Chapter 15—Atoning Provision Greater Than Man’s
Need
Justice demanded the sufferings of a man. Christ, equal with
God, gave the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement. His
suffering was not for any sin He had committed; it was for man—all
for man; and His free pardon is accessible to all. The suffering of Christ
was in correspondence with His spotless purity; His depth of agony,
proportionate to the dignity and grandeur of His character. Never can
we comprehend the intense anguish of the spotless Lamb of God, until
we realize how deep is the pit from which we have been rescued, how
grievous is the sin of which mankind is guilty, and by faith grasp the
full and entire pardon.—
The Review and Herald, September 21, 1886
.
The divine Son of God was the only sacrifice of sufficient value to
fully satisfy the claims of God’s perfect law. The angels were sinless,
but of less value than the law of God. They were amenable to law.
They were messengers to do the will of Christ, and before Him to
bow. They were created beings, and probationers. Upon Christ no
requirements were laid. He had power to lay down His life, and to take
it again. No obligation was laid upon Him to undertake the work of
atonement. It was a voluntary sacrifice that He made. His life was of
sufficient value to rescue man from his fallen condition.—
The Review
and Herald, December 17, 1872
.
The work of God’s dear Son in undertaking to link the created with
the Uncreated, the finite with the Infinite, in His own divine person, is
a subject that may well employ our thoughts for a lifetime. This work
of Christ was to confirm the beings of other worlds in their innocency
and loyalty, as well as to save the lost and perishing of this world. He
opened a way for the disobedient to return to their allegiance to God,
while by the same act He placed a safeguard around those who were
already pure, that they might not become polluted.—
The Review and
Herald, January 11, 1881
.
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