The Cross of Christ and its Cosmic Consequences

6 · Oswald pivots from the beginning-end contrast to the intervening process

So you have to think about how miraculous this is. Way back when, when the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of Ecclesiastes to say that the end is better than the beginning. The Holy Spirit in His infinite mind was able to think of all sorts of ways. That is true, but one way in particular. And that's the thing I'm thinking of tonight as we remember our Lord's gruesome, yes, shameful, yes, crucifixion. But that was just the beginning of what Jesus would do for thousands and thousands and thousands of years to follow in shaping this world according to his good and perfect will.

7 · Oswald proposes a four-step (actually five-step, with the cycle repeating) sequence by which the cross reconciles all things: justification, Satan's silencing, good works, common grace flooding the world, and more conversions—a self-perpetuating cycle

Now, I think it is both possible and profitable for me to try to tell you a rough sequence or chain reaction, if you will, that God uses to accomplish this will. We see in Ephesians, we see it in Revelation 1, we see it in Hebrews 1 and 2. All over the Bible we're told that the big plan of the cross is to reconcile all things to himself. And I think I can give you a sketch anyway of what exactly is going on in this great plan that was paid for by the blood of Jesus. Now, keep in mind that on this subject, and definitely in this setting, this is only going to be a sketch. But I think it would serve us tonight to think about how Jesus is reconciling all things to himself and how it will be that one day we wind up in that glorious place we just read about in Revelation. There seem to be four steps that God uses in sequence all over the world to accomplish this universal reconciliation project. And the first one is salvation through justification. And the second one is the silencing of Satan. The third one is is the joyful and generous courageous people of God performing good works. The fourth is a flooding the world with the common grace of God in good works. And the fifth one is more salvation through justification and more silencing of Satan and more joyful and generous deeds. Those joyful and generous deeds observed by the world lead some to believe in Jesus. And now we have more justification and more Satan silencing and more good works. And so this, I think, is what the Lord is doing through his cross as he reconciles all things.

8 · Oswald grounds the cycle's endpoint in 1 Corinthians 15: Christ reigns until all enemies are defeated, gathering the elect, and then delivers the kingdom to the Father

I have some clarity from the Bible of how this all turns out. Though the middle passage is always a bit sketchy, we do have some certainty of how this will all play out. And that is simply this, that at a certain moment after this cycle has repeated itself and all of the elect saints are brought in to the household of faith, Jesus will return and he will renew the new heavens and the new earth. I get this in part from 1 Corinthians 15:21. For as by a man came death, by a man also comes the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in its own order. Christ, the first fruits. That's what we'll celebrate in a couple days. Then at his coming, those who belong to Christ. And then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to the God, to God the Father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

9 · Oswald adds Romans 8 to the eschatological framework: creation groans for liberation, waiting for the 'revealing of the sons of God'—the completion of the elect's ingathering

I see also in Romans 8 that Paul says that all of creation is groaning. It's under futility. It wants to be released from the curse placed on it by God. And that one day that will happen. When will it happen? Romans 8:18. The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. The idea being that one day when the full number of God's chosen are gathered into his household, then comes the end. And the way that this full number is assembled and gathered is through the steps I just described.

10 · Oswald begins unpacking step one: justification

So let me work through those steps just quickly for you. The first thing that I think God does to change the world entirely and reconcile all things to Himself is that he saves us not of our own works, but through the imputation of his righteousness. He saves us through justification. You know, there's this interesting passage in 2nd Corinthians 4 that I had never really noticed before. Paul says this. So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. And it just occurred to me as I was meditating on that passage that that's exactly what the gospel is. The death that was at work in Jesus brings life to you and me.

11 · Oswald develops the doctrine of justification: humans accumulate infinite sin debt against an infinite God, requiring infinite atonement

We were born into this world as sinners. And as soon as we had any opportunity, we quickly set about rebelling against God, both in sins of commission and sins of omission. I have a young grandson. I'm reminded of how early sin strikes us. But by the time we even have clarity to think about these things, by the time we're even aware of the amount of sin debt we've accumulated before the most high, it's too late. There's just too much of it. When you sin against an infinite God, you incur an infinite debt that can only be paid for with an infinite atonement. You need God to satisfy God. You need God to propitiate God. You need God to give you his righteousness, even as he receives your eternal sin debt. And so the very first thing that Jesus accomplishes that unleashes this sort of ascending spiral, this chain of events, this chain reaction, the very first thing he does is he saves people. And he saves people by grace, not of works. Lest anyone should boast, the Bible says that Jesus is the one who knew no sin and yet became sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So the very first thing Jesus does to fill this world with his glory and to reconcile all things to Himself is he saves some people through the act of justification.

