Message Four—The Accomplishments of Christ on the Cross

THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Cross of Christ

Message Four
The Accomplishments of Christ on the Cross

Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:26; 2:14-15; Gal. 2:20; 3:13; 5:24; Rom. 6:6; Eph. 2:14-15; John 12:24

I. This wonderful person, Jesus Christ, the very embodiment of God, died on the cross as the God-man—Heb. 9:14:

A. As our redeemer, He is both the complete God and the perfect man—John 12:23:

1. He died as both the Son of Man with humanity and the Son of God with divinity—v. 28.

2. He died in His humanity with His divinity—Heb. 9:14.

B. His death was the death of a God-man; this God-man is a man having God wrought into His intrinsic nature, and a man mingled with the Triune God—v. 14.

1. The three of the Divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are all involved in His death—v. 14.

2. The Son died with the Father and by the Spirit—Rev. 1:5.

II. The blood of Jesus is the blood of God; God is righteous in the blood of Jesus His Son; the blood of Christ has fulfilled God’s righteous requirements so that He may forgive us our sins—Eph. 2:13; Heb. 10:19, 22; 1 John 1:7:

A. Acts 20:28 says, “the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood” —Acts 20:28.

B. The Lord Jesus is God; when He died on the cross, He was not only a man but also God—Matt. 1:18, 23.

1. The One who died on the cross was the One who had been conceived of God and born with God—v. 18.

2. Because He was a God-man, the element of God was in Him; the divine element was mingled with His humanity—vv. 21, 23.

C. The blood that the Lord shed on the cross is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God—1 John 1:7:

1. The name “Jesus” denotes the Lord’s humanity, which was needed for the shedding of the redeeming blood—v. 7.

2. The title “His Son” denotes the Lord’s divinity, which was needed for the eternal efficacy of the redeeming blood—v. 7.

3. Thus, the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, indicates that this blood is the proper blood of a genuine man for redeeming God’s fallen creatures, with divine surety as to its eternal efficacy—v. 7.

D. The blood that the Lord Jesus shed is eternal—Rom. 6:63; Heb. 13:20; 1 John 1:7:

1. This is the blood of a man mingled with the divine element, the eternal element—Heb. 13:20.

2. Thus, the blood of Jesus, the Son of God—God’s own blood—is eternal—1 John 1:7.

III. Christ not only dealt with all the above negative items for God and for us on the cross, but through His death on the cross He also released the divine life within Him into us so that we could become His many members which constitute His Body—Heb. 9:26; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 2:14-15; John 12:24:

A. The first thing Christ accomplished on the cross was to bear our sins on the cross so that we may be saved, passing out of death into life—1 Pet. 2:24.

B. Through sacrificing Himself on the cross, Christ also freed us from the inward, sinful nature—Heb. 9:26.

C. “Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf”—Gal. 3:13.

D. Even more, Christ crucified our sinful old man on the cross that the body of sin might be made of none effect, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—Rom. 6:6.

E. Since our old man has been crucified with Christ, our “I” is also crucified with Him—Gal. 2:20.

F. Not only did Christ crucify our old man on the cross; He also crucified our flesh with its passions and lusts—5:24.

G. On the cross Christ destroyed the devil, who has the might of death, and released us from the slavery of death—Heb. 2:14-15.

H. Since on the cross Christ destroyed the devil, who has the might of death, He also judged and dealt with the old serpent who had poisoned mankind, that all who believe in Christ may have God’s eternal life and pass from death into life—John 3:14-15.

I. On the cross Christ destroyed Satan the devil, and at the same time He crucified the world organized by Satan and hanging on Satan, causing the world to lose its usurping power on those who have believed into Christ—Gal. 6:14.

J. On the cross Christ abolished the Old Testament law of the commandments in ordinances, which separated the Jews from the Gentiles, making them one and creating the two in Himself into one new man, which is the church—Eph. 2:14-15.

K. In His work on the cross, Christ fell into the ground and died as a grain of wheat in order to release the divine life for His divine multiplication—John 12:24.

1. When the shell of His humanity was broken through His crucifixion, which was the baptism He went through, the glory of His divinity was released—v. 23.

