February 21st, 2025

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“I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
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John 6:38

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THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST
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Jesus Lived for Me
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​Jesus did not just die for you.  He also lived for you.

Have you ever wondered why it took approximately 30 years for Jesus to be crucified?  Why couldn’t he just come down, die, and rise again in a week or two?  Or, when Herod came to kill the babies in Bethlehem, why couldn’t Jesus have been killed right there and been done with it?

We are made to wonder: Why did Jesus have to spend three more decades on this planet?

Part of the reason is because his life is so important.  Those 30+ years are just as important as the 3 hours he hung on the cross.  The life he lived was just as vital as his emerging from the grave.

When we talk about the work of Christ, we often concentrate on Jesus’ sufferings and death.  We recognize that he paid the penalty for our sins by his undergoing these miseries.  God’s curse was laid upon him and that allows us to be free from that curse.

This “passive obedience” (from the Latin passe which means to suffer) is only one side of Jesus’ work though.  What is often neglected is his “active obedience.”  That is, Jesus fulfilled every iota of the law on our behalf.  He actively obeyed the Father in all that He required.

To put it another way, Jesus’ “activity” was his meriting all righteousness by his perfect submission to the Father in all things.

Scripture talks about how Jesus had to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15).  Hebrews tells us that he was “made perfect” in order to become “the source of eternal salvation.” (5:9-10).  Paul tells us that it was through “the obedience of one that many are made righteous” (Rom. 5:19).

Why was this life of righteousness so important?  Think of it this way:  While the suffering and death of Christ satisfies God’s wrath, the obedience of Christ secures God’s welcome.

If Jesus had only paid the penalty of our sins by his passive obedience, we would not be able to enter heaven.  His death would make us morally neutral, having returned us to a place of no fault.  

In order to be right with God, and subsequently enter His presence and enjoy communion with Him, we must possess something more than a simple ‘zero account.’  To gain admission into heaven we must be clothed with perfect righteous.  

Jesus emphasized this very thing when he said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Another way to look at it is to consider how Jesus serves as the Second Adam.  Adam failed to do what God demanded. He was required to maintain perfect and perpetual obedience in order to have life.  Since he sinned against God, he not only lost the original righteousness wherein he was created and became corrupt, he was sent away from the presence of God.

In order to bring us into Paradise again Christ had to take up Adam’s original obligations.  He had to excel where Adam had failed.  Thus, in His life Jesus maintained the perfect and perpetual obedience required of Adam on our behalf.

In this regard, we can think of our salvation as a salvation by works.  It is not by our works, of course.  Rather, it is by the works of Jesus.  

So, we may say that Jesus obeyed his authorities for us and for our salvation.  He remained perfectly chaste on my behalf.  His charity and generosity makes it possible for you who are greedy and stingy to enjoy a place in the world to come.

In sum, Jesus lived for you.  He dwelt on this earth for those three decades in order to ensure that you could enter His kingdom and dwell within it forevermore. 

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Spring Conference: May 3-4
Mark your calendars.  May 3-4 Hopewell will be holding its spring conference.  This free event will bless you as you seek to orient your home life for God’s glory.  Six speakers will cover a range of topics on “The Christian family.”