THE GREAT SALVATION
What
is wrong with the world? We live in the most revolutionary period of the world
history. The current developments in information technology and
communication are really astounding. Over the last few years; there has been an
explosion in the methods of communication. From the age of teleprinters, we
have come to the age of, radios, TVs, fax machines, computers, the Internet,
cell phones, iPods, i phone and cyberspace. In almost all parts of the world
these fast track developments have had their impact. So the world is really
becoming a global village, especially in communication and the dissemination of
information. Even though the world is definitely shrinking in terms of
accessibility of information and ease in communication, it is still alien and a
far removed reality for many. The world
today is at cross- road... We are in a curious predicament. The obverse of the
coin is bright, the reverse grim.
Bible
says "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble." (JOB 14:1)
This
is a reminder that we are only “human.” We are mortals and are subject to
death. Our life is like a flower, it is a shadow, the flower is fading, and all
its beauty soon withers and is gone. The shadow is fleeting, and its very being
will soon be lost and drowned in the shadows of the night. The shortness and
uncertainty of human life too: Man is of few days. Life is here computed, not
by months or years, but by days, for we cannot be sure of any day but that it
may be our last. Man, as he is short-lived, so he is sad-lived. Though he had
but a few days to spend here, yet, if he might rejoice in those few, it were
well but it is not so. During these few days he is full of trouble, not only
troubled, but full of trouble, toiling or fretting, grieving or fearing. No day
passes without some vexation, some worry, some disorder or other.
As
our minds are bombarded day after day with news of wars, oppression, famine,
violent crimes and crisis upon crisis it is no wonder that we are prone to sit
and utter one simple question of hopelessness, this being what is wrong with
the world? The better question is what isn't wrong with the world? Chaos stalks
the Nations. Things are falling apart. Moral Values cherished over the
centuries are getting eroded. Nations with rich natural resources but the
poverty of the masses is abysmal. The haves exploit the have- notes in a
hundred ingenious ways. Women and the weaker sections of society reel under
injustices and handicaps. Corruption is rampant. Mindless violence maims and
destroys the precious lives of the innocent. Terrorism become a nightmare to
all, anti social activities are on rise. On other side Global warming, an
unnatural disaster on the rise because we humans like to pollute the very air
we breathe, and destroy the ozone layer as a result. It could be said that
somewhere along the path people started losing their way. The challenges today
are enormous due to persistent poverty, complex social issues, poor
infrastructure and weak governance; these problems are well known but not well
understood.
British
author Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936)) has been called the “prince of
paradox.” He was known for his insightful views on many issues. Time magazine
observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points
with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside
out.” His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry,
biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. The Times
newspaper once had asked a number of authors to write on the topic: “What’s
wrong with the world?” Chesterton’s answer at that time was the shortest of
those submitted – he simply wrote.
Dear
London Times,
I
am.
Sincerely
Yours,
G.
K. Chesterton.
He
was not joking. As a prominent writer, his answer was very fundamental.
The problem of this world will never be addressed in full until we come
to understand in our minds, hearts, and soul that the problem lies first and
foremost within us. The holy Bible says In Jeremiah 17:9 "The human heart
is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows
how bad it is?”(NIT)
A world in chaos
It
is clear from the books, newspapers, television, Internet and the media all
around the world that there is plenty to complain about. Is there a nation
anywhere in the world where some faction of the population does not complain
about its government? We live in a world of tremendous uncertainty and
anxiety. Christ warned that as the end times were upon us that there would be
times of "perplexity" on the earth and distress of nations. 2 Timothy
3:1-5 says “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without
love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Have nothing to do with such people” Perplexities are problems or challenges
for which there seems to be no logical answer or solution. We are truly
living in an age where the pages of bible prophecy are literally being
fulfilled before our very eyes....and in the news! It all brings us to a
concrete fact and reality— the helplessness and hopelessness of the
mankind. For the student of bible prophecy, this only serves to confirm
what we already know- God is in control!
Troubled World and
Troubled mind.
God
created man and placed him with perfect order in a garden to enjoy perfect
peace, joy and happiness. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed, they were at once
stricken with guilt and they hid themselves with shame. Guilt and fear replaced
the peace and happiness they knew. Here was the beginning of a troubled world-
and a troubled mind. Like Adam and Eve, when you are out of tune with God,
fears and anxieties crowd into your life. When you focus your attention on the
uncertainties of life, on a changing, decaying world, your security and
confidence are shaken. Your peace is disturbed. Sin has separated man from God.
“All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).” “All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Guilt, fear, irritation, resentment,
selfishness, and other hostile impulses plague man wherever he goes. They bring
weariness and mental exhaustion. The love of self was at the root of the first
disobedience of man. It continues to be the one of the first basic evil
inclinations that takes you down the path of despair and heartache. The longer
you travel the path of self-centeredness, the more troubled you become.
WHAT "SIN"
IS!
The
problem of “Sin” is the most serious problem in the world. Suffering is the
result of human sin. The world is not the way that God created it and because of
that, all are vulnerable to the effects of sin in the world. Why does one
person suffer and another does not? Why do catastrophes happen to some and not
to others? It is because sin is in the world. Sin is rebellion against God
and His created order. God is the source of all life and joy. Therefore, when
the human soul rebels against God, it loses its life and joy. But God has not
left us alone in this fallen world. He continued to enter this world, pointing
us to Himself, to truth, to morality, purity, and love. He used the evil of the
world (liars, perjurers, the envious, etc.), to bring His Son to the cross so
that we might have the opportunity to obtain eternal life. In this, God has not
stepped away from fallen creation, but has stepped into it by becoming Jesus.
God works within the fallen world to effect change and He uses fallen people to
accomplish His will. In this, He is proving His sovereignty over evil,
suffering, and rebellious people, proving that sin and evil are utterly futile,
and that He is worthy of honor and glory.
Sin
is when we do not measure up to God’s perfect standard. We intuitively
know when we have done something wrong and we feel guilty. We end up with
what Pastor Mike McKay calls a “mountain of moral debt.” We know that there
is more to life than what we see in front of us. We were born with
eternity in our hearts. But our sin creates a barrier between us and
God. We feel empty and lost. We are unable to fulfill God’s
righteous standard and purpose for our lives in this condition.
When
our first parents (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God, sin came into the world.
God is just and He must punish sin. He tells us that the penalty for sin
is death (eternal separation from God). "For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans
6:23 )
Man
never had to be taught to be selfish or proud or rebellious. It happened
naturally. No one taught us to want what others have or to think that we
are always right. It happened naturally. The Bible tells us that
everyone in the world has a debt problem. Not a financial debt - a moral
one. The Bible calls this sin. "For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) We add to this debt every time we
don’t do the things God asks of us, and then do the very things He asks us not
to do. It is like a disease that we are born with. We just cannot
clean up our own act.
Bible
says, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is
lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4). (Sin is Willful breaking of law or
transgression.) “All wrongdoing is sin….” (All unrighteousness is
sin) (1 John 5:17). Paul says, “….. Whatsoever is not of faith is
sin.” (Rom. 14:23). Then James declares, “So any person who knows
what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin...” (James 4:17).
Sin is also defined to be that of missing the mark. In other words, God’s law
is there, but when one does not live according to it or when one breaks it, he
misses the mark – that is SIN. Defined as, "Actions by which people rebel
against God, miss His purpose for their life, and surrender to the power of
evil rather than to God."
In
the OT sin is Transgression of God’s Law — (Deu 6:24-25) " Braking of
a Covenant —A violation of the righteous nature of God. God set the
standard for His people (Lev 11:45 ) " I, the LORD, brought you
out of Egypt so that you could be my special people and I could be your God. I
am holy, so you must be holy too.” Therefore, any deviation from God’s standard
of righteousness is sin.
In
the NT there are concepts much the same, but in addition there is introduced
the Son of God, Jesus Christ. His perfection is the standard against which
we judge and measure sin! Sin has its roots in the inner man — (Mat
15:18-20) “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the
heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with
unwashed hands does not defile the man.”
Sin is "unbelief." Unbelief rejects, denies, substitutes
for God’s Truth! (John 3:18-19) "He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil." Two interesting facts:
Sinful nature is inherited — (Eph 2:3) "Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others."Sin is the result of a human choice — (Rom
1:18-20) "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest
in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so
that they are without excuse:"
Original sin and its
consequences
The
accounts of the first sin, which we find in the third chapter of Genesis, acquire
a greater clarity in the context of creation. It begins with the conversation
between the tempter, presented under the form of a serpent, and the woman. This
is something completely new. Until then the Book of Genesis had not spoken of
the existence in the created world of other intelligent and free beings, apart
from the man and the woman. The description of creation in chapters 1 and 2 of
Genesis concerns the world of "visible beings." The tempter belongs
to the world of "invisible beings,” even though for the duration of this
conversation he is presented by the Bible under a visible form. The human sin
at the beginning of history occurred under the influence of this being.
The
"ancient serpent" tempted the woman: "Did God say, 'You shall
not eat of any tree of the garden?'" She replied: "We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit
of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it,
lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman: "You shall not
die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen 3:1-5). The tree "of
the knowledge of good and evil" denotes the first principle of human life
to which a fundamental problem is linked. The tempter knows this very well, for
he says: "When you eat of it...you will be like God, knowing good and
evil."
The tree therefore signifies the insurmountable limit for man and for any creature, however perfect. The creature is always merely a creature, and not God. Certainly he cannot claim to be "like God," to "know good and evil" like God. God alone is the source of all being, God alone is absolute Truth and Goodness, according to which good and evil are measured and from which they receive their distinction. God alone is the eternal legislator, from whom every law in the created world derives, and in particular the law of human nature. As a rational creature, man knows this law and should let himself be guided by it in his own conduct. He himself cannot pretend to establish the moral law, to decide himself what is good and what is bad, independently of the Creator, even against the Creator. Neither man nor any other creature can set himself in the place of God, claiming for himself the mastery of the moral order. This is contrary to creation's own ontological constitution which is reflected in the psychological-ethical sphere by the fundamental imperatives of conscience and therefore human conduct.