2. The Lord Jesus fell into the ground and died that His divine element, His divine life, might be released from within the shell of His humanity to produce many believers in resurrection—1 Pet. 1:3.

3. The death of Christ released the divine life for the divine dispensing to produce many grains to be blended to make a loaf, which is the church, the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 10:17.

Ministry Excerpts:

CHRIST DYING AS A GOD-MAN ON THE CROSS

The God-man as Both the Complete God
and a Perfect Man

In the conception of the Lord Jesus, the God-man, the divine essence out of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18-20; Luke 1:35) was generated in Mary’s womb. Such a conception of the Holy Spirit in the human virgin, accomplished with both the divine and human essences, constituted a mingling of the divine nature with the human nature and produced the God-man, One who is both the complete God and a perfect man, possessing the divine nature and the human nature distinctively, without a third nature being produced. This is the most wonderful and excellent Person of Jesus. (Life-study of Acts, msg. 54)

In chapter three of Matthew we see the Three of the Trinity as distinct units: the Father in the heavens, the Son on earth, and the Spirit descending as a dove from the air. But in chapter one of Matthew there is a definite indication that these Three are one.

According to Matthew 1, Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit. This corresponds to John 1:14, a verse that tells us that the Word became flesh. According to the Gospel of John, the Word is the Son of God. When the Lord Jesus was conceived of the Spirit in Mary’s womb, that was the incarnation of the Son of God, the Word becoming flesh. Therefore, 1 Timothy 3:16 speaks of the greatness of the mystery of godliness, which is God manifested in the flesh.

Matthew 1:18 and 20, John 1:14, and 1 Timothy 3:16 all refer to the same matter. The conceiving of the Lord Jesus of the Holy Spirit is the incarnation of the Son of God, and the incarnation of the Son of God is God manifested in the flesh. When we put these verses together, we have the Holy Spirit for the conception of Jesus, the Son for the incarnation, and God for the manifestation. This indicates that the Spirit, the Son of God, and God Himself are one.

On the one hand, the Three of the Trinity are three; on the other hand, the Three are one. This is the reason we speak of God as triune, as three-one. Our God is the Triune God, the three-one God.

Because Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, He is a God-man. With Him there is the mingling of divinity with humanity. Hence, when He was baptized, He was baptized as a God-man. In the same principle, when He died on the cross, He died as a God-man.

First John 1:7 indicates that the One who died on the cross and shed His blood was the man Jesus, and that this One is the Son of God, the divine Being. He died on the cross as a God-man, the One with both the human nature and the divine nature. As the God-man, He was crucified as our Redeemer. (Life-study of Mark, msg. 49)

The Death of the Lord Jesus
Being the Death of a God-man

The death of the Lord Jesus was not merely the death of a man; it was the death of a God-man. For this reason, His death has eternal effectiveness. The Lord’s death has eternal power for our redemption. Otherwise, it would not be possible for one man to die for so many people. An individual person is limited because a human being is not eternal. If the Lord had died merely as a man, His death would have been limited in its effectiveness. He could have been a Substitute for one person, but not for millions of persons. However, the Lord’s death was the death of a God-man and therefore was an eternal death accomplishing eternal redemption, redemption with eternal power and effectiveness.

Before the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus, the Lord already had the divine essence. When He was baptized, He was baptized as a God-man. After His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as the God-man to anoint Him for His ministry. For three and a half years He ministered by this Spirit. Then on the cross He presented Himself as the God-man to be the all-inclusive sacrifice through the eternal Spirit. After God had counted Him as a sinner to be our Substitute, even making Him sin for us, and had accepted His offering, God as the Holy Spirit who had come upon Him forsook Him. Nevertheless, the Lord was still a God-man and died as such. This means that even though God as the Spirit left the Lord, the Lord died not merely as a man but as a God-man. Therefore, there is in His death a divine and eternal element. His death has accomplished eternal redemption with eternal power and effectiveness. (Life-study of Mark, msg. 48)

GOD BEING RIGHTEOUS
IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS HIS SON

God forgives the believers’ sins not only according to His faithfulness but also according to His righteousness in the cleansing blood of Jesus His Son (1 John 1:7). God is righteous in the blood of Jesus His Son. The blood of Christ has fulfilled God’s righteous requirements so that He may forgive us our sins (Matt. 26:28). Therefore, if we confess our sins, He, based upon the redemption through the blood of Jesus, forgives us, because He must be righteous in the blood of Jesus. Otherwise, He would be unrighteous.

