An Unforgiveable Omission!

I somewhat passed over one of the most amazing verses in the Bible yesterday. Forgive me. 

1 Peter 3:18 must be up there with John 3:16 as one of the best ‘go-to’ verses to explain the Christian faith in a nutshell. Where else would you go? It also happens to be one of my favourite verses. I first learnt of its existence when being taught how to explain the gospel using the Two Ways to Live outline. So, forgive me if I’m permitted a brief opportunity to spell out its significance. In case you’ve forgotten, this is what it says,

‘For Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’.

As I mentioned last Sunday, it’s not really the main point of the passage. (This is my way of justifying why I paid it relatively little attention!) Verses 18-22 are about Jesus’ triumph over all opposition. His suffering, through his death on the cross, is the beginning of a journey that ends up with him enthroned at the Father’s right-hand side with every opponent subjugated under his authority. But the truths that verse 18 contains are so valuable that I thought we’d benefit from looking at it in a little more detail.

We learn three breath-taking truths from these words.

1.     Jesus’ death was a sufficient sacrifice

Peter tells us that Jesus ‘suffered once for sins’. In other words, nothing more had to be done to deal with the problem of sin. The Temple could be closed. The Priests could be given their P45s. Full and final atonement had been made. We don’t atone for our sins. He has. It’s done and dusted. Jesus has sorted it by his death on the cross.

2.     Jesus’ death was a substitutionary sacrifice

Peter tells us that Jesus suffered as ‘the righteous for the unrighteous’. In other words, he took our place. He substituted himself onto the field of play and we were taken from it. He came on. We came off. It's a swap. And so he took what was coming to us; namely punishment. He died in the place of sinners and endured his Father's anger against sin. Not his own. Ours. He didn’t have to die. He chose to. And he chose to die in the place of others. None of whom deserved it.  What drove Jesus to do such a thing? Love.  

3.     Jesus’ death was a salvific sacrifice

Peter tells us that Jesus suffered ‘to bring us to God’. In other words, he died to reconcile us to a God who otherwise has every right to be angry with us. And so, as a result of Jesus’ death on the cross, we can know God as our loving heavenly Father rather than fear him as our righteous wrathful judge. He's saved us. From hell. For heaven. For an eternity with God and his people in a perfect New Creation. 

It’s hard to think of a verse that so comprehensively encompasses the extraordinary achievement of Jesus’ death on the cross.