The Cross: Justice, Mercy, and God's Character Revealed

He says all that that was but a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse Washings and Cardinal carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. [00:26:57]

Under that old Covenant under the old dispensation there was no provision for dealing with sin in a radical sense it was simply a means as it were of passing them by covering them over for the time being they gave a kind of purification of the flesh they gave a ceremonial cleanness they enabled the people to go on praying unto God. [00:27:55]

God had always revealed himself as a God who hated sin he had announced that he would punish sin and that the punishment of sin was death he had anced that he would pour out his wrath upon sin and upon Sinners and yet you see here is God for centuries apparently and externally to all appearances going back on his own statements and on his own word. [00:29:42]

On the cross on calvary's Hill God has been giving a public explanation of what he had been doing throughout the centuries and at the same time he vindicates his own Eternal character of righteousness and of Holiness well how dides he do that how has he done it on the cross on calvary's hill now let me answer that question. [00:31:29]

God has stated that he hates sin that he will punish sin that he will pour out his Roth upon sin and upon those guilty of sin and unless God can prove that he has done that he is no longer just but what the Apostle is saying is this that on Calvary he has done that he has shown that he still hates sin. [00:32:28]

What God did on calvary's Hill was to pour out upon his only begotten and beloved Son his wroth upon sin the w of God that should have come upon you and upon me because of our sins fell upon him God always knew that he was going to do this we read in the scriptures of the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. [00:33:29]

God at one and the same time remains just and can justify the ungodly that believes in Christ you see this was a tremendous problem how can God remain holy and just and deal with siners he says he's going to and and yet forgive a sinner that's the problem and the answer is to be found alone on the cross on calvary's hill. [00:34:41]

The cross on Calvary the death of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle John puts it in the first epistle 2 chapter 2 verse is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world that particular world that is meant there the sins of that were dealt with once and for all on the cross on calvary's Hill. [00:35:15]

The cross is not only and not merely meant to influence us you know the popular teaching today don't you that's exactly what it tells you and it that's all it tells you it says oh you see the trouble with mankind is that it doesn't know that God is love it doesn't know that God's already forgiven everybody what's the meaning of the Cross. [00:38:31]

The cross does not merely tell us that God forgives it tells us that that is God's way of making forgiveness possible it's the way in which we understand how God forgives and I'll go further how even God can forgive and still remain God that's the question the cross is the Vindication of God the cross is the Vindication of the character of God. [00:40:23]

The cross not only shows the love of God God more gloriously than anything else it shows his righteousness his Justice his Holiness and all the glory of his eternal attributes they're all shining together there and if you don't see them all I say you haven't seen the cross and this is why once and forever we should reject the so-called moral influence theory. [00:40:41]

God if I may so put it is e eternally consistent with himself there's never a contradiction he is the father of Lights in whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning and all these glorious attributes are shining like diamonds in his eternal character and all of them must be manifest and in the cross they are all manifest. [00:41:57]