5. Chapter Two
Chapter Two W hat in Christ's death, faith seeking justification, is especially to focus on.
(2.) Now, a second direction for faith towards Christ as dying, is that faith is primarily and mainly to focus on the purpose, meaning, and intent of God and Christ in His sufferings, and not merely on the tragic narrative of His death and sufferings. It is the heart, mind, and intent of Christ in suffering, which faith chiefly focuses on, and which draws the heart to rest on Christ crucified. When a believer sees that Christ's aim in suffering for poor sinners aligns with the aim and desires of his heart, and that that was the purpose of it, that sinners might receive forgiveness, and that Christ's heart was as fully committed to it, as the sinner's heart can be to desire it; this draws his heart to Christ, to rest upon Him. Without this, the contemplation and meditation on the story of His sufferings, and of their magnitude, will be entirely unprofitable.
Yet all, or the main use which the Catholics and many carnal Protestants make of Christ's sufferings, is to meditate upon, and present to themselves the severity of them, so as to move their hearts to a softening, and compassion for Him, and indignation against the Jews for their crucifixion of Him, with an admiration of His noble and heroic love in this; and if they can but get their hearts thus affected, they judge and consider this to be grace; when in fact it is no more than what a similar tragic story of some great and noble person, full of heroic virtues and ingenuity, yet inhumanely and ungratefully treated, will evoke, and usually does evoke in noble spirits, who read or hear of it. Yes, and this often, even if it is but in the form of a fiction which, when it does not reach any higher, is so far from being faith, that it is but a carnal and fleshly devotion, springing from imagination, which is pleased with such a story, and the principles of ingenuity stirred towards one who is of a noble spirit, and yet mistreated. Such stories usually stir up a principle of humanity in men unto a compassionate love; which Christ Himself at His suffering found fault with, as being not spiritual, nor elevated enough, in those women who went weeping to see the Messiah so treated. "Weep not for me," Luke 23:28, says He. That is, do not weep so much for this, thus to see me unjustly treated by those for whom I die.
And therefore, as these stirrings are but fruits of the flesh, so human inventions, such as crucifixes, and vivid representations of the story of Christ's passion to the sight of imagination, do exceedingly provoke men to such devotional meditations and affections; but they work a mere historical faith only, a historical remembrance, and a historical love, as I may so call them. And no other than such does the reading of the story of it in the word work in many, who yet are against such crucifixes. But saving, justifying
faith chiefly focuses on, and is most engaged with the main aim and drift of all Christ's sufferings; for it is that in them which corresponds to its own aim and purpose, which is, to obtain forgiveness of sins in Christ crucified.
As God looks primarily at the meaning of the Spirit in prayer, Romans 8:27, so does faith look primarily to the meaning of Christ in His sufferings.
As in all other truths a believer is said to have the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16, so especially he focuses on what was the mind and heart of Christ in all His sufferings. And therefore you may observe, that the aim of all the apostles' letters, is to show the intent of Christ's sufferings; how
He was therein set forth to be "a propitiation for sin;" to "bear our sins upon the tree;" to "make our peace…He was made sin, that we might be made righteousness of God in Him." As in like manner the aim of the evangelists is to set forth the story of them, for that is necessary to be known also. And thus did that evangelical prophet Isaiah chiefly set forth the intent of Christ's sufferings for justification, Isaiah 53, throughout the chapter, as David before had done the story of His passion, Psalm 22. And thus to show the use and purpose of His sufferings, was the aim of all the apostles' sermons, holding forth the intent of Christ's passion to be the justification and salvation of sinners. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners," 1 Timothy
1:15; and they still set forth what the plot was, at which God by an ancient design aimed at in the sufferings of Christ, which was an end higher than men or angels thought on, when He was put to death. And thus faith takes it up and looks at it. And upon this does Peter (in his sermon, Acts 2) pitch their faith, where having set forth the heinousness of their sin in murdering
"the Lord of life," then to raise up their hearts again (that so seeing God's end in it, they might be drawn to believe). He tells them, that "all this was
done by the determinate counsel of God," Acts 2:23, and that for a farther end than they imagined, even for the remission of sins through His name, as in the closure of that sermon he shows. It was not the malice of the Jews, the betrayal of Judas, the fearfulness of Pilate, or the wickedness of the times he fell into, that brought about His death, so much as God His father conspiring with Christ Himself, and aiming at a higher end than they did.
