A college professor has 31 students in his theology class at the beginning of a new semester, and he noticed after a week of classes, that one of the students, Johnny, who was very physically fit and well-liked by the other students, always sat at the back of the lecture hall. At the end of one of the class periods, the professor caught up with Johnny and struck up a conversation with him about exercise and asked him specifically how many push-ups he could do. Johnny quickly responded that he routinely did 100 push-ups in a row. "Great!" said the professor, "but could you do 300 if you only had to do 10 at a time and got a moment or two of rest in between?" Johnny thought about it and then said, "Yeah, I could do it if I got a bit of a break in between sets." "Excellent!" said the professor. "Next class period, be prepared to do push-ups. I want to illustrate a point."

At the beginning of the next class period, all of the students entered the lecture hall and took their seats. As they did, they noticed a large box of donuts on the professor's desk. After the bell rang, the professor entered and said, "Today, we're going to illustrate, in a very small way, the nature of Jesus' sacrifice for all of us. There are enough donuts in this box for each of you to have one, as well as a few extras, in case any students in the next class trickle in at the end of the hour, and want one, too." With that said, he picked up the box of donuts, motioned for Johnny to come to the front of the class of the room, and walked up to Sally who sat in the front row. "Sally," the professor said, taking the first donut from the box and speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "This donut symbolizes the forgiveness of your sins and the resultant eternal life when your life is through. Do you want it?" "Sure!, said Sally eagerly. As the professor places a donut on the napkin on Sally's desk, he looked back over his shoulder at Johnny and said, "Johnny, please do 10 push-ups so that Sally can have this donut." The professor then quickly looked at the other students and said, "All the rest of you, I want to hear you count aloud the push-ups, one-by-one, as Johnny does them." Johnny quickly dropped to the floor and performed the push-ups as the other students loudly and joyously counted them out, each anticipating their own donut.

The professor continued this procedure for 12 more students, and each time the result was the same. However, everyone could see that Johnny was starting to have great difficulty completing the push-ups and that he was starting to break a sweat. Sensing the transition taking place, the professor quickly approached Mary, who was next in line. "Mary," said the professor, "Would you like a donut?" Mary, who was looking down at her desktop, slowly looked over at Johnny who was kneeling on the hard floor, looking at her in anticipation of her response, already getting into position to do push-ups for her donut. She then slowly looked back at her desktop, and without lifting her head to answer, said in a small, quiet voice, "No." "I...I don't want Johnny to have to do any more push-ups." The professor, accepting her answer, slowly passed by her desk. But looking back over his shoulder, he said, "Johnny, please do 10 push-ups for the donut that Mary doesn't want." Stunned. the students counted off the push-ups as Johnny performed them.

The professor approached several more students and some warily said yes, while others like Mary, saddened for Johnny, said no. Each time, regardless of the answer given, Johnny completed 10 push-ups. By this time, Johnny's arms had begun to ache, and he was starting to groan a little as he finished the sets. Continuing with his questioning, the professor approached the next student, who happened to be Joe. as he started to get out of his seat. "But I'll do my own push-ups." The professor gently put his hand on Joe's shoulder and said "I'm sorry, Joe, but Johnny's the only one who can do the push-ups for you." "Now," he repeated, "Would you like a donut?" Joe, unable to look at Johnny, quickly said, "Yes." "Johnny," said the professor somewhat loudly as he placed the donut on the desk, "Joe would like one, too. Please do another 10 push-ups."

One by one, the professor approached each of the students. Some said yes, others said no. And without fail, Johnny did 10 push-ups for each of them, whether they wanted one or not. All the girls were now teary-eyed and none of the boys said a word except the required counting of push-ups. It was now approaching the end of the class period, and as Johnny finished the set of push-ups for the final student, two students from the class to follow entered the lecture hall and sat in the back row. Seizing the opportunity, the professor quickly invited them to join the others up front, and asked them if they, too, would like a donut. Each quickly said "Sure!", and the professor turned to look at Johnny and said, "Two more want donuts, Johnny. Do one set. Rest a couple of seconds, Then do the other." Slowly, Johnny got into position, pushed hard, and completed the push-ups. As he was finishing the second of the two sets, Mary saw that another boy was about to enter the lecture hall. She wiped the tears from her eyes and rushed to the door to lock it so that he couldn't enter. But Johnny saw the student through the window in the door and in a tired voice said, "No, that's okay, Mary. I don't know who he is but let him in too." as the student entered the lecture hall, the professor walked up to him and said, "How about you? Would you like a donut?" Sensing the distress of the other students, the boy cautiously said "No." Slowly the professor turned and looked at Johny and said, "Another 10 push-ups for the donut not wanted." And looking around at the others who had become increasingly quiet, the professor said loudly, "And I want to hear each of you counting them off as he does them." Slowly and painfully, Johnny, who had been lying on the floor, righted himself and ground out the ten push-ups while the others counted. As he completed the last push-up, he collapsed on the floor, shirt and hair sopping wet with sweat, his arms too sore too move, and his lungs gasping for air.

After a short pause that seemed to last an eternity, the professor quietly said, "This, in a very small way, illustrates the nature of the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us. For those of us who want it and will obey to obtain eternal life, and for those of us who don't want it and won't obey, who will be lost. For all of us, because none of us could do it for ourselves. Regardless of our answer, Jesus sacrificed himself. How then will each of you show your appreciation for the sacrifice made?"

Romans 5:6-6:3 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?