LORD’S DAY 15
Q. 37. What dost thou understand by the words, “He suffered”?
A. That He, all the time that He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, sustained in body and soul the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind;1 that so by His passion, as the only propitiatory sacrifice,2 He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the favor of God, righteousness and eternal life.
- 1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:12.
- 1 John 2:2; Rom. 3:25.
Q. 38. Why did He suffer under Pontius Pilate as judge?
A. That He, being innocent, and yet condemned by a temporal judge,1 might thereby free us from the severe judgment of God to which we were exposed.2
- Luke 23:14; John 19:4; Psa. 69:4.
- Gal. 3:13, 14.
Q. 39. Is there anything more in His being crucified than if He had died some other death?
A. Yes [there is]; for thereby I am assured that He took on Him the curse which lay upon me; for the death of the cross was accursed of God.1
- Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13.
LORD’S DAY 15
Christ’s Suffering in Life
1. What do you understand by the words, “He suffered”?
That Christ sustained in body and soul the wrath of God against the sins of all mankind. I Peter 2:24.
2. Does this mean that Christ died for every man in this world?
No, His death was a sacrifice only for the sins of God’s elect, who are saved from every nation, race, and class of men. Ephesians 1:4-7; I Timothy 2:3-6.
3. When did Christ suffer?
All the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life.
4. What did Christ’s sacrifice of body and soul on the cross achieve for us?
He redeemed us body and soul from everlasting damnation. Psalm 86:13; 103:3, 4.
5. What does it mean that Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross was propitiatory?
He obtained for us the favor of God, righteousness, and eternal life. Romans 3:25; I John 2:2.
6. Did Jesus suffer under Pontius Pilate?
Yes; being innocent, He was yet condemned to death by this temporal judge.
7. Why was it important that Jesus be declared innocent before Pilate?
To show that He suffered, not for His own sin, but to free us from the severe judgment of God to which we were exposed. Galatians 3:13, 14.
8. Is there anything more in His being crucified, than if He had died some other death?
Yes, for thereby I am assured that He took on Him the curse which lay upon me, for the death of the cross was accursed of God. Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13.