Latest / Reformed Thinking / Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Substitution (Romans 6:8-11) | Charles Spurgeon

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Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Substitution (Romans 6:8-11) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the show that helps you gain
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  knowledge swiftly but thoroughly, offering those aha
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  moments without the information overload.
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  And on the Deep Dive, we take your sources, articles, notes,
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  research, and really pull out the key insights.
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  We try to guide you to what's most central in the material
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  you've given us. Today we're digging into a
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  message from Charles Spurgeon, a really significant figure in
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  Christian history and thought the material focuses on.
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  What he lays out is 4 core facts or maybe notes of the Gospel
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  message. Our goal today is pretty clear.
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  Unpack these 4 foundational truths that Jesus died, Jesus
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  rose, Jesus lives, and crucially, Jesus lives forever.
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  You'll hopefully get a good handle on what each means for
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  faith in life. OK, so let's get into it for
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  you. Let's do it.
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  Our first foundational point, the the first note in this
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  gospel scale Spurgeon talks about is the death of Jesus.
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  Now you might think, OK, obvious historical fact, but Spurgeon
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  goes into such detail here. He really does.
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  He shows us how it was much more than just an event.
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  It was, well, he calls it a voluntary act, a sacrifice, a
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  substitute and even a mediator. It's quite layered.
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  It really is. And what's fascinating right off
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  the bat is the manner of his death.
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  You have to remember He was divine in his divine nature,
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  wasn't subject to death yet, Spurgeon says.
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  He willingly bowed his head to death.
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  So not dragged into it. Exactly.
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  Not like a prisoner. His human nature, which he fully
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  took on, joined with his divine power, chose to submit.
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  He was pure, perfect, no fault. He didn't earn death because
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  death is the wage of sin, right? Yet he consented to die for us.
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  Spurgeon frames this as just an incredible act of humility,
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  becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,
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  like Paul writes in Philippians. And he mentioned submitting
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  without a struggle. Yes, dumb in the shambles before
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  the slaughterers. Shambles is an old term,
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  basically a slaughterhouse. It's a stark image, this
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  infinitely powerful being silent, willingly surrendering
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  in this place of death. It really highlights the
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  voluntary nature of it. So he wasn't just a passive
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  victim then, He was God's lamb, willingly offering himself.
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  OK, So what does this specific sacrifice achieve for us
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  according to Spurgeon? Well, the effects are huge.
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  They touch the very core of our standing with God.
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  Because his death happened, sin is dealt with fundamentally.
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  He died as a sacrifice, like God's Lamb, without spot or
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  blemish. Echoing the Old Testament
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  sacrifices. Precisely.
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  But this isn't just any lamb. This is the right royal heavenly
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  lamb, the one worshipped in heaven.
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  And this lamb am Jesus, Spurgeon says, gave the warm blood of his
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  heart to the hand of the executioner, a very graphic
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  image to expiate the wrath of God.
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  Expiate, meaning to pay for to satisfy.
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  Exactly. To make full of men satisfying
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  God's perfect justice against sin.
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  It turns away that righteous anger.
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  So his death fully deals with the judgement.
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  Sin deserves it put away sin. And created a sweet savour.
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  Right. A biblical term meaning an
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  offering that's pleasing, acceptable to God.
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  His sacrifice was fully accepted, and because it was,
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  God can now accept the prayers, the offerings and the persons of
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  His people through Christ the victim.
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  Wow. And Spurgeon even mentions the
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  physical reality, the blood and water.
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  He does. The vital fluid flowed in a
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  double flood from his side. It confirms his actual physical
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  death, no question about it. And this reality is completed.
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  Sacrifice sets up the next crucial aspect, his substitution
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  for us. OK, so that idea of
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  substitution, how does Spurgeon develop that he talks about
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  humanity being feeble? Yeah, he paints a picture of
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  humanity as completely unable to fight what he calls the dogs of
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  hell. In The Great Warfare.
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  We're talking about the spiritual battle against sin,
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  death, Satan forces we just couldn't overcome on our own.
