The Work Is Completely Done!
Isaiah 53:6
Here is the most soul
comforting truth in all the world. "The LORD hath
laid upon him the iniquity of us all." Notice the tense of the sentence.
It does not say, "The Lord shall lay the iniquity of us all upon Christ,
if we will meet certain conditions or terms, if we will do something for him,
if we will do our part, or if we will let him." The inspired sentence
reads, "The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." The
transfer of sin from God's elect to Christ is not something that must be done.
It is something that has already been done. (Read Romans 10:6-8!). The work is
completely done. And the Lord himself, all by himself, has done it. There is
nothing for us to do. Faith simply receives what the Lord has done, believes
it, and rejoices in it. But faith adds nothing to the work.
When did the Lord do
this? It is true, God applies the pardon of sin at
conversion. It is received and enjoyed by faith. But our sins were laid upon
Christ and put away by him long before we believe. God the Father laid our sin
upon Christ as our Surety in the covenant of grace before the world began (I
Pet.
Don Fortner