While I have explained the healing purpose of the atonement, and shown how the crucifixion of Jesus was a blood sacrifice that displayed for all people the severity of sin, I have yet to show how any of this is effective in restoring human beings to a right relationship with God. It is common for Christians to look to the cross as the place where we were saved, but I would suggest that it is more accurately the place where the barrier to salvation was removed. Because of the cross, our sin no longer disqualifies us from being reconciled to God. However, the death of Christ alone is powerless to save. Had Jesus simply died on the cross, we would likewise remain in the grave after we die. How then can we be saved? The answer is the resurrection. Because Jesus conquered death, we can likewise be raised to eternal life in the presence of God.
“In Adam” vs. “In Christ”
In reading through Paul’s epistles in the New Testament, I began to notice a theme: the contrast between the “old man” and the “new man.” The old man is represented by Adam. The new man is Jesus Christ. Adam is defined by his sin and the condemnation that followed, resulting in death. Christ is defined by His righteousness (moral perfection) and the resurrection to eternal life. Those who are “in Adam” remain condemned (John 3:18-20). Those who are “in Christ” will rise to eternal life in like manner to how He has risen from the dead. Romans 5:12-21 is a key passage that explains this contrast. Verses 18-19 say, “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Jesus is the new man who becomes the proxy for many.
Predestination of Christ
Romans 8:29-30 says: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” People often focus on the word “predestined” and come to the wrong conclusion about what Paul is saying here. This has nothing to do with the predetermination of individual believers to be saved and everything to do with the predetermined plan of salvation accomplished by Jesus through His incarnation, sacrificial death, and resurrection. Ephesians 1 makes this clearer. Just count how many times you find “in Him” or “in Christ” in that passage, and you will begin to see how Paul is emphasizing Christ as our representative in the “heavenly places.” In Romans 8, he does the same thing. “Whom He predestined” can be translated as “Christ Himself,” with all those “in Christ” being connected to Him through representation. What is true then of Christ is true of those “in Christ.” The link is made: predestined → called → justified → glorified.
Glorified?
While we can certainly make a case that the first 3 steps apply to believers, it can only be said that Christ is presently “glorified:” raised from the dead into an immortal body. So how can we be said to be glorified (past tense emphasized)? Some have suggested that the past tense verbs refer to Old Testament believers. But they are, like us, waiting for the future redemption of their bodies. They cannot be said to be glorified any more than we are. Yet Jesus IS glorified! And because He is, we can be assured that we will be. Notice that Jesus is the “firstborn among many brethren.” How so? He is the first to be raised into a glorified body. Paul here is pointing to the victory of Christ over death that will be shared by all of us who have Him as our representative.
Consider also 1 Corinthians 15:20-23: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” This makes it clear that “firstborn/firstfruits” is a reference to His resurrected body. Just as Adam was the first “old man,” Christ is the first “new man.”
Spiritual Bodies
Paul continues in verses 39-45: “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.’” Clearly Paul is emphasizing the importance of the glorified body in contrast to the fallen flesh we inherited from Adam. The old flesh, with its sinful appetites and inevitable breakdown, is unfit for eternal life. We need our bodies to be renewed.
Atonement Made Effective
He goes on (48-49): “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” There is a mirroring of Christ to those “in Christ.” And it should become clear as we make these connections that the atonement is not summed up in the death of Christ on the cross, but is accomplished through the resurrection. Therefore the atonement has 3 significant steps: incarnation, death, and resurrection. The resurrection required His death to precede it, and His death was only made possible through the authenticity of His incarnation. Each step is needed to bring healing to the human condition.
We can see from all these passages that the atonement is made effective through Christ’s resurrection to eternal life. He died for the sin (singular and plural) of the world. This includes the sins of every individual who has ever lived. But will everyone then be saved? Based on what we’ve read, it is evident that salvation is for those who have their faith in Christ. So we can sum it up by saying that Jesus died for the sins of all individuals in all times and all places, but He is risen for the salvation of those who are in Him. (For an explanation of why those not in Christ suffer eternal punishment, see addendum.)
