The Purpose of the Resurrection

The purpose of the incarnation was to make penal substitution a possibility through the sinless life of the Son of God. The purpose of the baptism of Christ was to show that He would accomplish His sinless life in His humanity without relying upon His deity through trusting His Father with all His heart and leaning not on His own understanding and power. The purpose of the death of Christ was to make penal substitution an actuality through giving His sinless life in the place of sinners, the just dying for the unjust. But that isn’t the whole gospel and it doesn’t end there. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and He did it for several reasons.

It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that makes the story of His sinless life, death and burial, good news. There would be no gospel, no good news, if Jesus Christ had not been resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15). We will look at three major purposes of the resurrection and see that without the resurrection there is no good news.

First, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead served to justify or vindicate Jesus as the sinless Son of God – that the purpose of His death was not for the crimes with which He was charged but that He was sinless, innocent, pure, and undefiled and yet died in the place of others – the just died for the unjust. “[The gospel of God, concerns His Son], who was born of a descendent of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:1-4). The resurrection of Jesus from the dead also served to establish His Lordship – “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:32-36).

Second, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead served to justify or vindicate God as the righteous Judge of all the earth who does what is right. God would not have been right to allow a Man who had never sinned to die and remain dead. What kind of God would allow His own Son to die for crimes (sins) that He didn’t commit and then allow Him to remain dead? Would God cast His own Son out of heaven forever to make room for you and me? May it never be! This highlights the love of God all the more – that He would even allow His sinless Son, His only Son whom He loves, to die for our sins so that we can be made right with God – “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all…” (Romans 8:32). God was also justified or vindicated as righteous through raising Jesus from the dead so that through Jesus, He could justify sinners and yet be just Himself – “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

Third, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead serves to justify the one who has faith in Jesus. There is no other way for men to be justified than through faith in Jesus because it is the only way in which God Himself can justify and be just at the same time. It is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that God can credit the righteousness of Jesus to our account. Our belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows our belief in the goodness, righteousness, and power of God – that He will only do that which is right and that He has the ability to perform what He has promised. Speaking of the faith of Abraham the Bible says, “Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:20-25).

Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead we wouldn’t be able to have faith in God and His ability to perform His promises. Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead we wouldn’t be able to ask the one who died for us to forgive us. Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead we of all men would be most to be pitied – knowing that our sins put to death the Son of God, we would have to tremble at the gloomy prospect of facing God, if indeed Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead.

But Jesus has been raised from the dead and we read, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation….For WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED” (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

The Gospel: God's Power to Save

Being ashamed of the gospel and altering both its content and intent substitutes the impotence and wisdom of man for the power and wisdom of God for salvation. A gospel that is void of the content and intent of the gospel and therefore void of the offense of the cross is also void of the power of God for salvation.

Geoffrey Wilson wrote, “The unpopularity of a crucified Christ has prompted many to present a message which is more palatable to the unbeliever, but the removal of the offense of the cross always renders the message ineffective. An inoffensive gospel is also an inoperative gospel” (Romans; A Digest of Reformed Comment [Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1976], p.24).

A distorted gospel which is void of the offense of the cross is no gospel at all and does not have the power to transform undeserving, disobedient rebels into loving, loyal and obedient children of God. All that a distorted gospel can do is cause men to have a form of godliness void of the power of God for actual transformation.

The Apostle Paul warned Pastor Timothy about the many unconverted preachers and unconverted church members of the last days who would have a form of godliness void of the power of God for actual transformation. These unconverted preachers and church members would be the victims of a distorted gospel – “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

These are people who do not love the truth and do not want the truth. They are willing to accept a gospel where God is man-centered and making much of them and their worth but are in fierce opposition to a gospel that witnesses to man’s wretchedness and therefore witnesses to God’s worth. Most people in our day deny the depravity of man and his inability to please God in their flesh.

Most people seem to want to view the cross of Christ as a witness to their worth rather than own up to the truth that the cross of Christ proves their sinfulness but magnifies God’s goodness. This leads to pride rather than humility and engenders self-love and self-worth and self-esteem rather than genuine love for God and hatred of their own sinful nature. We are not to use the gospel as a means to view our own splendor or self-worth but we are to use the gospel as a means to view God’s splendor and His worth.

