Today we hear from the Whitfield's on Part Two of our What's the Big Deal About Easter? series for this month. To see {Part One} of the series click here.  Read below to hear more about Considering Christ’s Atonement for Our Sins.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

When is the last time you considered that Jesus suffered for you?

Let's Hear From Keith:

I think we are inclined to think about Jesus dying for sins and for the world, which are 100% right, but we can miss the personal significance sometimes if all we do is relate his death to sins and redeeming all people, everywhere. Peter does not allow us to do that in 1 Peter 2:21. He says Christ suffers for you.

The term used for "suffered" in a general term that basically means "to experience something." Nearly always, however, in the New Testament, it is used in the unfavorable and specific sense of suffering death. When we consider that the perfect son of God, the King of kings suffered for us, it provokes a question (at least for me): What did his suffering consist of? What did he experience for me?

Well, his suffering is described for us the Gospel narratives, and Peter summarizes it for us in 1 Peter 2. What we discover is Jesus experienced physical and spiritual suffering. He suffered at the hands of barbarous captors, and experienced the physical brutality of crucifixion. But He suffered spiritually, too. Verse 24 says, "he bore our sins in his body on the tree." That came with being cursed (Dt. 21:23; Gal. 3:13).

In the face of the physical pain, public insult, and spiritual affliction, Peter says that even while suffering, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” (v. 22; quoting Isaiah 53:9) This is quite astounding. Jesus had not committed a crime worthy of a cruel death, and for that matter, He committed no sin at all.

As we addressed last week, if we don't acknowledge Jesus' sinlessness, we miss one of the central truths of the Christian faith—that Jesus became a man, that He was subject to temptation, but that He never sinned. He always did what the Father wanted Him to (John 5:19). Jesus' own obedience could not be expressed in a more faith-inspiring way than the way Peter says. He says, in the midst suffering, Jesus “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

The key reason for understanding that Jesus was sinless is that a sinful man cannot offer himself as a sacrifice before a holy God on behalf of another sinful person. But, Jesus, who was tempted and tried, and yet sinless, could intervene. He can bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18; Tim. 2:5).

Consider what it must have been like for Jesus to take our sins upon himself. Remember, what these sins do and have done to us. Sin wages full assault against our souls (2:11). We are held under bondage to it. Sin corrupts our minds, tossing us to and fro (Eph. 3:17-19, 14). Sin obscures our understanding of reality (Rom. 1:21). Sin leads to futile and purposeless life (1 Pet. 1:18). Our sins have damaged relationships, and lead us to chasing time-wasting passion (Tit. 3:8). In sin, we live under the reign and rule of death and God’s condemnation (Rom. 5:12-21, Heb. 2:14). We sin because we ignore God and fail to worship Him. Our sins have twisted our lives. He suffered for all of those things, and suffered them.

Now we come to purpose Jesus’ sacrificial death:

Jesus, the sinless One, bore our sins in His body. Theological term alert. . . the big term for this is "Penal Substitutionary Atonement." That big idea refers the fact that Jesus stood in our place (Substitution) and took the penalty (Penal) for our sins (Atonement).

Jesus did this for our good. Peter explains it in clear terms:

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (2:24)

This point is easy to miss. Jesus died, yes, to provide forgiveness for sins and grant eternal life. BUT, He wants to do more, and His death accomplishes even more. He died to remove our sins from us and to make us righteous.

For Peter, bearing the cross isn't just for Jesus. It is for us, too. Remember, verse 21, “for to this you have been called [namely, to follow Jesus].” This is what Peter heard his Master teach time and time again:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24)

Jesus took up His cross and died in order to give life. For us, taking up our cross consists of dying to our old selfish, sinful way of life and then following Jesus wherever He leads us, in Peter's words -- "that we might die to sins and live to righteousness" (2:24).

Let's Hear From Amy:

The first time I ever heard the term “substitutionary atonement,” I knew I was in over my head. This was something that the smart, theologian types talked about and they were way out of my league. I would smile and nod, act like I was getting it, and keep moving with the conversation.

