Monday, May 28, 2018

Our Substitute ............. Parables 747

March 19, 2002

James M. Gray says that around the beginning of the last century, the city of Tokyo had an unusual law. If a foreigner wanted to take up residence, they could do it only if they had a “substitute.” Should the resident foreigner break any of Tokyo’s laws, the “substitute” would pay all penalties, no matter what they were. Gray says natives hired themselves out for this purpose even though their resident foreigner might commit a crime worthy of death.

In a discussion about the purpose of Jesus’ death, a man said to me, “I don’t know why Christians make such a big deal about it. I believe that Jesus died for the sins of the world.” After a moment, this response came to mind: “But what about your sins?” He was silent for a long time. Then he said, “I see what you mean.”

At that moment, he understood why Jesus offered Himself to die in our place. Although we live in the world God created, if we want to live in His eternal city, we must have a personal substitute. Otherwise, we must pay our penalty ourselves.

In Tokyo, it was possible that a resident foreigner might break a civil law, yet no matter where we live, breaking God’s law is a given. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The degree of our sin may vary from person to person but everyone sins.

Scripture offers countless examples. In Eden, God told Adam and Eve they could eat anything they wanted except fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They broke this one law and ate that fruit.

Their sin compounds through history. God said, “Do not murder” but Moses killed a man. God said “Do not take another man’s wife” but David, beloved king of Israel, committed murder and adultery. Solomon broke God’s command that forbid kings from multiplying gold, women and horses for themselves. Jonah ran the other direction when God told him to go to Nineveh.

From the least to the greatest, everyone sins, that is, everyone except one person. The Bible says that even though Jesus was tempted like we are, He was without sin. Because He has no sin or need for punishment, He qualifies to be our substitute.

The idea of substitution began in Eden too. Instead of punishing Adam and Eve, God killed an animal and covered them with the animal’s hide. After that, God’s people offered, by faith, animal sacrifices to cover their sins. For this, God required a spotless lamb.

Yet this was not enough. The blood of animals could not take away their guilt nor their feelings of guilt. The New Testament explains how this sacrificial system was only “a shadow” of that which was to come.

When the time was right, God sent His Son to bear the sin of the world. Mark 10:45 says He came “to give His life as a ransom for many.” John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus, the Lamb of God, became the perfect substitute.

We deserve the wrath of God and cannot live in heaven because our sin makes us “foreigners” to that holy place. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute and paid our penalty for sin. Because of Him, God can offer life and citizenship in eternity for all who accept Jesus as their personal substitute.

If we lived in Tokyo a hundred years ago, we might understand what it means to have someone step into our place and pay for our crimes, but we live in a society that says, “I will do it myself.” To us, the principle of substitution makes no sense, and the life and death of Christ make even less sense — until we lay our sin and our guilt at His feet and embrace Him as our Substitute.

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