There is no power in a distorted and misused gospel. Men only go deeper into sin and deeper into deception when the offense of the gospel is replaced with an inoffensive gospel. If men are going to be ashamed of a gospel they ought to be ashamed of an inoffensive gospel which is an inoperative gospel. But men should never be ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (1:16).

As we look at this portion of Scripture I want us to notice two aspects of the gospel that is God’s power for salvation – its exclusiveness and its inclusiveness.

Its exclusiveness – for it is the power of God for salvation.... The gospel of Jesus Christ and it alone is the power of God for salvation. There is no other way that God saves sinners. Sinners are either saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ or they are not saved at all. God is not saving people apart from faith in Jesus Christ and He will not save people apart from Jesus Christ.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation….Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:9-10, 13-15, 17).

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The gospel is God’s gospel and it is the only means through which God gives the power for us to be saved. The word “power” is from dunamis which we get our words dynamite and dynamic. The gospel carries with it the omnipotence of God, whose power alone is sufficient to save men from sin and give them eternal life. Therefore the gospel gives glory to God alone.

The gospel is also exclusive because it is the only way that God can forgive sinners while He Himself remains just – “so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). If anyone believes that God will save some other way other than through the gospel of His Son then he or she doesn’t understand the holiness and righteousness of God and that He will not violate His own justness.

Its inclusiveness – “to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The gospel includes everyone who believes. The word “believe” carries the basic idea of trusting in, relying on, having faith in. When used in the New Testament of salvation it is usually in the continuous form, which could be translated “is believing and keeps on believing.” This type of believing is not a type of belief that resides in man and can be worked up or produced by man – this type of belief is a supernatural belief, produced by God as a gift from God.

The type of belief that is saving belief is “faith” that is generated by God in the heart of man through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ – “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (literally the word about Christ)".

To the person who has been granted the gift of salvation which includes the gift of faith, the gospel becomes both the power of God and the wisdom of God. As the eyes of our hearts are enlightened we know and understand that this gospel is the only one that has the power of God for salvation and contains the wisdom of God for salvation. We see that the gospel is both exclusive – there is no other way – and we see that the gospel is inclusive – for all who believe by being enabled to believe through the word about Christ.

Therefore we are not ashamed of the gospel and we do not distort it – we proclaim it as it is and leave the results to God.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

These two verses are the Apostle Paul’s thesis of the book of Romans. Here Paul summarized the gospel of Jesus Christ before he proceeded to explain it through the rest of the book. The book of Romans is the Holy Spirit inspired exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel (1:16a).

What is it about the gospel that would cause men to be ashamed of it? For one thing, to those who are perishing it is moronic. “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness…” (1 Corinthians 1:18). “Foolishness” is from the Greek word “moria” from which we get moron. The gospel is moronic and absolute nonsense to unbelievers who rely on their own reason and rationality. In the reasoning and wisdom of those who are perishing, most men really aren’t all that bad and there must be something that they can do in order to earn God’s favor. Therefore those who would dare proclaim the gospel as it is without adding to it or taking from it are considered fools by those who are perishing because the gospel proclaims man’s utter wretched estate and inability to save himself or aid in any way in his salvation. That message is despised, hated, and foolish to most men who think that there is at least some island of innate goodness somewhere in their being. This would cause some to be ashamed of the gospel because they value what others think of them and they do not want to be considered as morons.

Not only is the gospel foolishness to those who are perishing, the gospel is also offensive to both Jews and Gentiles that are perishing. To the Jews the gospel is a stumbling block and to the Gentiles the gospel is foolishness – “But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews and stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The Jews had a hard time accepting a suffering and crucified Messiah. Also the Jews had a hard time accepting that the Gentiles didn’t have to observe Jewish customs. So those who were ashamed of the gospel but pretending to be preachers of the gospel preached circumcision as a necessary condition for Gentiles to be saved. But the apostle Paul wasn’t ashamed of the gospel and he refused to remove the offense of the gospel – “But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished” (Galatians 5:11). “Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ” (Galatians 6:12).

