Read Isaiah 53

“…My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)

There is no greater depiction of the suffering of Christ than the prophecy of Isaiah found here in the 53rd chapter. To think that it was written hundreds of years before the Event of the Cross is truly astonishing. It accurately depicts the historical suffering of the Messiah with razor-sharp precision.

Wounds. Bruises. Piercings. Dying alongside of criminals. Being buried in a rich man’s grave. It’s all here, just as Jesus experienced it.

But what is more confounding than the historical prophecies is how Isaiah expounds on the theological realities of Christ’s suffering, and what it has provided to lost humanity. It’s as if the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul were contemporaries sharing notes over a cup of coffee on Christ’s redemption.

First, we find the doctrine of propitiation in verses 4 and 5. This doctrine speaks of how Christ would satisfy the wrath of God for our sin. The prophet Isaiah said, “Smitten by God and afflicted... [Christ] was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities." (see Isaiah 53:4-5)

Just as the Apostle Paul declared in Romans about Jesus —

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly… whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood.” (Romans 5:6; 3:25)

Secondly, we explicitly see the doctrine of imputation in verse 6. The doctrine teaches that God imputed our sin upon the body of Christ, our Lord, and punished Him as if He were the sinner. Simultaneously, God has imputed Christ's righteousness to our account. The prophet Isaiah announced, “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (see Isaiah 53:6)

And too, Paul proclaims about our Lord Jesus Christ —

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Thirdly, we clearly observe the doctrine of justification in verse 11. The doctrine of justification teaches that God declares a man right with Him by grace through the payment of the Christ. The prophet Isaiah said, “My righteous Servant shall justify man, for He shall bear their iniquities." (see Isaiah 53:11)

Yes! No surprise that Paul preaches this of Christ —

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:23–24)

And finally, we discern the doctrine of the resurrection in verse 12. That is, all who are justified shall also be glorified through the resurrection from the dead. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Therefore, I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong." (see Isaiah 53:12) Where is the resurrection in this verse, you ask? Tell me — how does God lavish the spoils of victory with a dead man? — unless that dead man has resurrected to new life? Isaiah foresaw the resurrection of the Christ.

Is it belaboring to quote Paul yet once more about our precious Savior?

“[Righteousness] shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:24–25)

Beloved, what do we learn from all of this? That God loves us and has demonstrated His compassion toward us through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This was always God’s plan. He would not leave us estranged from Him! Rather, God has spoken to us in plain language how He would ransom us from our vile sin, from the depths of hell and from the grip of death. He did it just as He said! Christ bore our sin so that we could bear His righteousness, and Christ rose again so we could rise again with Him!

Ah! — the wonders of God’s love! Truly, in God’s Book, page after page speaks of His redemptive plan. Every iota in Scripture is dripping with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What a joy to know that we are a part of it! May these words from Isaiah 53 sink into your soul today, for in them is the fulfilled promise of God for your very salvation. To God be the glory! Amen.

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,” (Romans 6:8)

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