The Cross has first place in atonement. Atonement is first in salvation. The Cross is first in atonement.

In First Corinthians 15:1-3, Paul says that the first thing which he preached in his gospel was that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. That is not all that there is to salvation, but that is the first part of the plan. The Cross is the first step on the way — Christ died for our sins. That is the prime factor in atonement.

Theologically speaking, there are two parts to Paul's argument. As a Jew, Paul takes these for granted. These two things are, namely:

1. There is a God — an eternal, holy, and righteous creator of the universe, and man and all that is on the earth.

2. That man, by free will, sinned against that holy and righteous creator and so man is altogether and individually out of the way and out of the plan which the creator had planned for him. These two premises make atonement necessary: That there is a Holy God who made man for Himself, who does all things well; and that man has departed from the plan, purpose, and the will of God and so from his own best good.

Now the next step is the one stated in our text, "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures." Christ (whomever Paul took him to be) died for our sins, according to the scriptures. This statement brings forward several propositions, the chief of which are three in number and are these:

1. Man is a sinner.

2. There is death for sins.

3. Christ died for our sins.

The first proposition includes all men under sin; the second states sin's consequence — death.

The world of religion divided itself into three groups:

1. Those in which the sinner dies for his sins, or capital punishment and judgment.

2. Those in which an animal substitute is killed for sins of a person, as in the Old Testament, prefiguring Christ.

3. That belief stated here that Christ died for our sins as the Scriptures said he would.

In the Old Testament the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin. The blood of those animals was but a looking forward to the time when Christ, as the Son of God, would take away forever the sins of those whom the blood now simply covered.

The Primacy of the Atonement to the World as a Whole:

The following outline shows the primacy of the death of Christ in the atonement for the sins of the world. Study it carefully and you will see the movement from the general to the particular and then back from the particular to the general, of which the death of Christ is the center.

The salvation of the world in promises:

     1. The Race to Eve— Gen. 3:15

          2. The Shemites— Gen. 8:26 Those who know God as Jehovah.

               3. The Nation — Abraham — Gen. 12: 1-3 Those who believe in God.

                    4. The Tribe to Judah— Gen. 49:10

                         5. The Family to David— II Sam. 7:13

                              6. The Individual to the Virgin — Isa. 7:14

                                   7. Immanuel — The one upon whom the floodlight of prophecy focuses.

                                   Christ — the center of the plan of salvation.

                                   The center of salvation is at the Cross.

                                   The Cross was the center of Christ's life and work.

Even as the plan of salvation proceeds from the race in general to the individual in particular, so it will return from the individual to the general.

                                   7. Immanuel .

                              6. The individual — the Virgin One

                         5. The family as of David, the throne, and Jerusalem

                    4. The tribe as of Judah— the land

               3. The nation as the leader of nations

          2. The Shemites — those who know God as Jehovah

     1. The race — the entire race returned to the tree of life in the New Heaven and New Earth

The Primacy of Atonement to the Individual:

Sometimes I ask students the question, "Before peace will come to this earth, how many people must die?" Various answers are generally forthcoming, but all too often the real answer comes slowly. The answer is, "Before peace can come to this world, all men must die." Peace comes only by righteousness and righteousness comes only in one way, by death to sin and being made righteous by Christ.

There are two ways that this answer can be taken. That all men must die before peace will come to earth. On a battle field, when all of the enemy lie dead, naturally peace of a kind has come. At least, hostilities close. This is one way to get peace and, if all the people on earth were dead, of course there would be peace and not war. Just here it is well to observe that the cause for war and bloodshed is not overpopulation, for Cain killed Abel in days when over-population was no issue. So, one way to get peace would be to kill all the people of the world. This seems to be a cruel and impractical way. Yet, withal, this is what may happen. Now in these last days it is a possibility.

Then there is another way to get peace on the earth and that would be for all men to die to self; and, in the atonement, to receive the righteousness which God has provided. That is, all men are to be crucified with Christ to be made dead, truly dead, to sin in the atonement, and then to be made alive by the resurrection power, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from out the dead.

Thus, we can see the primacy: the death of Christ is the first work of Christ in the atonement. The atonement, or death of Christ, is not the only work of Christ for sinners but it is the first and primal work. It is the center of the plan of salvation. It is the beginning of His work as Saviour. At the Cross sins are forgiven. At the Cross justification is begun but not entirely ended. If God gave Christ to die for us, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Salvation in its fullest outworking consists of:

1. Atonement from sin

2. Justification before God

3. The power of a new life by the resurrection

4. The work of the Holy Spirit in the new life

5. The present high priesthood of Christ for us and for all sinners

6. The return of Christ again as judge of the living and the dead — as King of kings and Lord of lords.

But remember, the atonement at the Cross is the beginning of all these for us. This means we must be crucified with Christ, buried with Him, raised with Him, seated in the heavenlies with Him, coming with Him, or going to Him in the second coming. Then, judging with Him and reigning with Him. No wonder we sing, "Hallelujah, what a Saviour. It was at the Cross where we first saw the light."

In salvation from sin several things are brought forward. Salvation in the Bible is the total word involving all the parts of God's work in bringing a sinner unto himself. The order of these parts of God's work is some what as follows:

1. The world was created.

2. It was sinless and orderly.

3. Sin entered into the world and man entered into sin.

4. Christ Jesus died for sin — to cover all past sin.

5. Christ Jesus rose again from the dead to justify the sinner and give him the power of a new life and power to walk in a life of service to God and to man, apart from sin.

6. Christ is coming again to righteously judge those who have lived in righteousness; also those who have lived in sin and evil.

7. God will make a New Heaven and New Earth wherein dwells righteousness.

And it is the Cross which stands in the center of the plan concerning man's deliverance from sin. The Cross is the first factor. It is as the singer has sung, "At the Cross, at the Cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day."