Ultimate Deliverance

In Hebrews 2:14-18 we learn that the only means for man’s deliverance required Jesus to become a real man. In that sense only, He "partook of the same." "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Herein we see the love of Christ in that when He knew what He must suffer in our nature, and how He must die, He readily took our nature upon Him. God could never accept the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings to take away sin, and so He sent a substitute.

Jesus did not come to be the Savior of fallen angels but of man. Only the great mission of mercy to mankind caused Christ to leave His exalted place in heaven and become a man. Sometimes I think we don’t really appreciate the uniqueness of God’s love and mercy to mankind. We were equally guilty of rebellion against God as the angels were, but God left heaven to rescue us, not them. God chose to have mercy on man and graciously lead him to repentance.

The incarnation of Christ was required to accomplish our salvation. He became a real man and dwelled among us as "a merciful and faithful high priest." He can be faithful to God and merciful to man. In "things pertaining to God," to His justice, and to His honor, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to reconcile God to man. So Christ’s substitutionary death satisfies God's righteous nature. There was no higher or lower nature than man that could suffer for the sin of man and satisfy the justice of God. Christ became man that He might die; because as God He could not die.

Oh, what a blessed Savior we have, Jesus the divine Mediator between a holy God and guilty man! What indescribable love He displayed in taking on flesh and blood; what kind condescension, what wondrous depths of unspeakable grace! He loved us sufficiently to lay down his life for us. Did not Christ for our sakes endure the agony of the cross, the turning away of the Father’s face, the burden of sin, and the pangs of hell?

He has renewed our lives, made us feel our sin, taught us to seek for mercy, raised up a hope in our hearts, applied a promise to our souls, given us a testimony. And it is only to make a further way for his grace; to open up more of his willingness and ability to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. It is only to make Himself in the end more precious to us; to show us more of his finished work, more of his dying love and atoning blood, and more of what He is able to do in delivering us from all our fears.

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54-55) Amen.

Sesky Paul