Sin in us is evidenced by that self preferring, self trusting nature that pits itself against God.
And this became the trap from which we are powerless to save ourselves. Knowing good and evil outside of their trust in God didn't provide the joy Adam and Eve thought it would and they discovered they now had no power to resist. They were captive.
But God was not taken by surprise. In giving Adam and Eve the freedom to trust Him or trust themselves, He already knew that He would suffer most for their choice. Before the beginning of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit had devised a plan that would redeem the objects of their affection. Some how to Him, the glory of fellowship with His created ones out weighed the price He would pay to set things right.
What the onlooker saw... a man experiencing the agonizing death of crucifixion pales to what actually transpired. Jesus lifted the cup of wrath to His lips and drank of it fully.
*Jesus not only entered the utter depths of pain, darkness, shame, and anguish to which sin can drive humanity but He also endured the full weight of God's being warring against sin to it's utter destruction. He drank the cup to the end, letting the wrath war against sin until sin succumbed to the power of God and was consumed in Him.
NOTE- It is not people God seeks to destroy but the sin that destroys His people. The purpose of wrath is to consume sin and cleanse the universe. It's primary purpose was not to hurt but to heal. Rom. 1:18- The wrath of God is revealed from from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of men. This is Love, furious Love.
The cross wasn't just a punishment for our sins. Punishment alone doesn't break the power of sin. The desires of our flesh are often stronger than the threat of punishment. No. The cross was primarily about prevailing over sin's power. In the Son, God serves us the antidote. (The neutralizing agent which counteracts the effects of sin's poison) Christ was able to endure until sin itself was destroyed. This was now the opportunity to destroy the power of sin and liberate those who had been captives to it all their lives.
Thus God's wrath is not just punishment for sin. It is also the antidote for it.
* Because sin was destroyed the door to a future world without it was opened.
He has borne in Himself what we could never have borne and survived. He endured such hostility against Himself because He was committed to our freedom from the power of sin...for the joy that was set before Him, He endured. Some how, to Him, the glory of fellowship with His created ones out weighed the price He would pay to set things right. The night He was betrayed he told Peter and the rest of the disciples, " Don't be anxious, don't let your heart be troubled, I'm going to fix this"
Sin's spell over humanity was broken. The antidote not only worked in Him, but produced in His blood a fountain of life as well. This blood transfusion, now cleanses us from sin, removes us from His wrath, and unites us with God Himself, fulfilling the dream that He had when He first created us and placed us in His Creation.
This cup is the new covenant in My blood which is poured out for you. Lu.22:20. This cup teams with life.
Eph. 1:7-8 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Rom. 5:7-8 Very rarely will any one die for a righteous man...but God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
What does Rom 8:3 mean when it say's He condemned sin in sinful man?
