Christ's Sacrifice Frees All

For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

(Romans 6:7-10)

In this section, we continue examining how God has dealt with our sin through the sacrifice of His Son. The apostle Paul teaches in the above passage that those who die have been freed from sin. But what does it mean to be “freed from sin”? It means that those who die are released from the power of sin; sin no longer has dominion over them. Sin only has power over humanity in this present life.

Most believers understand this truth as it applies to those who die and go to heaven—where there is no sin. However, not many realize that it also applies to those who die and go to hell. Many think that those in hell continue in sin, but that is not the case. Just as there is no sin in heaven, there is no sin in hell. Instead, there is remorse, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, as those there are tormented for the sins they committed in this life.

Our Lord Jesus revealed this truth in His account of the rich man who died and went to Hades (Luke 16:23–31). In that passage, the man expresses not only remorse for his own sins but also concern for his brothers, urging that they repent to avoid joining him in that place of torment. On the day of judgment, people will be judged only for the sins committed during their earthly lives (2 Corinthians 5:10).

When Jesus died on the cross, sin no longer had dominion over Him because He had died to sin. But because He died for all, He also freed all people from sin. How is that possible? Those who believe in Christ are united with Him in His death, and therefore they too have been freed from sin.

 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, Adrift among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And who are cut off from Your hand. You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves.

(Psalms 88:4-7)

After Jesus died on the cross, His suffering did not end. He descended into the lowest pit of hell to pay the price for the sins of the world. Jesus confirmed this when He said, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

The psalm above offers insight into the torment Jesus endured in the lowest pit, bearing the full weight of God’s wrath for humanity’s sin. Every transgression and act of disobedience had to receive its just punishment; none could be left unaccounted for (Hebrews 2:2).

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised because of our justification.

(Romans 4:23-25)

At the end of three days and nights, Jesus had fully paid the penalty for every sin laid upon Him. God could then raise His Son from the dead. In the above passage Paul explains that Jesus was “delivered up because of our offences”—meaning He suffered for our sins—but was “raised because of our justification.” In other words, once every sin had been accounted for, humanity was justified, and Jesus could rise from the dead.

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

(Hebrews 9:11-12)

After His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and entered the Most Holy Place to offer His own blood to the Father as the atoning sacrifice for the world’s sins. The above passage of Scripture affirms that this sacrifice was accepted, and through it Jesus obtained eternal redemption for all humanity. Forgiveness and cleansing from sin were now available to all through His blood.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

(2 Peter 1:2-9)

We have seen that Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world. But when does the world experience the benefit of His work? The answer: only those who are born again receive the benefit of the Lamb’s sacrifice. The blood of Christ is applied only to those who believe.

In the above passage Peter confirms that believers are cleansed from their old sins when they are born again. At that moment, the blood of Christ washes away all sins committed up to that point. Although Jesus offered His blood over two thousand years ago, it is applied to each person only when they enter God’s kingdom through faith in Him. Sins committed after salvation are addressed in the manner already discussed earlier in this section.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

(John 8:24)

Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

(John 9:41)

Those who choose not to believe in Jesus gain no benefit from His shed blood. In the above passages, Jesus states plainly that unbelievers will die in their sins and that their sin remains. Unlike believers, they are not washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Michael E.B. Maher

Predestined to His Purpose

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