Because the Lord Jesus has shed His blood for us, God in His righteousness, in His justice, must forgive us. There is no ground for Him not to forgive us. The Old Testament way for God to forgive His people’s sins was through the offerings that were types pointing to the coming Christ. But the New Testament way for God to forgive us is for Him to take the ground of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. Because the Lord has shed His blood for us, God has the ground righteously to forgive us. If we confess our sins, God, in order to be righteous, must forgive us. This is His righteousness in Christ’s redeeming act. This act was accomplished on the cross and then preached to us according to God’s word in the Bible. Because God is righteous, He, with Christ’s shed blood as the basis, must forgive us our sins. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 145)

The Church Being Purchased
with God’s Own Blood

In Acts 20:28 Paul charges the elders of the church in Ephesus “to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.” The Greek word translated “obtained” also means acquired or purchased. Whenever we purchase something, we acquire it, or obtain it. God acquired, obtained, the church by purchasing it In order to purchase anything, we need to pay the price for that thing. What was the price God paid to purchase the church? According to Paul’s word in 20:28, God obtained the church by paying the price of “His own blood.”

The God who died for us is not the God before incarnation. Prior to incarnation, God certainly did not have blood, and He could not have died for us. It was after the incarnation, in which God was mingled with humanity, that He died for us. Through incarnation, our God, the Creator, the eternal One, Jehovah, became mingled with man. As a result, He was no longer only God—He became a God-man. As the God-man, He surely had blood and was able to die for us.

The God-man Dying Not Only as Man but Also as God

When the God-man died on the cross, He died not only as man but also as God. The One who died on the cross was the One who had been conceived of God and born with God. Because He was a God-man, the very element of God was in Him. The divine element was mingled with His humanity.

The conception and birth of the Lord Jesus was God’s incarnation (John 1:14), constituted of the divine essence added to the human essence, hence, producing the God-man of two natures—divinity and humanity. Through this, God joined Himself to humanity that He might be manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) and might be the Savior (Luke 2:11) who died and shed His blood for us.

The blood that has redeemed fallen human beings is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. As human beings, we need genuine human blood for our redemption. Because He was a man, the Lord Jesus could fulfill this requirement. As a man, He shed human blood to redeem fallen human beings. The Lord is also the Son of God, even God Himself. Therefore, with His blood there is the element of eternity, and this element ensures the eternal efficacy of His blood. Therefore, as a man He had genuine human blood, and as God He has the element that gives to His blood eternal efficacy.

First John 1:7 says that “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The name “Jesus” denotes the Lord’s humanity, which was needed for the shedding of the redeeming blood, and the title “His Son” denotes the Lord’s divinity, which is needed for the eternal efficacy of the redeeming blood. Thus, “the blood of Jesus His Son” indicates that this blood is the proper blood of a genuine man for redeeming God’s fallen creatures with the divine surety for its eternal efficacy, an efficacy which is all-prevailing in space and everlasting in time.

The Blood the Lord Shed on the Cross
Being the Blood of the Son of God

The blood the Lord shed on the cross was the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. It was not only the blood of Jesus; it was also the blood of the Son of God. For this reason, the redemption accomplished by the God-man, by the One mingled with God, is eternal.

If the redemption accomplished on the cross was accomplished merely by a man, that redemption could not be eternally effective. Although it might be effective for the redemption of one person, it would not be effective for the redemption of millions of believers. Since a man is limited, a particular man cannot die for millions of others. However, although man is limited, God is not limited. Likewise, although man is temporal, God is eternal. Therefore, in Christ’s redemption there is the eternal and unlimited element of God. This is the reason that in Hebrews 9:12 this redemption is called an eternal redemption.