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  We were stuck. A losing battle.
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  Completely. Then Spurgeon brings in Jesus,
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  the mighty Son of God. He steps onto the battlefield
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  for us as our substitute. He enters the fight where we
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  were doomed to fail. And not just the end, right?
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  Spurgeon mentions the wilderness.
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  Right from the start, he faced that first charge of the
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  adversary in the wilderness repelling Satan.
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  But that was just the beginning. For three years, he faced
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  continual onslaughts from the advanced guard of the enemy.
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  So an active fight. Very active.
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  Spurgeon lists it. Devils were cast out.
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  Lucifer himself fell like lightning from the heaven of his
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  power. Chris was actively pushing back
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  darkness, dismantling the enemy's work.
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  But the ultimate act of substitution was his death.
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  Yes, He carried his obedience to the utmost length.
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  He must be obedient unto death. Even in Gethsemane, sweating
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  blood and agony, He didn't back down from the dread assault of
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  taking our sin upon Himself. And into dying.
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  In dying, he slew. Death conquered it.
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  He put his foot upon the Dragon's neck.
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  That's an image of total victory.
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  Crushed the head of the old serpent.
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  A decisive final win over Satan. He beat our adversaries as small
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  as the dust of the threshing floor.
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  Utterly defeated them. So what does that mean for us
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  then? For the believer.
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  It's total liberation because he died for us.
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  The believer shall not die that spiritual eternal death.
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  The debt is discharged to the utmost, Farthing paid in full,
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  nothing left owing. Completely wiped clean.
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  Completely. God's sword is sheathed forever
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  by his blood. Divine justice is satisfied.
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  And the result? Spurgeon puts it plainly.
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  We are free, for Christ was bound.
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  We live. For Jesus died.
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  That's the core of his substitutionary death.
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  That picture of him battling for us, taking our place, paying
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  everything, it's incredibly powerful.
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  But Spurgeon mentioned another role his death played mediation.
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  Indeed, his death also functions as a mediator.
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  It addresses that fundamental separation between God and us.
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  Spurgeon talks about a great gulf fixed between holy God and
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  sinful humanity, a chasm really created by sin, making real
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  fellowship impossible. An impassable barrier.
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  Until Jesus Spurgeon describes him, arrayed in his Pontifical
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  garments, that points to his role as our great High Priest,
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  forever in the line of Melchizedek, a unique superior
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  priesthood. So representing us to God.
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  Exactly. And with this priestly role,
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  plus his inherent kingly character, his authority and
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  dominion, he intentionally plunged into the grave.
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  His death wasn't an accident, it was a deliberate act.
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  And that act. That act closed the abyss.
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  It bridged to the gulf. It made a way for God to have
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  communion with man again. And the veil tearing in the
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  temple is the picture of that. That's the perfect illustration
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  Spurgeon uses. His death rended the veil from
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  top to bottom, that thick curtain separating the Holy of
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  Holies, God's presence from the people.
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  When it tore, it signified that the way to God was now wide open
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  through Christ's sacrifice. Direct access.
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  Direct access, a living way for us to draw nigh with confidence.
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  His death dashed down the wall of partition.
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  No more barriers for those who come through Him.
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  It fundamentally changed how humanity relates to God.
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  Wow, that image of the torn veil really brings it home.
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  Direct access for you, the listener.
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  OK, so reflecting on this first point, Jesus died.
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  What really stands out? Why is getting this truth right
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  so critical for understanding everything else about the
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  Gospel? It lays the entire groundwork
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  without understanding the voluntary nature.
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  The sacrifice, the substitution, the mediation, well, the rest
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  doesn't make sense in the same way.
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  It's the necessary foundation for everything that follows.
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  OK, so that's the death foundational.
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  But then we move to the next vital truth, which Spurgeon
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  calls a jubilant note. Jesus rises.
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  This isn't just history. It's presented as well a joyful
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  declaration. Absolutely.
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  And the details Spurgeon highlights about the
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  resurrection narrative are key. It wasn't some hurried escape,
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  you know, sneaking away. It was deliberate, victorious.
