The Furnace and the Lamp – Part 2

From Last Lesson: So we have this problem, justice saying, “No,” and love saying, “Yes.”

WE cannot solve this problem, because we have no analogy in our own life that can begin to compare with this act of God on Calvary. I may say to my child, “Now if you do this or do that, I am going to spank you. I’m going to use the razor strap on you.” But when he comes in after having disobeyed me, he knows how to handle dad. He manufactures a couple of tears, his lip begins to tremble, and instead of getting the rod, I pick him up in my arms and hug and kiss him, and forgive him. By doing so, however, I have made myself a liar. I have violated my promise. I have said that I would punish him, and I did not do it. I have broken my promise of punishment.

Now, beloved, God cannot do anything of that kind because He is unchangeable. He Himself has said, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). He also said, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). He must punish the sinner with an infinite punishment, which means that it would take man an eternity to pay the price.

There is, however, also love, just as powerful, just as infinite, because all of God’s attributes are equal. It says, “No, if justice acts, then love will be violated.” Now how is this problem going to be met? The sinner cannot meet it, and so God comes and says, as it were, “I will pay man’s debt myself in the person of a sacrifice, even my Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,” who alone is able to meet this problem.

Think now of God passing between the sacrifice while Abram is asleep and helpless. There you have a picture of Calvary. Because He was infinite God, He could pay the infinite penalty for man. Thus we have the smoking furnace, God satisfied, in the sacrifice of these bleeding animals, while Gods love also is fully satisfied on the basis of this same sacrifice. “Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other” at Calvary. God’s justice fully satisfied in the death of His Son, God’s wrath met, and at the same time His love fully gratified on the basis of the sacrifice of an innocent substitute. Abram himself should have lain there on the altar; that was his proper place. Instead God permitted him to kill an innocent substitute. Then He stood between the pieces of the sacrifice and made His covenant of pure grace; He joined hands as it were with Himself, for the salvation of Abraham. When it is done, He seems to say, “Now, Abram, wake up; I have good news for you.” We are not surprised that immediately after this incident we read:

“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram” (Genesis 15:18).

Adapted and modified excerpts from Studies in the Life of Abraham by M. R. De Haan (1891-1964)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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