Lesson 28: God’s Blessings to Us in Christ
In bringing many sons to glory it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the champion of their salvation perfect through suffering. Anyone who comes to Christ becomes a child of God; and the champion is the one who comes to the aid of those in bondage to satan. It was through Christ’s suffering that God declared him fully qualified to carry out his redemptive mission. When Christ prayed in Gethsemane that the cup be taken from him, he was referring to the cup of God’s wrath poured out over all humanity for all time. Though he could have refused he still obeyed God’s will.
Both he who is holy and he who makes men holy are of the same family and Christ is not ashamed to call them brothers. He became like us so that he might serve as a substitutionary sacrifice and redeem our lost holiness. Christ said, “I will put all my faith and trust in God the Father”; and, is our example of perfect obedience to God. It is through Christ that fallen humanity is seen as it was intended to be. In as much as the children were flesh and blood, he too became flesh and blood so that by his death he might put to death him who has the power over death (satan) and free those who all their lives have lived in bondage of fear of death. satan wields the power of death only in so far as he induces men to sin, the penalty for which is death. Christ became like us in every way to serve as an atonement for our sins. He became fully human in order to turn aside God’s wrath toward guilty sinners and die as a substitute for us. In as much as Christ suffered when he was tempted, he is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
God tests His people. He tested Moses for 40 days to ensure that he would be a worthy leader. He tested the Jews in the desert for 40 years, allowing them to experience hunger and then providing manna; He did this to show them that they cannot live by bread alone but need God’s word. He tested Christ by allowing Him to be tempted by satan for 40 days. He told Christ he could turn stone into bread to relieve his hunger; although Christ could have done this he chose to trust in God’s provision. He said “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word from God.” Bread sustains but doesn’t guarantee life, which is God’s promise to those who accept and live by His word. Christ also told satan that we cannot put God to a test, and that we should worship God, not the things of the world.