Have you ever tried to fix something with the wrong tools?
A month ago, our home espresso maker, which we’ve had since our seminary days, developed a problem. A nut securing one of the valves had vibrated loose. It seemed like a simple problem to fix. Just get a wrench and tighten the nut. The trouble was, I couldn’t access the nut except through a tiny slot none of my wrenches would fit through. So I came up with all these goofy ways to try to fix it, including using chopsticks and nails to rotate the nut to tighten it. But within a day or so, it would simply vibrate loose again. It was maddening!
That’s when I discovered that unique problems require unique solutions. I was reading a blog for a solution when I realized the solution. It turns out there’s a specialized wrench designed just for tightening these nuts. It’s custom-shaped and narrowed in just the right places to get perfectly into the space to get the job done. It’s a unique solution designed for a unique problem.
Today, we’re going to see how Jesus alone is uniquely able to solve humanity’s unique problem. How can all of sinful humanity be reconciled to a holy God through the sacrificial life of a single substitute? Who can represent the totality of humanity? Who can bear the weight of all human sin? Who can perfectly satisfy the infinite demands of a holy God? Answer: Jesus alone.
Jesus is fully divine, and as such, can bear the infinite weight of all of humanity’s sin. Jesus is also fully human, so He can serve as our representative in every way. And Jesus is fully perfect, so His righteousness is fully acceptable and pleasing to the Father in every way. So when Jesus dies in our place and for our sake, He is able by a single, perfect, sacrificial, substitutionary life to make full atonement for the sin of all humanity throughout all of time before a God of infinite holiness. Our unique problem requires a unique solution. And His name is Jesus.
Jesus alone can make us right with God. And in Him alone, we are loved, more than we know!
