Search
Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 53:5-6, 10; 1 Pet. 1:13; Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20
In the previous chapter we covered who the Lord Jesus is. In this chapter we will see what the Lord Jesus has done for us. The Lord Jesus is God becoming a man to be our Savior. Since He is our Savior, He has delivered us from a threefold problem. In order to know what the Lord Jesus has done for us, we must have a clear picture of this problem.
When we begin to consider our threefold problem, it is easy to realize that our behavior is improper. The primary reason that we express our need for God is that we want to be saved from our improper behavior. We are all improper to some degree. There is no difference between a robber and a gentleman, because everyone has stolen from others or taken advantage of others.
Once I was preaching the gospel and speaking about stealing. In the audience there was a young boy who was in junior high school. When he heard this word, he disagreed. He shook his head and inwardly argued, saying, “Others may have stolen, but I am from a well-disciplined family, and I have never stolen anything.” The Spirit was upon me during my preaching, and I pointed my finger at him and said, “Even though you say that you have never stolen anything, you stole a piece of chalk from school and took it home.” Even though he had actually stolen a piece of chalk, he reasoned within himself that this did not matter. I continued to speak, saying, “You took the chalk home and drew circles on the ground.” When he heard this word, he began to shake in his seat because he was shocked that I knew these things. Actually, I did not know; it was God, the One who searches man’s heart, who knew.
Similar things happened in England to a famous evangelist, Dr. F. B. Meyer. One day when he was preaching, he pointed into the audience and said, “Look at yourself, young man! You have stolen three pounds and eighteen shillings from your master. If you do not repay these three pounds and eighteen shillings, you will never have peace.” Indeed, there was a young man sitting in front of him who had stolen three pounds and eighteen shillings from his employer. When he heard this word, he was very frightened because he thought that only he knew about his theft. Yet, to his surprise, Dr. Meyer pointed out the sin that he had committed. The young man had no peace when he returned home, and “three pounds and eighteen shillings” filled his mind as he was lying on his bed. When he woke up from his sleep, “three pounds and eighteen shillings” was still ringing in his ears. He knew that if he did not return this exact amount, he would never have peace. Then he wrote a check for three pounds and eighteen shillings and put it in his pocket. On that very day it so happened that a believer invited the young man to have dinner with him and Dr. Meyer. This was quite marvelous. After dinner the young man said to the believer who invited him, “Yesterday, Dr. Meyer pointed out my offense. Even though I have written a check for three pounds and eighteen shillings, I have been childish and reluctant to mail it, but as soon as I saw Dr. Meyer, I had no peace to eat this meal. Now I want to put this check in an envelope, seal it before him, and mail it to my employer.” This shows that no one should consider himself to be absolutely proper. When the Spirit shines on us, we will see our darkness.
There was a famous Chinese evangelist named John Sung. One day as he was preaching the gospel in Hankow, he pointed to a young lady in the audience and said, “You concubine.” She became quite scared because she was indeed a concubine. There were probably over a thousand people there that day. Dr. Sung did not know who she was, and yet he pointed his finger at her in the audience. After leaving the meeting, she cursed Dr. Sung and was also angry with the person who had brought her to hear the sermon. She said, “What bad luck! Why did you bring me here to be scolded in front of everyone?” She was very angry, but the angrier she became, the more the Holy Spirit worked in her. The Holy Spirit convicted her that she did not fear God even though she was committing sin. She ceased her cursing and was convicted of her need to repent. Then she knelt down and prayed, confessing in tears that she was a sinner, and she was saved.
I know of many such gospel stories. Seven or eight years ago I went to Amoy to preach the gospel, and I spoke about the Samaritan woman who met the Lord Jesus by the well in Sychar in John 4. When she came to draw water, the Lord Jesus asked her to give Him a drink (v. 7), and He said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (v. 10). Then she asked the Lord for this water. Although the Lord was moved with compassion, He also knew about her sinful life. Nevertheless, He did not rebuke her; rather, He gently said, “Go, call your husband and come here” (v. 16). She tried to cover her sin by saying, “I do not have a husband” (v. 17). She spoke the truth, but her intention was to deceive. However, the Lord Jesus also knew her true situation and said, “You have well said, I do not have a husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly” (vv. 17-18). This woman had one husband after another, and the man she was currently with was not even her husband. This shows that we are born dissatisfied. The woman at the well was not satisfied with her first husband, so she changed husbands repeatedly. Her history of going from one man to another was an expression of her dissoluteness. Her actions were similar to a person who continually drinks because his thirst cannot be satisfied.
