CHAPTER ELEVEN

JESUS BEING OUR SAVIOR

Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 53:5-6, 10; 1 Pet. 1:13;
Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20
In the previous chapter we covered who the Lord Jesus is. In this chapter we will see what the
Lord Jesus has done for us. The Lord Jesus is God becoming a man to be our Savior. Since He is
our Savior, He has delivered us from a threefold problem. In order to know what the Lord Jesus
has done for us, we must have a clear picture of this problem.

MANS THREEFOLD PROBLEM

Mans Outward Behavior Being Improper

When we begin to consider our threefold problem, it is easy to realize that our behavior is
improper. The primary reason that we express our need for God is that we want to be saved from
our improper behavior. We are all improper to some degree. There is no difference between a
robber or a gentleman, because everyone has stolen from others or taken advantage of others.

Once I was preaching the gospel and speaking about stealing. In the audience there was a young
boy who was in junior high school. When he heard this word, he disagreed. He shook his head
and inwardly argued, saying, Others may have stolen, but I am from a well-disciplined family,
and I have never stolen anything. The Spirit was upon me during my preaching, and I pointed
my finger at him and said, Even though you say that you have never stolen anything, you stole a
piece of chalk from school and took it home. Even though he had actually stolen a piece of
chalk, he reasoned within himself that this did not matter. I continued to speak, saying, You
took the chalk home and drew circles on the ground. When he heard this word, he began to
shake in his seat because he was shocked that I knew these things. Actually, I did not know; it
was God, the One who searches mans heart, who knew.

Similar things happened in England to a famous evangelist, Dr. F. B. Meyer. One day when he
was preaching, he pointed into the audience and said, Look at yourself, young man! You have
stolen three pounds and eighteen shillings from your master. If you do not repay these three
pounds and eighteen shillings, you will never have peace. Indeed, there was a young man sitting
in front of him who had stolen three pounds and eighteen shillings from his employer. When he
heard this word, he was very frightened because he thought that only he knew about his theft.
Yet, to his surprise, Dr. Meyer pointed out the sin that he had committed. The young man had no
peace when he returned home, and three pounds and eighteen shillings filled his mind as he
was lying on his bed. When he woke up from his sleep, three pounds and eighteen shillings
was still ringing in his ears. He knew that if he did not return this exact amount, he would never
have peace. Then he wrote a check for three pounds and eighteen shillings and put it in his
pocket. On that very day it so happened that a believer invited the young man to have dinner
with him and Dr. Meyer. This was quite marvelous. After dinner the young man said to the
believer who invited him, Yesterday, Dr. Meyer pointed out my offense. Even though I have
written a check for three pounds and eighteen shillings, I have been childish and reluctant to mail
it, but as soon as I saw Dr. Meyer, I had no peace to eat this meal. Now I want to put this check
in an envelope, seal it before him, and mail it to my employer. This shows that no one should
consider himself to be absolutely proper. When the Spirit shines on us, we will see our darkness.

There was a famous Chinese evangelist named John Sung. One day as he was preaching the
gospel in Hankow, he pointed to a young lady in the audience and said, You concubine. She
became quite scared because she was indeed a concubine. There were probably over a thousand
people there that day. Dr. Sung did not know who she was, and yet he pointed his finger at her in
the audience. After leaving the meeting, she cursed Dr. Sung and was also angry with the person
who had brought her to hear the sermon. She said, What bad luck! Why did you bring me here
to be scolded in front of everyone? She was very angry, but the angrier she became, the more
the Holy Spirit worked in her. The Holy Spirit convicted her that she did not fear God even
though she was committing sin. She ceased her cursing and was convicted of her need to repent.
Then she knelt down and prayed, confessing in tears that she was a sinner, and she was saved.

I know of many such gospel stories. Seven or eight years ago I went to Amoy to preach the
gospel, and I spoke about the Samaritan woman who met the Lord Jesus by the well in Sychar in
John 4. When she came to draw water, the Lord Jesus asked her to give Him a drink (v. 7), and
He said, If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would
have asked Him, and He would have given you living water (v. 10). Then she asked the Lord
for this water. Although the Lord was moved with compassion, He also knew about her sinful
life. Nevertheless, He did not rebuke her; rather, He gently said, Go, call your husband and
come here (v. 16). She tried to cover her sin by saying, I do not have a husband (v. 17). She
spoke the truth, but her intention was to deceive. However, the Lord Jesus also knew her true
situation and said, You have well said, I do not have a husband, for you have had five husbands,
and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly (vv. 17-18). This
woman had one husband after another, and the man she was currently with was not even her
husband. This shows that we are born dissatisfied. The woman at the well was not satisfied with
her first husband, and so she changed husbands repeatedly. Her history of going from one man to
another was an expression of her dissoluteness. Her actions were similar to a person who
continually drinks because his thirst cannot be satisfied.