It’s easy for terms to intimidate us, but the idea was never meant to do that. The idea was meant to free us. He took everything I deserved onto Himself, and I stand completely clean. That doesn’t intimidate me intellectually. That overwhelms me emotionally.

For me, this is a concept that at one time was only considered during times of worship. Now, to be sure, considering it at these times is the good and appropriate. When I am in corporate worship, hearing the preaching of the Word or singing praises to Him, that is absolutely the thing that I would want to focus on. When I am in private reflection or prayer, the atonement is my reason to approach Him and the focus of my gratitude. The great sacrifice that He made for me is the reason for my worship.

But how does this atonement matter in my daily life, when I am “going and doing”? My tendency can sometimes be to worship him with my thoughts toward what He has done for me, but then to let my actions come from what I think I can do for Him. And every time I have gone down that road, it has led to discouragement. I run out of steam on my to-do list. I buckle under the pressures of daily struggle. I am no match for suffering when it comes my way. And then I don’t know where to turn.

But that’s the point of the atonement, and why I needed it. There is nothing I can do for Him. And Paul said something in his letter to the Romans which brings me back, every time, and points me to the cross: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Everything that happens to me can’t be for my bad. It has to be for my good. And He isn’t looking at me wondering, “What great thing will you do for Me?” He is telling me, “This is what I have done for you. Now you are free.” He isn’t waiting for me to become perfect by myself. I can die to sin and live to righteousness because He stood in my place.

This doesn’t mean that life doesn’t bring challenges. It does, however, mean that I can live through them knowing that the weight of sin will not kill me. He stood in my place and took care of my greatest need, so I am free to no longer worry about myself, and to pick up my cross and follow Him without fear or anxiety.

Yes, when I hear the term “substitutionary atonement,” I still feel like I am in over my head. Because I am. And that’s where I want to stay—hidden in Him, completely covered by what He has done for me.

Keith & Amy Whitfield live in Wake Forest, NC, where Keith teaches Systematic Theology at SEBTS.  Keith previously served as pastor of Waverly Baptist Church in Waverly, Virginia, in the years 2005 to 2010, and from 2010 until 2012, they lived in Nashville, TN, where Keith taught at a liberal arts college and helped to train church leaders. Amy loves teaching and writing, and has a passion for women to be transformed by the gospel in their daily lives.  Amy currently serves as Assistant to Charlotte Akin,  and also assists in other areas with research and writing.  Amy and Keith have two children: Mary (age 9) and Drew (age 7).

Our Small Group at church is going through a wonderful study this summer.  Lee and I were able to go through Gospel in Life by Tim Keller the first summer we were here in NC, and we are studying it again because it is so good.  I have the same book that I used that summer (it is a miracle that I haven't lost it) and it has been so neat to see what my answers and thoughts were to the questions back then and what they are now.  To say that they are different would be an understatement.  This study takes you through living the Gospel in your every day life, from your heart, in your community and ultimately in the world.  It is pretty much rocking my heart and convicting the mess out of me.

This week we have been studying idolatry.  Growing up, idolatry was not really something that I understood.  I knew the Old Testament stories of idolatry and knew that I wasn't supposed to build up a golden calf or worship gods like different religions did.  But honestly, that was about as far as I understood.  It wasn't until college that I realized that I committed idolatry daily.  I never knew that idols could be everyday things such as anxiety, control, and approval.  (All things that I struggle with.)  Once I was confronted with this sin, I was blown away with how dirty and messed up my heart was. 

One summer in college, I went on a backpacking trip in Europe that really put my idols out in front of me.  On this trip I spent four weeks with four other people.  The trip was meant to help us learn to live out the Gospel in community with others and share the Gospel along to way as we traveled and learned about different cultures.  It was one of the hardest and best summers so far in my life.  Not only was I engaged to Lee, but I was learning that I had a lot of idols.  When you spend lots of time with the same few people, they see you for who you really are - good and bad.  Even though that is not always fun, it is so good at the same time.  On that trip, I read The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, and my mind was blown.  All my life I had been reading the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) incorrectly.  I am definitely the elder brother in every aspect.  I like rules, morality, and rewards.  Rules are easy for me. 

