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The Purchase of Redemption: Christ Secures Salvation | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the deep dive custom tailored
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for you. We don't just give you a
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summary, we take the sources, you provide us all the research,
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the articles, your notes, and we help you get straight to the
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heart of the matter. We want to distill these complex
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ideas into something you can really grasp, saving you a whole
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lot of time. Today we're doing a a very
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structured look at the theological architecture of
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salvation. We're grounding ourselves
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completely in the systematic analysis of Jonathan Edwards
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from his great work A History of the Work of Redemption, and
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we're going to be looking specifically at how Christ's
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life and death really function as the purchase price for our
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salvation. We'll focus on this careful
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distinction Edwards makes between the two results that
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come from that one single sacrifice.
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That's right, because if you really want to understand this
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thoroughly, just saying Christ died for our sins, well, it kind
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of misses the systematic perfection of what he achieved.
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So our mission today is to get a quick handle on Edwards's
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incredibly clear division of the purchase of Redemption.
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This framework breaks down the necessary work into two
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complementary and essential parts, satisfaction and merit.
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And understanding. That difference really clarifies
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why the mediator's work had to be so complete, so extensive.
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Let's untack this. So Edwards starts by setting up
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this fundamental duality. Christ puts down a single price,
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an infinitely valuable one. But that one price works in two
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totally distinct legal ways. It's like a one time payment
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that secures 2 separate outcomes.
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So what are those two things? And I guess why do we need both?
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The need for both really comes from the law itself, as fallen
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people were under a double obligation before God's justice.
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First there's the the negative demand.
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We owe a penalty for breaking the law.
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That penalty is misery and death.
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But then there's also the positive demand.
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We failed to earn the reward that was promised for perfect
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obedience, which is eternal life.
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O Christ, Single price has to solve both of those problems.
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OK, so the first thing his price accomplishes deals with that
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negative part, the debt we ran up.
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Edwards calls this satisfaction. This is literally the payment of
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our debt, the act of, you know, appeasing God's offended
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justice. If you have a huge fine,
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satisfaction is the process of paying that fine in full.
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And that frees you from the legal obligation, from the
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penalty. It just cancels the misery we
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deserve. Exactly, satisfaction clears the
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Ledger, all the negative charges are gone.
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But like you said, just being debt free doesn't mean you get a
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reward. I could pay off someone's
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massive debt and they'd be free from prison, but that doesn't
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automatically make them, you know, the heir to a Kingdom.
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And that leads right into the second aspect, right?
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The second thing that's accomplished is entirely
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positive. It's securing our title to
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happiness, our right to eternal life and glory.
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And this is what he calls merit. It's the positive righteousness
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that was earned for us. So it's not just about avoiding
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the curse, it's about actually obtaining the blessing.
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It provides the legal ground, the basis on which God can award
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glory to sinful people. And this distinction is so vital
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for good theology. Edwards does add a little
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caution that, you know, historically some theologians
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might use a word like purchase or even satisfaction to mean
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both things, but when you really want to be stripped about the
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legal relationship, the terms have to stay separate.
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I think the hard part for a lot of people is seeing how these
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two things, satisfaction and merit, can really be distinct if
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they both come from the same actions of Christ.
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That's a great point, Yeah. If they both flow from Christ's
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work. Are we talking about two
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different things, or is this just a matter of semantics?
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Is the difference between satisfaction and merit you know?
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Is it an essential difference? Edwards says no, the difference
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is relative, not essential. And that's such a powerful,
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concise statement that we really need to unpack it.
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They don't differ in their basic nature.
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Both of them consist in laying down a price of well of infinite
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and measurable value. The difference is only in the
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relation that one price has to the different demands of the
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law. The relation, OK, so that's the
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key. How do we distinguish those
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relations? Well, think of it like this.
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When that single infinite price is looked at in relation to a
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debt that has to be paid, a penalty that has to be removed,
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we call it satisfaction. It buys our liberty from the
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curse. It's looking backward, you know,
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at our failure. OK, but when that same price is
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viewed in relation to a positive good that needs to be obtained,
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the reward of life promised to Adam, then it's called merit.