The Blood Shed by the Lord Jesus
on the Cross Being Eternal Blood

We need to see that the blood shed by the Lord Jesus on the cross is eternal blood. It is the blood not merely of a man but of a man mingled with the divine element. Hence, this blood, the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, is eternal. In Acts 20:28 Paul had the boldness to speak of this blood as being God’s own blood. (Life-study of Acts, msg. 54)

THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE CROSS

Bearing Our Sins on the Cross

Next, we need to know the accomplishments of the cross. First, 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore up our sins [plural, referring to man’s sins in his outward deeds] in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness.” The first thing that Christ accomplished on the cross was to bear the various sins in our outward behavior, that is, our “personal sins.” Personal sins is a term in Chinese theology that is not commonly found elsewhere. The “personal sins” are the sins committed by man personally. Christ bore our sins on the cross so that we may be saved, passing out of death into life.

Freeing Us from the Inward, Sinful Nature
through Sacrificing Himself on the Cross

Second, Hebrews 9:26 says, “Now…for the putting away of sin [singular, referring to man’s sin in his inward nature] through the sacrifice of Himself.” Sins (plural) refers to man’s sins in his outward deeds, and sin (singular) is man’s sin in his inward nature. On the cross the second thing that Christ did was to remove the sin in our inward nature, that is, the sin inherited by birth. This “original sin” was inherited from Adam, who sinned and passed it on to us. One kind of sin is the “personal sin,” and the other is the “original sin,” the inherited sin. Through sacrificing Himself on the cross, Christ also freed us from the inward, sinful nature. Therefore, the Lord Jesus dealt with the two aspects of sin on the cross. On the one hand, He bore our many sins, which are the sins in our outward deeds, and on the other hand, He also bore our inward, singular sin, which is the sin in our nature.

Redeeming Us Out of the Curse of the Law

Third, Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; because it is written,…‘Cursed is everyone hanging on a tree.’” Christ bore our outward sins and removed our inward sin on the cross, receiving the curse that, according to God’s law, we should have received because of our fall and our sin.

Crucifying Our Old Man on the Cross

Fourth, Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.” Christ has crucified our old man on the cross, and once our old man died, the body was made of none effect. When a man dies, his body is made of none effect. Those who smoke opium cannot quit no matter how hard they try, because there is an addiction within their bodies. However, once a person dies, his body, having been annulled and made of none effect, can no longer smoke opium. Our old man has been crucified with the Lord Jesus so that our body of sin may be made of none effect, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Therefore, Christ not only dealt with our twofold sin on the cross—the personal sins in our outward deeds and the inherited sin in our inward nature—but even more, He crucified our sinful old man that the body of sin might be made of none effect, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Fifth, Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ.” “I” is our old man. Old man and I refer to the same thing. Since our old man has been crucified with Christ, our “I” is also crucified with Him.

Crucifying the Flesh with the Passions and the Lusts

Sixth, 5:24 says, “They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” Not only did Christ crucify our old man on the cross; He also crucified our flesh with its passions and lusts. Here it says that we who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts. We can do this based on what the Lord accomplished on the cross in crucifying our flesh. We can now apply to us that fact that was accomplished by the Lord.

Destroying the Devil and Releasing Us
from the Slavery of Death

Seventh, Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “…blood and flesh, He [Christ] also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil, and might release those who because of the fear of death through all their life were held in slavery.” Because of the fear of death, men were held in slavery and thus became slaves of death. On the cross Christ destroyed the devil, who has the might of death, and released us from the slavery of death.

Judging and Dealing with the Old Serpent

Eighth, John 3:14-15 says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent [on a pole] in the wilderness.” This is a second prophecy in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the bronze serpent was lifted up on a pole, and in the New Testament “…so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], that everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life.” Since on the cross Christ destroyed the devil, who has the might of death, He also judged and dealt with the old serpent, who had poisoned mankind, so that all who believe in Christ may have God’s eternal life and pass from death into life. This is typified by Moses’ lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, which brought the Israelites out of death into life.

Crucifying the World Organized
by Satan and Hanging on Satan

Ninth, Galatians 6:14 says, “Through whom [Christ] the world has been crucified to me.” On the cross Christ destroyed Satan the devil, and at the same time He crucified the world organized by Satan and hanging on Satan, causing the world to lose its usurping power on those who have believed into Christ.

