“The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father, and purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him.” -WCF 8.5

Introduction

The work of Christ is something that, frankly, boggles the mind; if indeed, one ponders upon it with sincerity. Grasp with me for a moment the unthinkable nature of what our Savior did for his elect. The very God who set all things as they are, with perfect purpose and power, designed to save his people. He subjected himself to his very own law, denying himself the pleasure and power afforded him on this Earth, and lived a life in lowly estate. Although Jesus is God, he “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” and instead of maintaining his majestic excellence, he “emptied himself” and became a modest servant (Philippians 2:6-7). The God who spoke all creation into existence, the one with whom the mere flutter of his fingers set in place the moon and stars, chose to humble himself and to be further humiliated as he hung on a cross. He died as a common criminal, naked, in front of those he created and knew perfectly. 

This picture is the exact opposite of what would be the expected behavior of a king. The kings of the Earth do not obey their own laws or humbly cast themselves down before their people. Never before have I seen them willfully humiliate themselves for the good of those they rule. What we have in Christ is something that surpasses and outclasses all that the world has ever or could ever offer. With an exemplary rule and outstanding dominion, our King Jesus did for his people what any righteous king of this Earth could only dream of doing.  

An Imperfect Offering

A brief sketch of the Old Testament pattern of sacrifice for sin will be one with immense amounts of blood, death, specific instruction for animal parts like livers, lobes, entrails, and more. All that the Lord required of Israel for the atonement of their sin was, for that time, sufficient and efficacious through the operation of the Spirit. Still, the death of animals was never enough for permanent forgiveness. Each time a person would sin, either intentionally or unintentionally, the guilt that sin brought upon the individual or the congregation needed atonement. As we progress through the Old Testament and continue to learn more of Israel, we see God dealing with obstinate and stiff-necked people, who constantly forsake their God and whore after idols (Deuteronomy 31:16).

God eventually told his people that he “[desired] love and not sacrifice [and] the knowledge of God rather than burnt offering” (Hosea 6:6; Isaiah 1:11). He likewise told them plainly what he required of them: to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly before him (Micah 6:8). But why did he say this to his people after giving them the sacrificial system? He said this to them because, while there is no atonement for sin without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), Israel had become increasingly obstinate in their hearts. Israel had come to believe they could do and live whatever way they wanted as long as they maintained the ceremony and the rituals. It is as though Hosea is saying to Israel, “I know what you are ready to allege, and that you will say, that you offer sacrifices to me, that you perform all the ceremonies; but this excuse is deemed by me frivolous and of no moment.” Why? “Because I desire not sacrifices, but mercy and faith.” 

A Perfect Offering

An odd thing for many Christians to learn is that a blood sacrifice still saves us, but it is true. Every Christian’s salvation comes by death and blood for atonement. It seems strange because early in the Christian walk, we may not immediately connect Christ to the Old Testament sacrificial system. Nevertheless, Christ was sacrificed on behalf of his people, for obedience to God, and the forgiveness of his people’s sins (Hebrews 10:10).

The people of Israel became hard-hearted, and therefore the sacrifices they made became of no use and impotent. The psalmist knew this well because he said, “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required” (Psalm 40:6). At first, this may seem contrary to all that God had given his people to do, but this is not so. The psalmist shows that God’s delight was absent, because the sacrifices were not accompanied with the faithfulness and repentance that the Lord desires from his people. We know the Lord requires and delights in sacrifice, but he loathes outward conformity alone. It is a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart that the Lord desires as sacrifice first before he would ever accept burnt offerings and sin offerings (Psalm 51:16-19).

The necessity for heart-felt obedience and a broken and contrite heart are accomplished in the New Testament in Jesus Christ. And the need of blood for the forgiveness of sins was fulfilled with the perfect obedience of Christ. Jesus perfectly loved the Father, and obeyed his law, and was truly a spotless lamb. For this reason, his sacrifice can last forever and perpetually cover all the sins of fallen sinners like you and me. Christ was not a mere shell offered up for us, nor was he simply perfect and did not really die and perhaps only appeared to suffer and die. No. He was perfectly and actually both!

The psalmist, therefore, is speaking of Christ when he says, “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart’” (Psalm 40:7-8). We know that the psalmist is referring to Jesus because the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 40:6-8 and immediately concludes that, “[Christ] does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:9-10).

A Perfect Result

All those who are redeemed and have been brought into covenant with God are the blessed benefactors of a sacrifice they did not make and obedience they did not offer. You are the recipient of a grace you did not merit and an inheritance you have never earned. You and I have been given a gift that is of such grandeur. This gift stretches so far beyond our imagination and guarantees us something so seemingly impossible that the only response we can ever give is to simply fall to our knees, worship, and give thanks!

Christ has done for us what we could never do in our flesh: Christ has reconciled us to God! O’ the glory and beauty that exists for us fallen man, that we have been restored to our magnificent and gracious Father, because the Lord Jesus came, lived, suffered, died, and rose victorious for a people undeserving of his love! For a moment, pause and weep for joy with me at the amazing love we have shown!

But this is not all that we have been given. Jesus has given us the greatest of comforts in this life, as we eagerly await eternity. Jesus said, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3). Jesus has promised to take us to himself, that we may be with him always. If we can for a moment feel the immense comfort we have by our certain hope of future glory, try - as much as possible - to imagine the feeling of obtaining that which you have longed for over a lifetime.

Conclusion

God has always required sacrifices and obedience for the satisfaction of sin. This reality has never changed, and it will never change. These requirements, however, were given to man to show our great and unending need for a Savior (Galatians 3:19). But, all glory be to God the Father, because Jesus Christ, our elder brother, has offered to God a perfect sacrifice and perfect obedience in his body and life! And by this sacrifice of himself for the sins of his people, he now sits enthroned with all power! By this one offering, Christ has perfected for all time all those whom the Father has given to him (Hebrews 10:12-14)!