While I was preaching, there was a friend of a sister in the audience. When the friend heard this word, her face turned red, and she glared at the sister beside her. Although the sister’s friend had not changed husbands six times, she had changed four times. Consequently, she turned to the sister and angrily said, “You have told my story to this Mr. Lee.” She thought that I was speaking about this matter because the sister had told me. The sister replied, “I have never told Mr. Lee anything about you. He was merely telling a story from the Gospel of John in the Bible.”
In our preaching of the gospel, we encounter many situations such as this. Since man’s behavior is improper, it cannot escape the light of God’s examination. When God examines us, everyone has a problem. We should carefully consider our improper ways. Our words are improper, our actions are improper, our thoughts are improper, and our attitudes are improper. Every aspect of our behavior is improper.
The second aspect of our problem is related to our inward nature. The first aspect is our improper behavior; the second aspect is our evil nature. We lie because our inward nature is deceitful, and we hate because our inward nature is envious of others.
We should not think for a moment that we only occasionally make mistakes or that our inward nature is not corrupt. Rather, we are improper outwardly because our nature inwardly is corrupt. Luke 6:43 says, “There is no good tree that produces corrupt fruit, nor again a corrupt tree that produces good fruit.” In other words, a good tree produces good fruit, and a corrupt tree produces corrupt fruit. A corrupt tree produces corrupt fruit because the inward nature of the tree is corrupt. Our conduct is improper because our nature is evil. Hence, more than the aspect of our outward behavior must be addressed; we must also solve the aspect of our inward evil nature. Our outward behavior proves that our inward nature is evil. We do not attend classes that teach us how to sin, yet we all commit sins. Although there are schools for art and universities for education, we do not need schools or universities to teach us how to lie and sin. Instead, we are taught to be moral, benevolent, and righteous, and we are admonished to do good and be honest, because lies and sins spontaneously come out of our nature.
There is a sweet date tree with fruit that is full of thorns. We like the dates but dislike the thorns. Similarly, we may have a certain measure of benevolence, righteousness, elegance, and love, but we are full of “thorns.” We may have many virtues that are admirable, but these virtues are entangled with thorns that cause hurt to others. All these “thorns” grow out from within us. Our nature produces many different kinds of “thorns.” The “thorns” in our outward conduct merely confirm the evil in our inward nature. This is the second aspect of our problem.
Our evil nature is related to our life, which is the third aspect of our problem. The aspect of our life is directly connected to the aspect of our nature. We have a certain kind of nature because we have a certain kind of life. This can be seen in our common use of the expression life and nature. According to our nature by birth, we lose our temper, but this nature is contained in our life. Since nature comes out of life, the only way to avoid losing our temper is for our life to end. Our temper is no longer a problem when we die. Our nature of losing our temper is in our life, just like the circulation of life is in the blood in our body. As long as there is a circulation of our corrupt life, our nature of losing our temper will be active. Our nature is in our life.
Our behavior issues from our nature, and our nature is hidden in our life. Our threefold problem consists of behavior, nature, and life. Although our behavior is outward and our nature is inward, our life is the ultimate source of our condition. Considering our problem from inside to outside, there is life, nature, and behavior; considering our problem from outside to inside, there is behavior, nature, and life. We need to ask ourselves whether our behavior is good or bad and whether we are persons of moral integrity. If we admit that we are not good, we have some degree of moral integrity, but if we think that our conduct is good and that we have moral integrity, we are deceiving ourselves. We lie to people, we hate people, and we even steal from people. At the minimum we have stolen candy or cookies from our parents. How can we think that our behavior is good? If someone dares to say in public that he has good behavior, he is the greatest sinner in the world because he has deceived everyone.
Our poor behavior is derived from our nature. Both our behavior and our nature are problematic. Moreover, our nature comes from our life, which is also problematic. Outwardly, our behavior is improper, and inwardly, our life and nature are improper. Since our life is corrupt and our nature is evil, our behavior is improper. Since our inward life is corrupt and our inward nature is evil, our outward conduct cannot be proper.
