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Chapter 3
THE PROVISION
General Statement -- The Entire Godhead Is Interested In The Work
The work of human redemption is essentially a divine provision, for man in his fallen condition and left to his own devices neither would nor could have found his way back to God. By reason of the Fall and the consequent severed relationship from God, four terrible effects must be recognized now: Death -- Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3; dread -- Gen. 3:10; Psa. 139:7-12; Rev. 6:12-17; distance -- Gen. 3:23-24; Eph. 2:12; disinclination -- Gen. 6:5; Eph. 4:18,19. Apart from a direct divine intervention the entire race was irrevocably doomed, hence the glory of redemption. In this redeeming work the whole Trinity is involved. It was by the direct fiat of that Trinity in council that the race was first created (see Gen. 1:26): and it is by the operation of that same Trinity that the race is redeemed. Under the caption "The Covenant of Grace," Dr. A. A. Hodge says: "First, it is evident that as God is an infinite, eternal, and immutable intelligence He must have formed, from the beginning, an all-comprehensive and unchangeable plan of all His works in time, including creation, providence, and redemption. Second, a plan formed by and intended to be executed in its several reciprocal distributed parts by Three Persons, as Sender and Sent, as Principal and Mediator, as Executor and Applier, must necessarily possess all the essential attributes of an eternal covenant between those Persons" (Outline of Theology, p. 367).
1. It is by the Father. In Him we have the expression of the divine purpose. It must never be imagined that the Father's part in the great work of Atonement is that of demanding sacrifice, and in a detached manner standing aside and sending the Son to suffer. The Father is to be regarded as suffering with, and in an inexplicable manner in, the Son, for in their redemptive qualities their natures can never be separated (see John 3:16; 16:27; Rom. 8:3, 32; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4,5; I Thess. 4:3; I John 4:10; Jude 1:1).
2. It is by the Son. Through Him we see the outworking of the divine purpose (see Matt. 1:21; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 5:25-27).
(a) His Calvary work (see Matt. 20:28; John 1:29; Gal. 1:4; 3:13; 6:14; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; 5:25-27; Col. 1:20; 2:14, 15; 1 Tim. 2:6; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 2:14, 15; 9:26; 10:10; 13:10-12; 1 Pet. 1:18-20; 2:21-25; 3:18;1 John 3:8).
(b) His throne work (see Matt. 28:18; Acts 1:9; 2:23-36; Heb. 1:3, 4; 1 John 2:1, 2). The Book of the Revelation will be found to ring with the thought of the enthroned and exalted Lamb. There the designation "Lamb" is used concerning Jesus at least twenty-six times. It is John's favorite word for his Lord.
3. It is by the Holy Spirit. By Him we realize the application of the divine purpose. (a) In the Pentecostal outpouring. (1) Promised, (Isa. 44:3; Joel 2:28,29). (2) Fulfilled (Acts 1:4,5; 2:1-21,33). (b) In the age-long outworking (John 7:39; 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; 16:7-15). This outworking is seen in its beginning in the Book of the Acts. It thus becomes clear that the ground of our redemption is not human merit, neither is it divine pity, as such, but a satisfied justice for a broken law by a holy life first lived, then sacrificed, and finally exalted. This is seen to be the work of the entire Godhead in a magnificent unity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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