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It's looking forward to the blessing.
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It's the perfect obedience that satisfies the conditions
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required to get eternal life under the original deal, the
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covenant of works. It's the perfect life we failed
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to live, offered up for us as a positive title.
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I think that real estate analogy really helps make this duality
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clear. So let's say you want to own a
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piece of property. The law says you have to do 2
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things. First, you had to clear the
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title of any existing debts. Satisfaction.
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You pay off the old mortgage, the back taxes.
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That act frees the property from being foreclosed on.
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But just paying off the mortgage only gives you a clear title.
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It doesn't automatically grant you the deed to secure the
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positive ownership to actually have the right to live there and
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enjoy it, you have to fulfill the contract for the purchase.
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You have to make the down payment fulfill, whatever the
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terms are that fulfillment, the act of securing the deed.
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That's merit. Christ's work is so complete
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that it does both of these legal steps at the same time with one
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price. He clears the debt and secures
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the deed. And that's the brilliance of
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Edward Structure. He makes sure we see redemption
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is not just a rescue mission, you know, freeing us from hell,
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but also as an installation, it's an operation that entitles
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us to heaven. Both are required and both are
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done by the same person through the same great work.
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So now that we have the legal terms defined, satisfaction
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takes away the misery, merit secures the happiness.
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We have to pivot to how it was actually done.
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How did Christ's life and death map onto these two kind of
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abstract requirements? Where in the experience of the
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God man do we find the engine for satisfaction, and where do
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we find the one for merit? We can connect the action to the
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theological category right away. Everything in Christ's work that
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had the nature of satisfaction, it came by way of suffering or
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humiliation. This is what addresses the
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penalty for our breaking the law.
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He had to step under the weight of the curse.
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OK, that makes sense. And then on the other hand,
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whatever in his work had the nature of merit, that came from
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His obedience or righteousness. This answers the demands of the
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law that existed before man sinned, the need for active,
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perfect conformity to God's will to get life.
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So the suffering deals with the wrong, and the obedience
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establishes the right. We often focus the suffering
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part, the satisfaction, just on the cross itself, meaning the
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physical pain of his last hours. But I noticed Edwards really
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broadens the scope of satisfaction quite a bit.
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It wasn't just limited to, you know, proper suffering or pain,
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but it included anything that involved a basement or
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humiliation of circumstances. Why is that broader definition
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so critical? Because it connects satisfaction
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directly to the judicial fruits of sin.
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Sin resulted in the whole human condition being degraded, being
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subject to loneliness, to temptation, physical decay, and
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finally death. For Christ to be a true
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substitute, He had to enter into the entire state of humiliation
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that our sin deserved, even if a particular moment didn't involve
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active pain. That is a profound distinction,
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and it gives weight to this specific detail.
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Edwards brings up Christ's body remaining under the power of
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death, lying buried in the grave.
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He's very explicit that neither Christ's soul nor his body
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actually endured pain after he gave up his spirit.
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So how can burial, a state with no sensation, still count as
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satisfaction? Because burial represents the
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ultimate depression of the human state, the separation of soul
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and body, the shame of the tomb decay, these are the visible
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physical results of the curse God pronounced on Adam.
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Christ being subjected to death and the grave, even for that
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short time, shows that the full judicial claim of sin was
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answered. It's not about feeling pain,
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it's about accepting the legal consequence of sin.
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By enduring that state of depression, he was fulfilling
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the requirement of propitiation. That word propitiation, that's
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key here. When we say his humiliation was
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propitiatory and satisfactory, we're saying that through this
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abasement he was turning away God's righteous wrath.
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It wasn't just a payment, it was an offering that satisfied
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divine justice. Precisely.