Tampering with the gospel in order to make it non-offensive so that all can embrace it distorts the gospel and then it isn’t the gospel at all. We must remember that those of whom Paul wrote about to the Galatians who were attempting to abolish the stumbling block of the cross by adding circumcision to the gospel were not genuine preachers of the gospel but false preachers who were ashamed of the real gospel. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him [God] who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8).

Many in our day “want to distort the gospel of Christ” so that they can remove the stumbling block and foolishness of the cross of Christ. This is in order that they can be liked and spoken well of by all men simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ or considered foolish by the world for preaching the gospel. However, God’s word says, “For since in the wisdom of the world the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). You cannot preach what the world considers a foolish message and not be considered foolish yourself. So the only way around that dilemma is to alter the message so that it does not offend the masses.

Altering the message so that it does not offend the masses is easily spiritualized as “becoming all things to all men so that we may by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). However, altering the message so that it does not offend the masses is not spiritual and it is the equivalent of opening a wide gate that leads to destruction. No text of Scripture other than Matthew 7:1 has been more twisted and distorted than 1 Corinthians 9:22. The same apostle Paul who wrote Romans 1:16 is the same apostle Paul who wrote 1 Corinthians 9:22 and it is evident and plain that Paul never altered the message to remove its offense but he did do what was necessary to keep himself from being offensive. Paul had Timothy whose mother was a Jew circumcised so that Timothy would not be an offense to the Jews (Acts 16:1-3). Paul refused to have Titus who was a Greek circumcised so that Titus would not be an offense to the Greeks (Galatians 2:3-6). Paul never altered the message because he was not ashamed of the gospel.

Those who are ashamed of the gospel seek to remove the offense of the gospel so that they will not have to be ashamed of it anymore. The gospel is made non-offensive by altering its content and intent. No one is offended by a “smile, God loves you” type of gospel. No one is offended by a “God wants you to have your best life now” gospel. No one is offended by a “God has a wonderful purpose and plan for your life” gospel. No one is offended by a “you’re so valuable to God that He wants you to live with Him in heaven” gospel. No one is offended by a “God wants to make you healthy, wealthy, and prosperous” gospel. But men are offended by a “you’re so wicked that the only way God could save you was to crucify His only Son as a sinless substitute, have Him buried, and raise Him from the dead so that He could be both just and the justifier of whoever has faith in His Son” gospel.

Making the gospel relevant is nothing short of removing the offense of the gospel in an attempt to make it palatable to all men because of being ashamed of the gospel. This is done by offering the world what it wants – happiness instead of holiness, pleasure instead of purity, luxury instead of Lordship, comfort instead of character, and man’s glory instead of God’s glory. When this happens then both the content and the intent of the gospel has been changed and you now have another gospel which is non-offensive but which is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So in an attempt to make the gospel more palatable and less offensive to unbelievers, those who are ashamed of the gospel distort the gospel and change both its content and intent.
We have already seen that the content of the gospel is the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ dealing with His divinity and humanity (the incarnation) for the purpose of penal substitution “for Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18) and His resurrection for the purpose of our justification – “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25). So the content of the gospel is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ (His divinity and humanity) for the purpose of penal substitution (the just would pay the penalty of the unjust) so that we could be justified and brought to God through His resurrection (Romans 1:1-4).

We have also already seen that the intent of the gospel is the glory of God in the salvation of self-centered, self-ruled, and self-loving sinners which transforms them into God-centered, God-ruled, and God-loving saints (Romans 1:5). So the intent of the gospel is the glory of God in the transformation of undeserving, disobedient rebels into loving, loyal, and obedient children! The Gospel brings us to God as His children who love and adore Him and find the satisfaction of our souls in Him.