While I was preaching, there was a friend of a sister in the audience. When the friend heard this
word, her face turned red, and she glared at the sister beside her. Although the sisters friend had
not changed husbands six times, she had changed four times. Consequently, she turned to the
sister and angrily said, You have told my story to this Mr. Lee. She thought that I was
speaking about this matter because the sister had told me. The sister replied, I have never told
Mr. Lee anything about you. He was merely telling a story from the Gospel of John in the
Bible.

In our preaching of the gospel, we encounter many situations such as this. Since mans behavior
is improper, it cannot escape the light of Gods examination. When God examines us, everyone
has a problem. We should carefully consider our improper ways. Our words are improper, our
actions are improper, our thoughts are improper, and our attitudes are improper. Every aspect of
our behavior is improper.

Mans Inward Nature Being Evil

The second aspect of our problem is related to our inward nature. The first aspect is our improper
behavior; the second aspect is our evil nature. We lie because our inward nature is deceitful, and
we hate because our inward nature is envious of others.

We should not think for a moment that we only occasionally make mistakes or that our inward
nature is not corrupt. Rather, we are improper outwardly because our nature inwardly is corrupt.
Luke 6:43 says, There is no good tree that produces corrupt fruit, nor again a corrupt tree that
produces good fruit. In other words, a good tree produces good fruit, and a corrupt tree
produces corrupt fruit. A corrupt tree produces corrupt fruit because the inward nature of the tree
is corrupt. Our conduct is improper because our nature is evil. Hence, more than the aspect of our
outward behavior must be addressed; we must also solve the aspect of our inward evil nature.
Our outward behavior proves that our inward nature is evil. We do not attend classes that teach
us how to sin, yet we all commit sins. Although there are schools for art and universities for
education, we do not need schools or universities to teach us how to lie and sin. Instead, we are
taught to be moral, benevolent, and righteous, and we are admonished to do good and be honest,
because lies and sins spontaneously come out of our nature.

There is a sweet date tree with fruit that is full of thorns. We like the dates but dislike the thorns.
Similarly, we may have a certain measure of benevolence, righteousness, elegance, and love, but
we are full of thorns. We may have many virtues that are admirable, but these virtues are
entangled with thorns that cause hurt to others. All these thorns grow out from within us. Our
nature produces many different kinds of thorns. The thorns in our outward conduct merely
confirm the evil in our inward nature. This is the second aspect of our problem.

Mans Life Being Corrupt

Our evil nature is related to our life, which is the third aspect of our problem. The aspect of our
life is directly connected to the aspect of our nature. We have a certain kind of nature because we
have a certain kind of life. This can be seen in our common use of the expression life and nature.
According to our nature by birth, we lose our temper, but this nature is contained in our life.
Since nature comes out of life, the only way to avoid losing our temper is for our life to end. Our
temper is no longer a problem when we die. Our nature of losing our temper is in our life, just
like the circulation of life is in the blood in our body. As long as there is a circulation of our
corrupt life, our nature of losing our temper will be active. Our nature is in our life.

Our behavior issues from our nature, and our nature is hidden in our life. Our threefold problem
consists of behavior, nature, and life. Although our behavior is outward and our nature is inward,
our life is the ultimate source of our condition. Considering our problem from inside to outside,
there is life, nature, and behavior; considering our problem from outside to inside, there is
behavior, nature, and life. We need to ask ourselves whether our behavior is good or bad and
whether we are persons of moral integrity. If we admit that we are not good, we have some
degree of moral integrity, but if we think that our conduct is good and that we have moral
integrity, we are deceiving ourselves. We lie to people, we hate people, and we even steal from
people. At the minimum we have stolen candy or cookies from our parents. How can we think
that our behavior is good! If someone dares to say in public that he has good behavior, he is the
greatest sinner in the world because he has deceived everyone.

Our poor behavior is derived from our nature. Both our behavior and our nature are problematic.
Moreover, our nature comes from our life, which is also problematic. Outwardly, our behavior is
improper, and inwardly our life and nature are improper. Since our life is corrupt and our nature
is evil, our behavior is improper. Since our inward life is corrupt and our inward nature is evil,
our outward conduct cannot be proper.