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And this leads us to the crucial point about the unity of his
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work. Edwards really stresses that the
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entire purchase was carried on through the whole time of his
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humiliation. From the very beginning, his
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life was propitiatory his which wasn't just some sudden event on
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a Friday afternoon. That makes the chronology of his
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life relevant again, but in a structural way, not just a
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historical one. Things like the the mean
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circumstances of his birth, being born to a poor virgin in a
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stable, laid in a Manger, taking on human nature in its low
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estate, all of that was satisfactory.
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Every bit of Labor, contempt, reproach and temptation he
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suffered through his entire life was part of that propitiatory
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payment. And here is the truly striking
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connection. Christ satisfied justice and
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purchased happiness by the very same actions, just seen through
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different legal lenses. He wasn't living 2 separate
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lives, one for suffering and one for earning credit.
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So the question then is how can a single act be both a payment
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for sin and a title to eternal life?
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What's the mechanism for that duality?
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It all hinges on the motive and the difficulty involved.
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An act of Christ. When you see it simply as
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perfect obedience to the Father's command is
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righteousness and it purchases heaven, that's merit.
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It's the positive fulfillment of the law.
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But then if you look at the self denial, the difficulty, the
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inherent humiliation and the cost involved in doing that
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exact same act and it's satisfaction for sin, it's
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propitiation. The suffering makes it a
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payment. The perfect will behind it makes
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it an earning. Let's make that more practical
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with an example Edwards gives like Christ preaching the
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gospel. So viewed one way, preaching was
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perfect obedience to the Father's command to reveal his
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will. And because of that, it was part
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of his righteousness, his merit for us.
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But if you look at it the other way, that same act involved
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enormous labor, constant weariness from travel
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exhaustion, a daily exposure to public scorn and murderous
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contempt. That difficulty in labor which
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he endured without complaining, that was his payment, his
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satisfaction. The cost of the obedience was
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the payment for our disobedience.
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And the ultimate synthesis of this, of course, is the
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crucifixion. It was the main part of
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satisfaction, because there He bore the full measure of
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punishment in our place. But at the same time, Edwards
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defines it as the main part of righteousness of merit, because
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it was the supreme act of perfect, specific obedience to
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the Father's command to lay down His life for sinners.
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The most agonizing suffering was also the most perfect act of act
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of submission. The entire life of Christ, from
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the Manger to the grave, was the seamless cloth of obedience
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woven with suffering. OK, so let's focus in on the
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merit side now, because this is where the positive title to
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heaven is actually secured. We're not just talking about
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being forgiven, we're talking about being given a flawless
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legal standing before God. And to understand this merit, we
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have to get the overarching context, the covenant of works.
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Here's where it gets really interesting, because the
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covenant of works is well, it's the structural rule for
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everything. It's the eternal rule of right
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that God set up with man demanding perfect personal and
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perpetual obedience as the condition for life.
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Since man broke that covenant, the law itself demands that if
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life is going to be obtained, the condition still has to be
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met, and met perfectly. And Christ as the second Adam.
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Right. The second Adam came not to get
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rid of that law, but to fulfill it completely for us.
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And this required obedience to all of God's commands, not just
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the moral law. It meant obedience to the
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positive commands, the ceremonial laws for the Jews,
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and the specific commands for his unique role as mediator.
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That raises a question, though. If the covenant of works
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demanded perfection and we failed, if Christ lived a
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sinless life, why did he need merit?
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Wouldn't just not sinning be enough to satisfy the law?
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That's a great question, and one a lot of people miss.
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Simply not sinning is passive. It fulfills the negative
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requirement of the law. Don't break it.
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But the covenant of works demands positive action to earn
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the reward of eternal life. Adam had to obey perfectly for a
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time to secure life for himself and his descendants.
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If Christ had only lived perfectly and then died a
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natural death, that perfection would only count for himself.
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It wouldn't have earned the title to glory for others.
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The act of obedience, the merit, is the earning of the promised
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reward that we failed to secure. That makes the structure of his
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obedience so critical, and Edwards breaks it down into
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three kinds of laws he obeyed based on the specific capacity
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he was subject to the men. Let's start with the broadest 1.
