We’ve just celebrated Easter, the most sacred part of the year for Christians the world over. It’s gone. Easter has been, and gone, in the rush of our busy lives. So, here we are, post-Easter and focusing on the coming weeks and months – ANZAC Day, Mother’s Day and so on. But while Easter is still fresh in our minds I want to pause and reflect some more.
Good Friday is a focus on the cross and the death of Jesus where He made atonement for us with His blood. He paid the penalty of sin for us. He became sin and curse for us so that it could be judged. There was a tremendous exchange at the cross.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
“God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
But do we truly comprehend what this means? Yes, our sin was expiated – fully paid for …
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And the wrath of God was turned away from us. We are no longer objects of His wrath. So, forgiveness for sin, and release from all its consequences. But do we truly comprehend what this means? We need to stay a little longer in Easter to make sure we do.
Ephesians 2:3 (NIV)
“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”
In Christ, however, there is wrath no more for the believer – the wrath was propitiated. But, Scripture reveals to us the excess grace of the atonement - if we look carefully. It reveals to us that the work of the cross is more than we realise at a quick Good Friday glance. Yes, our sins are forgiven on the basis of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Yes, God’s wrath against sin and all that it infects and corrupts is now turned away from us. Yes, that means we have peace with God – we are no longer hostile to God, our old nature that was at enmity with God has been crucified with Christ. Yes, we have been justified – declared not guilty – and are now in right relationship with our heavenly Father. Yes, sin’s curse is broken.
But wait, there’s more. The grace of God exceeds even all of this.
In Revelation 7 we are given a glimpse of the power of Christ’s atoning work which goes even beyond all these amazing blessings. The apostle John sees in one special piece of prophetic vision, millions of white-robed believers worshipping before the throne of God with unbridled passion and joy. One of the elders, who stands before the throne day and night ministering, approaches John and asks him a question …
Revelation 7:9-14 (NIV)
“After this I [John] looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Beyond forgiveness and peace with God is a supernatural cleansing. These in white robes had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Which is apocalyptic language that means they were diligent in applying the power of Christ’s atonement to their whole lives. They went beyond the forgiveness of God for sin, to applying the sanctifying power of it to every part of their souls. Forgiveness is one thing – a great and wonderful grace that God gives to us. But God’s grace exceeds even the forgiveness available in the work of Christ’s death. The power of the atoning work of Christ continues beyond forgiveness to sanctification – the complete work of the cross.
Even though we are forgiven of our sins when we first surrender our lives to Christ – and that forgiveness for our offences against God is total and complete – we still have a corrupt soul. Even though we have been given a new spirit – born again – and that spirit is sanctified and not in need of any transformation, it is holy, our soul is not yet holy. Not yet. It needs to be sanctified. The work of sanctification is in process from the moment of our being born again, until we breathe our last. It is ongoing work. Our salvation must continue beyond forgiveness of sin to sanctification – the cleansing of the soul from the stain of sin. The stain of sin is guilt and shame. God works sanctification in us as we continue to work out, or unpack, or consciously apply the redemptive power of Christ’s death, so that we are progressively washed clean of sin’s stain. The apostle Paul mentions this.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
God wants to fulfill His “good purpose” in us – and this is beyond forgiveness. Forgiveness is not enough for God. He wants more for us. He has given us salvation in excess of forgiveness. He has given us a full atonement so that a full salvation of spirit, soul and body is given to us. These ones in white robes had done what Paul instructed the Philippians. They worked out the salvation they had been given. That is, they applied the atonement to every area of their souls and, bit by bit, sin’s stain had been cleansed from them. They were more than forgiven in any technical, legal, transactional sense – their consciences were cleansed. There was now no sin stain, no residue of guilt or shame whatsoever – no impediment of any kind whatsoever between them and God. Pure joy!
Hebrews 10:22 (NIV)
“… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
The picture John sees in this astonishing prophetic scene is one of the sheer excess of God’s grace to us. Beyond forgiveness is sanctification which is a process that takes us from righteousness to holiness – for God’s good purpose. That purpose? Twofold. One, that God has reconciled all things and restored all things to holiness. Two, that with this full salvation comes a sanctification – a complete transformation of the soul – that allows us to enjoy God without any sin stain at all. He wants that for us and He wants that for Himself. Forgiveness alone does not achieve this – sanctification does. And this is not some work we, ourselves, achieve. The verses from Philippians above are written by the apostle in the passive voice. That is, the subject of the sentence – us – is not performing the action, God is. In other words, as we willingly yield each part of our soul to God for cleansing and sanctification, He applies the atoning work of Christ to us, until our robes are, indeed, white.
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
We have been forgiven! Praise God! But now let us yield to the sanctifying work of God in our souls. Let us wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb and be ready to take our places amongst those who were given palm branches to wave before the throne of God.
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Sanctification starts now … because forgiveness is not enough.
Ps Milton