Who Killed Christ?
Who Killed Christ?
Luke 23:46 | "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
Jeb Graydon
Who killed Jesus? Many people think that Satan killed Jesus, or that a group of evil men are primarily responsible for Christ’s death. However, neither of those are ultimately true. Ultimately, it was God the Father who ordained the death of his Son on the cross. Isaiah 53:6 and 10 says “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all…it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief” (emphasis added). While this might seem shocking at first, it is actually a great comfort knowing that God was in control of Christ’s crucifixion, just as He is in control of all life’s circumstances today.
The 20th century British pastor D. Martin Lloyd-Jones provides a helpful explanation of this in his commentary of Romans 8:32. He writes:
What was happening on the Cross on Calvary’s hill was the action of God…What happened on the Cross was something God had planned and foreordained before the foundation of the world. The Cross is not an accident; it is not only the result of the malice and the jealousy and the envy and the blindness and the folly of men; it was according to the ‘determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.’
Indeed, Christ Himself said as much in John 10:17-18: “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
What can we learn from this? As Paul wrote in Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Paul is saying that because God did not spare his own Son, He will also graciously give us all things. That is our assurance! Christ Himself is our guarantee! Paul wrote a similar message to the Philippian church: “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). And similarly, to the Corinthians, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). So, just as God gave us the greatest gift (His Son), we know that He will also give us “all things.”
Lloyd-Jones concludes his exposition of Romans 8:32 by writing:
From [this verse] I can reason and argue that, with His greatest gift, He will also freely give me everything I shall ever need, in health, in sickness, in pleasure, in pain, in plenty, in penury. Whatever my circumstances may be, He will ‘freely’ give me all that is necessary to keep me, to hold me, to guide me, to mold me, until at last I shall see Him as He is, and be made like Him, and be with Him in the everlasting glory…If you do not have this assurance, if you are not certain of your final perseverance, if you still believe that you can fall away from grace and go to final perdition though you are now a Christian, it simply means that you have never really understood what happened on the Cross on Calvary’s hill.
Clearly, the Apostle Paul wanted us to have assurance that God will preserve His saints. He will never leave us nor forsake us (c.f. Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). He will not let one of His followers be lost (John 17:12). Rest assured, dear friend, that if you are trusting by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then your salvation is sure. Christ Himself is our guarantee, and He will not fail us.
When Christ said His last words on the cross, He was quoting from Psalm 31:5, which reads: “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” This shows that His death was not due to the act of Satan or of evil men but was in accordance with the will of the Father. The devil was not in control of Jesus’ death. God was in control of Jesus’ death. Let us all echo Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
Reflection:
- How does our understanding of God’s control over the crucifixion give us assurance?
- Spend time in prayer asking God to show you His sovereignty over every aspect of your life.
- Spend time in prayer thanking God for his promise to never leave us nor forsake us.