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The first category is the commands he was subject to
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merely as man. This is the moral law what's
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summarized in the 2 tables given on Sinai.
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Love God and love your neighbor. This applies to all mankind
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everywhere. OK, that's the foundation. 2nd
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The laws he was subject to. As he was a Jew, this meant he
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had to conform strictly to the entire body of ceremonial law.
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This includes circumcision on the 8th day, which was a special
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command related to the covenant with Abraham.
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It required him to go to the temple services in Jerusalem and
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the synagogue regularly. It really shows his willing
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submission to the limits of that particular time and place.
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And inside that Jewish framework, there's a fascinating
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detail his submission to John's baptism.
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Baptism wasn't a universal moral command.
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It was a special command for the Jews as a sign of repentance for
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sin. When John objected to baptizing
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him because Christ had no sin to repent of, Christ insisted He
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said he needed to do it so he might fulfill all righteousness.
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He was actively pursuing the righteousness required by that
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temporary positive command, even when it seemed unnecessary.
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And third, maybe the most specialized and unique category,
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Christ was subject to the mediatorial law.
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These were specific commands from the Father purely for his
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role as our surety. These commands included teaching
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certain doctrines, working miracles, establishing
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ordinances, and most painfully, the command to lay down his
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life. He said over and over that He
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did all these things in obedience to the commands he
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received from his Father. So if merit is what earns
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heaven, where did most of that earning come from?
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Was it the 30 years as a man or a Jew?
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Or was it the 3 1/2 years of mediatorial?
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Work, Edwards is very clear that crafts main righteousness.
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The chief source of his merit was in fulfilling this
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mediatorial law. It was his central work, and for
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that reason it was the most difficult and the most
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meritorious part of his obedience.
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I mean, think of the resistance he faced from Satan, from the
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religious leaders, even from his own human frailties.
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So the obedience to the mediatorial law.
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Yes, that specific obedience covers his whole public
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ministry, and it culminates in his last sufferings.
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He was commanded to teach, and teaching brought him scorn.
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He was commanded to die, and dying brought him agony.
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Since the law of works values obedience most when it's done
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under the greatest possible difficulty, the obedience to the
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mediatorial law which actually commanded his humiliation and
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death became the source of his highest merit.
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I can see the parallel Edwards is drawing back to the first
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Adam. The first Adam's big test, The
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command about the forbidden fruit, was a specific positive
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command just for his role as humanity's head.
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His righteousness would have been centered on obeying that
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special law. Exactly.
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And in the same way, the second Adam's most meritorious
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righteousness is centered on his special positive command, the
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mediatorial law, to lay down his life.
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The greatest reward is earned by obeying the most challenging
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specialized requirement. Moving past the type of law, we
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need to look at the three essential characteristics that
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made this obedience infinitely valuable.
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First, it was perfect in every respect.
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Edwards gets very specific here. Perfection in the work
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commanded, in the principle it came from, in the final goal, in
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the way it was performed, in the degree of effort, in its
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constancy, and in its perseverance.
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That's a very meticulous definition.
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It has to be, because under the law of works, imperfect
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obedience isn't just not good enough, it's not accepted at
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all. The standard is absolute.
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Christ's fulfillment had to be whole and continuous, holding
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out through every single trial right up to the very last
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breath. OK, so first it was perfect.
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What's the second characteristic?
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Second, his obedience was performed through the greatest
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trials. The merit that comes from an act
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is directly related to how difficult it was to do.
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Obeying when the way is easy is one thing, but obeying perfectly
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when that obedience requires extreme abasement, humiliation,
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and suffering, both physical and psychological, that is vastly
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more praiseworthy. The hardship of his life wasn't
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just payment for us the satisfaction.
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It also made the obedience he showed at the same time more
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valuable, more meritorious. And 3rd characteristic. 3rd, And
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this is probably the most difficult concept for us to
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really wrap our minds around, He performed this obedience with
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infinite respect to God. This is where the person of
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Christ, the God man, becomes so important.