In the Gospel in Life study, Tim Keller touches on the parable again.  He asks the question below in the study.

What emotions and attitudes does the elder brother display? 

In my notes I wrote pridefulness, moralism, dependence on self....after writing these words all I could think was, "That is me.  I am prideful, moralistic, and I depend on myself for most things.  Goodness gracious, I am messed up."  BUT, there is still hope (thank goodness).

Keller points out something in this parable that is going to blow your mind.  Jesus is the True elder brother.  The elder brother in the story should have been happy and rejoiced that his little brother was back, but he wasn't.  He was angry and jealous because he had done everything he was supposed to do (but his heart was never in the right place).   With Jesus as our true elder brother, we can know and trust that he rejoices with us in our repentance and even gives us his own inheritance freely.

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.  And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:24

I'm telling you,  if you are looking for a new study to work through, Gospel in Life is a great one, and The Prodigal God is a short but amazing read.

I will leave you with a worthy quote by Tim Keller.

You will only be "under grace" and free from the controlling effects of idols to the degree that you have both 1. repented of your idols and 2. rested and rejoiced in the saving work and love of Christ instead. 

Laura is married to L, and the two have lived in Wake Forest for two years.  L is pursuing a MDiv in ICP. They have a one daughter, HG, who definitely keeps them on their toes and brings so much joy to their lives every day.  Laura and her family attend The Summit , North Raleigh and lead a small group.  Laura works in the Women's Life Office, and is a part of the Connecting Point Team here at SEBTS. 

Reblogged from Radical Womenhood
by Carolyn McCulley
April 6, 2007

A good friend of mine is undergoing serious surgery today, and I am understandably distracted in my concern for her. She is the subject of many prayers as she is deeply loved by many.

Her suffering is inexplicable in many ways, but I can testify that God has been using it. One of the most obvious fruits in her life is that she is not identified by her suffering, but rather by her passion for Christ. In fact, sometimes I have to remind myself that she is indeed seriously sick for she does not wear her illness as a badge.

We are praying to One who has known far more suffering and injustice. Jesus suffered incredible physical torture while being flogged and hung on the cross, nailed through fragile appendages and left to suffocate by the weight of His own body. But that must have paled in comparison to bearing the just punishment from the Father for the sins of those He came to save. The cross is the answer to that question we whisper in the dark night of the soul--"Why, God?" The cross is our justice for the grievous ways we've been sinned against, for God is not an unjust God. Sin will be punished: either it will be visited upon a Savior who was our sinless substitute, or it will be visited upon those who committed the sin.

Since we have all sinned and fall short of God's perfect standard, the cross is our glorious and divine rescue. What we could not atone for on our own has been paid for by our Lord Jesus Christ, for those who repent and trust Him for this awesome gift. Because mercy triumphs at the cross, it is also our greatest hope--especially in times of great trials or suffering.

That is my attempt to articulate the reason we celebrate Good Friday and why my friend can be joyful in the midst of tremendous suffering. But I've never found a more heart-wrenching portrait than that found in When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes. The first time I heard these words, they were read aloud in a sermon by my pastor, C.J. Mahaney. No one was dry-eyed by the end. It is a powerful recounting of what Scripture teaches us. For those of you who know the profound truth of this scene, may you rejoice in what has been done on your behalf. And if you are suffering, may this account refresh your faith. If, however, you have not yet put your trust in this divine exchange and repented of the sins that separate you from God, I pray that the Lord will open your eyes and heart, just as He did unexpectedly for me one Easter several years ago.

The Savior was now thrown to men quite different from the eleven. The face that Moses had begged to see--was forbidden to see--was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the earth's rebellion now twisted around his own brow. His back, buttocks, and the rear of his legs felt the whip--soon they looked like the plowed Judean fields outside the city. . . .

"On your back with you!" One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier's heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner's wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier's life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do "all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on--he grants the warrior's continued existence. The man swings. . . .