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  He mentions the burial first laid in a new tune, Embalmed.
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  Right, the standard practices, but then the opposition kicks
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  in. His enemies were determined to
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  stop any resurrection talk, so they secured the tomb.
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  A big stone, an official Roman seal making it a serious crime
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  to break, and a watch of soldiers guarding it.
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  Taking every possible precaution.
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  Everyone. Spurgeon even adds that friends
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  of hell we're watching, showing the spiritual dimension of the
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  opposition. They thought they had him locked
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  down, finished. But then the third day.
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  Everything changes. An Angel, a messenger from
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  heaven, arrives. And notice the Angel doesn't
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  roll the stone away to let Jesus out.
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  Good point. He rolls it away to show he's
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  already gone, and then the Angel sits upon it.
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  Spurgeon says, as if he would defy the whole universe to roll
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  that stone back again. It's a posture of absolute
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  triumph. And Jesus himself.
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  How does Spurgeon describe his exit?
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  Not frantic, he awakes as a mighty man from his slumber.
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  Calm, sovereign. Spurgeon emphasizes how he
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  leisurely unwrapped the burial cloth, the napkin from his head,
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  the ceramics, and folded them neatly.
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  Not like someone escaping in a panic.
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  Not at all, in no haste, not escaping like a felon, but
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  lawfully and leisurely leaves his cell.
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  He just steps to the upper air. Bright, shining, glorious and
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  fair. The message is clear.
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  He lives. Death couldn't hold him.
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  His calm departure proves his mastery.
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  So his resurrection proves then that death is overcome.
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  Resoundingly, he wasn't just revived by someone else.
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  He himself was able to struggle with death and hurl him down by
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  his own power. The grave is opened because he
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  had the strength to dash back its bolts and rifle its
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  treasures. He conquered it from within.
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  And having delivered himself. He proves he is able also to
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  deliver others. His victory wasn't just for him.
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  OK, so it's not just about his own life then?
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  It's a declaration for us. What does his rising mean for
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  our situation, our standing before God?
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  This is where it gets incredibly personal and freeing for you,
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  the listener. Spurgeon uses this legal
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  analogy. Christ was held in prison as a
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  hostage, kept there as a surety for our debt.
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  He stood in our place, legally speaking.
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  OK, so his release from that prison, the grave, isn't just
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  him walking free. It's God's official announcement
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  about your status if you're united to him.
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  It's a declaration on God's behalf that he has nothing
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  against us. Because the substitute was
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  released. Exactly.
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  Our substitute is discharged, We are discharged.
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  He who undertook to pay our debt is suffered to go free.
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  We go free in him. This is justification.
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  Spurgeon points right to Romans 4.25.
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  He rose again for our justification.
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  So his resurrection is the proof his death worked?
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  Yeah, that the payment was accepted.
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  Precisely. It's God's receipt stamped, paid
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  in full, and because of that, those who trust Him are declared
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  righteous, absolved, free from condemnation.
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  Wow. And beyond that personal
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  justification, what about the bigger picture?
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  Satan. Hell.
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  His resurrection is also the ultimate pledge that hell is
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  conquered and Satan is put to confusion.
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  Remember Genesis 3.15, the serpent bruising the heel, but
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  the seed crushing the head? Well, Hell bruised his heel,
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  attacked his mortal flesh through death, but Spurgeon
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  notes that bruised heel came forth unwounded.
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  Christ suffered no ultimate defeat or injury from dying.
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  Instead, Hell is worsted, Satan is put to confusion, and all his
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  hosts are fallen before Emmanuel.
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  Emmanuel, God with us. Yes, God Himself in flesh won
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  the definitive victory over all the powers of darkness.
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  The resurrection proves that victory is total, final,
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  irreversible. It really does sound like a
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  complete victory, an absolute win over sin, death, hell,
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  Satan, everything that could possibly stand against us.
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  So how does this victory actually affect a believer's
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  future? It affects everything.
