Scripture References: John 5:24, 8:36, 15:3; Romans 8:1; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:14; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 1:3
Introduction
Calvary stands at the center of all human history. There, outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Son of God gave Himself for sinners. The cross was not an accident, a tragedy beyond heaven’s control, or merely an example of courage in suffering. It was the appointed place where Christ finished the work the Father gave Him to do.
At Calvary, justice and mercy met; holiness and love were displayed; sin was judged, and salvation was secured for all who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we speak of Christ’s work on Calvary, we are not speaking of something uncertain, unfinished, or incomplete. The Lord Jesus did not make salvation merely possible in a weak or powerless sense; He accomplished a real redemption. He did what no sinner could do. He bore what no sinner could bear. He paid what no sinner could pay. Therefore, every believer may rest in the finished work of Christ and proclaim with confidence that salvation is of the Lord.
1. Christ Has Redeemed Us from All Iniquity; Therefore, His People Are a Free People
Our Lord declared in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” This is not the language of partial liberty or temporary relief. This is the freedom that comes from the Son of God Himself. Men may speak of freedom while remaining bound by sin, guilt, fear, and spiritual darkness; but when Christ makes a sinner free, that freedom is real, eternal, and complete.
Titus 2:14 says that Christ “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.” Notice the fullness of that word: all. He did not redeem His people from some iniquity while leaving the rest unpaid for. He did not deliver us from the penalty of one sin while abandoning us to the bondage of another. By His blood, He redeemed His people from all iniquity.
Redemption means that a price has been paid. On Calvary, the price was not silver or gold, but the precious blood of Christ. He bought His people out of bondage. He rescued them from the dominion of sin. He broke the chains that held them captive. Therefore, the believer is not free because he has improved himself, reformed himself, or earned divine favor; he is free because Christ has redeemed him.
Christian freedom is not freedom to return to sin; it is freedom from sin’s guilt, tyranny, and condemnation. The redeemed person now belongs to Christ. He has been set free to worship, serve, obey, and glorify the One who died for him and rose again. The people of Christ are a free people because the Son has made them free indeed.
2. Christ Has Purged His People from All Their Sin; Therefore, His People Are Truly Clean
Hebrews 1:3 tells us that the Son, “when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” What a glorious statement: by Himself. No priest added anything to it. No human merit completed it. No religious ceremony perfected it. Christ Himself purged our sins. To purge is to cleanse, to remove defilement, to take away what makes one unclean before God.
Sin does not merely make a person weak, mistaken, or troubled; sin makes a person guilty and defiled before a holy God. But at Calvary, Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He endured the judgment due to sin and provided a cleansing that reaches the deepest stain of the soul.
The Lord Jesus also said in John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The believer is clean not because he has never sinned, but because Christ has cleansed him. The cleansing of Christ is not outward only; it reaches the conscience, the heart, and the standing of the believer before God.
Many souls live burdened beneath memories of failure, shame, and uncleanness. But the gospel announces that Christ has purged His people from all their sin. The believer may confess sin, forsake sin, and walk humbly before God, yet he does not need to wonder whether the blood of Christ is enough. It is enough. His people are truly clean because Christ has made them clean.
3. Christ Has Saved His People from All Judgment; Therefore, His People Are Now Justified
In John 5:24, the Lord Jesus gives a promise full of certainty: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” The believer does not merely hope that someday he may escape condemnation; Christ says he shall not come into condemnation. He has passed from death unto life.
Romans 8:1 declares the same triumphant truth: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” The word now is precious. Not after years of religious effort. Not after the believer has proven himself worthy. Not after the final judgment, if all goes well. Now. The one who is in Christ stands justified before God now.
Justification means that God declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of the finished work of Christ. The believer’s sins were charged to Christ at Calvary, and Christ’s righteousness is counted to the believer by faith. Therefore, God remains just, and He is the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. If Christ has borne the judgment, then the believer will not bear it. If Christ has satisfied divine justice, then the believer is not left under condemnation. If Christ has risen from the dead, then the believer’s justification is secure. His people are now justified because Christ has saved them from judgment.
4. Christ Has Delivered Us from All Penalties; Therefore, His People Are a Redeemed People
Galatians 3:13 proclaims, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” The law of God is holy, just, and good, but sinners have broken it. The curse of the law is the righteous penalty due to disobedience. Yet Christ, who knew no sin, stood in the place of His people and was made a curse for us.
Colossians 1:14 says of the Son of God, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” The believer’s redemption is not separated from Christ’s blood. It was by His blood that the penalty was paid. It was by His sacrifice that forgiveness was secured. It was by His death that the debt of sin was cancelled.
The penalties of sin are not light matters. Sin brings guilt, separation from God, spiritual death, and eternal judgment. But Christ entered the place of penalty for His people. He suffered as the Substitute. He bore the curse. He drank the cup. He cried, “It is finished,” and the work was done. Therefore, the people of Christ are a redeemed people. They are not their own; they are bought with a price. They do not stand before God as condemned criminals awaiting wrath, but as redeemed sinners forgiven by grace, accepted in Christ, and kept by the power of God.
These Blessings Belong to Every Believer
These glorious results of Christ’s work on Calvary are not reserved for a special class of Christians. They belong to every believer who places faith in Christ. The weak believer, the struggling believer, the young believer, and the aged believer all rest upon the same Savior and the same finished work. Christ is not a partial Savior. He saves completely, cleanses completely, justifies completely, and redeems completely.
At the same time, this salvation is available to any sinner who repents and trusts in Him. No sinner is too guilty for the blood of Christ. No soul is too stained for His cleansing. No bondage is too strong for His redeeming power. No condemnation is too great for His justifying grace. The call of the gospel is sincere and urgent: repent, believe, and be saved.
Conclusion: Receive Christ Without Delay
Dear hearer, do not delay. The work of Christ on Calvary is finished, but your response to Him must not be postponed. You are not promised tomorrow. You are not promised another sermon, another invitation, or another opportunity. Today, hear His voice. Today, turn from sin. Today, come to the crucified and risen Savior. If you are trusting in your works, leave them and come to Christ. If you are hiding beneath religion, abandon every false refuge and come to Christ. If you are burdened by guilt, look to Christ. If you are afraid of judgment, flee to Christ.
He has redeemed sinners from all iniquity. He has purged His people from all their sins. He has saved believers from condemnation. He has delivered His own from the curse and penalty of sin. Receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord without delay. Bow before Him in repentance and faith. Trust not in yourself, but in Him who died and rose again. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Amen.
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