Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org

Christ will never accommodate his morality to the times, nor to the
inclinations of men.
Every thing that our blessed Lord did he performed either as our
pattern or as our sacrifice.
The incarnation of Christ might have been supposed sufficient to
answer all the purposes of reconciling men to God. Could it be supposed
that the good and benevolent God would look on those with indifference
who were represented by so august a person; one who shared their nature,
who assumed it for the very purpose of recommending them to God, and
who, while he felt the sympathies and charities of humanity, was equally
concerned for the honour and justice of God; and who, from the
perfection of his nature, could feel no partialities, nor maintain nor
advocate the interests of one against the honour of the other! I believe the
reason of man could not have gone farther than this; and had revelation
stopped here, reason would have thought that the incarnation was
sufficient, and that even divine Justice could not have withheld any
favour from such an Intercessor. Even this would have appeared a noble
expedient, worthy of the benevolence of God; and a sufficient reason why
he should receive into his favour the beings who were, by this
incarnation, united to Him who from eternity lay in the Father's bosom,
and in whom he ever delighted. But God's "ways are not as our ways, nor
his thoughts as our thoughts." Had man never sinned, and was only to be
recommended to the divine notice, in order to receive favours, or even to
obtain eternal life, this might have been sufficient; but, when he had
sinned, and become a rebel and traitor against his Maker and Sovereign,
the case was widely different. Atonement for the offence was
indispensably requisite; in default of which the penalty, fully known to
him previously to the offence, must be exacted: "In the day thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die;" "for the soul that sinneth it shall die." On
this account the incarnation alone could not be sufficient, nor did it take
place in reference to this, but in reference to his bearing the penalty due
to man for his transgression; for without being incarnated he could not
have suffered nor died.