12 · Oswald introduces step two: justification silences Satan

Well, the next thing I think we could think of, and this is where the steps are, perhaps the idea of steps is not completely the best way to communicate it. I'm just doing my best to give you some basic sense of what the Lord's up to. But I think, if I'm understanding correctly, the next thing the Lord does after he justifies us is he silences Satan. The legal justification of God's people effectively disbars the devil from his role as prosecuting attorney. Does that make sense? When we are justified simply because God said so, or simply because the blood of Jesus Christ has been applied to us, this immediately closes the case of the accuser. And suddenly the one who could harass us with guilt and shame and the one who could even lead us with the power of sin, that one suddenly has no standing in God's courtroom. You know, we've read a number of times as we've worked through John over the past several weeks, Jesus saying things like this, now the ruler of this world is judged. And I want to be honest with you, I've been studying the Bible diligently for decades and I still don't know entirely all that that means. If some of y' all would stop, you know, sinning, I could spend more time studying. No, I'm kidding, kidding. I still need to grow in my understanding of this. But one of the things I can tell you for certain, I really can see clearly, is one of the ways the ruler of this world has been judged is he has absolutely shut the mouth of the accuser.

13 · Oswald grounds the Satan-silencing claim in Romans 8:33-34—God's justification nullifies accusation

And I know that because the book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 33, tells me that when it says, who shall bring any charge against God's elect, it is God who justifies, who is to condemn Christ. Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who is indeed interceding for us. Once Jesus says you're forgiven, the devil has no standing. And not only does he have no standing to accuse, but because you have been saved through the righteousness of Christ, you have been released from the power of sin. You now no longer need to follow the power, the pattern of the prince of the power of the air, as Ephesians 2 describes it. You have been set free to some degree from the power of sin itself.

14 · Oswald traces Satan's defeat back to Genesis 3:15—the protoevangelium

And here's a good point to remind you that beating Satan was always a top level agenda for the Gospel. He loves you, don't get me wrong. He's glad to save you, but he's not only interested in you. The very first gospel promise from Genesis 3:15 is that the seed of Eve, Jesus Christ, would arrive on the scene, do battle with the serpent. The serpent would strike his heel, he would damage him, but Jesus would crush the serpent. It's the very first gospel promise.

15 · Oswald introduces step three: good works

And so we see these two things now kind of beginning to flow in some sequence. Jesus gives us his righteousness, he declares us righteous. The devil has nothing left to say who can bring a charge against God's elect. It is God who justifies. And we are suddenly free of this pesky accusation, this pesky shame and guilt cycle. And a third thing happens. Believers, once Satan's power over us is eliminated, are now free to walk in uprightness and courage and transparency and humility. We now have a freedom because the prosecuting attorney, who had all the dirt on us, who had a huge blackmail file on us, who stood before the Father day and night accusing the brethren, he has been silenced. Why has he been silenced? Because you have been justified by his God and your God. What emerges out of A person who is no longer being chased down by the lion. Good works, Joyful good works, Courageous good works. Hebrews 2:14 tells us that this was indeed a clear intention of Jesus death. Hebrews 2:14 15. Since, therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things. That through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who, through fear of death, were subject to lifelong slavery.

16 · Oswald develops the psychology of freed believers: knowing they're forgiven, they serve in joy rather than fear

What happens when you get a people who know they're forgiven, who already know the worst things about them are actually true? What happens when you assemble a group of people who are freed of guilt and shame, who stand on the justification of Jesus Christ and are no longer hounded by the great harasser of the brother? What happens to those people? They start serving in joy. They start living in joy. They start doing things in love. Because perfect love casts out fear. And there is no fear in love. And this is what we see as the gospel sequences presented in Scriptures. Often the case that after we have been saved, set free from the devil in some respect, if you know your Ephesians 2, which I know many of you do, you can see it. You can see the sequence. We were dead in our sins and trespasses. We were enslaved to Satan. But God, being rich in mercy because of his great love for us, lifted us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. We have been saved by grace, not of works. Any man should boast. And then what? What comes next? Ephesians 2:8. For by grace you've been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works. So that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

17 · Oswald summarizes the first three steps and introduces step four: good works affect the world

We are justified. Satan is silenced. We live lives of relief and joy and faith. Fear becomes less of a factor to us. People's scorn becomes less of a factor to us. You actually begin to recognize the accuser of the brother and speaking sometimes through people. And you begin to learn to not listen to them either. And more good works abound. And what happens when these good works abound? Well, they affect the world. Good works affect the world.

18 · Oswald quotes Athanasius: the church's good works are like sunlight warming a blind man's face—he doesn't see Christ, but his life is tangibly improved by the church's presence

Athanasius talked about it this way. This is brilliant. He says that the Lord's work through the church is like a sun shining on a blind man. Though he does not see the face of Christ, he feels the warmth of the Son's work on his face. Indeed, though the blind man cannot see Jesus. His whole life is made better because of Christ and because of the work of the church in the world.

