D. Scott Meadows

“The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.” —Daniel 9:26

16 JANUARY PM, MORNING AND EVENING BY C. H. SPURGEON

Blessed be his name, there was no cause of death in him. Neither original nor actual sin had defiled him, and therefore death had no claim upon him. No man could have taken his life from him justly, for he had done no man wrong, and no man could even have [s]lain him by force unless he had been pleased to yield himself to die [Matt 26.53; Jn 10.17, 18; 19.11].

But lo, one sins and another suffers [2 Cor 5.21]. Justice was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in him. Rivers of tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of frankincense, could not have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away for ever.

Herein is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down his life for his enemies!

It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the innocent bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein. The special object of the Messiah’s death was the salvation of his church; have we a part and a lot among those for whom he gave his life a ransom? Did the Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by his stripes? It will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a portion in his sacrifice; it were better for us that we had never been born. Solemn as the question is, it is a joyful circumstance that it is one which may be answered clearly and without mistake.

To all who believe on him the Lord Jesus is a present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah’s death be joyful at every remembrance of him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to his cause.

On Daniel 9.26

Part of the passage called Daniel’s “seventy weeks” (Dan 9.24–27), this verse states a central truth about the “Messiah” (Anointed One, Christ) and His death. “Cut off” is an idiom meaning death in this context (cf. Isa 53.8, 9, “cut off out of the land of the living,” “grave,” “death,” etc.). “Shall be cut off” is passive, meaning that He will not just die like everyone else, but be killed by others. In Christ’s case, He personally did not deserve to die, but men killed Him by an unrighteous act of murder. Many interpreters become so obsessed with the calendrical content of the passage that they overlook this astounding gospel it proclaims. God promises a Savior coming to be unjustly killed, not for his own sake, but for others’. This is implied since God has a wise purpose behind everything He does (cf. Dan 9.24 for five reasons; Isa 53.5, 6; 1 Cor 15.3). Spurgeon clearly understood that this “for us” means more than “for our benefit” and includes the idea of “one instead of the others” or substitutionary sacrifice of “the Just [One] for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3.18).

The structure of this devotional message

I. Praise Christ for His substitutionary death (an actual substitution)

A. Being perfectly righteous, holy, and powerful, there was no cause of death in Him
B. His death alone was enough to satisfy divine justice for others who were guilty, so justice was satisfied by His death for them
C. His death reveals God’s wisdom, condescension, and love

II. Examine yourself for faith in Him

A. Make sure that He died for you personally
B. If you are trusting in Him, be assured, joyful, and grateful

Technical terms and less familiar concepts

The terminology and expressions in this devotional message evince Spurgeon’s deep commitment to orthodox and Reformed theology.

1. “Original sin” and “actual sin” (para. 1). “Original sin” is ours by the imputation of Adam’s guilt and inheritance of Adam’s corruption. Neither pertained to Christ, uniquely born both legally and constitutionally righteous (1 John 3.5). All “actual sin” (sin committed by the sinner himself) “proceeds from” original sin (cf. WSC #18). Christ never sinned. Both original sin and actual sins justify the condemnation of a sinner in Adam.

2. “Satisfaction” (para. 2). “The etymology of the word signifies ‘doing enough,’ and it is used to convey the truth that Christ by His active and passive obedience—i.e., His life and death—has satisfied the demands of the justice and law of God in the place of, and for the benefit of, His elect. The word satisfaction does not occur in Scripture but was borrowed from Roman law by Anselm (circa 1033– 1109) (Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, in loc.).

Especially important truths

1. Spurgeon’s remarks both assume and imply “particular redemption,” the biblical doctrine that Christ died only for His elect and that His atonement actually secures their salvation. Spurgeon did not say to everyone, “Christ died for you.” Rather, like the apostles, Spurgeon said “Christ died for sinners,” and, “if you will trust Him, you can know that He died for you personally” (para. 4). O, for more of this purer evangelism!

2. All believers have a warrant for the assurance of their salvation. All should seek to enjoy it (1 John 5.13). All should gratefully devote ourselves to Christ who saves us by His grace alone (Rom 12.1). Ω