The Resurrection—The Universality of the Atonement—The Promises to those who Overcome—The Gospel—Its First Principles—Faith, Repentance, Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost—Its Antiquity—It is Preached in Various Dispensations, from Adam until the Present—The Final Triumph of the Saints.
THE MEDIATION AND ATONEMENT OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
CHAPTER I.
Introductory—Christ's Testimony with regard to His Sufferings—
Christ came to do the Will of His Father—The Testimony of the
Father at His Baptism and Transfiguration.
In the last chapter of St. Luke's Gospel is to be found a deeply interesting account of several events that took place on the day that the Redeemer was resurrected. Amongst other incidents, he relates that on that day two of the disciples took a melancholy journey from Jerusalem to the neighboring village of Emmaus. Whilst they walked, the sadness of their hearts found expression on their tongues, and they mournfully rehearsed to each other the story of the crucifixion of their Master. By and by, they were joined by an apparent stranger, who, though none other than the resurrected Savior, was not recognized by them. In answer to His inquiries, they repeated the sad history of the days just passed, and expressed the disappointment that His death had brought, for they trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel. Then Jesus said unto them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."—Luke, xxiv, 25-27.
When they reached Emmaus, with characteristic eastern hospitality, they constrained the stranger to abide with them. He consented, and as they sat at meat He took bread, and blessed it, brake and gave unto them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight. "And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."
After the Savior had convinced the disciples then present of His identity, and had partaken of some broiled fish and an honey comb, He said unto them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things."
One great and very striking statement is here made by the Lord Himself, to the effect that it behooved Christ to suffer, and the question at once presents itself before us, why did it behoove Him? Or why was it necessary that He should suffer? For it would seem from His language, through His sufferings, death, atonement and resurrection, "that repentance and remission of sins" could be preached among all nations, and that consequently if He had not atoned for the sins of the world, repentance and remission of sins could not have been preached to the nations.
A very important principle is here enunciated, one in which the interests of the whole human family throughout all the world are involved. That principle is the offering up of the Son of God, as a sacrifice, an atonement and a propitiation for our sins. Jesus said, He came not to do His will, but the will of His Father, who sent Him. He came, as we are told, to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself; and not only did He come, but He came in accordance with certain preconceived ideas that had been entertained and testified of by Prophets and men of God in all preceding ages, or from the days of Adam to the days of John the Baptist, the latter being His precursor or forerunner, who indeed, when he saw Him coming, made the declaration, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. At His baptism the Spirit of God bore witness to this testimony and descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, or, rather, the form of a dove was the sign of the Holy Spirit; whilst a voice was heard from heaven proclaiming: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
This manifestation of God's acknowledgment of His beloved Son was spoken of by personal witnesses who bore record to the facts.