Our life, nature, and behavior are a threefold problem. In order to be our Savior, the Lord Jesus must be able to solve this threefold problem. If He could solve only one aspect of our problem, His salvation would not be complete. If He could solve only two aspects, His salvation would not be sufficient. Thankfully, the Bible shows that His salvation is complete and full. He is a wonderful Savior, and His saving way is also wonderful. He fully solves man’s threefold problem related to behavior, nature, and life.
With His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus solved the aspect of our problem associated with our sinful behavior. Our sins, wrongdoings, and transgressions expose the problematic aspect of our behavior. As violations of God’s righteousness, these sins make it impossible for us to escape His condemnation. When a person violates the law of a country, he can be convicted as a criminal according to law. Our numerous sins have violated God’s righteousness, and they prevent us from being accepted by God or receiving His blessing. Although God desires to give us grace, the charges against us before God prevent Him from drawing near to us.
A proper government cares for its citizens and is willing to provide for their security and enjoyment, but once a citizen violates the law and is convicted of a crime, he no longer has the right to enjoy these provisions. This is our situation before God. God is gracious and wants to bless us, but our sins have become a hindrance. The Lord Jesus solved the problem related to our sins on the cross. When He was put to death on the cross, not only was He killed by men, but He was also judged by God on our behalf.
First Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree.” When the Lord Jesus was nailed on the cross, God caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. God saw Him as the redeeming Lamb (Isa. 53:5-6, 10). His death on the cross involved more than a death at the hands of evil men. For a period of time on the cross, He was judged and punished by God for our sins. He bore our sins on the cross. As sinners, we deserved to die, but He died for us on the cross. We should have received God’s righteous punishment, but He received this punishment on our behalf. As the Scripture says, “Christ also has suffered once for sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18).
Because of the charges against us before God, there was a distance, a barrier, between God and us. In order to rescue us and bring us to God, the Lord Jesus removed the distance between us by clearing away the charges that were against us. He bore our sins on the cross and received God’s judgment on our behalf to satisfy God’s righteous requirement. He removed the barrier between God and us. He brought us before God so that we could receive God’s forgiveness, God’s acceptance, and God’s grace and blessings.
The Lord Jesus cleared away our sins by His death on the cross. No other way could take away our sins, including any achievement or merit on our part. Without a substitute to receive God’s righteous judgment, the charges against us before God would have remained. However, the Lord Jesus bore our sins on the cross. Although we had been led astray like sheep with all kinds of sins, God put all our sins and iniquities upon the Lord Jesus so that He could bear them on our behalf. God looked upon the Lord Jesus as our Substitute and judged Him on the cross. The Lord Jesus shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sins. The shedding of His precious blood was a declaration that He had received God’s righteous punishment. Through His vicarious death on the cross, the aspect of our sinful behavior was solved.
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross as a man, the human nature that He put on in His incarnation was also crucified. The Lord Jesus, the Word who became flesh, put humanity on Himself. He not only bore our sins when He was crucified but also bore our person. Thus, He not only dealt with our sins on the cross; He also dealt with us as sinners, that is, our nature of sin. Romans 6:6 says, “Our old man has been crucified with Him.” Our old man is our old nature. When the Lord was crucified, our old nature of sin was crucified with Him.
Here is a certain fact: whoever believes in the crucified Lord, calls on Him, and draws near to Him, has been delivered from his sinful nature because of the effectiveness of His death. First Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness.” Christ’s bearing up of our sins not only issued in the forgiveness of our sins; it also enabled us to die to sin. When we die to sin, we are delivered from the bondage of sin. It is not easy for people who smoke opium to quit even though they suffer from their addiction. However, when an opium smoker dies, he is freed from the desire to smoke opium. Only a dead person is freed from the bondage of opium.
All our addictions come from our nature. The best way to give up our addictions is to put our nature to death. Some people care for nothing other than playing mah-jongg. Even though they hate themselves for their addiction, they are unable to quit. Even if a person cut off one of his hands to keep from playing mah-jongg, he would not be able to refrain from playing. His inward impulse to play would eventually overpower him. Even with the loss of a hand, he would continue to play mah-jongg. Only with his death would he be free from what comes out of his nature of sin.