However, when men are ashamed of this gospel they begin to distort the content of the gospel, the incarnation and resurrection, and misapply the intent of the gospel. I’ll give two examples although there are numerous other examples:

Probably the most famous (should be infamous) for his misinterpretation of the incarnation and atonement would be Charles Finney. Concerning Christ and the atonement Finney said, “He can not plead as our Advocate that He has paid our debt, in such a sense that He can demand our discharge on the ground of justice. He has not paid our debt in such a sense that we do not still owe it. He has not atoned for our sins in such a sense that we might not still be justly punished for them. Indeed, such a thing is impossible and absurd. One being can not suffer for another in such a sense as to remove the guilt of that other. He may suffer for another's guilt in such a sense that it will be safe to forgive the sinner, for whom the suffering has been endured; but the suffering of the substitute can never, in the least degree, diminish the intrinsic guilt of the criminal. Our Advocate may urge that He has borne such suffering for us to honor the law that we had dishonored, that now it is safe to extend mercy to us; but He never can demand our discharge on the ground that we do not deserve to be punished. The fact of our intrinsic guilt remains, and must forever remain; and our forgiveness is just as much an act of sovereign mercy, as if Christ had never died for us” (Charles Finney, Christ Our Advocate, VI. What His plea in behalf of sinners is, Number 7). So according to Finney man could have been forgiven based on the mercy of God alone and apart from the incarnation – “Our forgiveness is just as much an act of sovereign mercy, as if Christ had never died for us.”

Another example of misinterpreting and trivializing the incarnation is seen in writings of many in the postmodern movements of our day, such as Ron Martoia in his book Morph. Seeking to justify being like the world to win the world (cultural relevance), the incarnation is grossly misinterpreted by Martoia as God’s desire to be culturally relevant. He says, “The quintessential example of genius intersection is, of course, the incarnation: God’s presence, voice, and message piercing and penetrating 1C culture. As we simply observe the potency of the incarnation, several things come to mind. God sent Jesus as a person. God could have sent the message packaged any number of ways. He didn’t choose a CD player to herald the good news, a Web page that automatically pops up every time someone logs on, or an MP3 download into our ear canal. The fact that he sent a person bespeaks God’s desire to be relevant, understandable, approachable, and relational (Ron Martoia, Morph, Group Publishing, 2003, pg. 17). Could God have redeemed any other way? According to Martoia, “God could have sent the message packaged any number of ways.” Did God send Jesus for the purpose of cultural relevance? According to Martoia, “The fact that he sent a person bespeaks God’s desire to be relevant, understandable, approachable, and relational.” But according to God’s Word God could not have redeemed any other way, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendents of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:14-18). Penal substitution is the only way God can forgive and remain just. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore the incarnation was necessary for the realization of penal substitution and that is the primary biblical interpretation for the incarnation. If God could have redeemed any other way, surely He would have done it! But because there was no other way – what a demonstration of the love of God in penal substitution – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

A distorted gospel which is void of the offense of the cross is no gospel at all and does not have the power to transform undeserving, disobedient rebels into loving, loyal and obedient children of God. All that a distorted gospel can do is cause men to have a form of godliness void of the power of God for actual transformation.

Geoffrey Wilson wrote, “The unpopularity of a crucified Christ has prompted many to present a message which is more palatable to the unbeliever, but the removal of the offense of the cross always renders the message ineffective. An inoffensive gospel is also an inoperative gospel” (Romans; A Digest of Reformed Comment [Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1976], p.24).

Content of a Minister's Message

Every minister ought to have credentials that verify that his ministry is not of man but of God. As the apostle Paul told the Galatians, “Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)” (Galatians 1:1). The credentials that ought to be in every minister’s life are not to be some ordination certificate or letters of commendation or the number of referrals he can list on his resume. The credentials of a minister’s mission are to be that he is a bond-servant of Christ Jesus; that he has been called, authorized, and sent by God; and that he has given his life over to the gospel of God.

Paul, after introducing himself and setting forth the credentials for a minister’s mission, gave the content of the minister’s message. Not only should the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ not be sent from men nor through the agency of man, his message also should not be in the wisdom of man nor should it have its origin in man. The minister must speak God’s gospel and not some man-centered, self-help, human-needs approach gospel which alters the content of the message and corrupts the Word of God.

