Justified VI
In our previous essay we considered Christ as the representative of his
people, as one who stood in their place before the court room of God’s
justice. In this essay we will consider Christ as the “perfect”
representative.
God requires perfection. Anything less than perfection before a just
and holy God is unacceptable.
God’s requirement of perfection was demonstrated in the characteristics
of the animal sacrifices that were offered to him under the law. Lev.
22:17‑22, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and
to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them,
Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel,
that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill
offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering; ye
shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of
the sheep, or of the goats. But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall
ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever
offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his
vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to
be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or
maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these
unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto
the Lord.”
Likewise, the principle of perfection was required for those who would
serve as high priest: Lev. 21:16‑23, “And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their
generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the
bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he
shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose,
or any thing superfluous, or a man that is broken footed, or broken
handed, or crook backed, or a dwarf, or he that hath a blemish in his
eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; no man that
hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer
the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not
come nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his
God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not go in
unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish;
that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them.”
Thus, from the above examples we can see that God requires perfection
both of the offering and of the high priest who offered it.
God’s requirements of perfection go beyond the physical attributes
described above. The perfect representative of God’s people had to be
without sin. To this end Christ was born of a virgin (according to Rom.
5:12 sin passes from father to child). Having no earthly father, his
conception was perfect without sin. Concerning Christ’s high
priesthood, Heb. 7:26‑28 states: “For such an high priest became us, who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher
than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer
up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for
this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men
high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was
since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” Thus
we must conclude that Jesus had no infirmities, i.e., sin and was
separate from sinners.
That Jesus kept the law perfectly throughout his life on earth is
proven by Matt. 5:17, 18, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Thus, we see that
Jesus came to fulfill the law to its minutest detail and that he did.
Finally, we see that Jesus because he was sinless was able to become sin
for us that we might be delivered from God’s wrathful judgment and be
made the righteousness of God in him: II Cor. 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.”
In our next essay we will consider God’s wrathful judgment upon sin and
what Christ suffered for us on the cross.