But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being--the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father's eye turns brown with rot.

His Father! He must face his Father like this!
From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.

"Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped--murdered, envied, hated, lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten--fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled my name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk--you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp--buying politicians, practicing extortion, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves--relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I hate, I loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?"

The Father watches as his heart's treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah's stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.

"Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!"

But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply. Two eternal hearts tear--their intimate friendship shaken to the depths.
The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished. . .

This is who asks us to trust him when he calls on us to suffer.

Reblogged from Radical Womanhood
July 22, 2011
Carolyn McCulley

Here is a post I had the privilege of writing for the Desiring God blog. 

We're well into the heat of summer now, and that means many churches across the American landscape have, at some point, reiterated the modesty message for the good church ladies everywhere.

Wait. I can actually see that eye roll of yours even from here. But, friends, don't click away just yet. Because I am going to go where large swaths of American church culture need to go on this topic … but often don't.
I'm talking about lust. And women.

For the past eight years, I've had the privilege of writing two books and hundreds of articles and blog posts for women, which then led to numerous speaking engagements. Right from the start, I noticed a trend at each event, whether in the U.S. or abroad. Invariably, one woman would wait to talk to me until the bitter end, because she wanted to confess something that made her feel doubly shameful. She wanted to talk about her lust and sexual sin, a struggle she was sure was hers alone among the women in church.

How did these women arrive at this conclusion? Because for years most churches herded the men off to talk about lust, while gathering the women to discuss modesty. While those are valid and much needed messages, they are incomplete for the culture in which we now live.

To understand the times, let's look at the messages women have absorbed in recent years. There are stripper pole classes at the gym and women's magazines with screaming headlines about sex and seduction techniques. The morning talk shows candidly discuss sex toy parties. "Sex and the City" becomes a major franchise while "Girls Gone Wild" captures drunken sexual escapades among college students. Abercrombie & Fitch markets push-up bikini tops to 8-year-old girls. Lady Gaga bursts onto the pop music scene wishing she could shut her Playboy mouth. Not one item is sold in the mall without an erotic image. And women are increasingly immersed in online porn.

This highly sexualized culture is the new normal for young women who grew up in the ethos of third-wave feminism's pro-porn, pro-sex work stance. So normal that when I spoke at a Christian college earlier this year, one woman raised her hand to ask, "So are you saying that it's bad that there's too much pornographic influence in our culture? But shouldn't women embrace their sexuality?"

Um, yes. And yes. That answer highlights the problem: the counterfeit has usurped the authentic. Sex is God's idea and his good gift to be properly stewarded within his design. For that reason, the church should be the most pro-sex group there is. We have a message of hope and redemption in the morass of sexual confusion. But first we need to help the women who are confused and in our churches right now. Here are four points on how to do that:

1. Give the truth about sex and why it's attacked.

 

Let's start with that modesty message. If it's framed as a simple "don't tempt men" message, it is incomplete and easily dismissed. We need to back up and explain first what is good about God's gift and how it is distorted in a myriad of ways. We should equip young women to be discerning about the spiritual battle raging around sexuality. The Adversary has no need to improve upon his first character assassination of God. Contradicting God's boundaries and insinuating that he is holding out on his creatures is nearly foolproof.

2. Teach young women not to mistake broken for normal.

 

Then we need to teach young women how rapidly our culture became porn-saturated in only one generation. That's often news to those who grew up in it and therefore they often don't understand the brokenness that follows in the wake of the sexual imagery they accept as normal. As John Piper says, lust is the realm of thought, imagination, and desire that leads to sexual misconduct—and young women often overlook how their drive to be sexually desirable is smack in the middle of that realm.
When young women understand the cosmic consequences of sexual sin, the worldviews that shape our consumption of sexual messages today, and how God's glory is under spiritual attack, they will not mistake any modesty message for a frumpy fashion campaign. Nor will they resent the men around them for being impediments to whatever is stylish. Instead, they will be sobered by how Satan still "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)—and that men and women alike are fair game.