We now turn our attention to the content of the minister’s message – the gospel of God (Romans 1:2-4).

The promise of the gospel – its origin (1:2)

The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and it isn’t an afterthought with God. The gospel is eternal and therefore has as its origin God. God promised His gospel before He ever created the world and then communicated that promise beforehand through His prophets. As Martin Luther put it, “This proves that God’s counsel of salvation was foreordained in detail before it was carried into effect. So all glory for this doctrine must be ascribed to God and none to our merits and efforts; for before we ever existed, it was already ordained” (Commentary on Romans, page 34).

When writing to Titus concerning the origin of the gospel, its eternality, and that God communicated the promise of the gospel beforehand through His prophets, Paul wrote, “In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago [literally before times eternal], but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior” (Titus 1:2-3).

Since the gospel has as its origin God, since it is eternal, and since it has been promised beforehand through God’s prophets, then doesn’t it make sense that the gospel is not to be tampered with? That is why Paul told Titus, “In the proclamation [of the gospel] with which I was entrusted.” No one has the right to alter the content of God’s gospel and if they do they can expect the certain and terrifying prospect of eternal damnation (Galatians 1:8).

The salvation of the sinner and the existence of the Christian religion owes its existence neither to blind chance nor to fate, but to the divine predetermined counsel, according to which it had to be fulfilled. This means that those who are open-theists are in extreme error and know not either God or His Word.

Open-theism takes on many forms but in essence it says that God doesn’t know everything. Its reasoning would say that God cannot determine the future so when God’s plan "A" fails then God must resort to plan "B". God doesn’t have a plan "B"! God hasn’t changed His plans nor made a revision to His strategy. God promised His gospel beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.

The gospel did not originate with Paul and it does not originate with any other man and therefore the gospel we preach had better be the gospel that is found in the holy Scriptures. The Old Testament prophesied the gospel and it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The Person of the gospel – its Object (1:3-4) – the Lord Jesus Christ

Concerning His Son (1:3a). The gospel isn’t about you and it isn’t about me; the gospel is about Jesus Christ the Son of God. The word gospel is euangelion and it means "good news". There is no good news about us; only bad news. But there is good news about the Son of God and that good news is for us and not about us.

The humanity of God’s Son (1:3b)
His incarnation – Mary was a descendant of David
His inheritance – David’s throne – Joseph was a descendant of David
His innocence – he took on flesh and blood but never sinned

The divinity of God’s Son (1:4)
Made known publicly through the resurrection from the dead (1:4a)
Demonstrated as totally holy and without sin through the Holy Spirit (1:4b)
Exalted as Lord (1:4c)

This is good news indeed! As man, Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience through faith, facing all the sufferings of humanity, being tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, laid down His life as a sacrifice for sinners, and became for all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. As God, Jesus is worthy of worship and loving and loyal obedience.

This gospel is the only way that God can forgive sinners while He remains just and the only way that He can redeem men without causing them to become idolaters by worshiping someone who is not God.

Speaking about Faith in Christ

In Acts 24:24-25 we read, “But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ‘Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.’”

Notice that speaking about faith in Christ Jesus entailed more than a reduced down and minimized formula but rather included an explanation of the implications of the Gospel. The apostle Paul began his discussion with the first implication of the Gospel being righteousness. Surely he explained to Felix how the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the sinless Son of God was necessary for God to maintain His own righteousness while forgiving and declaring sinners righteous. Penal substitution through a sinless sacrifice is an absolute necessity for God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Christ Jesus. There is no other way of salvation.

While Paul was speaking on righteousness, the truth of man’s unrighteousness would have been discussed. There is none good, not even one – and the proof of that is that in order to save us God had to sacrifice His own Son!

Discussing righteousness, both the righteousness of God and the unrighteousness of man, establishes the biblical truth that justification is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Here is the high and holy doctrine of imputation and penal substitution through which we are saved from the penalty of sin.

