[Pastor Ralph]

Q1. From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?

[Darleen Nelson]

The Lord God chose to have Jesus suffer for the sins of all people in all the world. God would use Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to bring all the people of all time under His sacrificial blood. Many either don't know about Jesus' sacrifice or just reject what He did or put their action off until later which is a foolish thing to do.

[jaunita]

Isaiah 52:-15 " So shall He startle & sprinkle many nations...." Isaiah 53: 12 " ....."He bore the sin's of many" Jesus came for all, whom would believe. I sat this am. reading the new lesson, & studying the scriptures thinking " Jaunita, you're not articulate, how can you answer these questions?" So I will just say this.....I am so glad, that Jesus came. I am so thankful I don't have to go to the temple with a sacrifice, of a little lamb, everytime I sin. I thought about all the animal's slain, because of sin, & how under the old covenant, this took place, & how Jesus said "I come not, to do away with the law, but to show you a better way" He is that way! If the blood of innocent "natural" lambs covered our sins in the past....How much greater is the spilling of blood, of our Lord on the cross, in doing away with sin! The creator sacfificing Himself for the creation. ......"This is love, that a man lay down his life for others" I pondered on the third part of the question, " In what sense is Jesus's sacrifice wasted on some people"? What came to me was, how salvation is a gift.." By faith are you saved, not by works, least any man boast" If we do not believe, by faith, that Jesus died for our sins, then that is a waste! Someone could give me a million dollars, place it in the bank for my use, but if I never take it out, & spend it, of what use is it to me? Its there, but I could still die in poverty. In this, I see that the sacrifice made by our Lord, could be a waste. .... Love you all!...

[Sunshine Miller]

There are no words to express the Wonder of Him who laid His life on a cross to become the ultimate sacrifice to THE ENTIRE WORLD... from the day of His last earthly breath... to the day of His coming; His return. A calculative number; which would equal the stars and the sands of the beaches. Even I could not comprehend this number of people His blood could cover.

I began to ponder one question: In what sense would it have been a WASTE? I cannot conceive in my being it ever is a waste. Even ONE... would have been acceptible in the sight of God. Even ONE would have shown to us the Love to which God so deeply has for us. If but ONE were SAVED I believe He would have done this. For God sooooooo Loved the WORLD... generations and generations of that Enduring Love forever. Thank God more than we can count will be inside of Heavens Gates. John saw Multitudes while he stood before the throne... the vision tells me there are more than we know. Praise God for His blood covers soooooo many. SUNSHINE

[photobug]

Isaiah52:12 tells us that he bore the sins of many. God almighty would give his only son for a scrifice lamb for a sin sick world

[Peggie]

The Precious Lamb of God removed the sins of the entire WORLD!!! They are removed to whosoever believes on Him and has confessed Him as Lord of their life.
It's sad that the greatest sacrifice ever shown the world in indeed wasted on some who don't believe, or maybe they "beleive" but not to the point of dedication to Him. Another way it is wasted is that God has given us all talents to be used for His glory. Those who have not accepted Christ as Lord and Savior are wasting those talents, in many cases using them for the "world".

[Heather Lindwall]

Hello Everyone

From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13-53:12?
In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation?

In Isaiah 53:8, the prophet Isaiah focuses on the sins of the Jewish nations. However it was understood that the servant, or the lamb of sacrifice, was yet to come. Who this sacrificial lamb was , is clear in John 1:29, when John the Baptist referred to Jesus as, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” I believe his source of knowledge was the study of the scriptures of that day, that included Isaiah 52 and 53. Therefore the prophesy of Isaiah conveyed the real sense of Jesus’ universal sacrifice.

The universal nature of Christ’s sacrifice is also made clear in Luke 24:25-27. After Jesus’ resurrection, and clearly referring to His identification to the prophesies, Jesus asked his disciples why they found it so hard to believe all that the prophets had written, that all had been clearly predicted. Jesus absolutely knew that HE was the fulfillment of prophesy.

Since Jesus is our perfect and holy sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, Isaiah’s prophesy is universal in scope.

In what sense is Jesus’ sacrifice wasted on some people?
Jesus’ sacrifice is wasted on those who remain unconvinced of the need for salvation. Either they have never heard the Word of God, or upon hearing are not convicted of their sins. These people see no need for the forgiveness offered through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Love in Our Lord..........Heather

[Diane]

From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?

The sins of the world were put upon Jesus so God would remove the sins of ALL the people since Jesus and God made no distinction.