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Oh so well. The angels perform their service
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with sinless, perfect love. But Christ's obedience, even
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though it was performed in His finite human nature, is the
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obedience of His divine person. The sheer dignity of the one who
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is obeying elevates the value of the ACT beyond all measure.
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Let's slow down there, because the implications of that are
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just staggering. If Christ's human nature is
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finite, then his love and his effort in that nature must also
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be finite, no matter how perfect they are.
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So how does Edwards argue that the obedience shows infinite
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love and that makes the merit infinite?
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He clarifies that the obedience belongs to the person who is the
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eternal Son of God. The divine nature is united to
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the human nature, so the infinite dignity of the person
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who is adhering to the law make sure that the righteousness that
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results is infinitely meritorious.
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A simple act of obedience performed by the God man is
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worth more than the eternal perfect obedience of all the
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angels combined. So the ultimate take away here
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is that because the price that was laid down at infinite value
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because of the person in the mediator, that one price could
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be an infinite satisfaction for all sins and at the same time an
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infinitely meritorious title to eternal life for a huge number
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of people. It's the infinite dignity of the
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agent that makes the dual accomplishment possible.
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OK, so let's follow the timeline of his life now, not to just
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retell the Gospels, but to see how every phase of it
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contributed to this dual purchase.
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We can divide it into his private and public periods, and
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we want to link even the mundane things directly to these high
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theological ideas of satisfaction and merit.
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His private life lasted for about 30 years.
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We often just skip over this period, but for Edwards, it was
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absolutely crucial. He was perfectly obedient even
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as a child, fulfilling the moral law without fail, which is
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itself a miracle of righteousness.
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And critically, his subjection to his earthly parents, even
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though he was the Lord of all, was an active show of humility
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and obedience to the 5th Commandment.
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But his job, his occupation, is where the connection to
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satisfaction really shines. He worked a common mechanical
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trade as a Carpenter. For three decades the creator of
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the world lived an obscure, laborious life, earning his
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bread by the sweat of his face. This long period of hidden labor
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was part of his satisfaction. He was actively enduring the
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curse pronounced on Adam. In the sweat of thy face shalt
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thou eat bread. By taking up that labor and
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obscurity, he was paying part of the penalty.
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Indeed, Edwards notes that in some ways this long period of
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obscurity was an even greater humiliation than the public
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ministry. The public ministry, for all its
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trials, was also marked by glorious works and miracles, but
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to be overlooked, to be treated as just another ordinary
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mechanic that was a profound part of his abasement.
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This fulfillment of the law during his obscurity directly
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added to his merit, while the labor and the lowliness made-up
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the satisfaction. And then comes the public
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ministry, which lasted about 3 1/2 years, starting when he was
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around 30. It kicked off with his solemn
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inauguration at his baptism, where you have the visible
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descent of the Holy Spirit and the Father's voice publicly
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confirming his messianic office. And it's significant that right
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after that glorious affirmation came a profound trial, the
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temptation in the wilderness which he won.
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It was remarkable early test of his obedience to the mediatorial
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law. The devil who successfully
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undermined the first Adam was utterly defeated by the 2nd.
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And. Before Christ really began his
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public work, you had the necessary forerunner, John the
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Baptist. Right.
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John's role was strictly to prepare the way, preaching
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repentance and the need to fulfill the law, waking up
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hearts for the gospel. He was the morning star,
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brilliant in the night but destined to fade as the sun.
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Christ rose this separation of law, which was John's message,
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and gospel, which was Christ's. It sets the stage perfectly for
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the dual work of satisfaction fulfilling the law's penalty and
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merit earning the law's reward. OK, so during those 3 1/2 years,
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what were the key tasks? He was employed in three key
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overlapping tasks, and all of them contributed to his merit.
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First, preaching the gospel. This teaching revealed the
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Father's will more clearly than ever, confirming him as the
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great Prophet. He spoke with his own authority,
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saying, I say unto you, not like the prophets who just echoed
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Thus saith the Lord. This perfect communication of
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God's truth was an act of perfect obedience, a central
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piece of His righteousness. Second, working miracles.