Abolishing the Law of the Commandments in Ordinances

Tenth, Ephesians 2:14-15 says, “He Himself [Christ]…has made both [the Jews and the Gentiles] one and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.” On the cross Christ abolished the Old Testament law of the commandments in ordinances, which separated the Jews from the Gentiles, making them one and creating the two in Himself into one new man, which is the church.

Releasing the Divine Life from within Him into Us

Eleventh, John 12:24 says, “Unless the grain of wheat [typifying Christ] falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit [typifying the members of Christ].” Christ not only dealt with all the above negative items for God and for us on the cross, but through His death on the cross He also released the divine life from within Him into us so that we could become His many members, which constitute His Body.

The above total to eleven major items. The first ten items are negative, and the last item is positive. The first ten items kill and abolish, and the last item releases life and dispenses life into us so that we can be His living members. (CWWL, 1987, vol. 1, “Bearing Remaining Fruit,” msg. 12)

The glory of Christ’s divinity was released through the breaking of the shell of His humanity by His death (12:24). The death of Christ was a release. In John 12:23 the Lord Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” For Him to be glorified was not to be exalted but to be released. This is clearly indicated by the following verse: “Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This was His release.

If a grain of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it abides by itself alone, and no one knows what is within the grain. But when the grain enters into death, its content is released. In John 12:24 the Lord Jesus likens Himself to a grain of wheat. When He was living in His humanity for thirty-three and a half years, no one, including His mother, knew who He was. Others regarded Him as nothing more than a man, but no one knew what He was according to the contents of His inner being. He was a man in the flesh, but there was another One in this man. This other One was God Himself, and God is glory. Since God as glory was concealed in His flesh as a shell, He needed the release spoken of in John 12:24. In order to be released and not to remain alone, the one grain of wheat had to fall into the ground and die. Through the Lord’s death the glory of His divinity was released.

The Unique Grain That Contained
His Divine Life with His Divine Glory

The Lord Jesus was the unique grain that contained His divine life with His divine glory. Concerning John 12:24 we often speak about the release of the divine life. Now we need to see that the divine glory of Christ was released with His divine life. When we received Christ, we received His life, and this life is His glory.

The Shell of His Humanity
Being Broken through His Crucifixion,
and All the Elements of His Divinity Being Released

When the shell of the Lord’s humanity was broken through His crucifixion, which was the baptism He went through, all the elements of His divinity—His divine life and His divine glory—were released. In Luke 12:50 the Lord Jesus said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am pressed until it is accomplished!” The Lord’s baptism was His crucifixion. He longed to be baptized, to be crucified, in order to be released. He was pressed, constrained, in His flesh, and He desired to be released by the baptism of His death. Through the breaking of the shell of His humanity by His death, His glory was released. His release was His being glorified. We need to praise Christ for His death because His death was His release.

The Life-releasing Death

In the sense explained above, Christ’s death is considered the life-releasing death with His glory released simultaneously. We cannot separate His life from His glory. When His life was released, His glory was released also. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory,” msg. 2)

Being Crushed and Ground into Flour
to Be Blended Together into One Loaf

In John 12:24 the Lord Jesus said, «unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” In this verse the Lord likened Himself to a grain of wheat. Just as a grain of wheat falls into the ground, dies, and grows up out of the ground to bear much fruit, so also Christ died and Grains are for the producing of a loaf. A loaf is made of the many grains that are reproduced from the original grain and are crushed, ground into flour, and blended together. Hence, the loaf is the increase of the original grain of wheat. Similarly, the believers as the multiplication of Christ, the unique grain of wheat, are the many grains of wheat that need to be crushed and ground into flour in order that they may be blended together into one loaf, that is, the one Body of Christ, the church. First Corinthians 10:17 says, “Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body.” The one bread signi¬fies the one Body of Christ. Just as we, the believers in Christ, are many members but one Body, so also we are many grains but one loaf. The church as the one Body, signified by the one bread, is the increase of Christ. (CWWL, 1971, vol. 3, “Enjoying the All-inclusive Christ as the Life-giving Spirit for the Fulfillment of God’s Eternal Purpose,” msg. 3)