THE LORD JESUS SOLVING

MANS THREEFOLD PROBLEM

Our life, nature, and behavior are a threefold problem. In order to be our Savior, the Lord Jesus
must be able to solve this threefold problem. If He could solve only one aspect of our problem,
His salvation would not be complete. If He could solve only two aspects, His salvation would not
be sufficient. Thankfully, the Bible shows that His salvation is complete and full. He is a
wonderful Savior, and His saving way is also wonderful. He fully solves mans threefold
problem related to behavior, nature, and life.

On the Cross the Lord Jesus Solving

the Aspect of Mans Behavior

With His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus solved the aspect of our problem associated with our
sinful behavior. Our sins, wrongdoings, and transgressions expose the problematic aspect of our
behavior. As violations of Gods righteousness, these sins make it impossible for us to escape
His condemnation. When a person violates the law of a country, he can be convicted as a
criminal according to law. Our numerous sins have violated Gods righteousness, and they
prevent us from being accepted by God or receiving His blessing. Although God desires to give
us grace, the charges against us before God prevent Him from drawing near to us.

A proper government cares for its citizens and is willing to provide for their security and
enjoyment, but once a citizen violates the law and is convicted of a crime, he no longer has the
right to enjoy these provisions. This is our situation before God. God is gracious and wants to
bless us, but our sins have become a hindrance. The Lord Jesus solved the problem related to our
sins on the cross. When He was put to death on the cross, not only was He killed by men, but He
was also judged by God on our behalf.

First Peter 2:24 says, Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree. When the Lord
Jesus was nailed on the cross, God caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. God saw Him as
the redeeming Lamb (Isa. 53:5-6, 10). His death on the cross involved more than a death at the
hands of evil men. For a period of time on the cross, He was judged and punished by God for our
sins. He bore our sins on the cross. As sinners, we deserved to die, but He died for us on the
cross. We should have received Gods righteous punishment, but He received this punishment on
our behalf. As the Scripture says, Christ also has suffered once for sins, the Righteous on behalf
of the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God (1 Pet. 3:18).

Because of the charges against us before God, there was a distance, a barrier, between God and
us. In order to rescue us and bring us to God, the Lord Jesus removed the distance between us by
clearing away the charges that were against us. He bore our sins on the cross and received Gods
judgment on our behalf to satisfy Gods righteous requirement. He removed the barrier between
God and us. He brought us before God so that we could receive Gods forgiveness, Gods
acceptance, and Gods grace and blessings.

The Lord Jesus cleared away our sins by His death on the cross. No other way could take away
our sins, including any achievement or merit on our part. Without a Substitute to receive Gods
righteous judgment, the charges against us before God would have remained. However, the Lord
Jesus bore our sins on the cross. Although we had been led astray like sheep with all kinds of
sins, God put all our sins and iniquities upon the Lord Jesus so that He could bear them on our
behalf. God looked upon the Lord Jesus as our Substitute and judged Him on the cross. The Lord
Jesus shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sins. The shedding of His precious blood
was a declaration that He had received Gods righteous punishment. Through His vicarious death
on the cross, the aspect of our sinful behavior was solved

On the Cross the Lord Jesus Solving

the Aspect of Mans Nature

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross as a man, the human nature that He put on in His
incarnation was also crucified. The Lord Jesus, the Word who became flesh, put humanity on
Himself. He not only bore our sins when He was crucified but also our person. Thus, He not only
dealt with our sins on the cross, He also dealt with us as sinners, that is, our nature of sin.
Romans 6:6 says, Our old man has been crucified with Him. Our old man is our old nature.
When the Lord was crucified, our old nature of sin was crucified with Him.

Here is a certain fact: Whoever believes in the crucified Lord, calls on Him, and draws near to
Him, has been delivered from his sinful nature because of the effectiveness of His death. First
Peter 2:24 says, Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having
died to sins, might live to righteousness. Christs bearing up of our sins not only issued in the
forgiveness of our sins; it also enabled us to die to sin. When we die to sin, we are delivered from
the bondage of sin. It is not easy for people who smoke opium to quit even though they suffer
from their addiction. However, when an opium smoker dies, he is freed from the desire to smoke
opium. Only a dead person is freed from the bondage of opium.

All our addictions come from our nature. The best way to give up our addictions is to put our
nature to death. Some people care for nothing other than playing mah-jongg. Even though they
hate themselves for their addiction, they are unable to quit. Even if a person cut off one of his
hands to keep from playing mah-jongg, he would not be able to refrain from playing. His inward
impulse to play would eventually overpower him. Even with the loss of a hand, he would
continue to play mah-jongg. Only with his death would he be free from what comes out of his
nature of sin.

