This is the love of God among us – pt8

The substitutionary atonement of Jesus: Its necessity and effects-pt. A

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

In our sermon series, This is the Love of God Among Us, we’ve been focusing on the events of the sending by God the Father of the Son of God among us, to be one of us in the incarnation, through His baptism by John in the Jordan, and last week His qualification by the fire of temptation with the Devil in the wilderness. He has also been presented as the Messianic King of Israe over the promised Davidic kingdom, should they receive Him. All of these are aspects of God’s promised work to save fallen humanity and redeem creation from the curse of sin.

This morning I want to shift our focus rather abruptly in regards to time, but very much nearby and close and in tight to one of God’s key purposes in the eternal Son condescending from heaven’s light and glory and taking a human nature and body (incarnating) to Himself.

Let us begin to explore that central and most wonderful work of God to bring glory to Himself, to express the greatest of loves to us, and that is the Atonement of Jesus. Why was the cross necessary? What motivated God to send Jesus to the Cross, and what attributes and characteristics of the Godhead are satisfied by Christ’s atoning work on the Cross?

In short, why the atonement, what is its place in Christian theology? Why did Christ die on the Cross?
This Sunday is an introduction… more to come.