The tree therefore signifies the insurmountable limit for man and for any creature, however perfect. The creature is always merely a creature, and not God. Certainly he cannot claim to be "like God," to "know good and evil" like God. God alone is the source of all being, God alone is absolute Truth and Goodness, according to which good and evil are measured and from which they receive their distinction. God alone is the eternal legislator, from whom every law in the created world derives, and in particular the law of human nature. As a rational creature, man knows this law and should let himself be guided by it in his own conduct. He himself cannot pretend to establish the moral law, to decide himself what is good and what is bad, independently of the Creator, even against the Creator. Neither man nor any other creature can set himself in the place of God, claiming for himself the mastery of the moral order. This is contrary to creation's own ontological constitution which is reflected in the psychological-ethical sphere by the fundamental imperatives of conscience and therefore human conduct.
In
the Genesis account, in the guise of an apparently irrelevant plot, we find
man's fundamental problem linked to his very condition as a creature. Man as a
rational being should let himself be guided by the "First Truth,"
which is moreover the truth of his very existence. Man cannot claim to
substitute himself for this truth or to place himself on a par with it. If this
principle is called into question, the foundation of the "justice" of
the creature in regard to the Creator is shaken to the roots of human action.
The tempter, "the father of lies," calls in question the state of
original justice by insinuating doubt on the truth of the relationship with
God. In yielding to the tempter, man commits a personal sin and causes the
state of original sin in human nature.
Consequently
Sin separated man from God and Man’s basic crisis is Separation from God.
We already know from scripture that Satan fell into sin prior to the work of
God beginning in Gen. 1:3. He was a beautiful angel originally, rejoicing at
God’s Creation (Job 38:4-7), but he sinned and was judged by God (Isa.
14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19). Note that Satan came to Eve in the appearance of a
serpent, for he is a deceptive spirit and seldom appears to people in his true
character. In Gen. 3, Satan is the serpent who deceives; in Gen. 4,
he is the liar that murders (John 8:44).John 8:44 “You are of your father the
devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar
and the father of it.” We must take care to avoid his deceptive ways.
As
we see from the biblical account, human sin does not have its primary origin in
the heart (and in the conscience) of man. It does not arise from his
spontaneous initiative. It is in a certain sense the reflection and the
consequence of the sin that had already occurred in the world of invisible
beings. The tempter, "the ancient serpent," belongs to this world.
Previously these beings endowed with knowledge and freedom had been "put
to the test" so that they could make their choice commensurate with their
purely spiritual nature. In them arose the "doubt" which, as
recounted in the third chapter of Genesis, the tempter insinuates in our first
parents. Already they had placed God in a state of suspicion and accusation.
God who as Creator is the sole source of the good granted to all creatures, and
especially to spiritual creatures. They had contested the truth of existence, which
demands the total subordination of the creature to the Creator. This truth was
supplanted by an original pride, which led them to make their own spirit the
principle and rule of freedom. They were the first who had claimed the power
"to know good and evil like God." They had chosen themselves over
God, instead of choosing themselves "in God," according to the
demands of their existence as creatures, for "who is like God?" By
yielding to the suggestion of the tempter, man became the slave and accomplice
of the rebellious spirits!
Unfortunately
it is not an isolated event at the dawn of history. How often is one confronted
with facts, deeds, words and conditions of life in which the legacy of that
first sin is evident! Genesis places that sin in relation to Satan, and this
truth about the "ancient serpent" is later confirmed in many other
passages of the Bible. How is man's sin presented against this background? We
read also in Genesis 3: "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be
desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some
to her husband, and he ate" (Gen 3:6).
So
detailed in its own way, what does this description reveal? It attests that the
first man acted against the will of the Creator, under the influence of the
tempter's assurance that "the fruits of this tree serve to acquire
knowledge." It does not seem that man had fully accepted the totality of
negation and hatred of God contained in the words of the "father of
lies." Instead, he accepted the suggestion to avail himself of a created
thing contrary to the prohibition of the Creator, thinking that he also “could
be "like God, knowing good and evil."
Sin Causes a
Fundamental Change.
God's love is revealed in creation, and it is also
revealed in our salvation. God is always faithful in his love and show's his
love for us constantly. But... we cannot experience the love of God and the
salvation in Jesus because sin separates and alienates us from God, the only
fountain of life. The Word of God affirms this: "They have forsaken me,
the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken
cisterns, that hold no water" Jeremiah 2:13, "...all have sinned and
are deprived of the glory of God Romans 3:23.
