In this message we shall begin to consider Christ’s work in His death.
In His death Christ gave Himself for the believers that He might redeem them and purify to Himself a people for His own possession as His peculiar treasure. Ephesians 5:2 says that Christ loved us and “gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.” In the Bible there is a difference between an offering and a sacrifice. An offering is for fellowship with God, whereas a sacrifice is for redemption from sin. Christ gave Himself up for us both as an offering to have fellowship with God and as a sacrifice to redeem us from sin. In loving us Christ gave Himself up for us. It was for us, but it was a sweet-smelling savor to God.
In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Whereas the title “Christ” mainly denotes Christ’s mission to carry out God’s plan, “the Son of God” denotes Christ’s person to impart God’s life into us. The Son of God loved us and purposely gave Himself for us that He might impart the divine life into us. As Paul wrote this verse, he was filled with appreciation of the Lord Jesus. This was the reason at the end of the verse he spoke of Christ’s loving him and of having given Himself for him.
In Titus 2:14 Paul says that Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to Himself a people for His own possession, zealous of good works.” The words “for us” here mean on our behalf. They do not mean instead of us. To redeem means to buy with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Tim. 2:6). Christ gave Himself for us not only that He might redeem us from all lawlessness but also purify to Himself a people for His own possession. A people for His own possession or a peculiar people is an expression borrowed from the Old Testament (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18) and denotes a people privately possessed by God as His peculiar treasure (Exo. 19:5), His own possession (1 Pet. 2:9).
Ephesians 5:25 tells us that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Christ’s loving the church and giving Himself up for her was for redemption and for the impartation of life. According to John 19:34, blood and water came out of the Lord’s pierced side. The blood was for redemption, and the water was for the impartation of life so that the church might come into existence. In Ephesians 5:25 we have the church coming into existence through Christ’s loving her and giving Himself up for her.
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