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  It's the bedrock for trusting him with, well, with our very
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  souls. Spurgeon says it clearly,
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  believing that Jesus of Nazareth rose again from the dead and
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  putting your trust in him. That act of personal reliance is
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  the gospel of thy salvation. It's not just knowing the fact,
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  but trusting the person. Exactly, and that trust enables
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  Him to do everything needed for you to bear thy sins, taking the
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  guilt away to justify thy person, declaring you right with
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  God, to quicken my spirit, giving you new spiritual life,
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  and crucially, to raise thy dead body in the future resurrection
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  it. Guarantees our future
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  resurrection too. Absolutely.
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  It's the proof He is victor over your sin and over your
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  adversary. And Spurgeon reminds us,
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  countless believers throughout history, thousands of Saints
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  have found their deepest comfort and strength in this truth.
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  Jesus rose again. It's sustained faith through
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  everything. So the resurrection really
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  validates it all. It's God's stamp of approval on
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  Christ's person and work. OK, so for you, the listener,
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  what's the take away from this second note?
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  How does Jesus Rises impact your daily life?
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  Your hope for what's next? It shifts everything from maybe
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  just a historical belief to a present personal certainty.
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  It gives you a solid ground to stand on knowing your faith
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  isn't in a dead hero, but a living, victorious savior.
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  It provides real peace now and unshakable hope for the future.
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  OK, Jesus died. Jesus rose.
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  But Spurgeon doesn't stop there. The story continues.
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  The third critical fact is Jesus lives right now, today.
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  Yes, and this isn't just saying he exists somewhere, it's about
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  his current active ministry. For us, this connects the past
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  events directly to our present experience.
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  So where is he? What's he doing?
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  Spurgeon talks about the ascension.
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  Right after his resurrection appearances over 40 days, he
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  didn't just disappear, he visibly departs from Earth,
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  ascending from the top of all of it, until a cloud receives him
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  out of their sight. But this wasn't an ending, it
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  was his improvement. Going to take his rightful
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  place. Precisely at this very day, he
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  lives at his father's right hand.
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  That position isn't just geographical, it signifies
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  supreme honor, authority, and perfect fellowship with the
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  father. Spurgeon paints this picture of
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  him sitting there, bright like a sun, clothed in majesty.
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  A glorious picture. Radiant.
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  He's the joy of all the glorified spirits already in
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  heaven, and he's his father's intense delight.
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  He's not distant, He's a living, reigning king in glory.
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  And from that position, he reigns as Lord of Providence.
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  What does it mean practically? It means he has sovereign
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  control over everything, all events, all circumstances,
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  everywhere, throughout all time. Spurgeon uses the image at his
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  girdle swing the keys of heaven, earth and hell.
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  Keys symbolizing absolute authority.
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  Absolute authority over life, death, the spiritual realms, the
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  physical world, destiny itself. Nothing happens outside his
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  knowledge and ultimate plan and he sits expecting the hour when
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  his enemy shall be made his footstool.
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  He reigns now with complete confidence in the final outcome.
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  That image of him holding the keys, ruling over everything is
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  quite something. But beyond that sovereign rule,
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  what is he actively doing right now specifically for us, for
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  believers? And this is where it becomes so
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  encouraging for us day-to-day. He's not just sitting passively,
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  he's intensely active on our behalf.
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  First and foremost, he lives to intercede for his people.
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  Intercede, meaning he pleads our case.
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  Continuously, Spurgeon vividly describes him, stretching out
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  his wounded hands, showing the evidence of his sacrifice,
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  pointing to his breastplate, bearing the names of his people
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  like the Old Testament high priest carried Israel's names
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  into God's presence. Wow, so he represents us
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  personally before God? Personally, intimately, he ever
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  pleadeth, Spurgeon says. He doth not hold his peace for
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  Zion's sake, nor rest day nor night.
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  Zion, meaning God's people, the church, His advocacy for us is
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  tireless, ceaseless. And he has desires for.
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  Us, yes, like in John 17. I will that they also whom Thou
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  has given me, be with me where I am.