Next in his discussion, Paul spoke of self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and is the outworking of having the imputed righteousness of God through justification by faith. This is the result of a new nature – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we were justified we were “buried with Christ through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We have been given a new life principle – the Holy Spirit of God – to enable us to walk in newness of life and He gives self-control and self-control gives us victory over today’s temptations. This is how we are sanctified! Here is the high and holy doctrine of implantation through which we are being saved from the power of sin.

Last in his discussion, Paul spoke of judgment to come. In the judgment to come there will be a just condemnation of the unrepentant based on God’s absolute righteousness – hell is right and is a necessity. God will not violate His own righteousness and justify someone some other way other than through faith in Jesus Christ the only righteous way He has provided – “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In the judgment to come there will be a just salvation of the repentant based on God’s absolute righteousness – heaven is right – forgiving sinners through penal substitution imputes and implants the righteousness of God in them.

In the judgment to come, those who have been redeemed through faith in Christ Jesus, will be transformed from the body of their humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself (see Philippians 3:20-21). Here is the high and holy doctrine of impartation through which we will be saved from the presence of sin! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Here is a poem that I wrote a little while back that I pray will help make application with these wonderful doctrines of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Adam’s Song

I failed to be like Jesus; I failed to justify my wife; I failed to remain pure and holy, and become her sacrifice! My life I could not give for hers, from the penalty of sin to save; I could not pay the debt she owed, when mine was just as great. There could be no imputation, of my perfect righteousness, for I failed to be like Jesus and to justify my wife.

I failed to be like Jesus; I failed to sanctify my wife; I failed to wash her with God’s Word, and cleanse her daily life! My presence I could not give to her, from the power of sin to save; I could not break sin’s controlling bondage, when in its grasp I too must stay. There could be no implantation, of my perfect righteousness, for I failed to be like Jesus and to sanctify my wife.

I failed to be like Jesus; I failed to glorify my wife; I failed to make her without spot or wrinkle, and present her as a holy bride! My power I could not exert on her, from the presence of sin to save; I could not remove sin’s crippling presence, when in its presence I too was slain. There could be no impartation, of my perfect righteousness, for I failed to be like Jesus and to glorify my wife.

The Purpose of the Baptism of Jesus

The biblical purpose of the incarnation was to make possible penal substitution. The incarnation was the Lord’s identification with fallen man by taking on the form of a man in order that He might make propitiation for the sins of the people. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendent of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:14-18).

So if the incarnation was the Lord’s identification with fallen man, then what was the purpose of the baptism of Jesus?

You, like me, have probably heard or read that the baptism of Jesus was His identification with fallen man – but that simply is not a true and correct interpretation of that event. And since the baptism that John (the Baptist) was performing was a baptism of repentance, surely, Jesus’ baptism was for another reason because He had no sin and no need to repent. So again I ask, what was the purpose of the baptism of Jesus?

The baptism of Jesus was for the purpose of His identification with His Father’s perfect and good will in the matter of salvation, redemption, penal substitution. In essence the Lord was illustrating the Father’s plan of redemption – death, burial, and resurrection of His sinless Son – and His willing obedience to His Father’s plan. This is of utmost importance for us to grasp because it gives us a clearer and deeper understanding of the work of the Lord Jesus in securing our salvation through living His life perfectly by faith under the loving Lordship of His Father.

Contrary to what many believe and teach, the Lord Jesus did not strategize by leaning on His own understanding and did not utilize His equality with God in His ministry but rather trusted the Father with all His heart and therefore He is the author and perfecter of faith (see Hebrews 12:2).

As to the Lord not strategizing by leaning on His own understanding and not utilizing His equality with God we read, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19). We also read this about the Lord, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped (literally utilized or asserted)” (Philippians 2:5-6).

It was after the baptism of Jesus which was His public identification of His willing obedience to His Father’s will that the Lord was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. Those temptations were designed by the devil to get the Lord to take matters into His own hands rather than trusting His Father with all His heart; to get Him to utilize His equality with God by exerting His own power; and to get Him to strategize by leaning on His own understanding. The temptations were designed to divert the Lord from His willing obedience to His Father’s plan of redemption in which the Lord identified and illustrated in His baptism – and with this the Father was well-pleased (Matthew 3:17).