There was a deeper matter in it; it was the execution of an ancient plan and agreement, whereby God made Christ "sin," and laid our sins upon Him. God "was in Christ, not imputing our sins to us, but making Him sin,"
2 Corinthians 5:19. Which covenant Christ came, at His time, into the world to fulfill. "Sacrifice and burnt offering you did not desire," Hebrews 10:5.
"Here I am, I have come to do your will," and that will was "to take away sins," Hebrews 10:4, 10, 12, 14-16. These words Christ spoke when He took our nature and when He came into the world, clothed with infirmities like unto us sinners. "God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh," Romans 8:3. Note that phrase "for sin," περἰ is there put for propter, as John 10:33, οὐ περἰ καλοῦ ἔργου, "not for a good work." That is, not because of a good work, or for a good work's sake.
So here, for sin, that is, because of sin. Sin was the occasion of His taking the likeness of sinful flesh. What, to increase it? No, but to condemn it, as it follows; that is, to overthrow it in its power and plea against us, so that instead of sin's condemning us, He might condemn sin, and that we might have "the righteousness of the law," Romans 8:4. This phrase "for sin" is like unto that in Romans 6:10, "he died unto sin," that is, for sin's cause; for so the opposition that follows proves, "In that he lives, he lives unto God," that is, for God and His glory. So He died solely for sin, that sin might have
its course in justice, and for its sake suffered death, thus silencing its clamour.
The death of Christ was the greatest and strangest plan that ever God undertook and acted, and therefore surely had an end proportionate unto it.
God, who "does not desire the death of a sinner," would not for any lesser end will the death of His Son, whom He loved more than all creatures besides. It must necessarily be some great matter for which God should plan the death of His Son, so holy, so innocent, and separate from sinners.
Neither could it be any other matter, than to destroy that which He most hated, and that was sin and to set forth that which He most delighted in, and that was mercy. So Romans 3:25-26. And accordingly, Christ conducted
Himself in it, not at all looking at the Jews, or their malice, but at His Father's command and intent in it. And therefore when He was to arise to go unto that place where He should be taken, and carried to slaughter, "As the Father gave me commandment," says He, "So do I; arise, let us go hence,"
John 14:31. And when Judas went out at Christ's own provocation of him, "What you do, do quickly," says He, "the Son of man goes as it was determined;" He looked to His Father's purpose in it. When He went out to be taken, it is said, "Jesus knowing all things that should befall Him, went forth," John 18:4. And when He was in His agony in the garden, whom does
He deal with but His Father? "Father," He says, "if it be possible, let this cup pass;" and God made His passion of such great necessity, that it was even impossible that that cup should pass. Indeed, had Christ stood in His own stead, it would have been an easy request, yes, justice to grant it; and so He tells Peter, that He could command millions of angels to His rescue; but He merely submits unto His Father, "Not my will, but your will be done," for God had laid upon Him the iniquities of us all, Isaiah 53.
Let our faith therefore look mainly to this design and plot of God, and of Christ in His suffering to satisfy for our sins, and to justify us sinners. When we consider Him as born flesh and blood, and laid in a manger, think we further that His intention was to "condemn sin in our flesh," Romans 8:4.
So when we read of Him fulfilling all, or any part of righteousness, let us understand His intention to be, that the "law might be fulfilled in us," as it follows there, who were then represented in Him, and so the fulfilling of it is accounted ours. Behold we Him in His lifetime, as John the Baptist did, even as "the Lamb of God, bearing and taking away the sins of the world;" and when upon the cross, let our faith behold the iniquities of us all met in Him. "Surely He has borne our sorrows, bearing our sins in His body on the tree, and thereby once offered to bear the sins of many," Hebrews 9:28. This intention of Christ in all that He did and suffered, is that welcome news, and the very spirit of the gospel, which faith preys and seizes on.