The sactifice might be wasted on some people if, after hearing about he gospel, they do not receive the grace for their sins and make Jesus the Lord of their life. I like God's approach, though, in that there was no pre-judgment beforehand so that only the number of people who would value the sacrifice would be the ones that were saved. Because Jesus took on ALL the sins of the world, from that point on, every person, up until the last split second of their life can repent, turn to Jesus, believe in the Resurrection and be saved from an eternity in hell. Jesus took on more than he needed to but he loved each of us so much that he did not quibble about whether or not he should take on all the sins. Everyone is welcome. Praise God!!!!

[Mike Dickinson]

#2 Q1. From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?
This passage clearly speaks about Jesus’ sacrifice being made for the ‘individual’ (Vs 6b) ‘For all’ (Vs 6a) and for ‘The Many’ (Vs 11b; 12d) The passage repeatedly speaks in the plural sense. ‘Our infirmities’, ‘Our sorrows’, ‘Our transgressions’. How His punishment has brought ‘Us’ peace and how by His wounds ‘We’ are healed. There’s no contradiction in the use of the different terms because God foreknew there would be those for whom Jesus’ sacrifice would hold no significance (Romans 8:29-30). However, that’s not to say that God didn’t accept the sacrifice of His son for the whole world (John 3:16). I think we sometimes imagine that the entire people of Israel during their journeying in the wilderness hung on every word that Moses commanded. However, we need only compare how many set out on the Journey and the eventual figure that actually entered the promised land to see that many were apostates. Jesus Himself said to the Pharisee "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" Luke 16:31

Today, there are many who would say they live a sinless life but scripture warns “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8)

A quick but true story. I was taking part in street evangelism in Scotland and in conversation with one lady she told me of how much she was involved with her local church. I asked her if she had made a commitment to Christ and she said there was no need as she did so much work for the church. I quoted someone who I had once heard saying "There will be many paupers in heaven and many bishops in hell" and this lady's face turned ashen white. I asked her was she alright and she said "Fancy you saying such a thing"! As I attempted to explain that being in church doesn't make one a Christian anymore than being in a garage makes one a mechanic and she said "No, no, it's just that, well, Bishop used to be my maiden name" ! Perhaps it was a word of knowledge, who knows. However, unless we truly repent and recognise Jesus as our Saviour none of us will enter God's Kingdom.

[Kris Ann]

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From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?

God removes sins from us ALL.
Those who have not known Him;
Those who have not heard Him or understood Him;
Those who have grown up around His teaching, yet have not followed;
Those who have followed Him and then faltered;
Those who have despised and rejected Him

Jesus was sacrificed for "the sins of the Nations". Since this includes every Nation on earth, He died for the entire world. I like to think this also extends to count for our ancestors, for us, and for our children's children. For the past and for the future. For sins that I have commited, and for sins that I hope not to commit in the future.

"for the sins of the Nations" - could this also mean sins that are not the result of a single person? Sins that are comitted as a result of the masses following a societal conscience or culture. Sins that are so much a part of our way of life that we no longer recognize them as sins, but as survival.

How is Jesus sacrifice wasted on some people? As with any gift, we have to accept it before we can use it. We have to accept Jesus as our saviour in order to be saved, in order to be cleansed of our sins. Yet many people do not recognize the fact that they have sinned. Given their pride, they may feel they are already good enough. Or they may feel that the sin in question ought not be a sin because of selfish needs. Jesus' sacrifice is wasted if the sins of these people are not brought to justice. Many others simply have not heard of Jesus and what he did for us. It is hard to accept a gift if you are not around to recieve it. Jesus' sacrifice is wasted on those who do not even know about his gift.

[Omie]

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From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people? Exposition

+ The sins of the people of the world will not be removed until the Savior comes; this will be some 740 years after this was written. Isaiah was a Messianic Prophet and in John 12:41 it is written that Isaiah "saw the glory of Christ, and spoke of him."

+ The prophecy about the Messiah and His sacrifice is universal when that day comes. Jesus the Messiah is only universal for those who repented and accepted Jesus before their death.

+ Sadly many hear of Jesus, but few accept Him and His sacrifice

[Linda Stanley]

Pastor Ralph, on Feb 13 2003, 10:12 PM, said:

Q1. From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people? Exposition

God removes sin from many,>52:13-See, my servant will act wisely;he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.53:12 >Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,and he will devide the spoils with the strong,because he poured out his life unto death,and was (numbered with the transgressors).For he bore the sin(Of Many),and made intercession for the transgressors.This was a universal sacrifice because he bore the sins of the whole world.There are many people who know about Jesus and his sacrifice for them,but they dont believe it.To them its fiction in a book.So they reject him.There are people who just shut the door to the truth.People who turn their backs to the word of God.Just as in the days of Noah,the door will soon shut,you cant get in.

