Was the sacrifice of Jesus ONLY meant to cover the sins of people that came before Him, or does it cover our sins as well?
Does Jesus’ sacrifice redeem us today? (Spoiler Alert: YES)
The Gospel, looked at purely linearly:
- God made humans for relationship with Him
- People throughout history sinned
and that separated them from God
- The price for sin, is death.
God literally and physically paid the price for those sins
- The Bible says this about the people who were forgiven:
Romans 10:8-13
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This salvation that God offers through his death on the cross and his subsequent resurrection, is not in fact, linear… It’s not bound by time at all.
God Before Creation
In order to understand how this all applies to us today, we need to understand how the rules of the natural universe apply or don’t apply to God, and look at God before Creation.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Everything around us is one of 2 things:
- God’s creation
or
- God himself
St. Augustine, a fourth century philosopher and theologian, was once asked the question:
“what was God doing before he made heaven and earth?”
St Augustine responded with:
“But I say that Thou, our God, art the Creator of every creature; and if by the term "heaven and earth" every creature is understood, I boldly say, "That before God made heaven and earth, He made not anything.”
St. Augustine, along with many other theologians believed that as part of the creation of the world, God created time itself. So before God created time, not only was He not bound by time, it didn’t even exist. All we really see in scripture before creation, is God himself, and in some places we see wording that personifies characteristics of God, simply to bring those Characteristics to life in writing.
THE WORD
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
LOVE
John 17:24
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
WISDOM
Proverbs 8:22-23
“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth
GRACE
2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
GOD’S PLAN FOR SALVATION
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
God knew who was going to accept salvation, therefore Christians were predestined to sonship because God see’s outside of time.
JESUS’S SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS
Revelation 13:8
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, REDEMPTION
1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Does Jesus’ sacrifice redeem us today?
The answer, is YES, it absolutely can.
Hebrews 10:1-10
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Jesus sacrifice is not held by time. The salvation Jesus offers is eternal, and stretches all the way to us if we are willing to accept it. And, salvation only comes from Jesus.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
