Something I wrote for a friend.

What did God give up for my salvation?

 

First, let's look at what God the Father watched His Son Jesus give up in the physical realm;

 

He gave up the glories of heaven where He had resided since before time began. Not only that; He took on a body of flesh when He had not been held captive by anything ever. Beyond that, He chose to be a servant rather than a king. Further, He, as a servant was obedient to the wishes of the Father. Lastly, that obedience compelled Him, not just to physical, bodily death, but to the horrible death of the cross.

 

(Philippians 2:5-8) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (KJV)

 

(Isaiah 50:5-6) The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (KJV)

 

(Isaiah 53:4-9) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (KJV)

 

Second, let's look at what God The Father watched His Son Jesus give up in the spiritual arena;

 

Jesus, who never sinned, ever, not in heaven, nor in earth, set aside His Righteousness while on the cross and became sin for me, so that I could become righteous.

 

(2 Corinthians 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (KJV)

 

Not only did He become sin for me, He suffered separation from the Father because of the Father's holy judgment upon the sin which He became.

 

(Mark 15:34) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (KJV)

 

Now, what did God volunteer to give up?

 

God gave up His Son Jesus, with whom He had perfect love and communion, to save a sinful creature like me.

 

(John 3:14-17) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (KJV)

 

Why did God the Father do this? Notice the word love in the preceding, and the following, portions of Scripture.

 

(Romans 5:6-8) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (KJV)

 

God loved mankind enough to send Jesus to die a violent, painful, torturous, slow, agonizing, Holy Blood-letting death to be a payment for the real, conscious, purposful, rebellious, sins which mankind daily commits.

 

Not only did the Father choose to do this, He was pleased to do it because it satisfied our sin debt to Him. Jesus' propitiary death gave the Father back what was lost in Garden of Eden; Fellowship with man whom He loved.

 

(Isaiah 53:10-11) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (KJV)

 

(Romans 3:23-25) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (KJV)

 

(1 John 4:10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (KJV)

 

Now, one last thing for consideration; Suppose you were in a similar predicament; Suppose you must sacrifice your innocent son for another man's crimes, there is no other way around it, it must be done.

 

This criminal is unrelated to you, but you care enough for him you decide to make this ultimate of sacrifices. Ah, but the sacrifice will not be a quick death by firing squad, or electric chair. The death your son must die will be like the one Jesus died.

 

You will choose this death for him. He will beg of you the night before to take the cup of punishment away if you can, but your will is that he go forward and submit to the executioner to die the death.

 

You listen with your heart breaking as your precious son says he will accede to your command.

 

To make matters worse, at the moment of his greatest anguish he will look to you for comfort and you must, and you will, turn your back on him. He will die this horrible death, and he will die alone.

 

What did is it cost God for my salvation? It cost more even than this mortal mind can imagine.

 

Done