The Sufficiency of Christ

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 2:9–10

In keeping with the study from yesterday on the subject of suffering and justification, today we will examine the uniqueness of Christ’s sufferings, and discover how His sufferings and His alone are able to pay for the sins of the world.

He is all the Savior we will ever need. We are saved by Him and by Him alone. It is not Christ plus our good works, or Christ’s sufferings plus our sufferings. And in our transformation and new life and new hope, it is not Christ plus our good efforts, rather it is Him working in and through us.

Heaven and eternal life are also matters that we cannot construct, about which we are utterly dependent on Him to create and sustain. But He will, as He said of those who trust in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

Our sufferings on earth do not atone for our sins nor do they determine our eternity: There is a common thought in today’s world that our own sufferings on earth pay for our salvation. Some scriptures are used to justify this interpretation, but if we examine the Bible closely we will see that they are not intended to be understood this way. For example, in the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” we read that after death the rich man was in torment in Hades and Lazarus was comforted at “Abraham’s bosom.” The rich man cried out for mercy and Abraham said: “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (Luke 16:25).

Some have concluded, falsely, that this means that suffering on earth wins us heaven, but if that were the case then the reverse is true also, that wealth and comfort on earth wins us hell. Beside, the context of this verse explains something very different. Abraham replied because the rich man in torment asked him to send Lazarus to him like a servant, assuming that the same inequities of positions on earth would continue in heaven. Abraham’s words explained that they did not, that though a poor man on earth, Lazarus had been elevated in heaven.

But the parable ends not with an emphasis on poverty, nor does it condemn wealth either, rather it stresses repentance and faith. The rich man condemned himself for his lack of piety. He begged for Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers still on earth so that they would repent and not come into the place of torment. Abraham replied: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

Christ made perfect for the task of redemption through His sufferings: The author of Hebrews said that God made Christ “the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” This does not mean that Christ had personal sins that He atoned for through His own death, nor does it mean that there was some personal moral character lacking in Christ that He gained through His crucifixion. Rather it means that as a Savior and Redeemer He was perfectly fitted for the task of redemption through His sufferings. The scripture says: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Isaiah 53:4–6 in particular is a very clear prophecy on the subject of sacrificial death. In it we read:

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned — every one — to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

This passage establishes the principle of someone becoming as a sacrificial lamb for all. The context clearly points out to us that the author had in mind the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law, that in one person would all of the sacrifices be summed up and personified, they were picturesque of the coming singular sacrifice of the Messiah. We also read in Isaiah 53:12:

…he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This clear prophetic proclamation was fulfilled through Christ. He was the unique pre-existent Son of God who was incarnated into human flesh (John 1:14). He had no sins of His own to die for. He willingly stood between humanity and the Father and took our sins upon Himself.

1 Timothy 2:5–6: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

The fullness of the salvation He offers: Not only is our Savior a perfect Savior, but His salvation He offers to us is complete. We are made righteous in Him — not merely forgiving for our past offenses, but also fully covered with His righteousness.

Romans 1:16–17: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

There is nothing lacking in His salvation. He makes us “new creations” and brings us into new life and new hope (2 Cor. 5:17). He has come into the world that we might have true life and have it in overflowing and abundant levels (John 10:10). He is the Good Shepherd to our souls (John 10:14), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2–3), and the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). He not only covers us with grace and righteousness, but He is at work today transforming us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28–30). He also promises us eternal life (John 3:16) and moral perfection in heaven.

1 Thess. 5:23–24: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

He also declares an end to all injustice and unrighteousness in the future kingdom, that our moral and spiritual wounds shall be healed and that all sin and suffering shall be ended (See Revelation 21–22).

The suffering servant of Isaiah 53 is not Israel. The interpretation of Judaism is that Isaiah 53 refers to Israel as a nation. The “Jewish Holocaust” — the tragic and horrific attempt at annihilation of the Jewish people during World War II — is considered by some as just this. “Holocaust” means a burnt offering and the very name given to it intends to depict this understanding. Some also take the phrase in Lamentations 1:12, “Is there any sorrow like my sorrow?” as a reference to the sufferings of Israel.

As much as we respect the nation of Israel and believe in its right to exist, we Christians do not accept the interpretation that they have suffered for the sins of the world and that through their sufferings atonement was made and salvation is found.

Coming to faith in Christ: Salvation full and free can be yours if you will repent of your sins and put your faith in Christ Jesus. This means to believe in Him, that He came from heaven to die for your sins, that He is risen from the dead and is the eternal Lord. His Spirit will guide us to trust in Him and to receive the salvation He offers.