Introduction
The Lord Jesus Christ mission in prophesy is well-understood. For instance, Prophet Isaiah wrote, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ mission in reality (fulfillment) is in the New Testament. “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
Christ came for the sins of the world and to reconcile man back to God. Our goals are to show with the Holy Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ knew He would suffer, be maltreated, crucified and died for the sins of mankind and resurrected the third day. Besides, that the Lord Jesus Christ knew all things, in particular what He would pass through as He redeemed mankind from their sins, and grant justification and forgiveness of sins through His precious blood. We answer this question: Is justification through law or faith? We shall copiously quote from the inspired word of God, the Holy Bible to buttress our key points.
Did Jesus Christ know He will suffer and die?
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). Who was lost? Lost in what? Apostle Paul answered these questions in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. All mankind is lost because of sins, and fall short of God’s requirements (such as justification and forgiveness), and glory. Before His birth, the Lord Jesus Christ mission on earth was clearly and concisely stated thus: “For He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
“His People” could be viewed in two ways as His physical and spiritual people. First, His physical people are the Jews to whom He was sent. Second, His spiritual people are all, both Jews and Gentiles, who accept the word of God, and do God’s will through faith in Christ. In replying to the one who informed Him that His mother and brethren are outside wishing to see Him, Jesus said: “Who is my mother and who are my brothers? And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother"” (Matthew 12:48-50). Indeed, the spiritual people of Christ Jesus are those who accept the gospel of Christ, and do the will of God the Father through the Son, Christ Jesus.
Initially, Jesus focused His sin-saving mission on the Jews (“house of Israel”). This could be clearly seen in His words: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Sending out His disciples on a limited commission, Christ commanded them: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). After the Jews rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel, the Gentiles were called through the preaching of the gospel to eternal life. Jewish unbelief gives birth to spiritual Gentiles to be known as brethren, saints and Christians in Christ Jesus through faith.
Paul penned, “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them” (Romans 11:11, 12, 14). The righteousness by law that Israel pursued could not earn eternal life, but shame and eternal doom (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). However, the righteousness by faith earns God’s acceptance, redemption, glory and eternal life through the atoning blood of Christ Jesus.
Is Justification through law or faith?
By the works of the law, there is no justification in this Christian dispensation “Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20; see also, 3: 28). Paul wrote, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2:16). Through the works of the law, Israel stumbled and erred (Romans 9:30-33). “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:3-4).
By faith in Christ Jesus, there is oneness of the Jews and the Gentiles, and there is no shame for all who accepted the gospel of Christ (Romans 10:11-12; 1:16-18; Galatians 3:28-29). The Gentiles accepted the word of faith preached to them, and were saved through obedience faith in Christ Jesus from their sins (Romans 10:1-10). Yes, the Gentiles accepted:
- Jesus as the Christ (Acts 9:22)
- Jesus as the Son of God (John 20:31)
- Jesus as the sole Saviour of the world (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)
Also, Romans 3: 21-26 talks of the righteousness of God by faith that brings no difference between Jews and Gentiles. Righteousness by law brings differences between the circumcised and the uncircumcised. Today, justification is through the Lord Christ Jesus where all (Jews and Gentiles) is one!
There was no time Christ lost focus on His mission. He achieved His mission through preaching and teaching from village to village, town to town and in the synagogues and temple (Mark 1:38-39; 2:2). Christ taught sinners to bring them to God (Mark 10:1). Jesus said in Mark 2:17: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
The Hebrew writer says: “Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). During His earthly ministration, Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Sufferings and difficulties were in the world before Christ’s advent to the world. During His stay on earth, they existed. After fulfilling His earthly mission and ascended back to heaven, sufferings and difficulties exist on earth. God did not remove the curses placed on mankind because of Adam and Eve disobedience: “In the sweat of your face you shall eat” and “In pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16, 19). As long as sins are in the world, sufferings and difficulties will exist. Jesus did not come to remove sins from the world, rather to redeem man through His precious blood from their sins through obedient faith in Christ Jesus.
