One difficulty in theology is the creation of categories which are too neat and tightly defined.  Theologians often speak of the obedience of Christ in terms of His active obedience and His passive obedience.   We must guard, however, against relegating any particular aspect or action in the life of Christ  to one category or the other since His active and passive obedience are often exhibited simultaneously.  The trial and crucifixion of Jesus offer prime examples of this.

Jesus is a sacrificial victim, but not a hapless victim.  He is not victimized in His trial and crucifixion.  He lays His life down of his own accord and takes it up again.  No man takes it from Him.  At every moment during the trial and crucifixion Jesus actively obeys the will of the Father.  With every twist and turn of the action, Satan finds an opportune time to say to Jesus, “if you are the Son of God then….”  With unbelievable resolve, Jesus exerts His active obedience in the midst of the most intense temptation imaginable.   He, who spoke with authority and whose razor sharp wit had untied all of the Gordian knots thrown at Him on the Tuesday of this passion week, had the power to undo the schemes of Pilate and the Sanhedrin with the powerful and effective Word of God.  He had the power to come off the cross and destroy his taunters.  He had the power over every creaturely element that held Him there on the cross.  Yet, in the midst of passive obedience as a sacrificial victim, He obeyed actively at every nano-second to triumph over powers and principalities and disarm the powers of hell and death.  What an incredible Savior!

How prophetic were the taunts of his enemies – “He saved others, Himself He cannot save.” Join us this week in worship at Pottsville Associate Reformed Presbyterian as we meditate upon this great truth and rejoice that in refusing to save Himself, our Lord saved us.  We meet for worship at 10:45 am this and every Lord’s Day on the square in Pottsville.