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And these weren't just displays of raw power.
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They were works of profound mercy.
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Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, raising the dead.
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Edwards points out that these miracles were specifically
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images of the spiritual work he came to do.
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The physical healing mirrored spiritual cleansing.
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The physical resurrection mirrored the regeneration of the
21:32
heart. And fundamentally, he did them
21:33
by his own will and authority. He'd say, I will be thou clean,
21:37
which reinforces his divine personhood.
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And so it lends infinite dignity to the acts of obedience he was
21:42
performing to his merit. And the third task. 3rd Calling
21:46
disciples. He didn't just preach, He set up
21:48
the framework for his ongoing Kingdom.
21:50
He set apart the 12 apostles, calling them the grand ministers
21:54
of his Kingdom, who would become the 12 Foundation of His Church.
21:58
This act of delegation and organization was itself part of
22:01
His mediatorial mandate, showing His kingship even in his
22:05
humiliation. And his ministry concluded with
22:07
his most significant act. Yes, the highest execution of
22:10
his priestly office, offering himself as a sacrifice.
22:14
This final perfect act of obedience just swallowed up all
22:17
the previous sacrifices and fulfilled the main point of the
22:20
ceremonial law. It was the absolute peak of both
22:23
satisfaction and merit. So let's move now into the
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specific virtues he exercised, because the quality of the
22:29
obedience is what determines the size of the merit.
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Christ showed every necessary virtue, perfectly tested under
22:35
the most extreme pressure imaginable.
22:38
Starting with his virtues toward God, there was holy fear and
22:41
reverence. This is remarkable because he
22:44
was infinitely honorable, yet as Mediator he submitted completely
22:48
to the Father's authority. This is such a sharp contrast
22:52
with the angels who fell through pride.
22:54
Christ, though eagle with God, voluntarily emptied himself and
22:57
obeyed, showing a tested, perfect submission.
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And then the virtues related to himself, especially humility and
23:04
patience. His humility was just unmatched.
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The greatest trial of humility ever was when the eternally
23:10
glorious Son of God stooped from an infinite height to the
23:13
greatest possible depth. He didn't disdain being bound,
23:17
mocked, crowned with thorns and crucified like a slave.
23:20
And the humiliation was even greater because he did this for
23:23
the meanest of creatures, including the very people who
23:26
were actively insulting him. Exactly, and his patients too
23:29
had just shown through under terrible, undeserved sufferings.
23:31
He was dumb and open, not his mouth, going like a lamb to the
23:35
slaughter. Which shows a radical acceptance
23:37
of the father's will, even when it meant the ultimate pain.
23:40
And finally, his virtues toward men, mostly meekness and love.
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His meekness was this humble calmness of spirit.
23:47
Under unparalleled provocation he met extreme baseless hatred
23:51
with perfect composure and self-control.
23:54
There was no reviling, no hint of a desire for revenge.
23:57
On the contrary, the ultimate proof of His love and
24:00
forgiveness was shown when He prayed so fervently for his
24:03
tormentors from the cross. Father, forgive them, for they
24:07
know not what they do. Edwards claims that Christ's
24:10
love for men, especially in offering up his life and soul in
24:13
those last moments, was far beyond all parallel.
24:16
He said it exceeded all other human love, like the ocean
24:18
exceeds a small stream. Every single virtue he had was
24:22
proven pure by the Crucible of his suffering.
24:25
So now we transition fully to the humiliation and the
24:27
suffering, the price of satisfaction.
24:29
This is the removal of the curse and the payment of the debt we
24:31
owed A vindictive justice. We need to detail the
24:34
chronological scope of this suffering and focus on how each
24:37
phase contributed to that judicial payment.
24:39
Even the earliest moments of his life were marked by humiliation.
