In the last post we discussed the person of Christ, including his deity and his humanity. This post will focus on the basic Christian beliefs about the work of Christ.
A few things about the past work of Christ:
- Christ was the creator of all (John 1:3).
- He was active in the creation of the world (1 Corinthians 8:6).
- Christ was active in the creation of humanity (Colossians 1:16).
- Jesus sustains the universe (Colossians 1:16-17).
- Christ announced the coming of the Kingdom of God during his earthly ministry (Luke 12:32).
- His ultimate mission was to die for sin (Matthew 20:28).
- On the cross, Christ both satisfied the wrath of God against sin and offered forgiveness and mercy to those who believe (1 John 2:2).
- Christ died in our place as a substitute for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- Christ reconciled us back into fellowship with God through his death on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:18).
- Christ was resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). The resurrection of Christ shows us that God the Father accepted his sacrifice on the cross, it also gives us hope that we too will be resurrected from the dead.
- Christ ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50-53).
A few things about the present work of Christ:
- Christ is Lord over creation; he is King (1 Peter 3:22).
- Christ intercedes for us in prayer, he is Priest (Romans 8:34).
- Christ reveals the truth of God, he is prophet (John 8:28).
A few things about the atonement of Christ:
- The atonement is the what Christ did on the cross.
- Christ was our ransom, he paid the penalty for our sin. This penalty was not paid to anyone, it is figurative language to express the costly nature of what he did. He tasted spiritual death so that we would not have to (Matthew 20:28).
- Christ satisfied the wrath of God on the cross.
- Christ brought all of creation back under his authority and he is now preparing to renew all of creation (Revelation 21).
- Christ’s death compels us to live moral lives in honor to him because of what he did for us.
- Christ conquered the devil on the cross. The devil was the one who introduced sin into the world.
- In his death and resurrection, Christ has provided to us the gift of salvation. Salvation brings believers into fellowship with God and keeps them from facing spiritual death.
In our next doctrinal post we will look at the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