19 · Oswald provides a biblical case study: Paul and Silas in Acts 16

So now we have a group of people justified, free from satanic harassment, living out their lives in faith and integrity, performing good works. And these act like heat lamps to the world, warming the world up, pointing them to Jesus, even though they perhaps do not see Jesus. And the truth is, is that some people will live into this golden sun of Jesus, grace and glory, and they'll never see him. But there'll be other people who will. Let me give you an example in the Bible of a situation where someone is just free, free. They're full of joy. And it is their good works that lead someone to faith in Christ. Acts 16. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. And the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake. So that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bonds were unfastened. Do you see the joy? Paul and Silas are in prison, but they are not worried about it. They have been justified by the good grace of Jesus Christ. Satan has no hold on them. Sin has no hold on them. They are at midnight praying and singing hymns to God. The other prisoners are listening to them. An earthquake strikes, all the doors of the jail are opened. And when the jailer woke and saw that all the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, do not harm yourself, for we are all here. And the jailer called for lights and rushed in. And trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. And then he brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. And he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced, along with his entire household, that he had believed in God. Here's an example of some people who were free in Christ, free of satanic harassment, standing firmly on the justification of Jesus, doing amazingly beautiful works. Nothing, nothing massive per se. They're singing, they're staying put, they're trying to help someone avoid suicide. And what's the result? This blind man who could only feel the heat of the sun on his face. Suddenly his eyes are open, and he says, sirs, what must I do to be saved?

20 · Oswald grounds the cycle in Jesus' teaching (Matthew 5:14-16): believers' good works lead observers to glorify the Father

And so the sequence continues. This is actually what Jesus predicts in Matthew 14, 5, 14, you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand. And it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

21 · Oswald restates the entire cycle in compressed form, emphasizing its self-perpetuating nature

So we're answering a question. How is it that Jesus, through his cross, reconciles all things to himself? How do we get from the beginning, where Jesus paid the debt necessary to redeem the world, to the end, where all evil is banished and we stand in a new heavens and a new earth? How did he do that? Well, I think I would tell you that my understanding of Scripture is. Is that he justifies people, silences. Satan gives those people relief from all the pressures of accusation and shame and guilt. They live godly and upright lives. People see that. People see that. And many more are converted, many more are justified, many more saved through justification. And they find that Satan has been silenced in their lives, and they go out and do good works. And those good works show other people the glory of Jesus. And those people put their faith in Jesus and they've been justified. And then they become freed from Satan's accusations, and then they go and do good works. And. I'm trying to answer the question. I think you get the drift.

22 · Oswald quotes Athanasius at length, showing that 300 years after the crucifixion, the cycle was already visibly transforming the Roman world—adulterers stopping, murderers repenting, idolatry collapsing

I thought it might be helpful to hear how Athanasius in 300 AD saw this cycle at work. This is 300 years afterward. This is what Athanasius says. For now that the Savior works so great things among men, and day by day is invisibly persuading so great a multitude from every side, both from them that dwell in Greece and in foreign lands, to come over to his faith and all to obey his teaching. He is pricking the consciences of men so that they deny their hereditary laws and bow before the teaching of Christ, so that the adulterer no longer commits adultery and the murderer murders no more. Nor is the inflicter of wrong any longer grasping. And the profane is henceforth religious. He drives away and pursues and casts down the false gods said by the unbelievers to be alive, and the demons they worship. For where Christ is named and his faith there, all idolatry is deposed and all imposture of spirits is exposed. And any spirit is unable to endure even the name, nay, even on barely hearing it, flies and disappears.

23 · Oswald synthesizes the argument: the cross reconciles all things through the justification-Satan-silencing-good-works cycle, which will continue until the new creation

So that's my attempt to answer the question. How is it that Jesus will reconcile all things to Himself? He will justify, he will silence the devil. He will work good works in us according to his purpose. People will see those good works and give glory to Jesus, placing their faith in Jesus, and on and on it goes. So, yes, by all means, look at the cross, but remember that the end is better than the beginning. The original seed, the Logos, by whom all things were made 2,000 years ago, fell to the ground and died. And we are still watching the harvest, and will still be watching the harvest for many years to come. These things are working together, and they will keep working together until all the tears are wiped away and an eternal weight of glory rests fully upon us. Until that time, we have this table, which by partaking it, we do what? Proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So first we would say, come, Lord Jesus, let's get to the end. Let's fast forward on this thing, all in his due time.

24 · Oswald applies the theology to the congregation: you are in the cycle right now

Until then, we find ourselves in a really happy condition. My sin has been imputed to Jesus Christ, and he has died on a cross for it. His righteousness has been imputed to me. No one dare bring a charge against God's elect. It is him who justifies. I am now free to live a life of joy and generosity, no longer fearing exposure or death. And that life of joyful generosity, courage and honesty winds up convincing some that Jesus loves them. And so. And so it goes.

25 · Oswald issues the Eucharistic invitation: participation in the Lord's Supper is proclamation of the cross and participation in the reconciliation it accomplishes

So I want to invite you to come and take the elements of this table. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, come and take the elements of this table. And understand that sometimes this act is mostly about proclamation to proclaim the Lord's death until he comes and all that is promised in that great death. So if you're a follower of Jesus, come and get an element, get a cup, get a piece of bread, go back to your seat and I'll lead us in partaking.