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  He longs for us to be with Him glorified.
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  And right now He lives to hear Thy prayer, Your specific
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  prayer, and to present that prayer before His Father's face.
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  So he takes our prayers directly to the fly there.
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  Yes, and it's His ongoing intercession that enables him to
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  save them to the other most that come unto God by him, seeing he
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  ever liveth to make recession for them.
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  That's Hebrews 7.25 to the uttermost means completely,
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  perfectly, eternally. He can finish the job because
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  He's always there, always pleading for us.
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  That's incredibly reassuring. Is there anything else he's
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  doing? Spurgeon mentions gathering.
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  Yes, he also lives to gather together those whom he bought
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  with his blood. His present work includes
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  bringing people in to salvation. He makes those the people of his
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  flock who were once the people of his purchase.
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  So the work of conversion is his ongoing activity too.
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  Absolutely. Bringing people into a living
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  relationship with Him, guiding them like a shepherd.
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  He's involved in every stage of a believer's life, from the
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  first call to the final arrival in glory.
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  So this isn't a Jesus stuck in history or one who just rose and
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  left us. He's living, active, hearing us,
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  reigning, interceding. OK, what comfort does this
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  living Savior offer you, the listener, right now, especially
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  when things are tough? It means you're not relying just
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  on a memory or a past event, however significant.
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  You're connected to a present, active deliverer who is right
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  there, accessible now. Spurgeon encourages the
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  trembling penitent. Anyone feeling guilty or afraid
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  to let a living savior cheer thee?
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  Cheer them now. Yes.
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  Exercise faith in him who only have immortality.
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  Trust the one who is alive and can't die.
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  Depend on a living savior. Depend on him now.
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  He's not a dead savior. His work isn't finished, and in
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  the past he's present, hearing, helping.
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  Today, that's the source of present comfort.
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  That really does shift the focus from just history to present
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  reality, doesn't it? So in moments of doubt or
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  struggle, knowing he lives means what for you.
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  It means there's always an open line, always someone listening
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  who understands perfectly and is actively advocating for you
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  before the Father. It means you're never truly
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  alone or without help. OK, Jesus died.
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  Jesus rose. Jesus lives.
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  And the final note, building on all that is Jesus lives forever.
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  This seems to be about ultimate security.
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  It absolutely is. It provides the final guarantee,
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  the ultimate assurance for believers.
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  It anchors our hope in something totally unchanging.
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  And the key point here is the finality of his victory.
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  Exactly. Spurgeon is emphatic he shall
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  not die again. This isn't like Lazarus, who is
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  raised only to die later. For Jesus, death hath no more
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  dominion over him. Romans 6.9 It's a permanent
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  state. No chance of him being overcome
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  again, no. Possibility.
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  Spurgeon says that he should be overcome by a new death.
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  No threat remains. No disease or plague can touch
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  the immortal savior. He's beyond all decay, all
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  vulnerability. And this means he's unchanging.
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  Completely nothing shall move the unchanging savior, His
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  character, his promises, his saving work, it's all eternally
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  stable. And because he lives forever, no
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  foes can overcome him. He has utterly routed his
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  enemies, Spurgeon says. Driven them off the field so
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  decisively that they will never venture to attack him again.
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  It's not just a past victory, but an eternally secured 1.
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  Yes, absolute, definitive, uncontestable victory.
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  And that provides immense security for us, knowing the one
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  we trust is eternally triumphant.
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  So because he lives forever, there's a direct promise for us
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  too. How does his eternal life
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  connect to our security? To your security as a listener.
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  This is the beautiful link that brings such peace.
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  His unending eternal life is the very proof and guarantee of our
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  own eternal life and standing with God.
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  This proves to Spurgeon says that his people's eternal life
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  is sure. Because he lives, we shall live
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  also. That's the heart of it.
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  His perpetual existence ensures our spiritual life continues and
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  guarantees our future bodily resurrection.
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  And again, Hebrews 7.25 comes in because he ever liveth to make
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  intercession. He is able to save to the
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  uttermost, completely and eternally.