24:43
In infancy. He was born not just poor, but
24:46
inconveniently in a stable because there was no room in the
24:49
inn. He was immediately subjected to
24:51
the threat of murder by Herod and had to suffer banishment
24:54
into Egypt. And during a long journey at
24:56
such a vulnerable age, this deprivation and fear were part
25:00
of the initial payment. And the private life at Nazareth
25:02
continued this payment. Yes, we already talked about the
25:05
labor of the carpenter's shop as part of fulfilling the curse on
25:08
Adam. Those 30 years of obscurity made
25:11
sure that he faced and endured the common grinding difficulties
25:15
of a life lived under the curse, without any of the worldly
25:18
recognition that might have made it easier.
25:20
And during his public life, from his baptism until his betrayal,
25:24
the suffering continued in two specific ways.
25:26
First, intense physical hardship.
25:28
He was deeply poor, often tried by hunger, thirst and cold.
25:32
Having nowhere to lay his head, he had to rely on the charity of
25:35
his disciples and died without owning any land or even a grave
25:39
of his own. And second, he endured constant
25:42
bitter hatred and reproach. He was despised for his low
25:45
parentage, scorn as a glutton, A madman, A blasphemer and a
25:49
wizard who worked miracles by the power of Beelzebub.
25:53
His enemies were constantly trying to murder him, and he
25:55
faced contempt everywhere, even in his own hometown.
25:59
This psychological and reputational suffering was
26:01
essential to propitiation. He bore the shame of our sin.
26:05
And we can't forget the direct Satanic conflict.
26:07
No, he suffered violent attacks from the devil, including those
26:10
40 days of temptation in the wilderness and a severely
26:12
weakened physical state. He was perpetually opposed by
26:15
the power of darkness. This constant warfare was part
26:19
of the price of conquering the one who held the power of death.
26:22
This brings us to the climax, His last humiliation and
26:25
sufferings. This is the ultimate
26:27
concentration of satisfaction. The betrayal itself was a deep
26:31
suffering being sold by one of his trusted disciples for 30
26:34
pieces of silver, the price of a slave.
26:37
This betrayal LED directly to the agony in the garden, a
26:40
dreadful agony that was centered in his soul.
26:42
The suffering in Gethsemane was so intense that his soul was
26:45
exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
26:48
It induced that extremely rare physical phenomenon of sweating
26:52
blood. But why was the spiritual
26:54
distress so extreme? Because in that moment, he was
26:57
beginning to truly drink the cup of God's wrath.
26:59
His father's face was beginning to be hidden from him.
27:01
Exactly. And his friends, the very men he
27:03
had poured his life into, were unconcerned and fell asleep.
27:07
This combination of spiritual withdrawal, physical torment and
27:10
utter desertion by man, it shows that the agony of Gethsemane was
27:14
the precursor, the foretaste of the hell he would endure on the
27:17
cross. The humiliation just piled up so
27:20
fast. Betrayal by Judas, abandonment
27:23
by his disciples, being arrested and bound like a common
27:25
criminal. He was hauled before his mortal
27:28
enemies, the high priests and scribes who sought false
27:30
testimony against him and insulted him all night long.
27:33
They spat in his space. They blindfolded him, struck him
27:37
and mocked him for pretending to be a prophet.
27:39
Even the servants joined in, and the shame was just compounded by
27:43
the fact that Peter, one of his chief apostles, denied and
27:46
renounced him with oaths and curses, which shattered any
27:49
remaining human support he might have had.
27:52
The civil trials before Pilate and Herod just added to the
27:55
shame. Though he was repeatedly cleared
27:57
of the charges of treason, Pilate gave in to the violence
28:00
of the Jews. Herod mocked him as a worthless
28:02
fool, dressing him in a mock robe.
28:05
And then the crowds chose Barabbas, a criminal, over the
28:08
Son of God. He was unjustly condemned.
28:11
And before the execution, the abuse just got more intense.
