Article XXI – Of the satisfaction of Christ, our only High Priest, for us

A. The main thought of this article is that Christ made satisfaction for the sins of His people as their High Priest.

1. Christ was a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Cf. Heb. 7.

a. Melchizedek’s office was unique even in distinction from the office of Aaron. Christ was not a High Priest in Aaron’s line, but in the line of the kirg of Salem.

b. The high priesthood of Melchizedek was different for he was “without father or mother, without beginning or end of days.”

c. But he was also king of Salem so that in him the two offices of priest and king were joined.

d. As such, he was a type of Christ who possesses a royal priesthood that is eternal.

2. But the main point remains that Christ was the only One Who could make the real sacrifice for sin. The blood of bulls and goats was useless; the blood of Christ was only efficacious.

B. As far as the satisfaction itself is concerned, we may note the following:

1. There are various theories with respect to Christ’s satisfaction.

a. The moral theory-Christ died in order to leave to all mankind a worthy example of a man ready and willing to die for His principles. He did it to have a moral and improving influence on humanity. Many hymns follow this line of thought.

b. The governmental theory-God showed us in the cross what He might have done to all of us if He had followed His own justice. He hung Christ upon the cross as a spectacle of this justice. If we believe that a like punishment is our due, we will be saved. This is the Arminian theory of the atonement.

2. Concerning Christ’s atonement however we must state the following:

a. All these theories deny the vicarious atonement of Christ. Christ died indeed for us and on our behalf. This is abundantly attested to in Scripture. Cf. Is. 53:4, 5; Rom. 4:25; Jn. 11:51, 52; II Cor. 5:l4, 15.

b. This means that Christ died in our place by taking our sins as His own. Thus, He paid the price for our sins and took them all away so that they are no more.

c. Thus the atonement is particular. God chose His people from all eternity in Christ. These were given to Christ before the world’s were. For them He died and for them alone, for they were in Him juridically and organically. Only their sins were forgiven.

d. Christ died willingly. He was not only the High Priest that made sacrifice for sin, but he brought His own blood into the Most Holy Place, for He was also the Lamb that was slain. More suffering can never atone for sin, for in hell there is no atonement. But Christ willingly gave Himself and laid down His life in perfect obedience to the Father. He came to do God’s will. This is a very crucial point with respect to the atonement.

e. He bore all the wrath of God against sin–the sins of all the people of God. He did this because He entered into the suffering of hell and took all their suffering upon Himself. He was able to do this, and that in such a short time because He suffered as the Son of God in our flesh.

f. The cross and Christ upon it is therefore the revelation of the sovereign love and grace of God in accomplishing all our salvation for us. Christ not only died for us, but He also merited for us all the blessings of salvation. This is important to maintain overagainst the Arminians who insist that Christ only made salvation possible. It remains for man to receive it or not. On the contrary however, Christ aalso merited all blessings for us and also the right to apply these blessings to the hearts of His people by His Holy Spirit. All of salvation is of God in Christ.

C. The article also speaks in some detail of the practical implications of the cross of Christ.

1. “Therefore: he restored that which he took not away, and suffered, the just for the unjust, as well in his body as in his soul, feeling the terrible punishment which our sins had merited;”

2. “We justly say with the apostle Paul that we know nothing, but Jesus Christ and him crucified; we count all the things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, in whose wounds we find all manner of consolation.”

3. “Neither is it necessary to seek or invent any other means of being reconciled to God, than this only sacrifice, once offered, by which believers are made perfect forever.”

4. Concerning these quotations we may notice that the main thought of all of them is that Christ died for us as sinners so that we have nothing in ourselves in which to boast. Furthermore, the salvation which Christ accomplished for us is a salvation that encompasses all our life from the moment or regeneration to endless glory and perfection in heaven. And the deepest reason for this is that God may receive all the glory forever and ever for He is God alone and the God of our salvation!