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There is one book in the Bible where the Holy Spirit is not mentioned by name, and that book is Leviticus. He is like the auctioneer that Dr. A. A. Bonar used to speak about, who was describing the beauty of an oil painting while he was hidden behind it. The Spirit is the unseen author in the book of Leviticus, like the life in the blood which makes it a life-giving fluid (Lev 17:11,r.v.), for while He is unseen He is none the less there, as He unfolds to us the essential and blessed truth of atonement.
There are two things to which attention is called in thinking of the Holy Spirit's testimony in reference to Christ's atoning sacrifice, and these are the Greek prepositions used in connection with it, and the qualifying expressions which are applied to Christ's blood.
I. The Prepositions and the Atonement.
There are seven prepositions found in association with Christ's death for sin, and these are
and these are classified under the following words,
Peri. (περὶ) With the genitive, "Peri" signifies action around an object, hence, to speak or hear about, or of a thing or person. It is used in connection with Christ when lie referred to the Holy Spirit as, "this spake He of (Peri) the Spirit" (Jhn 7:39), and is translated concerning (peri) when reference is made to the people murmuring about Christ (Jhn 7:12, 32). This preposition is used in connection with Christ and His atonement in the following passages.
There are two thoughts throbbing through these Scriptures, namely:
Huper, (ὑπέρ) With the genitive, "Huper" means one object bending over another for its protection, hence, to favor, care, benefit, and act for the sake of another. A mother bird bending over her young, in protecting them from danger, illustrates the meaning of the word.
The Spirit uses the preposition in speaking
As applied to Christ's death the main thought is, the provision which is made on behalf of fallen humanity, in His atoning sacrifice, so that men may be saved from the consequence of sin. Huper occurs over thirty times in this provisional sense, and underneath there is the underlying thought of substitution, hence, the word is rendered in Phm 1:13 "in stead" where Paul speaks to Philemon of Onesimus and says, "Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead (huper) he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel."
"Anti," (ἀντί) "Anti" signifies one thing over against another, one thing in the place of another, or something given in exchange for something else. In a popular sense the word "instead" illustrates its meaning.
It is used in the following senses.
"Anti" is used by Christ when He said the purpose of His death was, to "give His life a ransom for (anti) many" (Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45). "Anti" is found in combination with "Lutron" (which means loosing money) and is rendered "Ransom" in 1Ti 2:6. "Antilutron" therefore means a ransom paid instead of others having to pay it. Man was the slave of Satan, sold under sin. He was unable to ransom himself, because absolute obedience is due to God, therefore no act of ours can satisfy for the least offence. Lev 25:48, allowed one sold captive to be redeemed by one of his brethren. The Son of God therefore became man that He might redeem us, "Anti-lutron" implies not merely ransom, but a substituted or an equivalent ransom, the "anti" implying vicarious substitution.
Dia (διά) With the genitive "Dia" signifies, by means of, a procuring cause which brings something to someone else. It is of frequent occurrence in connection with Christ and His death. We shall note some of the blessings which flow from His death, as illustrating the meaning of the preposition.
"Eis" (είς) ["Eis"] is a preposition governing the accusative, with the primary idea of motion into any place or thing. Heb 9:24, gives a good illustration of its meaning—"Christ is not entered into (eis) the holy place made with hands … but into (eis) heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for lis." A person approaching unto a place in order to enter into it expresses the full meaning of eis. As applied to Christ's death there are two thoughts, namely: Christ approaching the place of His death and entering into all its suffering, and the benefit into which He now brings us in consequence.
"En" (ἐν) ["En"] occurs between two and three thousand times in the New Testament. The preposition, governing the dative, signifies one object resting in another,
hence believers are said to be "in (en) Christ"
As found in association with Christ's blood, "en" speaks of the permanence of the blessings which are found therein and secured thereby.
Sun (σύν) ["Sun"] governing only the dative and speaks of intimate association, co-operation, oneness, and union. It is generally rendered "with," hence, believers are said to be "quickened with Christ" (Col 2:13), our "life is hid with Christ in God" (Col 3:3), and when He comes back for us, we shall "live together with Him" (1Th 5:10), "appear with Him in glory" (Col 3:4), and shall be "for ever with the Lord" (1Th 4:17). Believers are also said to be "dead with (sun) Christ" in His death (Rom 6:8; Col 2:20), even as the two thieves were "crucified with (sun) Him" (Mat 27:38).
"Sun" is also found in combination with another word, "Sustauroo," which means to be impaled on a cross in company with others; hence is rendered "crucified with" in referring to the thieves who were crucified with Christ (Mat 27:44; Mar 15:27; Jhn 19:32), and also in speaking of the old man of the sinful habits it is said to be "Crucified with" Christ (Rom 6:6) and the "I" of the self life, as Paul says, "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20).
II. The qualifying expressions which are applied to the blood of Christ.
The one expression which is prominent in the New Testament about the blood of Christ is, "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb 9:22). This is the inspired statement of the Spirit. By sin we had forfeited everything. By the giving of the life of the Son of God He more than regains what we had lost. The shedding of blood always presupposes the giving up of the life of Christ on our behalf. Jehovah said long ago, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life (Lev 17:11, r.v.).
There are a number of different expressions associated with Christ's blood.
Christ frequently emphasized the necessity of the shedding of His life's blood and the consequent outcome of blessing in the words
and the Holy Spirit frequently draws attention to the benefits of Christ's atonement by using the words
*The difference between salvation provided in the death of Christ, and the acceptance of the provision made is very well illustrated in the following incident. In 1829 or 1830, George Wilson, in Pennsylvania, was sentenced to be hanged, by a United States Court in Philadelphia, for robbing the mails and murder. Andrew Jackson, as President of the United States, pardoned him, but Wilson refused the pardon and insisted that it was not a pardon unless he accepted it. That was a point in law never before raised in the U. S. of A. The Attorney General said the law was silent on the point. The President was urged to call upon the Supreme Court to decide the point at once, as the Sheriff must know whether to hang Wilson or not. Chief Justice John Marshall, one of the ablest lawyers, gave the following decision: "A pardon is a paper, the value of which depends upon its acceptance by the person implicated. It is hardly to be supposed that one under sentence of death, would refuse to accept a pardon, but if it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged." And he was hanged. Who is responsible for his death? No one but the man himself. The law said he must die. The President stepped in between him and the law, but the man refused the pardon.
Indirectly, the Supreme Court of the U. S., decided that the truth of the atonement of Christ, in making provision for the salvation of the whole world, is only beneficial to those who receive Him as their own personal Saviour. The righteousness of God is unto all in its offer, but it is upon them that believe in its benefit (Rom 3:22).
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