There is a wall that separates us from God, and an impassable abyss that keeps us from the fountain of life. The result of this is death. "For the wage paid by sin is death." It is losing and missing the only true Life. Man and woman scorned and rejected the tree of life and preferred the nourishment of the tree of knowledge. They did not want God's guidance and elected to walk alone with their own strengths and to build their own lives. They felt autonomous and rejected all dependence on God, believing themselves to be the only creator and author of their own destiny.
From the beginning, humanity rejected God's love and lost all interest of being in communion with Him. Man chose to build a kingdom without God, and instead of worshipping the true God he worshipped idols - the things of this world, his own handiwork - and in fact, he worshipped himself.
Consequently, fear, shame, hate, violence, and death entered the world. Humans are profoundly divided within themselves. Their individual and collective lives portray the dramatic battle between good and evil and light and darkness. By taking a deeper look at the human heart and contemplating his/her life, we can see that they find themselves not only disposed toward evil but truly submerged within a multitude of evils. Mankind feels chained.
There is a wall that separates us from God, and an impassable abyss that keeps us from the fountain of life. The result of this is death. "For the wage paid by sin is death." It is losing and missing the only true Life. Man and woman scorned and rejected the tree of life and preferred the nourishment of the tree of knowledge. They did not want God's guidance and elected to walk alone with their own strengths and to build their own lives. They felt autonomous and rejected all dependence on God, believing themselves to be the only creator and author of their own destiny.
From the beginning, humanity rejected God's love and lost all interest of being in communion with Him. Man chose to build a kingdom without God, and instead of worshipping the true God he worshipped idols - the things of this world, his own handiwork - and in fact, he worshipped himself.
Consequently, fear, shame, hate, violence, and death entered the world. Humans are profoundly divided within themselves. Their individual and collective lives portray the dramatic battle between good and evil and light and darkness. By taking a deeper look at the human heart and contemplating his/her life, we can see that they find themselves not only disposed toward evil but truly submerged within a multitude of evils. Mankind feels chained.
Whenever
we sin, there are consequences that come as a result of the sin. Some of those
consequences are spiritual and some are physical. When Adam and Eve sinned they
experienced both physical and spiritual consequences (Genesis 3).
The
first result of their sin was their awareness of their nakedness. They lost
their innocence. In their embarrassment, they tried to cover themselves by
making some sort of clothing. God knew what had happened, but he wanted Adam
and Eve to understand and admit their sin. When people make mistakes, there are
two responses to the sin. Either they acknowledge their sin or they try to hid
it. God understands we make mistakes, but he wants us to admit our faults. We
cannot correct a wrong until we are able to admit that we made a mistake.
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin. When God asked Adam what
happened, Adam tried to pin the blame on Eve and indirectly on God. "It
wasn't my fault, the woman you gave me, she gave me the fruit to eat."
Adam said Eve gave him the fruit to eat, so it wasn't his fault. Indirectly he
blamed God, "I didn't asked for this woman. You made her." When God
asked Eve what happened, she too tried to pass the blame onto someone else. It
wasn't her fault, the serpent tricked her.
God
then pronounces the punishment for their sins.
To
the serpent, he altered the animal's shape so that it had to crawl on its
belly. In addition, he made a natural repulsion between the serpent's kind and
the woman's kind. Even today, thousands of years later, there is a natural fear
of snakes especially among women. Some people overcome their fear of snakes,
but in general there is a natural dislike between snakes and people. In verse
15, there is a prophecy made about a future event. There would be hatred
between a descendant of the snake and a descendant of the woman. The snake's
descendant would bruise the woman's descendant's heel .Notice that death is
another consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve. Until this time, there was no
death. All creatures ate plants and Eve had access to the Tree of Life and
therefore could live forever. By their sin, they introduced physical death into
the world, giving Satan a mighty weapon to use against them and their descendants.
God said they would surely die on the day they ate of the forbidden fruit. The
Hebrew word for death literally means "dying you shall die." Adam and
Eve did die a spiritual death immediately when they ate the fruit. Their sin
separated them from God). But in their spiritual death, they also began to die
physically. It wasn't just them. Their sin brought death to the whole creation.
The
woman too received punishment for her sin. Just like the serpent, the
punishment did not just effect her, but also all those who came after her. The
first punishment was that childbirth would no longer be easy. It will be filled
with sorrow and pain. Bearing children is not easy: from the morning sickness
when the woman is first pregnant, to the discomfort of carrying a child, to the
extreme pain of the actual birth, to the depression that follows as the woman's
body returns to normal function. The second punishment was that the woman would
no longer be emotionally independent. She would become emotionally bonded to her
husband, becoming the follower, with the husband being the head of the family.
Some women fight against this natural law, but it is a fact that this law
exists.
The
man also was punished for his sin. Like the serpent and the woman, the man's
punishment did not effect Adam only. It applies to all men who descended from
him. Until this time, Adam only had to do light work to care for the Garden.