3. Stop thinking that only men have seeing problems.

 

Let's not assume that immodesty only affects the eyes of men. Women are becoming increasingly visualized as well, and can be distracted in similar, though perhaps not identical, ways. We also need to remember and help those women who wrestle with same-sex attraction. After I mentioned this recently at a large conference, several women came up to say this is their temptation and how hard it is for them to be open about it in the church. They fear misunderstanding, judgment and gossip.

4. Create a culture of light.

 

We need to clearly teach that lust is a human condition, not just a masculine one. Knowing God's glory is at stake, we need to create humble church cultures where secret sin is not kept in the dark, but rather brought into the light. If we rightly understand the doctrine of sin, we should never be surprised by our own temptations nor by the confessions of others. We should want to create "safe harbors" for God's people to confess, repent, and welcome accountability for change. The roaring lion waits in the cover of darkness to attack what he finds there, but "whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God" (John 3:21).
Let us help the women in our churches experience the freedom of living in the light.

Carolyn McCulley is an author, speaker, and documentary filmmaker. She has written more about third-wave feminism in her book, Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World.

Today's post is a re-post from Lysa TerKeurst, on June 15th on her blog.  Lysa is the president of 31 Ministries and writes a daily blog.  I highly encourage you to check out her blog. 

Today, there will be a moment.  No one will snap a picture of it.  It probably won’t make it into the journals of those who journal.  Or linger in the thoughts we carry with us to sleep tonight.

It will come.
It will go.

It will slip by seemingly unnoticed. But its affects won’t slip.  They’ll stay.  And if fostered, grow to epic proportions.

This moment where something creeps into our heart and pulls our focus from right to wrong. It will be just a hint of distortion. The smallest amount.  But a slight and seemingly insignificant amount of skewed thought will take root.

And grow.

Beyond what you can even imagine.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is where Moses goes to Pharaoh and sings that song, “Oh Pharaoh, Pharaoh, woah ohhh, gotta let me people go.  Huawh!  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Totally a loose translation but you know what I’m talking about.

But here’s an astounding chain of events to trace and consider.  Why was the nation of Israel in captivity?  Why was the entire nation of Israelites- all God’s people- all twelve tribes- enslaved in Egypt?
As I trace this story backwards I find it’s because of one seemingly insignificant moment.
The course of history was changed because a few family members got little cranky and a little jealous of their brother Joseph.  Envy and anger slipped in.  Just a hint.  But just enough.

It doesn’t take much.

Joseph was thrown in a pit and eventually sold as a slave.

Years went by.

Years of heartbreak and confusion passed.

Eventually, Joseph landed in a position of great power in Egypt and had authority to provide food for his family.  So, all 11 of his brothers and the all of their families moved to Egypt.  Joseph and his 11 brothers make up what became the 12 tribes of Israel.  As these tribes multiplied they became the nation of Israel.
After Joseph died, “Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came into power in Egypt. ‘Look,’ he said to his people, ‘the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come let’s deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.’ So they put slave masters oven them to oppress them.”  (Exodus 1:8-11)

So, the entire nation of Israel suffered oppression and slavery.  Why?
Because a few brothers on an ordinary day got a little jealous and allowed anger and envy to slip in.
And the moment it slipped in, the course of history changed.

In a moment.

May we never assume our moments don’t matter.  The decisions we make every second of every day matter.
There are no little moments or little sins.
There is a domino affect to it all.

So, I fall hard upon soft grace.  I thank God for this realization. I ask Him to make my soul even more sensitive, more aware, more in tune to my constant need for forgiveness.

Though I am weak, I walk in the strength of utter dependence. 

And I refuse to beat myself up for mistakes made yesterday.  Today is a new day.  A new chance to set things going in a different direction.

Joseph’s brothers had years to try and rescue Joseph- find out where he was- help him- set their past mistakes right.

Years.  They had years.  But they never did set about to turn things around.

Oh sweet sister don’t let today slip by.

Moments matter.

Watch for a moment today where you are given the choice to let anger, envy or something else negative slip in.  Recognize it.  Refute it. And replace it with God’s spirit of love.