Some people may say, “This is terrible. Does believing in Jesus mean that we must die? If this is so, what is the benefit of believing in Jesus?” The termination that we are speaking of, however, is not something dreadful but glorious, because this termination delivers us from our sinful nature and bad habits. Deliverance from our sinful nature is not possible through resolutions, through struggle and striving, or even through the help of others. Even if a man tries to quit drinking and asks his wife to help him, he will eventually beg her for a drink despite her earnest efforts to help. Such a situation proves how difficult it is to deal with man’s nature.
In contrast, many people who believe in the Lord Jesus can testify that many bad habits simply dropped away when they received the Lord Jesus as their Savior and then trusted in Him, prayed to Him, and drew near to Him. Although this is difficult for them to explain, they can testify of the power of His salvation. The more we pray to Jesus, the more our corrupt nature is put to death. The more we draw near to Jesus, the more our addictions fall away. We do not need to cut off our hands or physically die; we only need to pray to Jesus and draw near to Him. This will activate an indescribable power within us that causes us to have no desire to play mah-jongg. This is marvelous; it is a power that kills the “germs” of our sinful nature, just as penicillin kills germs within us.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus and call on Him, He is like an injection of penicillin. The “germs” of sin and the “germs” of our addictions are completely killed. Tens of thousands of Christians can testify that Jesus Christ bore their sins on the cross. When we receive Him, the result is that we are dead to sin. He has the power to put our sinful nature to death. He not only deals with our outward sins; He also deals with our inward nature of sin.
The final aspect of our threefold problem is related to our life. This aspect has been solved by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is a wonderful matter. Even if we spoke for a month, we could not adequately cover the mystery of His resurrection. The principle of resurrection can be seen in the biological world, including the plant life and the animal life. When a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, it dies and its outward shell decays, but when it decays, something from within the seed begins to grow. This speaks of the principle of resurrection. A chick breaking out of its shell also illustrates the principle of resurrection. Biologists tell us that many things receive life through the process of death, passing from death into resurrection. Although this is a mysterious matter, the principle of resurrection can be seen in the biological realm. The Lord Jesus died and was resurrected. The Scriptures tell us that His resurrection released His glorious life from within Him (John 12:24). Just as our voice is transmitted through radio waves, the Lord’s life is released through the Holy Spirit into everyone who believes.
When we call on Him and draw near to Him, a wonderful thing happens: His Spirit enters into us with His life so that we may have His life. Thus, we have another life within us. At our birth we received our physical life. However, when we repented and received the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He came into us with His life to be our life. There are now two kinds of life within us. When we were born, we received the human life, and when we believed in the Lord, we received the divine life. After receiving the Lord, every saved person soon discovers that there are two persons with two lives inside him. The first person is our old man with our original sinful life; the second person is the Lord Jesus with His divine life. The first life comes from our parents; the second life comes from the Lord. The first is the life of man; the second is the life of God. The life of man is evil and corrupt, but the life of God is holy and good. The life of man is dark, but the life of God is bright. The life of man corrupts man, but the life of God empowers man.
The two lives within a believer are in constant opposition to each other. Nevertheless, the divine life that we have received by believing in the Lord Jesus is more powerful than our sinful life. When we were regenerated, we received the life of God. Now we can live by the life of the Lord Jesus rather than by our sinful life. Salvation changes the source of our life. Salvation solves the deepest aspect of our threefold problem.
When the Lord died for our sins on the cross, He solved the aspect of our problem related to our behavior. When we believed in Him and called on Him, He also solved the aspect of our problem related to our nature by applying His death to our sinful nature. Furthermore, when we believed in Him and called on Him, He entered into us as the life-giving Spirit in resurrection to be our life and to live in us. This solved the aspect of our problem related to life. Rather than having only our original corrupted life, we now have the life of God. With His life we also have a new nature, which is holy and good and which produces proper behavior.
This is how the Lord Jesus saves us. As our wonderful Savior, He has accomplished a wonderful way of salvation. When a person believes in Him and fellowships with Him, his sins are forgiven, his nature is transformed, and he receives God’s holy and glorious life. The Lord’s salvation solves the problem of our behavior, our nature, and our life. This is what He has done for us. Now He wants to live in us and become one with us by being mingled with us; in this way He becomes our living, glorious, and wonderful Savior.
