Not an Altruist

Was Jesus essentially a good man who sought the wellbeing of others? Lots of secularists and so-called "Christian" groups make him out that way. But that's not Christianity. If we will preach Christ, we cannot preach "Christ the altruist." Altruism is the philosophy of living in selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Granted, Jesus was more concerned for the salvation of others than for his own comfort. And he was disciplined enough to ignore his own desires. He was a good man, and he did seek the wellbeing of others. But that's not what he was about.

Our Lord’s acceptance of the humiliation God determined for him was not altruism, it was fueled by his search for glory. Jesus was motivated not out of selflessness. He sought his eternal glory. Jesus' actions were motivated by his desire to obtain the glory God gives. Jesus was aiming at eternal rewards.

… anyone who comes to him [God] must believe that… he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

Jesus knew very well the kind of god God is. Just like anyone who lives by faith, Jesus was motivated by God’s generosity. He knew that God had prizes stored up for him. Jesus understood that God would reward him handsomely for his obedience. And so, he humbled himself knowing that God would exalt him.

The Greater Glory

Jesus knew that he would get all that he sacrificed back again—and more. This more Jesus obtained at his resurrection could not possibly have been greater divine glory, for he already had equality with God when he was the Word. Before his incarnation, he was with the Father, and Jesus was Divine.

… the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the Beginning with God. All things came into being through him (John 1:1-3; NASB).

… as he [Jesus] already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6; NASB).

What greater glory exists than equality with God? The greater glory Jesus obtained at the Resurrection (greater than what he had before the incarnation) was a Kingdom. But by Kingdom we’re not just speaking of a domain. We’re speaking of the subjects of that domain. Jesus inherited a nation of well-trained subjects! Those subjects will rule with him in the Kingdom. Look at what was going on in Jesus' mind on the Cross:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? …they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment…

I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you… Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it (Psalm 22:1, 16-18, 22, 30-31)!

So what did Jesus get out of the Cross that made his current status so much greater than it was before? The psalm just told us. It talks about:

• his own people

• the assembly

• posterity

• future generations

• a people yet unborn

The answer is that God has given Jesus a people—a nation of faithful followers. That people includes you and me! Jesus has become a leader of men. He has become the Lord of a Kingdom filled with citizens to whom he delegates authority. Jesus rules over rulers. He is the King of kings. That is, he is King over the men and women he has purchased with his blood!

The Purchase of Blood

In the hymn To God Be the Glory we sing “Oh perfect redemption, the purchase of blood.” What is a purchase of blood. What did Jesus buy with his blood?

If through baptism we die with Christ, and his death on the Cross officially counts for a us the moment we’re baptized, then at baptism we can state with all legitimacy that we have become Christ's own people. A purchase of blood becomes effective the moment we are baptized. A transaction is completed, and we belong to Jesus.

Christ’s blood payment to ransom us is charged to the Cross—making the Cross an unlimited source of redemption. The Cross has become an unlimited source of grace. Jesus’ death could pay for the sins of the whole World. His blood has enough redeeming value to cover the sins of all people.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole World (1 John 2:2).

This is why through the Cross Jesus was able to purchase the most valuable of all commodities: human souls. What price can be paid for a human life? It's worth goes far beyond gold, silver, and precious jewels.

Redeeming Friends, Not Purchasing Slaves

Gold is one thing, but people are quite another. Even the King of Sodom knew this. Listen to the words the King of Sodom spoke to Abraham as they negotiated the spoils of war:

Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself (Genesis 14:21; NASB).

If that king, a wicked and perverse Sodomite, knew how valuable people were, how much more should we as Christians understand the value of people? Abraham demonstrated that he knew how valuable a life was. He fought the battle of the Five Armies just to rescue one man, his nephew Lot.

Jesus understands the value of a human life too. But Jesus doesn’t take us as slaves like the king of Sodom took his prisoners of war. Rather, the Lord redeems us as friends. Because of that, we willingly serve him.

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15; NASB).

God’s Gift to Jesus

You become God’s gift to Jesus when you convert to Christ. Psalm 22 isn’t the only passage that mentions God giving human resources to Jesus as a prize. Consider how Jesus calls us ‘the children God has given me.’

Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion (Isaiah 8:18).

‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too [Jesus] shared in their humanity (Hebrews 2:13-14).

Jesus looked upon his disciples with the utmost care and affection, calling them children.

So Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?’ They answered Him, ‘No’ (John 21:5; NASB).

Correspondingly, once the Kingdom comes to Earth, we will call Jesus our Father. That's because through him we have been spiritually regenerated. We have been born again through Christ. He has fathered us into a new life and deserves to be called our Father.

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called… Everlasting Father… (Isaiah 9:6)

Jesus Loves God

Jesus didn’t cherish his glory more than he cherished the One who gave him glory! He loved God. Jesus didn’t cling more tightly to his exaltation than to the One who exalted him. He loved God more than himself. He still loves God to this very day.

Jesus followed God’s will to the manger in Bethlehem—a huge step down from his glory in Heaven. And then he followed God’s will even lower, all the way to lonely Calvary. And because Jesus sacrificed all he had for God, loving him with all his heart, God rewarded Jesus.

God gave Jesus a Kingdom--a nation of servants eternally loyal to their King. Jesus has acquired a people of his very own. And that demonstrates that Jesus made a wise choice when he went to the Cross. He chose the path of God’s rewards, as difficult as it was.

Jesus redeemed a people eager to serve. He went to the Cross to redeem a people who would be his, a people fervent to do what is good—a people zealous for good deeds. If you're part of that people, it will show!

… [Jesus] gave himself for us, in order that he might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:14; NASB).