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  His intercession never stops, so his saving work for us never
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  stops. And this applies to the seed of
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  Abraham. Yes, meaning all believers who
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  share Abraham's faith. For them, salvation is
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  everlasting. It's not temporary or standing
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  in earth. And heaven has been confirmed
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  eternally because he lives eternally.
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  Your justification, your adoption, your future glory,
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  it's all locked in by his unending life.
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  No expiry date. None whatsoever, and Spurgeon
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  draws out a. Another implication, because he
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  lives forever, it is not too late for him to save you.
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  Even at the very end. Even at life's last moment, he
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  will hear your prayer because he ever lives to intercede.
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  His life ensures His grace is always available, always ready
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  to receive anyone who comes to him.
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  His eternal life provides what Spurgeon calls perpetual merit
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  and unending effectiveness of his sacrifice that never runs
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  out. That final point really does
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  seem to seal the deal, offering complete assurance.
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  So he lives forever. What does that mean for your
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  hope and peace personally as the listener?
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  It means a certainty that can't be shaken, a hope that isn't
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  just for this life but stretches confidently into eternity
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  itself. It's the ultimate anchor.
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  So we've walked through these 4 foundational facts.
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  Jesus died, Jesus rose, Jesus lives, and Jesus lives forever.
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  Spurgeon calls him 4 great stones or anchor holes for
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  faith. Yeah, they're the bedrock, not
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  just abstract ideas. They are, as he puts it, the
• 20:58
  granite foundation that no storms of hell can shake like a
• 21:01
  lighthouse built on solid rock. And you can rest your hope on
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  any one of them. That's what Spurgeon emphasizes.
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  They're all interconnected aspects of the one saving work.
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  You can find rest just focusing on Jesus's death.
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  Millions of souls have rested on nothing but Jesus's death.
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  That alone is sufficient. Or the resurrection.
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  Or you can fasten upon His resurrection the proof He's the
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  victor over your sin and over your adversary that guarantees
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  your acquittal. Or you can depend on a living
• 21:30
  Savior right now, knowing He's actively interceding.
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  And he is living forever. Means it is not too late for him
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  to save you unending. Hope each truth provides a solid
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  anchor for your soul. And the wonderful things Burgeon
• 21:44
  points out is the accessibility of this.
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  It's not some complicated philosophy.
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  Not at all. It's not a hard thing, a
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  scholarly thing, not something only theologians can grasp, he
• 21:52
  says. Your little child knows it, and
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  your child may be saved by it. Even someone with little
• 21:57
  education who can scarce read, can comprehend this core
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  message. He breaks it down so simply.
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  He does. He dies.
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  There is the cross payment. He rises.
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  There is the open tomb, victory, justification.
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  He lives. There is the pleading savior,
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  present, help. He lives forever.
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  There is the perpetual merit lasting security.
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  It's simple, yet it contains everything.
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  And the invitation based on this.
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  It's straightforward. Depend on Him.
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  Put your soul in his hand and you are saved.
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  Trust these truths. Trust Him.
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  That's the path. Simple, yet utterly sufficient.
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  As you are a listener, consider these 4 truths.
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  Jesus died. Jesus rose.
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  Jesus lives. Jesus lives forever.
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  What might it mean for you right now, today, to truly put your
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  soul in his hand, To rest everything on this granite
• 22:46
  foundation? That's the question to reflect
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  on. We certainly hope this deep dive
• 22:51
  into these foundational truths from Spurgeon has brought some
• 22:54
  clarity and maybe some fresh insight for you.
• 22:56
  Yeah, the richness and just these 4 facts.
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  It really does give a solid ground for faith, doesn't it?
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  A place to stand when things feel shaky.
• 23:02
  Absolutely. Until our next deep dive, we
• 23:05
  encourage you to keep reflecting on these truth.
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  Know that in Christ there truly is a secure anchor for your
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  soul. Thank you for joining us on The
• 23:12
  Deep Dive. We look forward to our next deep
• 23:14
  dive with you.