ declared “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17).

As we read in I Corinthians, God chose those who were powerless and even foolish, to put those who trusted in their own wisdom and strength to shame:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong

I Corinthians 1:27

So, if we know we are weak and realise we are unable to save ourselves, then there is great comfort from knowing that Christ died for us.

Christ died for the ungodly

Not only did Christ die for the weak, but also for the ungodly. To be ungodly is the opposite of respecting God; it is to be living your life without reference to God, even spiting God in your rejection of him. When the world was turned against God in sin before the flood, they were described as ungodly – and were justly punished for it by being destroyed (II Peter 2:5).

Nevertheless, although to be ungodly deserves death, it is for the ungodly that Christ died. As Paul writes:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6

It is notable that it is not only for those who are sinners, as we will see next, but also for the ungodly. One might be tempted to assume that Christ died only for those sinners who wanted to redeem themselves and tried to live in the fear of God – but that could not be further from the truth. Christ died for those who had no wish to redeem themselves in the eyes of God, nor indeed even to acknowledge him as God. It is not therefore just for those who fail to live up to God’s commands for whom Christ died, but yet even for those who have never tried to live up to God’s commands nor indeed acknowledge that such commands have any authority over them.

It is a great and wonderful thing to know that in terms of faith and religious affection, Christ sets the threshold at zero. No man can see his past rejection or ignorance of God as cause to believe that Christ did not die for him – for in that he was truly ungodly so too did Christ truly die for him.

Christ died for sinners

Now, still more marvellous in our sight is the point next raised by Paul, that Christ died for sinners – and even whilst they were still sinners:

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

This is the same message which we see emerging during the ministry of Christ, particularly in his interactions with sinners and how he responded to the disapproval of the religious leaders of his day. On one occasion, having had complaints made to his disciples because of a shared meal with a tax-collector and his friends, Christ rebuked the leaders, saying to them:

Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:13

The religious leaders believed that the Christ would come and save them, because of their zealous law-keeping – they thought that they had it in their power to be righteous, or self-righteous. Christ turned that upside down by teaching them that the Christ was not coming to the righteous – but sinners. It was a great challenge to them, for it forced them either to reject Christ or to acknowledge their own sinfulness and need of salvation. It is also a great challenge to us – for it is the work of pride and vainglory to believe oneself essentially a good person. Like the religious leaders, we too are challenged to come to terms with ourselves being sinners who need salvation – for Christ came to die for sinners. Paul makes this very confession when he writes to Timothy:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

2 Timothy 1:15

On other hand, if we do know ourselves to be sinners, then Christ’s words come to us with great comfort and are full of assurance; for Christ died for sinners. Nor even do we have to look at our lives and decide if we have reformed enough to merit the death of Christ; for Christ died for sinners whilst they were still sinners. Although sin is a most serious problem, the punishment for which is death, yet it is from this state not only of sin but also its bondage to death, that Christ saves, dying for those who were still sinners.

Ephesians sets it out in terms of this very change from death to life, being freed from the death of sin to be made alive in Christ. It is described as a work of grace, an outworking of the favour of God towards man who mercifully saves those who do not deserve it:

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

Christ died for enemies of God

We have spoken of those who are weak, ungodly and even sinners; and now Paul adds that it is for those who were enemies of God that Christ died. Not only then for those who lived their wicked lives without reference to God, but even for those who were enemies of God:

¹⁰ 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 510

The enemies of God live according to Satan rather than God. They are described as “under the power of Satan” (Acts 16:18, I John 5:19), they follow the “course of this world, the prince of the power of the air” (Satan; Ephesians 2:2). They belong to the “kingdom of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) and so are enemies of God.

In Colossians we read of those who have passed from this state of enmity to God and are now at peace with God. We see how it was the fact that Christ died for them – whilst they were still hostile to God and doing evil – that allowed them to be reconciled and gain peace, that they would be made holy and blameless:

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him

Colossians 1:21-22

As with the previous points we have discussed, it is important to realise that Christ is not said to have died for those who had once been enemies and were now at peace. Rather, the scripture shows that Christ died for those who were enemies whilst they were still enemies.

We have been talking about Christ’s death for our sins quite freely in the first four sections of this book, but have left the word ‘our’ assumed. In this section we will look at the ‘our’ in more detail, and as we do so we will seek to answer four key questions, all of which lead up to the crucial question of whether Christ died for you personally for the forgiveness of your sins.

• “For whom did Christ die?” reviews key passages from the Old and New Testaments to come to an understanding of who Christ died ‘for’
• “How did these people earn Christ’s death for them?” asks the way in which those for whom Christ died earned this great kindness of God
• “How can I benefit from blood of Christ for the forgiveness of my sins?” turns the question around and looks not at how one earns or deserves Christ’s death but at the instrument by which Christ’s death is applied
• “Did Christ die for me?” poses the crucial question of how one might personally know if Christ died for him
• Finally, “How can I be sure Christ died for me?” looks at some of the ways we might be assured

The third way scripture speaks of the work of Christ is in terms not only of his death and resurrection alone, but of our own death and rebirth with him. Paul presents us with what seems almost a riddle for its complexity in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, which we will review in more detail.
First, Paul shows that the very fact that that Christ died for all (verse 15) implies that all were dead. If we then were dead, and Christ has died for us; then it is the very intention of God that we should now not continue in a life of sin which leads to death, but live for Christ:

¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Thus, being saved from death we are no longer counted as dead but have passed from the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). Just as Christ was once numbered as sinful flesh and is now no longer regarded as such, so too are we to look not to our former death in the flesh but to our present life. We are now not of the flesh which leads to death, but rather we are a new creation in Christ, which is life:

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

So, by being in Christ we are reconciled to God by the work of Christ (verse 18). Christ offered himself to God as a sacrifice for our sin, taking the punishment for our transgressions – and from this he achieves reconciliation for us. Because Christ became sin in taking our sins onto himself, it becomes possible for us to become the righteousness of God in him. We, being reconciled to God in Christ, have the righteousness of God credited or imputed to us¹. Through this unity with Christ we are able to stand on the day of judgement and not have our trespasses counted against us (verse 19) but rather be judged having for ourselves the perfect righteousness of God:

¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Jesus expresses this link between his own righteousness and those who are in him in his prayer of John 17:10, “all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” All who are saved in Christ can thus have full confidence that by being in Christ they are also reconciled with the Father; and not only that, but that it is Christ himself who is glorified in them. Although we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), yet because we are in Christ it is he who is glorified in us, the Glory of God².

In his letter to the Romans, Paul also points to this righteousness which is given to those who have faith. This is not a righteousness of man obtained by keeping the law, but is a “righteousness of God” which is “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”, “as a gift” (Romans 3:21-24). The very same righteousness, is described in the prophesy of Isaiah who shows that it is “by his knowledge” that many shall be “accounted righteous”. Here it is not that they have been judged righteous according to their own works, but rather that they are accounted or reckoned righteous because of their faith in Christ. We, united with Christ in faith, have Christ’s own perfect righteousness credited to us – so that when we stand before the Father we can be reckoned as righteous, our transgressions not being counted against us.

Again in Romans, Paul explains the present position of those who have faith in Christ as being in Christ. It is because Christ took on human flesh and in human flesh condemned sin that we who are in Christ are now freed from the death which is the consequence of sin. We walk now not according to the old sinful flesh, but according to the Spirit, Christ having fulfilled the required righteousness of the law for us and in us:

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4

It is then true to say that it is through union with Christ that we are saved, for it is by this union that we are reconciled to God despite our former hostility and sin – which is the work of Christ as our saviour, in order to present us holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Colossians 1:22; see page 77).

The third way scripture speaks of the work of Christ is in terms not only of his death and resurrection alone, but of our own death and rebirth with him. Paul presents us with what seems almost a riddle for its complexity in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, which we will review in more detail.

First, Paul shows that the very fact that that Christ died for all (verse 15) implies that all were dead. If we then were dead, and Christ has died for us; then it is the very intention of God that we should now not continue in a life of sin which leads to death, but live for Christ:

¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Thus, being saved from death we are no longer counted as dead but have passed from the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). Just as Christ was once numbered as sinful flesh and is now no longer regarded as such, so too are we to look not to our former death in the flesh but to our present life. We are now not of the flesh which leads to death, but rather we are a new creation in Christ, which is life:

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

So, by being in Christ we are reconciled to God by the work of Christ (verse 18). Christ offered himself to God as a sacrifice for our sin, taking the punishment for our transgressions – and from this he achieves reconciliation for us. Because Christ became sin in taking our sins onto himself, it becomes possible for us to become the righteousness of God in him. We, being reconciled to God in Christ, have the righteousness of God credited or imputed to us¹. Through this unity with Christ we are able to stand on the day of judgement and not have our trespasses counted against us (verse 19) but rather be judged having for ourselves the perfect righteousness of God:

¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Jesus expresses this link between his own righteousness and those who are in him in his prayer of John 17:10, “all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.” All who are saved in Christ can thus have full confidence that by being in Christ they are also reconciled with the Father; and not only that, but that it is Christ himself who is glorified in them. Although we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), yet because we are in Christ it is he who is glorified in us, the Glory of God².

In his letter to the Romans, Paul also points to this righteousness which is given to those who have faith. This is not a righteousness of man obtained by keeping the law, but is a “righteousness of God” which is “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”, “as a gift” (Romans 3:21-24). The very same righteousness, is described in the prophesy of Isaiah who shows that it is “by his knowledge” that many shall be “accounted righteous”. Here it is not that they have been judged righteous according to their own works, but rather that they are accounted or reckoned righteous because of their faith in Christ. We, united with Christ in faith, have Christ’s own perfect righteousness credited to us – so that when we stand before the Father we can be reckoned as righteous, our transgressions not being counted against us.

Again in Romans, Paul explains the present position of those who have faith in Christ as being in Christ. It is because Christ took on human flesh and in human flesh condemned sin that we who are in Christ are now freed from the death which is the consequence of sin. We walk now not according to the old sinful flesh, but according to the Spirit, Christ having fulfilled the required righteousness of the law for us and in us:

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4

It is then true to say that it is through union with Christ that we are saved, for it is by this union that we are reconciled to God despite our former hostility and sin – which is the work of Christ as our saviour, in order to present us holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Colossians 1:22; see page 77).