The Trinity and Our Redemption
Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) was an English scholar, author, preacher, and Puritan. After earning his doctorate, Sibbes was often referred to as “the heavenly doctor Sibbes.”
In The Bruised Reed, Sibbes writes of the heavenly comforts that can be derived from the truth that God has appointed Christ to the service of Mediator.
Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
Isaiah 42:1–3
in all that Christ did and suffered as Mediator, we must see God in him reconciling the world unto himself.
God calls him here his servant. Christ was God’s servant in the greatest piece of service that ever was, a chosen and a choice servant who did and suffered all by commission from the Father. In this we may see the sweet love of God to us, in that he counts the work of our salvation by Christ His greatest service, and in that he will put his only beloved Son to that service. He might well prefix it with “Behold” to raise up our thoughts to the highest pitch of attention and admiration. In time of temptation, apprehensive consciences look so much to the present trouble they are in that they need to be roused up to behold him in whom they find rest for their distressed souls. In temptations it is safest to behold nothing but Christ the brazen serpent, the true Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. This saving object has a special influence of comfort to the soul, especially if we look not only on Christ, but upon the Father’s authority and love in him. For in all that Christ did and suffered as Mediator, we must see God in him reconciling the world unto himself.
Let us embrace Christ and in him God’s love, and build our faith safely on such a Savior that is furnished with so high a commission.
What a support to our faith is this, that God the Father, the party offended by our sins, is so well pleased with the work of redemption! And what a comfort is this, that, seeing God’s love rests on Christ, as well pleased in him, we may gather that he is well pleased with us, if we be in Christ! For his love rests in a whole Christ, in Christ mystical, as well as Christ natural, because he loves him and us with one love. Let us, therefore, embrace Christ and in him God’s love, and build our faith safely on such a Savior that is furnished with so high a commission.
Our redemption is founded upon the joint agreement of all three persons of the trinity.
See here, for our comfort, a sweet agreement of all three persons: the Father gives a commission to Christ; the Spirit furnishes and sanctifies to it, and Christ himself executes the office of a Mediator. Our redemption is founded upon the joint agreement of all three persons of the trinity.