The work of Christ is preeminent and central in the church because Jesus Christ himself is preeminent. I recently heard a pastor say that “the cross is central because Jesus got on it.”
Penal Substitutionary Atonement
The work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection is summed up in his work of penal substitutionary atonement. Penal substitutionary atonement is the idea that Jesus Christ became the substitute penalty taker on behalf of sinners to make them free from guilt and to make them one with God in his righteous life. Consider how B.B. Warfield defined penal substitutionary atonement:
The Biblical doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ find’s its full recognition in no other construction than that of the established church doctrine of satisfaction. According to it, our Lord's redeeming work is at its core a true and perfect sacrifice offered to God, of intrinsic value ample for the expiation of our guilt; and at the same time is a true and perfect righteousness offered to God in fulfillment of the demands of his law; both the one and the other being offered in behalf of his people, and, on being accepted by God, accruing to their benefit; so that by this satisfaction they are relieved at once from the curse of their guilt as breakers of the law, and from the burden of the law as a condition of life; and this by work at such kind and performed in such a manner, as to carry home to the hearts of men a profound sense of the end indefectible righteousness of God and to make them a perfect revelation of his love; so that, by this one and indivisible work, God is reconciled to us, and we, under the quickening influence of the Spirit out for us by, a reconciled to God so making peace-- external peace between an angry God and sinful men, and internal peace in the response to human conscience to the restored smile of God.
Paul writes in Colossians 1:24 that the cross consisted of “Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church…” The afflictions that Christ suffered for the sake of his church were afflictions that led to atonement of sin and reconciliation to God. He died in their place for them. Jesus Christ is preeminent not only in his person but also in his work on behalf of his people. He is preeminent to his people because his work for them destroys all that was standing against them and results in reconciliation to God. The afflictions of Christ should be seen in the light of the love and pleasure of God.
Paul writes about this in Colossians 1:19-20: “For in him all the fullness of God pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things… making peace by the blood of his cross.” God was motivated by his good pleasure to reconcile all things to himself in the cross of Jesus. Louis Berkof comments on the good pleasure of God and the cross:
“According to Scripture the moving cause of the atonement is found in the good pleasure of God to save sinners by substitutionary atonement. Christ himself is the fruit of this good pleasure of God. It was predicted that he would come to the will to carry out the good pleasure of God….”
Colossians 2:11-12 also speaks of the penal substitutionary nature of the atonement: ”In him also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Paul refers to Jesus' death on the cross as a circumcision. This circumcision of Christ on the cross is also referred to as the circumcision of Christian. When Christ died, the Christian died. In the same way, when Christ was raised, the Christian was raised from the dead. In this way, Jesus Christ is the penal substitutionary atonement for the Christian in his death and resurrection, circumcising in himself the penalty of sin, death, and hell for the believer in granting to them his resurrected life. All other effects of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in his resurrection spring from the foundation stone of substitutionary atonement.
There will never be a victory you have that did not originate in the cross. There will never be failure you have that cannot be healed by the cross. Our preeminent Savior's work is first, final and forever.