From this point on, man would have to labor hard for a living. The world would
no longer cooperate and make it easy to earn a living. Even to this day, it is
the man's responsibility to earn a living for his family. That work rarely
comes easily, even if some of us do not do manual labor. The second half of the
punishment is the affirmation of Adam, and all mankind's, eventual death.
The
last consequence of Adam and Eve's sin was banishment from the Garden. The
purpose of the banishment was to remove Adam and Eve's access to the Tree of
Life. An angel was placed in the garden to ensure that no one could enter the
garden. Their banishment also put a physical distance between them and their
God who would walk at times in the garden. This is a physical representation of
their spiritual separation. As a gesture of kindness, God replaced their
inadequate fig leaf garments with tunics made of animal skins. This may have
been the first death after their sin, when an animal was killed to produce the
skins for Adam and Eve's clothing. A tunic is a long shirt that goes from
shoulder to the knees; it is similar to long tee-shirts used for nightshirts.
The tunic became the basic garment for mankind for thousands of years.
The
physical consequence to sin will vary with the sin that is committed. However,
the spiritual consequence remains the same; "for the wages of sin is
death". The solution to the spiritual consequence of sin is also the same,
no matter what the sin, "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord". Salvation from our sins does not remove the physical
consequences of sin. If you drank too much and developed hardening of the
liver, it won't go away. If you committed sexual sins and picked up an disease
or became pregnant, those problems will remain. However, the long term problem,
our separation from God and eternal life can be cured. In addition, learning to
live life God's way will give us the tools to handle the results of our past
mistakes.
THE EFFECT OF SIN
Evil progressed more and more after man's initial sin. The sin of the world generates multiple and serious consequences in all areas.
THE PERSON
In the body: suffering all kinds of afflictions, disease and illness, minor or severe, slight or incurable. There are deteriorating cells, diseased organs and impeded bodily functions; in all, an organic equilibrium that is torn and dysfunctional. In the mind and the mind's behavior, there are all kinds of maladjustments, breakdowns and imbalances. Within ourselves, with others and with all creation we find disorder and lack of harmony. There are addictions and bondage, anguish, fear, shame, restlessness, anger, stress, sadness and depression, and life without meaning.
THE RELATIONSHIPS
Interpersonal relationships are either nonexistent or false. They are in conflict or sick. Married and family lives are maladjusted and dysfunctional and their serious wounds last a lifetime. We are unable to love in a healthy and constructive way. We cannot express love. Emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children and adolescents is commonplace. Sex is dehumanized and depersonalized. Aggressiveness is manifested in words and actions. Relationships turn deceitful, selfish, and possessive There are addictions and codependency, distrust and loneliness. " Social relationships in groups and nations: corruption, oppression, exploitation of the weak, injustice, violence, slavery, colonialism, imperialism, the search for power and dominion, racial conflicts and wars, segregation and marginalization, misery and hunger, manipulation of the mass media and factual information.
THE EARTH
The earth is seriously damaged: The air, springs, rivers, lakes, and oceans are contaminated. Forests are being razed. Animal species are becoming extinct and our natural resources are being abused and destroyed.
VAIN SOLUTIONS SOUGHT BY MANKIND
God is not responsible for all of this. He neither wants it nor sends it. Humanity itself, having rejected God, created the havoc and the chaos, the imbalance, the illness and the death. Humanity itself is responsible. Man stubbornly returns to the origin and cause of all the evils and problems - the tree of knowledge. He searches and pretends to find the solutions to all his problems in his own science and wisdom. Man trusts his OWN strengths. Man's solutions, however, are all deceiving and false. And even though some of them seem legitimate, they prove to be only partial, superficial, and temporary.
Totally false: Satanism, occultism and esotericism. Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, quackery, spiritism and invocation of the dead, fortunetelling, trying to know the occult and the future, and all superstitious objects and beliefs, such as charms and talismans. Futile and highly dangerous: Include the search for and the promotion of mental powers and extrasensory faculties, mind control and transcendental meditation, etc.
Deceptive scheme of this world: Rationalism without faith, humanism without God; materialism without transcendence; political ideologies without principles and economic systems without truth that seem to offer a better world.
Legitimate in principle: Solutions offered by science and technology. But since they do not respect ethical and religious values, only having material, economic, and temporal interests, they fail to give real solutions. Therefore, they are only partial, superficial, and temporary.
God is not responsible for any of this; He doesn't want it, and He doesn't order it. Mankind is guilty of all the disorder. Mankind has become a slave to disordered tendencies. In interpersonal relationships, man and women have become addicted and they have been oppressed by all kinds of social dependencies: Cultural, economic, and political. We are enslaved by things of which we should be master. For example: Work should creatively actualize humans, but it has become a heavy burden and has unjustly subdued them. Where then can the solution be found?
Evil progressed more and more after man's initial sin. The sin of the world generates multiple and serious consequences in all areas.