Christ came to the earth to redeem mankind from their sins, the root cause of sufferings and difficulties, and give them eternal life. “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Christ’s target was not the physical consequences of sins (sufferings and difficulties), but sins themselves that lead to eternal damnation. Therefore, He was sacrificed for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He atoned for the sins of mankind with His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18; Galatians 3:13; 4:5).
What Jesus Knew
The Lord Jesus Christ knew men and all things regarding this material world! (John 2:23-24). He knew the sufferings awaiting Him before the Cross at Calvary (Mark 10:32-33). He knew He would be crucified for the sins of man. “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21). Jesus knew His mission for the earth (John 12:7-8, 20-36). “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27).
He knew He will be buried and the third day resurrected. “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Luke 9:22). When Jesus Christ surrendered to the will of God the Father in prayer in the garden at Gethsemane, He told Peter, James and John, “Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand” (Matthew 26:45-46). It is not yet finished, as they came descending the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus commanded Peter, James and John, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead” (Matthew 17:9). Indicating clearly that Jesus Christ (Son of Man) knew He would die and resurrect “from the dead”.
The Lord Jesus Christ knew in advance what would happen to Him in detail. The cup of sorrow that He would drink and the baptism of suffering that He would be baptized with (Matthew 20:22-23). His suffering and death, as already noted, were in prophecy and came to fulfillment in the New Testament. He could have summoned more than twelve legions of angels to defend and rescue Him from the hand of men, but this He did not do! For prophecies to be fulfilled and man’s redemption and forgiveness secured, the Lord Jesus Christ surrendered Himself to suffer and to die for mankind. “…But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled…” (Matthew 26:53-56).
Some Bible passages on Christ Pre-knowledge of suffering, death and resurrection
Here are few Bible passages showing that Christ knew He would suffer, die and resurrect the third day:
- “And they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Mark 10:34)
- “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation” (Luke 17:25)
- “Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up… But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:19-22)
- “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful” (Matthew 17:22-23)
- “For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day"” (Mark 9:31)
- “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished” (Luke 18:31)
- “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again'” (Luke 24:6-7)
- “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31)
- “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:4-7).
Jesus Christ knew He would die and rise from the dead. “Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So, they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant” (Mark 9:9-10).
Again, the Lord Jesus Christ knew His mission. He told the Pharisees and the Scribes, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).
After redeeming mankind from their sins, sufferings and difficulties are still in the world. Jesus Christ brings justification, forgiveness and salvation to mankind through His death on the Cross (Hebrews 2:3-4). “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Again, through the sufferings on the Cross and death for man’s sins, and resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ perfected the salvation of mankind. Let it be said afresh, Jesus knew He would suffer for man’s sins before it occurred. Step-by-step, as He drew near the ignoble treatment and cruel pains of the Cross at Calvary in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ reminded His disciples: “... Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands” (Matthew 17:12). Again, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up". And they were exceedingly sorrowful” (Matthew 17:22-23).
The Lord Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb for our sins (John 1:29). “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). Because of the Jewish unbelief and rejection, to whom the inspired word was first preached, the Gentiles were grafted in to receive the redemption and blessings of God through the acceptance of the gospel of Christ (Hebrews 4:6). Through Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins is given to mankind, and man is to forgive themselves (Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:29-31).
Conclusion
Jesus knew He is going to die. “A little while, and you will not see me; and again, a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father” (John 16:16). Justification is not through law, but through faith in Christ Jesus. Israel was broken off because of unbelief, and the Gentiles stand by faith (Romans 11:20). The Jews were provoked to jealousy as the uncircumcised accepted the gospel and yielded to the Lord through obedient faith in Christ Jesus. Well-informed people know Jesus mission to the earth. The Lord Christ Jesus did not come to remove sufferings and difficulties of the world.
However, He came to save mankind from their sins that brought curses and woes to them, and reconcile them back to God to obtained blessing, justification, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Christ Jesus knew in details all the events surrounding His earthly existence and mission (Matthew 20:17-19). All folks, regardless of colour, race and language, should now fully know that the mission of Christ to the world is man’s redemption from their sins, justification, forgiveness and to procure eternal life at the end of this earth-living.