The Only Possible Way

By Thomas G. Lane

[Page 62]

     The events of the life of Jesus, through whom God attained for us our redemption from sin, are mere foolishness to those who refuse to trust him (1 Corinthians 1:18, et. al). The natural man cannot comprehend these things, but their wisdom is communicated by the Holy Spirit to all those who possess the same Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9-16). And, directed by the Spirit, we perceive God's wisdom in choosing the Incarnation and the Atonement as the means to reconciliation of us with himself. In fact, he could use no other way, if he intended to implement a dispensation of grace to all men by a single adequate consummate sacrifice (Hebrews 7:27).

     God justly demands as the ransom for the soul of the sinner a substitute of equivalent worth in his sight. He requires like for like. Because men are created in his image (Genesis 1:26, 27), only a sacrifice of a being or beings likewise of his image could be accepted. Thus only by the sacrifice of an Infinite Spirit such as his Son could he bring absolute atonement for all men. Animals were inadequate because they were not created in the spiritual likeness of the Divine, as are men. One man could die for another, but he could not die for all men since God requires a substitute of equal worth. Besides, because all men are sinners and God demands a sinless sacrifice (1 Peter 1:19), such an arrangement could never be acceptable unto him.

     So it was that the only satisfactory substitutionary sacrifice that God could find was his Son, who donned human form (John 1:14, Romans 8:3), that he could identify with us in all points of temptation (Hebrews 4:15), and yet overcome sin (1 Peter 2:22). In so doing, he made himself an acceptable offering. Then he willingly laid down his life in a single act of propitiation for all men everywhere for all time (Hebrews 10:12, 14). "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).