Spirit vs. Flesh
Those who have their faith in Christ receive the Holy Spirit, which Ephesians 1:13-14 describes as “the guarantee of our inheritance.” The Holy Spirit does the work of restoring our souls to alignment with God’s will. In this sense, eternal life begins at the moment one believes and receives the Gospel of salvation, as the soul is “born again” of the Spirit (John 3:3-8).
A big question inevitably follows: “Why do Christians still sin?” Paul anticipates this as he transitions from his explanation of Christian freedom from sin (Romans 6) to the inconsistency we find in our actions (Romans 7). Verses 18-20 say: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
While there is much controversy around this passage, it makes perfect sense in the context of all that I have explained up to this point. Going back to the idea that we are souls that have bodies, we can see that while our souls are reconciled to God in Christ, the body remains in its fallen state. We still suffer, and we still die. We experience the working of the Holy Spirit in our desire to please God and forsake sin, but the flesh still pulls us toward disobedience. This is why Paul can say that it is no longer “I” who sins, but the body of sin that he inhabits. He explains further: “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:21-25)
Our Future Hope
Paul points to Jesus Christ as our hope to be freed from the desires for sin that continue to war against our souls. That hope will be realized in the future resurrection, when Christ returns, as we receive bodies that perfectly align with our souls, enabling us to live sin-free in the presence of God. Then, as Revelation 22:1-5 describes, we shall eat from the “tree of life,” whose leaves are for the “healing of the nations.” (v. 2) “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” (v. 3-4) Having our identity “in Christ,” we will be reconciled to God, the curse will be undone, and we will live forever with Him.
Atonement Summarized
The Word of God became a man so that He could, like the rest of us, suffer the curse of death, and that through His resurrection, He would defeat death and offer the same victory to those who desire to be free of sin. As the unblemished “Lamb of God,” He suffered the consequences of sin in a bloody, horrific display of self-sacrifice on the cross that demonstrates the severity of sin and God’s wrath towards it. Through His resurrection, He displayed the victory over the devil and sin in His glorified body, showing how we can likewise be made new and freed from the body of death that we currently inhabit. Jesus died for all “in Adam.” He rose for those “in Christ.” The atonement shows how the curse is both shared and overcome by God, and how those who place their faith in Him will ultimately be restored to a place of moral innocence where they can dwell in His presence forever and ever.
Looking Ahead / Catching Up
How then can we be “in Christ?” Join me next time to find out, as we conclude this series with “Grace Through Faith.”
Addendum: Eternal Punishment
Since “ the wages of sin is death,” it might seem cruel and unnecessary for God to punish unbelievers in hell. However, I think there is a distinction to be made in the kinds of sins that Jesus atoned for and sin that results in eternal punishment, whether that be eternal conscious punishment or a second physical death that also kills the soul.
As I explained earlier in this series, there are sins we commit as we follow the desires of our flesh, but there is also the sin of willful rebellion against God. This may be a temporary rebellion out of anger or frustration with God, but it might also become a hardening of the will at the deepest levels of the soul in rejection of the one true God. In this sense, the human has joined forces with Satan and the demons in war against Him, whether they are conscious of this fact or not. This individual will regard the truth of Christianity and the Gospel of salvation with contempt. He/she will reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit that draws the unbeliever towards Christ, regarding that very conviction as evil. In so doing, what the unbeliever is guilty of is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” (Mark 3:28-29) It seems that Jesus is saying that one kind of sin is different from all others, and is unforgivable. Other sins are forgiven. Jesus has provided atonement for these, but not the other.
His intention has always been to reconcile sinners to our Creator by restoring us to the purpose for which we exist. Yet He cannot restore those souls that are unwilling to bow before Him as Lord. They, like Satan and his demons, will never surrender to Him. This alignment with the Satanic rebellion is made evident in Jesus words: “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” (Matthew 25:41) Therefore, eternal punishment is a distinct punishment for joining in the Satanic rebellion.
This should give comfort to those who mourn the loss of children and others who die before they can understand the Gospel. All sins done in ignorance are covered in the saving work of Christ. God is the source of all goodness, and we can know that how He deals with those who have not expressed faith in Him is good and right. By the nature of who He is, it cannot be otherwise.
With all of this in mind, consider the following passages, which demonstrate that our God is compassionate and just:
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’”
Luke 23:33-34a
“And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”
Jonah 4:11
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