Chapter 6: On the means used by the triune God to accomplish this work
delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:12–14).
Book I, Chapter 6 The Means Used by the Father, Son, and Spirit in the Work of Redemption Having examined the agents of redemption—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—we now move to consider the means by which the work was accomplished. Though these means are, in essence, the same actions we have already reviewed, we now view them not as distinct acts, but as a coherent, divinely ordained path leading to a definite end.
In this chapter, we follow the order of execution (what actually took place), not the order of intention (what was eternally decreed). And since the actions of the Father and the Spirit were all directed toward Christ and fulfilled in Him, it is Christ alone, and His actions, that we now consider as the means of redemption. The role of the Father and the Spirit is assumed as the necessary foundation and accompaniment.
The Entire Mediation of Christ as the Means
The divinely appointed means for accomplishing redemption is the entire economy of Christ's mediatorial work. It is because of this full work that He is rightly called our Mediator. As mentioned previously, His mediatorial office can be viewed in two primary parts:
1. His Oblation (offering) 2. His Intercession 1. Christ's Oblation By oblation, we mean not only Christ's particular act of offering
Himself on the cross—as the spotless Lamb of God bearing our sins— but also His entire state of humiliation:
His voluntary obedience to the law, being made under it (Rom. 10:4), His subjection to suffering and curse, throughout His earthly life and especially in His death on the cross.
No part of His mediatorial work is excluded from this—every act of obedience and suffering contributed to the total means of redemption.
2. Christ's Intercession By intercession, we do not mean merely His present ministry in heaven, applying the blessings of His death to believers. It includes:
All that followed His resurrection: His ascension, exaltation, and reigning at the right hand of God, The application of all the good things secured by His oblation to those for whom He died.
His resurrection is especially noteworthy here, for it forms the foundation of all that followed.
As Paul says:
"If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… we are of all people most to be pitied" (1
Cor. 15:17, 19).
But:
"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Rom. 4:25).
Here, resurrection signifies the beginning of His exalted ministry and continual intercession in heaven. As Peter declares:
"God raised up His servant Jesus… to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness" (Acts 3:26).
The Death of Christ as a Means, Not an End This entire mediatorial dispensation, especially His death and shedding of blood, is the means we are speaking of. It must be understood properly—as something not desirable in itself, but
instrumental in achieving a glorious end: the manifestation of God's grace and the salvation of His people.
There was nothing desirable in itself about:
Herod and Pilate gathering with Jews and Gentiles to kill Christ (Acts 4:27), The Son of God being made sin and curse,
His being bruised, afflicted, and subjected to divine wrath, A death so dreadful that creation itself trembled to witness it.
In themselves, these events were horrific and without beauty or appeal. Their worth lies only in what they accomplished.
Their value arises from the glory of the end they secured. As Peter declares:
"He was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23).
"They did what Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place" (Acts 4:28).
The nature of this divinely determined end will be further explained later.
The Inseparable Union of Christ's Oblation and Intercession Though the oblation (Christ's sacrificial offering) and intercession (His ongoing priestly work in heaven) are distinct
acts, and though each has its own immediate effects and results, they are never to be separated.
That is, the one is never directed toward any person or thing that the other does not equally concern. The two acts are bound together by a profound and inseparable unity. This union can be described in three ways:
1. A Shared Purpose and Goal Both the oblation and the intercession of Christ are aimed at the same ultimate end: the effectual salvation of many sons, brought to glory for the praise of God's grace (Heb. 2:10).
That end is not divided between the two acts; it is one and the same.
2. A Shared Scope of Persons The same people are the objects of both Christ's death and His intercession.
"He was delivered over for our offences, and raised for our justification" (Rom. 4:25).
Whoever is included in the saving benefits of His death is also included in His intercession—and no one else.
Christ Himself declares:
"For their sake I sanctify Myself [as an offering], that they also may be sanctified in truth" (John 17:19).
In other words:
For all and only those for whom Christ died, He also intercedes, Applying the benefits of His death through ongoing priestly mediation.
3. Intercession Depends on the Offering The offering of Christ is the foundation of His intercession.
Everything Christ pleads for as our Advocate was purchased by His death.
The very purpose of His death was that its benefits might be applied to those for whom it was offered.
The two acts form one unified means to achieve the same effect. If the blessings obtained by His death were not applied, the death itself would fail of its intended end—which cannot be.
So we cannot say that Christ's death secured blessings for more people than His intercession applies them to. That would divide what
God has joined.
But:
Christ intercedes for all He died for.
He is always heard by the Father.
Therefore, all for whom He died must receive the blessings He obtained—justification, sanctification, and eternal life.