THE PERSON
In the body: suffering all kinds of afflictions, disease and illness, minor or severe, slight or incurable. There are deteriorating cells, diseased organs and impeded bodily functions; in all, an organic equilibrium that is torn and dysfunctional. In the mind and the mind's behavior, there are all kinds of maladjustments, breakdowns and imbalances. Within ourselves, with others and with all creation we find disorder and lack of harmony. There are addictions and bondage, anguish, fear, shame, restlessness, anger, stress, sadness and depression, and life without meaning.
THE RELATIONSHIPS
Interpersonal relationships are either nonexistent or false. They are in conflict or sick. Married and family lives are maladjusted and dysfunctional and their serious wounds last a lifetime. We are unable to love in a healthy and constructive way. We cannot express love. Emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children and adolescents is commonplace. Sex is dehumanized and depersonalized. Aggressiveness is manifested in words and actions. Relationships turn deceitful, selfish, and possessive There are addictions and codependency, distrust and loneliness. " Social relationships in groups and nations: corruption, oppression, exploitation of the weak, injustice, violence, slavery, colonialism, imperialism, the search for power and dominion, racial conflicts and wars, segregation and marginalization, misery and hunger, manipulation of the mass media and factual information.
THE EARTH
The earth is seriously damaged: The air, springs, rivers, lakes, and oceans are contaminated. Forests are being razed. Animal species are becoming extinct and our natural resources are being abused and destroyed.
VAIN SOLUTIONS SOUGHT BY MANKIND
God is not responsible for all of this. He neither wants it nor sends it. Humanity itself, having rejected God, created the havoc and the chaos, the imbalance, the illness and the death. Humanity itself is responsible. Man stubbornly returns to the origin and cause of all the evils and problems - the tree of knowledge. He searches and pretends to find the solutions to all his problems in his own science and wisdom. Man trusts his OWN strengths. Man's solutions, however, are all deceiving and false. And even though some of them seem legitimate, they prove to be only partial, superficial, and temporary.
Totally false: Satanism, occultism and esotericism. Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, quackery, spiritism and invocation of the dead, fortunetelling, trying to know the occult and the future, and all superstitious objects and beliefs, such as charms and talismans. Futile and highly dangerous: Include the search for and the promotion of mental powers and extrasensory faculties, mind control and transcendental meditation, etc.
Deceptive scheme of this world: Rationalism without faith, humanism without God; materialism without transcendence; political ideologies without principles and economic systems without truth that seem to offer a better world.
Legitimate in principle: Solutions offered by science and technology. But since they do not respect ethical and religious values, only having material, economic, and temporal interests, they fail to give real solutions. Therefore, they are only partial, superficial, and temporary.
God is not responsible for any of this; He doesn't want it, and He doesn't order it. Mankind is guilty of all the disorder. Mankind has become a slave to disordered tendencies. In interpersonal relationships, man and women have become addicted and they have been oppressed by all kinds of social dependencies: Cultural, economic, and political. We are enslaved by things of which we should be master. For example: Work should creatively actualize humans, but it has become a heavy burden and has unjustly subdued them. Where then can the solution be found?
The
guilt and effects of this unique 'original' sin remain as the initial reason
for sin in the world. In personal sin, for which each individual is actually
responsible (actual sin), we freely follow our inclinations toward evil. This
sin is symbolically described in the story of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
The Scriptures and tradition tell us far more of restoration and redemption than of original integrity and original sin. "However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater" (Romans 5:20). In the story of Noah, for example, the rainbow becomes a sign of God's promise of restoration (Genesis 9).
Whatever else is true of man, man is not what he was meant to be. Chesterton's remark reflects our own experience. We seem to have all the ingredients for happiness. But the power of evil within us and outside us seems to triumph. Our hearts are restless, sometimes broken. "Our hearts were made for you, O God, and they will know no rest until they rest in you" was how Saint Augustine put it.
Unhappiness and evil in the world are definite problems. If the world was created by God who is infinitely good, how did evil come to reign so powerfully? Our question was asked and answered under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the writer of Genesis. The story of Adam and Eve and how they fell from God's grace is familiar to us all. But as we have seen, the Church has to answer the question: "What did the writer of the story intend to convey to the people of his own day?" And the Church, of course, enjoys the assistance of the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer.
In spite of God's design and desire for mankind to live in the harmonious and abundant life relationship with Himself and all creation... the sinful choices of mankind result in separation from God as a consequence. Seeing the chaos in His creation and more directly, our lives, God offers a single, complete and radical solution — His Only Son Jesus.
The Scriptures and tradition tell us far more of restoration and redemption than of original integrity and original sin. "However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater" (Romans 5:20). In the story of Noah, for example, the rainbow becomes a sign of God's promise of restoration (Genesis 9).
Whatever else is true of man, man is not what he was meant to be. Chesterton's remark reflects our own experience. We seem to have all the ingredients for happiness. But the power of evil within us and outside us seems to triumph. Our hearts are restless, sometimes broken. "Our hearts were made for you, O God, and they will know no rest until they rest in you" was how Saint Augustine put it.
