For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:16-18, ESV)
I’ve got great news for us today! Do you see the phrase in today’s verse, “offspring of Abraham”? If you are a Christ follower, one who has repented and placed their trust in Jesus, then this verse has your name on it. It is great news that Jesus helps us. It is great news that Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we might live. And it is great news that Christ can relate to his people, for he humbled himself to the point of coming to earth as a man.
The year was 2007 in Auburn, Alabama in mid-August. I was about to be a freshman at Auburn University. I had a mid-afternoon meeting with my golf coach the day before classes began. I knew one thing about Coach: Don’t be late! Little did I know about the crazy traffic and chaos around campus the day before classes began.
Thankfully and graciously, God didn’t take this wrath out on us; he took it out on his Son, Jesus, on the cross.You guessed it. I was late to my first-ever meeting with my college golf coach. And I can promise you I was never late for anything else the rest of my time at Auburn!
You see, Coach had the right to be angry with me. I deserved that. I had disobeyed a rule of his and violated a team rule. In the same sense, God has every right to be mad, disappointed, angry, and irate with our behavior. Whether we sin only once in our life (good luck!) or millions of times, we have missed the mark of perfection and are in desperate need of a Savior.
For God to be just, he must do two things: (1) express anger over man’s sin against him, and (2) demand restitution from the offender. In God’s economy, this restitution could be nothing less than an atoning sacrifice—death! Thankfully and graciously, God didn’t take this wrath out on us; he took it out on his Son, Jesus, on the cross.
Propitiation means that God’s wrath and anger was appeased because of what Christ did for us sinners. We deserve that wrath; we deserve that anger; we deserve that punishment. However, we get none of this as believers in Christ. We actually get the opposite because of Jesus’ work. We get eternal life, forever spending life with our Lord and Savior Jesus. This is great news, brothers and sisters!
Jesus fully satisfied the demands of God’s wrath and anger by hanging on the cross for you and me. Fully. Remember what Jesus said right before he died: “It is finished.” This is great news! It is beautiful news!
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Rosson Anderson
October 28, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.