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without sin. He is indeed that paragon of virtue, theCrystal Christ.III. THE PLAN OF THE [REMISSION]1. Of Divine OriginThe idea of the [remission] was not born in themind of man, but in the heart of God. It had its originin the love of God. God was under no obligations tomake a way of salvation for sinful man. He couldhave left man to face the consequences of his sins andstill have been a just and righteous God. The[remission] grew out of the love and mercy of God."For God so loved the world, that he gave his onlybegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shouldnot perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)."But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom5:8).The [remission] was necessary if men were to besaved from their sins. The holiness of God and thenature of sin made it necessary. Sin is rebellionagainst God. Sin is spiritual anarchy. A holy Godcould not pass sin by. The law of justice must beupheld. Sin must be punished. The only way forsinful man to escape the terrible consequences of hissin was for a divine Redeemer to step into his placeand suffer in his stead. The love of God providedthat Redeemer in the person of his Son.There is an old Jewish story which says that whenGod was about to create man he called into hiscouncil the angels that stood about his throne."Create him not," said the angel of justice, "for hewill commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellowmen; he will be hard and cruel and dishonest andunrighteous." "Create him not," said the angel ofholiness, "for he will follow that which is impure inthy sight and dishonor thee to thy face." Then theangel of mercy stepped forward and said, "Createhim, O our God, for when he sins and turns from thepath of right and truth and holiness, I will take him bythe hand and lead him back to thee." That is what the[remission] of Christ was; it was divine mercy takingsinful man by the hand and leading him back to God.2. He Must Identify Himself With MankindIf one is to make [remission] for men, he mustshare the nature of men, and the experiences of men.This is what Jesus Christ did. "The Word was madeflesh, and dwelt among us." (John 1:14). "Whereforein all things it behooved him to be made like unto hisbrethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful highpriest in things pertaining to God, to makereconciliation for the sins of the people." (Heb.2:17). He took a body of flesh and lived among men.As a man he grew hungry and tired. As a man hetasted sorrow and suffering. As a man he facedtemptations of every kind.There is a beautiful story of a Persian monarch ofthe long ago. He loved his people, and in order toknow them better he used to mingle with them invarious disguises. One day he went as a poor man tothe public baths, and there in a tiny cellar he satbeside the fireman who looked after the furnace. Atmealtime he shared the coarse food of the fireman,and talked to him as a friend. Again and again hevisited him, until the man came to love himdevotedly. The day came when the ruler's identitywas revealed. The fireman sat and gazed on him withlove and wonder. Then he said, "You left your palaceand your glory to sit with me in this dark place, topartake of my course food, to care whether my heartis glad or sorry. On others you may bestow richpresents, but to me you have given yourself."That is something of what Jesus Christ did. Hewas rich, yet for our sakes he became poor that wethrough his poverty might be rich. He left his homein glory and came to earth to walk by the side of menand share their experiences.3. He Must Be DivineNo human Christ could save men from their sins.Even if it were possible for a mere man to live onearth without sin, he could never make [remission]for the sins of others. Only a divine Christ could be aSaviour. The Bishop of Durham used to say, "AChrist who is not God is a bridge broken at the fartherend." The [remission] is wrapped up in the deity ofChrist. It was the Son of God who hung on that crossof Calvary and gave his life for the sins of the world.Christ claimed deity for himself. More than once hespoke of being one with the Father. The inspiredwriters of the New Testament declared Christ to bedivine. His own character and work prove him to bedivine. To one of his friends at St. Helena, Napoleonsaid, "I know men, and I tell you that Jesus is not aman. He is the divine Son of God.‖2. Vicarious In Its NatureMany theories of the [remission] have beenadvanced. Some have held that in his death on thecross Jesus so revealed the love of God as to movethe hearts of men to repentance. Others have said thatin his death Jesus gave us an inspiring example ofloyalty to an ideal. Other theories have beenadvanced, all of them having some truth in them. Butsurely no one can read the Scriptures withoutrealizing that much more than that is involved in the[remission]. We find such statements as these:"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered7

unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom formany" (Matt. 20:28); "The church of God, which hehath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28);"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew nosin; that we might be made the righteousness of Godin him" (II Cor. 5:21); "Forasmuch as ye know thatye were not redeemed with corruptible things, assilver and gold, from your vain conversation receivedby tradition from your fathers; But with the preciousblood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish andwithout spot" (I Peter 1:18-19); "And he is thepropitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, butalso for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2);"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body onthe tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live untorighteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed: (IPeter 2:24). The [remission] is spoken of as aredemption, a ransom, a propitiation, a purchase, asubstitution. If that language means anything, itmeans that Christ took sinful man's place before thebroken law of God and suffered in his stead.One time Henry Clay borrowed some money froma New York banker. Soon afterward he suffered verysevere financial reverses. When the note came due,he was unable to meet it, and went to the banker toask for an extension of time. The banker said to him,"Mr. Clay, we have no note of yours here." "Oh, yesyou have," said Mr. Clay. "I gave you a note sixmonths ago." "That is true," said the banker, "we hada note against you sometime ago, but some of yourfriends came in and paid it, and there is nothing onour books against you now."Man had broken the law of God, and was unableto meet his obligations to God. Christ, the greatSaviour and Friend went to the cross and paid thedebt.tasting death for every man; he was bearing the loadof this world's sin.Again, something of the nature of the [remission]was revealed in that cry that came from the lips ofJesus as he hung dying upon the cross, "My God, myGod, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). Inthat hour of his supreme anguish, as he bore the sinsof the world, the face of God was turned away, as itwill be turned away from men who die in their sins.3. Eternal In Its EfficacyGod did not have one plan of salvation before thedeath of Christ, and another plan after his death. Godhas never had but one plan, and that is through the[remission] of Christ. God is not limited by the timeelement. With him it is one eternal now. "One day iswith the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousandyears as one day" (II Peter 3:8). With him the[remission] of Christ is eternal. It reaches back tothe dawn of creation, and makes salvation possiblefor all who lived before Christ came to earth.And the [remission] reaches on to the end of time.There will never be another Christ, for the world hasno need of another Christ. There will never beanother Calvary, for there will never be a need foranother Calvary. So long as the world stands, the[remission] of Christ will never lose its efficacy. "Forthen must he often have suffered since the foundationof the world: but now once in the end of the worldhath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice ofhimself" (Heb. 9:26). He will never make thatsacrifice again.4. Worldwide In It’s ScopeJohn says, "And he is the propitiation for our sins:and not for ours only, but also for the sins of thewhole world" (I John 2:2). The author of Hebrewssays, "that he by the grace of God should taste deathfor every man" (Heb. 2:9). Christ did something onthe cross that made salvation possible for all men, ofall time. If any man is lost, it is not because the[remission] of Christ is not sufficient for him.Jesus paid it all,All to Him I owe,Sin had left a crimson stain,He washed it white as snow.That this is true is revealed by Christ's attitude ashe faced the cross. When he came within the shadowof the cross, he went into the garden, and being inagony he fell upon his face and prayed, Saying,―Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me:Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke22:42). And, as he prayed, his sweat was as it weregreat drops of blood falling down to the ground.Why such shrinking in the face of the cross? Othershave been crucified, and some of them went to thecross with a song on their lips. Did Jesus have lesscourage than they? Nay, he realized that he was5. Personal In Its ApplicationBecause Christ died for the whole world, it doesnot mean that the whole world will be saved. Menare not saved in multitudes, nor in families. They aresaved as each one appropriates the [remising] work ofChrist for himself.For the apostle Paul the[remission] was so personal that he said of Christ,"who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal.2:20). Any man, anywhere, may make that claim forhimself; Jesus loved me, and gave himself for me;Jesus thought of me as he hung on the cross ofCalvary.8

When George Nixon Briggs was governor ofMassachusetts, three of his friends visited the HolyLand. While in Jerusalem, they climbed Calvary'shill to the place where Jesus was crucified. On thatsacred spot they cut a small stick to be used as a cane.When they returned, they presented the cane to thegovernor, saying, "We wanted you to know that whenwe stood on Calvary we thought of you." Thegovernor thanked them for their gift, and added, "ButI am still more thankful, gentlemen, that there wasanother One who thought of me there."If the individual is to get the benefit of the[remission] he must appropriate it by faith to theneeds of his own life.There is power in the [remission] to accomplishthe things which have been discussed. There is powerin the [remission] to break the sinful hearts of men inpenitence. When Peter preached Christ on the Day ofPentecost, the multitudes fell down and cried out,"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).There is power in the [remission] to cleanse men fromtheir sins. