In this message we shall consider what was accomplished through Christ’s redeeming death. However, before we come to this matter, I would like to say a further word concerning the Trinity.
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 says that the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every 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 was needed for the eternal efficacy of the redeeming blood. 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, an efficacy which is all-prevailing in space and everlasting in time.
Man’s sin needs human blood for its cleansing. The blood of Jesus is the blood of a genuine man. However, the very Jesus who shed His blood for our redemption is the Son of God. He has both humanity and divinity. His humanity qualified Him to die for us. Because He was a man, He had the blood to shed for the cleansing of our sins. Nevertheless, He is also the Son of God. His divinity insures the eternal effectiveness of His redeeming blood. Therefore, His humanity qualifies Him to be our Redeemer and our Substitute; His divinity gives eternal power to this qualification. If Christ were not a man, He could not be qualified to be our Substitute. Praise the Lord that He was qualified by His humanity to be our Substitute and that His genuine human blood has the qualification to cleanse our sins! This qualification needs something to insure its effectiveness, and this assurance is the Lord’s divinity. His divinity insures the eternal effectiveness of His qualification.
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.
What the Lord has shown us concerning these matters from His holy Word is somewhat different from traditional teachings. For this reason, there is a measure of conflict between our teaching and the traditional teaching. Concerning this, you need to exercise your discernment to see which teachings are based on the pure Word of God and which are based on traditional doctrine that has been passed on from generation to generation.