Gilbert starts off Chapter 4 (Jesus Christ the Savior) by focusing on how powerful the word "but" can be. He lists off several examples of how "but" can totally change a story and its outcome. Then he gets to the heart of why such a simple word is so important to the gospel:"You are a sinner destined to be condemned. But God has acted to save sinners just like you!" (60)He then steps through some important doctrines about who Jesus is. I appreciated the way Gilbert pumped this chapter full of Scripture, and so I thought I'd highlight a few of those verses under each of his main points because the Word of God does such a magnificent job of telling all about the Messiah, Jesus.
Fully God, Fully Man
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Because he is the Son of God, without sin and equal in every divine perfection to God the Father, he is able to defeat death and save us from our sin. In the same way, it is also critical that Jesus be truly one of us -- that is, fully human -- so that he can rightly represent us before his Father. (p. 61-62)
The Messiah King -- Here!
The angel said to Mary regarding the birth of her son, Jesus:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:32-33)
Unexpected Good News -- If You Can Get in on it
King Jesus came no only to inaugurate the kingdom of God, but also to bring sinners into it by dying in their place and for their sin, taking their punishment on himself and securing forgiveness for them, making them righteous in God's sight, and qualifying them to share in the inheritance of the kingdom. (p. 64, summarized from Col. 1:12 by Gilbert)
A Suffering King?
John the Baptist said of Jesus:
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29b)
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
For our sake, he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly... but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6,8)
He himself [Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - everyone - to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
The Heart of the Gospel
According to Gilbert, this is the heart of the gospel:
A righteous and holy God can justify the ungodly because in Jesus' death, mercy and justice were perfectly reconciled. The curse was righteously executed, and we were mercifully saved. (p. 69)
He Has Risen
Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:33-34)
For those of you reading along with me, we'll cover chapter 5 next week: Response -- Faith and Repentance. Until then, here are some questions about this chapter you can chew on. And feel free to post a comment below, too!
Was there one specific passage of Scripture that stood out to you from this chapter? Did you notice any verses that you'd like to commit to your memory? Did you particularly appreciate any of Gilbert's explanations about what makes Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection significant?
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