Some people may say, This is terrible. Does believing in Jesus mean that we must die? If this is
so, what is the benefit of believing in Jesus? The termination that we are speaking of, however,
is not something dreadful but glorious, because this termination delivers us from our sinful
nature and bad habits. Deliverance from our sinful nature is not possible through resolutions,
through struggle and striving, or even through the help of others. Even if a man tries to quit
drinking and asks his wife to help him, he will eventually beg her for a drink despite her earnest
efforts to help. Such a situation proves how difficult it is to deal with mans nature.

In contrast, many people who believe in the Lord Jesus can testify that many bad habits simply
dropped away when they received the Lord Jesus as their Savior and then trusted in Him, prayed
to Him, and drew near to Him. Although this is difficult for them to explain, they can testify of
the power of His salvation. The more we pray to Jesus, the more our corrupt nature is put to
death. The more we draw near to Jesus, the more our addictions fall away. We do not need to cut
off our hands or physically die; we only need to pray to Jesus and draw near to Him. This will
activate an indescribable power within us that causes us to have no desire to play mah-jongg.
This is marvelous; it is a power that kills the germs of our sinful nature, just as penicillin kills
germs within us.

When we believe in the Lord Jesus and call on Him, He is like an injection of penicillin. The
germs of sin and the germs of our addictions are completely killed. Tens of thousands of
Christians can testify that Jesus Christ bore their sins on the cross. When we receive him, the
result is that we are dead to sin. He has the power to put our sinful nature to death. He not only
deals with our outward sins; He also deals with our inward nature of sin.

The Lord Jesus, through His Death and Resurrection, Solving the Aspect of
Mans Life

The final aspect of our threefold problem is related to our life. This aspect has been solved by the
death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is a wonderful matter. Even if we spoke for a
month, we could not adequately cover the mystery of His resurrection. The principle of
resurrection can be seen in the biological world, including the plant life and the animal life.
When a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, it dies and its outward shell decays, but when it
decays, something from within the seed begins to grow. This speaks of the principle of
resurrection. A chick breaking out of its shell also illustrates the principle of resurrection.
Biologists tell us that many things receive life through the process of death, passing from death
into resurrection. Although this is a mysterious matter, the principle of resurrection can be seen
in the biological realm. The Lord Jesus died and was resurrected. The Scriptures tell us that His
resurrection released His glorious life from within Him (John 12:24). Just as our voice is
transmitted through radio waves, the Lords life is released through the Holy Spirit into everyone
who believes.

When we call on Him and draw near to Him, a wonderful thing happens: His Spirit enters into us
with His life so that we may have His life. Thus, we have another life within us. At our birth we
received our physical life. However, when we repented and received the Lord Jesus as our
Savior, He came into us with His life to be our life. There are now two kinds of life within us.
When we were born, we received the human life, and when we believed in the Lord, we received
the divine life. After receiving the Lord, every saved person soon discovers that there are two
persons with two lives inside him. The first person is our old man with our original sinful life;
the second person is the Lord Jesus with His divine life. The first life comes from our parents;
the second life comes from the Lord. The first is the life of man; the second is the life of God.
The life of man is evil and corrupt, but the life of God is holy and good. The life of man is dark,
but the life of God is bright. And the life of man corrupts man, but the life of God empowers
man.

The two lives within a believer are in constant opposition to each other. Nevertheless, the divine
life that we have received by believing on the Lord Jesus is more powerful than our sinful life.
When we were regenerated, we received the life of God. Now we can live by the life of the Lord
Jesus, rather than by our sinful life. Salvation changes the source of our life. Salvation solves the
deepest aspect of our threefold problem.

When the Lord died for our sins on the cross, He solved the aspect of our problem related to our
behavior. When we believed in Him and called on Him, He also solved the aspect of our problem
related to our nature by applying His death to our sinful nature. Furthermore, when we believed
in Him and called on Him, He entered into us as the life-giving Spirit in resurrection to be our
life and to live in us. This solved the aspect of our problem related to life. Rather than having
only our original corrupted life, we now have the life of God. With His life we also have a new
nature, which is holy and good and which produces proper behavior.

OUR WONDERFUL SAVIOR ACCOMPLISHING

A WONDERFUL WAY OF SALVATION

This is how the Lord Jesus saves us. As our wonderful Savior, He has accomplished a wonderful
way of salvation. When a person believes in Him and fellowships with Him, his sins are
forgiven, his nature is transformed, and he receives Gods holy and glorious life. The Lords
salvation solves the problem of our behavior, our nature, and our life. This is what He has done
for us. Now He wants to live in us and become one with us by being mingled with us; in this way
He becomes our living, glorious, and wonderful Savior.

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