Similarities And Differences Of Christ At Calvary And Sinners In Hell.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: 1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God..."

PROPOSITION: to use this text and others to show the similarities and differences between Christs suffering at Calvary, and the suffering of sinners in hell and also to show that no one needs to go to Hell if they will come to God through Christ.

1.) What are the similarities of Christ sufferings at Calvary and the sinners sufferings in hell.

A.) Christ was without sin and yet was condemned with other sinners, there were two thieves on either side of him, and at the great white throne judgement bar all sinners "small and great" will be judged together as being a part of the same interest and purpose, all being unified in Satans army.

Isaiah 53:12 "...he was numbered with the transgressors..."

B.) Christ suffered to an infinite degree because of imputed sin, and sinners will suffer to an infinite degree because of their own sin. Psalms 37:20 "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away."

C.) Christ thirsted for water He cried out "I Thirst" and sinners will cry in Hell for one small drop of water. Luke 16:24 "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."

D.) Christ who is "the light of the world" suffered in darkness, and sinners will be cast into outer darkness.

Luke 23:44 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour."

Matthew 25:30 "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

E.) Christ was abandoned by God, he cried out "my God my God why hast Thou forsaken me" and sinners will be completely forsaken, and thrown away of God, in the same way as you would throw away trash into an incinerator, they will be cast into that dead sea of Hell, they "died in their sin". Ezekiel 8:18 "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

2.) What are the differences of Christ's suffering at Calvary and the sinners suffering in Hell.

A.) Christ was sentenced by an unrighteous judge, and sinners are judged according to a rule of perfect justice by the Supreme Righteous judge of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ. John 19:6 "Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him."

Genesis 18:25 "...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

B.) Christs suffering was substitutionary, it was "the just for the unjust" the sinners suffering is the "reward of unrighteousness" or "the wages of unrighteousness"

C.) The duration of Christs suffering was completed in time, He "hath once suffered for sin". He cried out "it is finished". the sinners suffering is "for ever and ever" Revelation 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night..."

Illustration: I have used this Illustration many times already, but I can't come up with a better one, suppose you had a debt of trillions of dollars, and the interest was growing daily you could never pay the debt, but if someone had compassion upon your miserable condition, and had unlimited wealth they could pay the debt in a moment of time, what would take you an eternity, He could do in time, Christ is infinitely rich in virtue, so He could pay our debt to "the uttermost farthing" offering himself as a sacrifice that satisfies.

3.) Why no one has to suffer for their sins.

A.) Because the whole purpose in Christs suffering was to provide a blood atonement for sin so that no one would have to suffer for their own sin, Christ's suffering reconciles all repentant sinners, so that Christ "might bring them to God"

CONCLUSION: to "die in your sin" is to be cursed throughout all eternity. Christ became a "curse for us" at Calvary, Christ made a complete payment for sin, he satisfied the Holy, and righteous demands of God and provided the only way that sinners can be saved from "the wrath to come" so that "he might "bring us to God".