77 Questions about the Atonement (Q&A #52)

52.     What does it mean that Christ “bore our sins in his body on the tree”?

This expression means that Jesus carried up or absorbed in his own embodied existence the full weight of the deadly offenses assaulting him from all the sinners surrounding him, not excluding even his own disciples (Simon Peter penned these words, after all!), instead of avenging himself by punishing or destroying them.  Out of love, he descended from above to save people from their sins and to illuminate the only way of sustainable life beyond the gaping grave.  For them to bear their own sins would mean, tragically, they get sucked into that black hole without remedy.  Christ’s demonstration on Golgotha serves as the paradigmatic illustration of God’s agelong attitude toward humanity at large in every place and era whatsoever.

77 Questions about the Atonement (Q&A #23)

 23.      Don’t sins always incur God’s wrath?

Sins, as such, do not automatically provoke God’s wrath, because He is mercifully slow to get angry.  It is those wrongs that we realize we’re doing but refuse to confess and get cleaned out, especially after He patiently tries to correct us—now those make Him angry!  Beware.  He’s an accomplished disciplinarian, not to add, an avenger.