Unhappiness and evil in the world are definite problems. If the world was created by God who is infinitely good, how did evil come to reign so powerfully? Our question was asked and answered under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the writer of Genesis. The story of Adam and Eve and how they fell from God's grace is familiar to us all. But as we have seen, the Church has to answer the question: "What did the writer of the story intend to convey to the people of his own day?" And the Church, of course, enjoys the assistance of the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer.
In spite of God's design and desire for mankind to live in the harmonious and abundant life relationship with Himself and all creation... the sinful choices of mankind result in separation from God as a consequence. Seeing the chaos in His creation and more directly, our lives, God offers a single, complete and radical solution — His Only Son Jesus.
The Great Deceiver
The
very first way Satan attacked the mind of man, is still his favorite tactic
today:“Did God really say…” When Eve began to doubt what God had said, or
more specifically, when she began to question if He really meant it – Satan had
his foot in the door. If Satan can get us to question God’s Word – to begin to
doubt what God has already said – or to ask ourselves did God really mean what
He said – then He has the door wide open in our minds.
And he is cunning – crafty – and our minds are no match for his schemes. That is why we need God’s Word – to intake it, practice it, to preach it, to teach it, to progress in it – to do what the Psalmist says: “Thy words have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee.” The shortest question in the Bible is, remarkably, God's first question. It is a question asked in Genesis 3:9. Adam and Eve had just eaten some fruit from the forbidden tree and, sensing God's presence in the Garden of Eden, they hid among the trees. While they were hiding, God asked Adam a one-word question “Where are you?" It is a really great and short question, but in order to apprehend its greatness we must first get beyond the initial and justified reaction that this is a simple question. How, we have every right to ask, is it that the omniscient Lord of the universe, the One who spoke and the world came into being, the One who set the stars in their places and the sun in its course, the One who said to the ocean, this shall be your boundary, the God of all vision-how could it be that such a God had to ask Adam where he was?
And he is cunning – crafty – and our minds are no match for his schemes. That is why we need God’s Word – to intake it, practice it, to preach it, to teach it, to progress in it – to do what the Psalmist says: “Thy words have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee.” The shortest question in the Bible is, remarkably, God's first question. It is a question asked in Genesis 3:9. Adam and Eve had just eaten some fruit from the forbidden tree and, sensing God's presence in the Garden of Eden, they hid among the trees. While they were hiding, God asked Adam a one-word question “Where are you?" It is a really great and short question, but in order to apprehend its greatness we must first get beyond the initial and justified reaction that this is a simple question. How, we have every right to ask, is it that the omniscient Lord of the universe, the One who spoke and the world came into being, the One who set the stars in their places and the sun in its course, the One who said to the ocean, this shall be your boundary, the God of all vision-how could it be that such a God had to ask Adam where he was?
What has God done to make it possible
for one to be saved from sin
When
we understand why God created, and then we can understand what sin is. Romans
3:23 says, "For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of
God." Sin is failing to reflect the glory of God. It is the pursuit of
satisfaction outside of Him, for we glorify the things we take satisfaction in.
And we have not glorified God the way we should. Instead of seeking our
satisfaction and joy in Christ we have sought it elsewhere, in things like
money, friends, sex, etc. Paul refers to some of them as the being the works of
the flesh. He says, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which
are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery,
enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes,
dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness,
carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have
forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God. ” (Gal. 5:19-21). On another occasion, Paul referred,
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves,
nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers,
will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10).
Where
does sin originated? Again, John says, “The one who does what is sinful is of
the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The
reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1
John 3:8). Then he added, who is guilty of sin? Paul said, “for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.” (Rom. 3:23). Jesus
said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to
sin.” (John 8:34).
What
is the penalty of sin? Those who break God’s law will have to pay a heavy
price. Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. Paul
says, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23). Even those who escape the
penalty of sin in this world will have to face God at the judgment. There, they
will not be able to escape.
What
has God done to make it possible for one to be saved from sin: God seeing that man was in sin, lost, and
without hope, then He sent His Son into this world to die on the Cross that man
might be saved. “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16).But God loved you so
much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in
your place.
This
desire and love in God's heart not only moved Him to create us. It also urged
Him to go through a process so that He could enter into us and make us His
expression. He, the infinite God, humbled Himself to become a finite human
being named Jesus Christ. In Him, all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt, and
through Him, all the fullness of the Godhead was expressed. Everything He did,
said, and thought was a pure expression of God in humanity. This brought the
highest delight to God, for in Jesus Christ, His eternal purpose began to be
fulfilled in that a man was fully expressing God. Then the Lord Jesus allowed
Himself to be crucified on a wooden cross in order that through death, the
God-expressing life that resided within Him could be released and made available
to us. He then resurrected from the dead to become the life-giving Spirit. As
the life-giving Spirit, God is able to dispense everything that He is and has
into us so that we can become exactly what He is—the expression of God in
humanity. Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest,
most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.
God’s love.
