What did our Substitute do?
Long before the law was given by Moses, our whole race fell when Adam fell in the garden of Eden. Adam, a representative man, sinned against God and in him “ all sinned” [ROMANS 5:12 ] . This is why “ death reigned from Adam to Moses” [ROMANS 5:14 ] . But the penalty for sin against God is far more than physical death. Sin cannot be reversed, it must be punished. The penalty God requires for sin is death, a death that will satisfy divine justice. “ Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” [EZEKIEL 18:4 ] . “ For the wages of sin is death...” [ROMANS 6:23 ] . That penalty must be paid. It cannot be paid by a sinner but requires the death of a sinless sacrifice. Every picture in the Old Testament sacrifices shows this. Christ, if He be that “ one sacrifice for sins forever,” must be such. If He be our Substitute, He must do the one thing God could not do from heaven, He must ...