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Soncleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7). There ispower in the [remission] to transform the lives ofmen.John Richard Green went from the universitydown into the wretchedness of East London, wheremen and women drank, and gambled, and sinned. Heopened libraries, and taught classes, cleaned thestreets, improved the homes, and fed the hungry.After ten years, he gave up in despair and said, "It'sno use. They will go on drinking and gambling to theend of time." He went back to Oxford and wrote hishistory of England. Down into that same wretchedsection went William Booth and his wife Catherine.They preached the cross of Christ to these sinningmen and women, and gave themselves in sacrificialservice. Lives were redeemed, drunkards were madesober, gamblers were transformed into honest men,and homes were remade. There is redeeming andtransforming power in the [remission] of Christ.I read somewhere of an old custom among ourAnglo-Saxon forefathers. They erected a cross in themarket place of their towns and villages so that menmight buy and sell, and transact their business underthe cross. Under the shadow of that cross men couldnot be dishonest and unjust.How we need today that all life should be broughtunder the shadow of the cross! It would be a new dayif business life, and home life, and social life could bebrought under the shadow of the cross. Selfishness,greed, and injustice would melt away under theshadow of the cross. Broken and unhappy homeswould be made over under the shadow of the cross.Revelry, dissipation, and sin could find no placeunder the shadow of the cross.IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE [REMISSION]The divine purpose in the atonement has alreadybeen indicated. That purpose is twofold.1. To Save Men From Their SinsWe think of that greatest of all verses of Scripture;"For God so loved the world that he gave his onlybegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shouldnot perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).That was the purpose of God in sending his Son tothis world, and on to the cross, that men might notperish, but become partakers of eternal life. Goddoesn't want men to be lost. He would "have all mento be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of thetruth" (I Tim. 2:4). He is "not willing that anyshould perish, but that all should come to repentance"(II Peter 3:9). The cross of Calvary forever stands asa monument to the love of God, and the desire of Godthat all men should be saved.2. To Make Men HolyIt is not enough that men should be saved fromtheir sins; they must be conformed to the image of hisSon. Listen to the words of Peter: "Who his own selfbare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: bywhose stripes ye were healed" (I Peter 2:24). Thepurpose of Calvary is not only a redeemed soul, but adedicated life; not only a saved sinner, but atransformed character. The person who professes tohave had a saving experience with Christ, andcontinues to live as he has always lived, is either selfdeceived, or he is trying to deceive somebody else."Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a newcreature: old things are passed away; behold, allthings are become new" (II Cor. 5:17). He is a newcreature with new desires and new purposes.VI. SOME OBLIGATIONSIn the light of the [remission], several obligationsrest upon us.1. We Ought To Hate SinIt was sin, your sin and mine, that nailed theSon of God to the cross. It was sin that plaited thecrown of thorns and pressed it on his brow. It was sinthat drove the nails into his hands and feet. It was sinthat lifted him up between earth and sky and left himthere to suffer and die. As we think about that, surelyV. THE POWER OF THE [REMISSION]9

we are ready to say, "If this thing in my life that wecall sin could do a thing like that, then I am going toturn my back upon it forever."2. We Ought To Love ChristIf he loved us enough to leave heaven and come toearth and go to a cross and suffer and die that wemight live, then we ought to love him with a supremedevotion.There is an old story of a young prince and hiswife who were taken prisoners by Cyrus, king ofPersia, in one of his victorious campaigns. Whenthey were brought before Cyrus, he said to the prince,"What will you give me to set you free?" The princereplied, "I will gladly give you half of all that Ipossess." "And what will you give me if I set yourwife free?" asked the king. "I will gladly give youmy life," said the prince. Cyrus was touched by suchdevotion and nobility and set them both free withoutrecompense. That evening, when the prince and hiswife were rejoicing together over their freedom, hesaid, "Did you not think Cyrus a very handsomeman?" I did not notice him sufficiently well to tell,"said the princess. "Where were your eyes?" askedthe prince. And she replied, "I had eyes only for theman who said he would lay down his life for me."There was one who was not only willing to laydown his life for you and me, but who actually did laydown his life. To him we would give our supremedevotion.3. We Ought To Make Known The MessageThis is the message which the world needs morethan it needs anything else. As men look upon thetragic earth today, torn, suffering, and dying, they askthemselves the question, "What can we do toestablish peace and good will among men?" The firstand biggest thing we can do is to preach Christ andhim crucified.He preached of science — an attentive throngAdmiring heard;The nation's weal — the listening multitudeApproved his word;The social need — and thousands gaveAssenting nod,He preached the cross — and men were wonFrom sin to God.—SelectedEND OF SAMPLE10

We are teaching Soul-Winning Doctrines. This course is a more in-depth study of Soul-Winning doctrines than that found in BIBLE DOCTRINES I and II. In this course we will place a major emphasis on (1) the meaning of the doctrine, (2) the memory verses for the doctrine, and (3) the application of the doctrine.