[leo]

The Lord removed the sins of the whole world. Furthermore, He did not just remove the sins of the people who were alive at the time the text was written. Jesus' sacrifice was so complete that He took the sins of every single person who believed in Him and were willing to accept Him as their savior.

Unfortunately, like the parable of the sower and the seeds, there are some people who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. In fact, I know a group of people who turned their backs on worshipping the Lord and now are members of a group of satanists. Why did they do that? According to them, the power and abilities that they received since they worshipped Satan is more powerful than anything that they've experienced before. Plus the fact that the lack of guidelines and restrictions makes them feel like they're having lots of fun. It is on these groups of people that I think Jesus' sacrifice es being wasted. They have everything going for them, they don't even have to bring an animal everyday to a temple just to have their sins forgiven and yet they turn their backs on their savior. I feel pity for them but I cannot force them to worship the Lord if they don't want to. I guess the only thing we can do for these people as Christians is to pray for them and to show them and make them feel our love as Christians that comes from our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

[shadylady]

I don't know how much sense this reply will make to anyone else but studying this familiar old piece of scripture over this weekend has been a real revelation to me. I know that the suffering servant was given for many nations, that he was sacrificed for our sins and that it was a once and for all act of willingness on His part. What has left me feeling quite shell shocked as I read and re-read the passage was a) that Jesus had been chosen as the one (God knew right from creation that this was what he had to do and that even if I myself could somehow be cleansed totally from sin, and faithfully followed on the faith trail, and even more so, even if I was willing and brave enough to allow myself to be sacrificed for my own sins, then even tht would not be good enough Why? because God had already chosen Jesus to be the one and there could be no substitute. This has left me absolutely reeling about the enormity of it - I now know with absolute certainty that there is no other way. It has to be Jesus - and I'm not bashing any other faith, but I know that there positively, absolutely, and completely is no other way to the Father except through the Son.

[Julie]

Sins were removed from an indefinate amout of people, having no fixed number, this is universal for it is without a fixed number it is a sacrifice for all. Is Jesus sacrifice wasted on some people, I would pray not, Yes, there are some who do not believe in Him, but, through this sacrifice a nonbeliever always has hope, He is patiently waiting for them.

[gail m]

From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?

Spending some time reading this and being a fairly new Christian..I was like HUH...reading peoples answers for a little insight I was like HUH.. I think I just have to say that from what I am reading..as I understand it..in this passage the sins of many is the answer.

2. Universal sacrifice because in Isaiah53:6 it says We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. All of us..is pretty universal..

3. Oh I am sure most people will say it was not a wasted sacrifice in the least but from what the question states..why was it wasted on some people...well, I say because * he appauled some people * He was despised * rejected * afflicted * pierced * crushed * oppressed * and slaughtered......and it seems to me that it is a shame for anyone who knows about Jesus and not to take time to learn about him is wasting Jesus' sacrifice...God didn't waste Jesus as a sacrifice ..it's us "People" who waste Jesus' sacrifice..........some of us anyway....

[David Maher]

From how large a group of people does God remove sins in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12? In what sense is this a universal sacrifice of salvation? In what sense is Jesus' sacrifice wasted on some people?

I believe the group of people referred to here, is all of us; the scripture refers to, many nations, of us all, etc. I believe this was universal because it is available for all of us. It was wasted on some people because they refuse to accept it; we have to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior in order to receive the many of the blessings He has for us. Thank you Lord, Amen.

[nelda huffman]

JESUS died upon that cross to save us[COLOR=red]all[COLOR=gray]from our sins. So he savd many from their sins. People who wouldn't accept his forgivess is the reason it was wasted, if we do not give our hearts to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, then I feel we are wasting his precious gift that he has and willing to give us, if we will only accept his love and forgiveness.

[nelda huffman]

JESUS died upon that cross to save us all from our sins. So he savd many from their sins. People who wouldn't accept his forgivess is the reason it was wasted, if we do not give our hearts to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, then I feel we are wasting his precious gift that he has and willing to give us, if we will only accept his love and forgiveness.

[Helen Williams]

In Isaiah 52:13-52:12 God remove the sins of many.
Jesus came for the sins of the whole world. Jesus' scarifice is wasted on some because there are those that do not even believe that He is or that He is the Son of God that came that mankind might be saved. This doesn't seem fair and there are some that do not care enough to honor, praise and give their life to Him. HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US!