28:14
He was stripped and scourge severely, then subjected to the
28:17
horrific, painful mockery of the crown of thorns, the scarlet
28:21
robe and the Reed scepter. Both the Jews and the Roman
28:24
soldiers joined in the derision, crying Hail, King of the Jews.
28:27
He bore the physical pain of the scourging and the profound shame
28:30
of being made a public laughingstock.
28:32
And finally, the crucifixion itself, the known extremity of
28:36
torment from which we get the very word torment.
28:39
He was nailed to the cross by his hands and feet, A gruesome,
28:42
drawn out physical pain. But Edwards insists, and this is
28:46
crucial, that the bodily pain was vastly less than the agony
28:50
he endured in his soul. This was the true travail of his
28:54
soul where the Father crushed him and put him to grief.
28:58
Unlike martyrs, who often experience spiritual joy under
29:01
pain, Christ had zero spiritual support.
29:04
The full fury of God's vindictive justice was poured
29:08
out on him alone. The intensity of that soul agony
29:11
likely caused severe physical effects.
29:13
The melting of his heart, the rending of his insides as it's
29:16
described in the Psalms. I am poured out like water.
29:19
My heart is like wax. It is melted in the midst of my
29:21
bowels. And under all this this physical
29:23
and spiritual collapse, he was still being mopped relentlessly
29:26
by the religious and civil authorities and no doubt
29:28
tormented by the devils. And then came the great
29:31
Declaration. The moment that closed the
29:32
entire purchase, Christ cried out.
29:34
It is finished. He bowed his head and gave up
29:36
his Spirit. It's just astonishing to think
29:38
that the angels witnessed the end of this act.
29:40
The most painful, humiliating and devastating event was at the
29:44
same time the greatest and most wonderful thing ever done.
29:47
The act of total obedience woven into total suffering completed
29:52
the full aim of the Old Testament system, the.
29:54
Purchase of Redemption was finished completely.
29:57
Yes, and Christ made sure of this by remaining under the
30:00
judicial power of death until the resurrection morning.
30:03
The entire debt was paid. The utmost that vindictive
30:06
justice demanded was satisfied by His humiliation.
30:10
The positive right to eternal life was secured by His
30:12
obedience. Edwards leaves us with this
30:15
absolute assurance. No more is needed to purchase
30:18
salvation for sinners, nor will anything more be done forever
30:21
and ever. The work is perfect.
30:23
So what is this highly structured dual framework from
30:25
Edwards really give us? It gives you, the learner, A
30:29
precise and legally meticulous model for understanding the
30:32
perfection of Christ's work. We are freed from the penalty of
30:35
sin, misery by the satisfaction of His suffering and
30:37
humiliation, and we are granted a positive, unassailable title
30:40
to happiness by the merit of His perfect obedience.
30:44
Separation is so essential for a thorough knowledge of this.
30:47
It shows why just forgiving sin isn't enough under the eternal
30:51
law of works. Forgiveness removes the debt
30:53
that satisfaction, but it doesn't give us the right to
30:56
enter the reward of heaven. To get life under the original
31:00
terms of the covenant of works, a perfect positive righteousness
31:03
is required, and Christ's merit supplies that imputed
31:06
righteousness, making sure that our title to glory is earned,
31:09
not just granted. It transforms the narrative from
31:12
just a transaction of mercy into a flawless execution of divine
31:15
justice and legal adherence. We were freed from the grave and
31:18
we were given the keys to the city.
31:20
And here's something for you to think about.
31:22
Edwards identifies Christ's obedience to the mediatorial
31:26
law, especially that final agonizing act of laying down his
31:30
life as the most difficult and therefore the most meritorious
31:34
part of his righteousness. So if his final agonizing act of
31:38
satisfaction was also his greatest act of obedience, his
31:41
greatest act of merit, what does that duality suggest about the
31:44
nature of love and submission that's required?
31:46
And even the hardest, most sacrificial acts of obedience
31:48
were called to perform. Does the difficulty of the duty
31:51
actually increase the inherent value of the obedience?
31:54
Thank you for joining us for this deep dive into the sources.