R.C. Sproul

Well, why does it have to be done?

Because if Jesus is going to be the second Adam, the new representative of the people

He must fulfill in His own person all of the obligations that God imposes upon His people.

In a real sense, He becomes Israel, the incarnation of Israel, and He has to do everything that the law requires of those people.

And so He actively pursues obedience.

His meat and His drink is to do the will of the Father.

So then we distinguish that from the passive obedience, and the passive obedience, Kent makes this an absolute distinction because he actively submits himself to being passive to the requirements of the Father.

This has to do with his suffering.

His active obedience is that obedience by which he achieves perfect righteousness and thereby merits redemption for his people.

So He supplies us with the righteousness we need, and we'll look at that more fully later on.

But at the same time, He also takes upon Himself the punishments that we deserve by submitting Himself to the judgment of God.

You can see this most clearly in His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus has this cup of divine wrath set before Him.

the cup of God's judgment, and he groans under this, Father, let this cup be removed from me.

Nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done.

And of course, the Father requires him to drink the cup and to embrace the cross.

And at that point, Christ is passive.

He's receiving in himself the curse of the old covenant.

He's receiving in himself the punishment of God in behalf of his people.

And all of this, of course, was agreed upon in eternity.

before the Logos ever became flesh and dwelt among us.