Christ Died For Us

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:6-8 

Christ’s death was entirely substitutionary. We want to hold this thought uppermost in our minds when we discuss the atonement. If we look at the whole of the incarnation, we observe that all of it was substitutionary. Christ came for us; satisfied the demands of the law in precept for us by His perfect life; satisfied the demands of the law in penalty by His death for us; was raised for our justification; is now ever living to make intercession for us; is preparing eternal dwelling places for us; and will return for us. Because Paul is discussing justification, he centers on the fact that Christ died for us. His was a substitutionary sacrifice. This is critical to the discussion of justification. If God is to impute Christ’s righteousness to us, what is to become of our sin? He has imputed our sin to Christ. As Paul says elsewhere, ‘He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.’ Thus, all we know of righteousness is from God through the Person and work of Christ. Hence, we must never cease making much of Him. Within this context we say, ‘Christ died for us.’ In the broader context we say, He has done it all for us, and the end is not yet. 

Our Holy and Wise God, 
we rejoice that Christ has died for us. 
We praise You that our testimony is,  
‘Salvation is of the Lord.’ 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning