Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Does it matter what we believe about the cross of Christ? Is one idea as good as another? If we limit the "width and length and depth and height ... [of] the love (agape) of Christ" (Eph. 3:18), which we see at the cross, the result is lukewarmness in the church. That's our problem worldwide (Rev. 3:14-21).
If Christ's sacrifice is only an offer of salvation and not the actual gift given, and the sinner rejects it, then he can claim that he is paying for his sins by his own second death. And all along, that's what he's been claiming--he is paying his own way. As he stands before the Great White Throne in the final judgment, he can shake his fist at Christ and say, "You actually did nothing for me! You merely offered me salvation and I refused the offer. As I go into the Lake of Fire, I am paying for my own sins!"
But wait a moment. In that final judgment, the Lord will reveal to him the truth. The sinner will see that Christ did actually pay for them! He will see that his own second death is entirely unnecessary--Christ has already died his second death (Heb. 2:9). His name will be Esau; Christ gave him the birthright. Just like Esau who did not have to do anything to earn it for it was already his, Christ has given "all men" the gift of salvation. Like Esau, the lost have "despised" and "sold" it.
Does it make any difference what we believe about what Christ accomplished at the cross? Has "the Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people" in these last days that honors and glorifies Christ in His sacrifice? Is He indeed "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), or does He merely offer to be? Are all men actually infinitely and eternally in debt to Him for even their next breath? How can the Father send His rain and sunshine on "all men," "the just and the unjust," unless Christ has actually accomplished something for them all and has given them the gift? How amazing is Christ's grace? Dare we limit or restrict it?
If a wealthy man gives you a check for $1000 and you don't cash it, what has he lost? It seems the Bible is clear: Christ "gave Himself for our sins" (Gal. 1:4); an unbeliever's refusal does not cancel the reality of the gift. Failure to grasp this truth weakens our devotion to Him.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 3, 2003.
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