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Effectual Atonement
Isaiah 53:10-12
by Don Fortner
What happened at Calvary? Did the Lord Jesus Christ redeem us
from all iniquity; or did he merely make us redeemable? Did he actually put away
our sins; or did he merely make it possible for our sins to be put away? Did the
Lamb of God reconcile us to God; or did he merely make us reconcilable? Did he
justify his people; or did he simply make it possible for them to be justified?
Did he effectually secure the salvation of those for whom he died; or did he
only make salvation a possibility for them? Did the incarnate Son of God
actually make atonement for sin by the shedding of his blood; or did he just
make a stab at it? Hear the Word of God as it was spoken by the mouth of his
prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 53:10-12 is a true, divinely inspired description of the
sin-atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and its results. Read every word
with thoughtful reverence, and learn the Bible doctrine of the atonement
Did you catch the phrase, "He shall be
satisfied"? How I love this word of promise! Let me state it as
emphatically as I possibly can. "He," the Son of God, our
glorious Substitute, our great Sin Offering, our divine Savior, the one who died
in our place at Calvary, "shall," without a doubt,
without the possibility of hindrance, most assuredly, "be
satisfied," fully, completely, eternally satisfied! He was
satisfied with the terms of redemption proposed to him as our Surety in the
covenant of grace before the world was made. He is satisfied with his purchased
possession, his bride the Church. He is satisfied with himself as a ransom price
for the satisfaction of justice. He shall be satisfied with us, his redeemed
ones.
This is an inspired declaration of complete, effectual
redemption accomplished by Jehovah’s Righteous Servant, our Substitute and
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. "He shall not fail!" The
Son of God can never be frustrated in his purpose, defeated in his design, or
hindered in his work. Christ was not conquered at Calvary. He conquered! "He
shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied!" The
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage. The Lion
of the tribe of Judah must prevail. Isaiah prophesied of, and the Word of God
universally teaches, the infallible efficacy of Christ’s atonement. I
want you to see from the Word of God the glorious, absolute, saving efficacy of
Christ’s atonement.
The subject matter before us is a matter of utmost concern. The
one thing that characterizes every messenger of Satan is a denial of the
efficacy of Christ’s atonement. The one point of doctrine upon which all
false prophets are agreed is this – They all deny that every soul for whom
Christ died shall be saved. They may give lip service to Bible doctrine and
Bible terms; but they deny the very foundation of the gospel, which is
substitution. The modern day prophets of Baal preach a redemption that redeems
no one, an atonement that atones for nothing, and a salvation that saves no one.
They preach possibility redemption, possibility atonement, possibility grace,
and possibility salvation. The Word Of God teaches that every sinner for whom
Christ died shall, upon the grounds of justice satisfied, be saved.
Don Fortner is pastor of
Grace Baptist Church
Danville, KY
This article was originally posted at: http://www.grace-for-today.com/754.htm
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