TRUTHS ABOUT CALVARY

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32 NKJV).

The Lord Jesus spoke these words a few days before going to Calvary, and they teach us some important truths about Calvary. They tell us about the requirement, reproach, and rebuke of Calvary.

Requirement of Calvary – “If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Some folks believe that Calvary was unnecessary; our verse say otherwise. It says that Calvary was absolutely necessary if the Lord Jesus was going to provide salvation for mankind. Some folks also talk about the saving life of the Lord Jesus; however, it was not His life that provided salvation; rather it was His death on the cross that provided salvation. If salvation was only dependent on the life of the Lord Jesus, then Calvary was not necessary, it was a mistake. But Calvary was not a mistake or an event in which God lost control. It was planned before the creation of the world (1 Peter 1:20; Rev. 13:8). Without Calvary, the Lord Jesus could not be the Savior of the world.

Reproach of Calvary – “If I am lifted up from the earth.” Here the Lord Jesus was speaking of a specific form of death, namely death by crucifixion. This was a very shameful and reprehensible way to die. The apostle Paul spoke of the Lord Jesus humbling Himself to “even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). He also spoke of the curse of the cross: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Gal. 3:13; cf. Deut. 21:23). The death of the Lord Jesus was a great reproach because it was by crucifixion.

Rebuke of Calvary – “Will draw all peoples to Myself.” Calvary is a rebuke to mankind. It says that man have gone away from God and need to come back to God. The fact that man has to be drawn to God speaks of man’s rebellion and rebuke our waywardness. Man would not have to be drawn back to God if he had not left God. It was not God who moved; it was man who moved away from God. We have all “gone astray” (Isa. 53:6). But through Calvary we can be drawn back to God. And the fact that Calvary is a means of drawing men back to God shows the grace and power of God in saving sinners.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“In Christ alone, and His payment of the penalty for our sins upon the cross, we find reconciliation to God and ultimate meaning and purpose!”

David Charles Haddon Hunt (1926 – 2013)

American Christian Apologist, Commentator and Author

Word Study

Family

In Eph. 3:14-15 we read, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (NKJV).

“Family” is the Greek word patriá (πατριά = pat-ree-ah'). The word refers to family, clan, lineage, race, tribe, and nation. It represents persons of successive generations who are related by birth. In other words it refers to all of the descendants of a particular patriarch. In one sense, the whole Jewish nation could be traced back to Abraham and be called the patriá of Abraham. In classical Greek, patriá means lineage, descent, especially by the father’s side. In the Septuagint, patriá is also used to describe people who were related (cf. 1 Chron. 16:28). In the New Testament, patriá is used to refer to persons directly related by common human ancestors (Luke 2:4). Here in Eph. 3:15, the apostle Paul is saying that in the beginning, every family, people, and nation received its name or character from God.

Did You Know…

One of the focuses of the Book of James is on the taming of the tongue (Jam. 3:1-12).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of James, what is “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: After things went from bad to worse, what did Job’s wife encourage him to do? “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The Lamb of God Promised (Gen. 22:8; John 1:29)

"TAnd Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together” (Gen. 22:8 NJKV).

Here again, Abraham is showing his great trust in God by simply saying that God Himself would provide the lamb for the offering. True, Abraham knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if need be. But he had no idea what God was going to do; yet he trusted God. He knew that God had promised to produce nations of people through Isaac and to save the world through his descendent, the coming Savior of the world. Abraham believed that God would do whatever was necessary to fulfill His promises, His Word. He knew that one day the “Lamb of God” must be offered by God to take “away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and thus to make possible the fulfillment of all His eternal promises. And so, John the Baptist was correct in pointing out the Lord Jesus as the “Lamb of God.”

Did You Know – Christian History

The Rev. E. P. Scott, while laboring as a missionary in India, saw in the street one of the strangest looking person his eyes had ever seen. Upon inquiry, he found out that this man was a representative of the inland tribes that lived in the mountain districts; they came down once a year to trade. Upon further investigation he found out that the Gospel had never been preached to them, and that it was hazardous to venture among them because of their murderous propensities.

Scott went home and prayed for Divine direction. Arising from his knees, he decided to visit the tribe. Scott packed his handbag, took his violin, with which he was accustomed to sing, and started in the direction of the tribe. As he bade his fellow-missionaries farewell, they said to him, “We shall never see you again; it is madness for you to go.” But he said, “I must preach Jesus to them.” For two days he travelled occasionally meeting another human being, until at last he found himself in the mountains and suddenly surrounded by a crowd of savages. Every spear was pointing straight at his heart. Expecting a quick death, Scott pulled out his violin and began playing and singing in their native language the hymn: “All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.”

On reaching the third stanza which reads: “Let every tribe and every tongue on this terrestrial ball; To him all majesty ascribe and crown him Lord of all,” he opened his eyes to see what they were going to do. To his surprise, the spears had dropped from their hands, and tears were falling from their eyes. They afterwards invited him to their homes. He spent two and a half years among them. His labors were so richly rewarded that when he was compelled to leave them because of impaired health to return home, they followed him for thirty miles. “Oh, missionary,” they said, “come back to us again!” After visiting America, he went back again to continue his labors ministering to these primitive people until the day of his death.

The hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name,” is often called “The National Anthem of Christendom.” The lyrics were written by Edward Perronet and first appeared in the November 1779 issue of the Gospel Magazine published by hymn writer Augustus Toplady.

A Little Humor

Two women met for the first time since graduating from high school. One asked the other, “You were always so organized in school, did you manage to live a well-planned life?”  “Yes,” said her friend. “My first marriage was to a millionaire; my second marriage was to an actor; my third marriage was to a preacher; and now I’m married to an undertaker.” Her friend asked, “What do those marriages have to do with a well-planned life?” “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“An eternity without God will be hell!”