God’s
will is for everyman to come to the knowledge of the truth. If a person wants
to be saved, he must know the truth on how he can be saved. What is this truth
that all men should know in order to be saved? God is the ultimate being in
existence, perfect in power, love, and character. Since God wanted to share His
love with others, He created the angels and human beings—spiritual creatures
who can relate to Him. Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love
other people. Scripture reveals that we are descended from Adam and
Eve and their extended family. That family relationship—our
becoming children of God the Father —is the heart and core of God's
incredible plan for humanity! We have the priceless opportunity to be a part of
that family, the family of God!
The
first question in the Bible teaches us that God seeks to ask His people
questions. The Lord God asked, “Where are you, Adam?” It is a
question that echoes through history, “Where are you?” A question asked of
every human being at every time and in every place, “Where are you? How did you
get there? What have you become?” The answer added nothing to God’s knowledge,
but it helped Adam understand where he was and it made clear his predicament.
We need to know where we are. We need to know the difference between our
illusions and His reality. God asks the deep questions because we avoid asking
them. Where are you? I was hiding behind a tree because I knew my
nakedness. We have learned to hide behind so many other trees.
We
are children who have put our hands in front of our faces. In the Bible God
"draws near", "comes down" and seeks after us in order to
enter into an intimate relationship with us.
The whole Bible is the story of God seeking
man. Man is on the run before God because he knows that he is guilty before
God. However, God comes and seeks us and wants to reestablish a relationship of
mutual love. It is God who takes all necessary steps to make this possible
again. That is the story of the Bible from the first to the last book where we
finally read about the new heaven and the new earth: "Now the dwelling of
God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God
himself will be with them and be their God." (Revelation 21:3)
The
questions that God asks are not so much for His sake as they are for us. God
wants to draw us near to Himself, and to search and know us. God delights in
His children coming to Him and hearing Him as He speaks by His Spirit through
His Word. He wants to speak to us, and for us to learn to listen to Him (Deut.
6:4; Prov. 2:1ff).When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they had gone their own
way. They had lived according to their own plans, and done what was right in
their own eyes Gen. 3:1-7. They had willingly broken fellowship and communion
with God. Rather than truly listening and learning from their wonderful Creator
and LORD, they chose to do their own will.Yet God graciously came to our first
parents, and sought them out, even when they were not looking for Him! The
Bible tells us that God came “walking in the garden in the cool of the
day”(Gen. 3:8). Rather than join God for fellowship as would have been their
normal practice and delight, Adam and Eve actually sought to hide from God
because of the fear and shame that sin produces. Sin may cause us to hide from
God, but in His mercy God seeks after His own.
Adam’s
reaction to sin is the same reaction of man today. The moment an
individual is out of communion with God, he/she wants to hide from Him. When
God originally placed Adam and Eve in the garden, they were in communion with
their Creator. Moses writes that God talked with Adam. But now
that he has fallen, Adam has no desire to see his Creator; he has lost
communion with his God, he cannot bear to see Him, and he runs to hide from
God. But to his hiding place his Maker follows him. “Where are you?”
Several
thousand years have passed away since the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and yet this text in Genesis 3:9 has come rolling down the
ages. This text still echoes within the hearts of most men and
women. Almost all individuals have heard this verse cited at some point in his
or her lifetime. This verse has resonated through the ages,
especially the question that God asked Adam: “Where are
you?” Sometimes, as one witness the midnight hour stealing over
himself/herself, one, too, may question his or her own relationship to God with
the following questions: “Where am I? Who am I? Where am I going?
It
is well for individuals to pause and to ask themselves the same question that
God asked Adam and Eve. Where do you stand in your relationship to
God? One must come to grips with his/her spiritual status. Have you
asked yourself the question that God asked Adam? If not, why not? Whether you
are an old man with hair turning gray, whether you are an old woman with eyes
growing dim, whether you are a young boy or a young girl in the prime of your
life, you will soon be in another world. Since this is so, then
one must reconsider his or her life by confronting the question head-on: “Where
are you?”
Satan,
sin and shame may drive us away from God, but God intends by grace to draw His
dear children near to Him! (John 6:37, 44; James 4:8).John Calvin wrote: “No
one will dedicate himself to God until he be drawn by His goodness, and embrace
Him with all his heart. He must therefore call us to Him before we call upon
Him; we can have no access till He first invites us…allured and delighted by
the goodness of God.”What grace we behold in God coming to speak to the hearts
of our first parents- -and to our hearts today!
God
comes to us and asks us the question “Where are you?” so that we can
see our need for Him and turn to Him and be restored from our sinfulness. God
graciously promises His people that if we will turn to Him, He promises that He
will have mercy on us and forgive us. God desires to restore His relationship
to mankind that was broken by the fall. God desires to restore you to communion
with Him right now.
Ultimately,
God asks us the question of “Where are you?” so that we will be
brought to see our sins and repent of them, finding grace in our time of need
(Heb. 4:14-16).
Original Intention of
Creation.
Did God create the world because He was lonely and
needed fellowship? Did God create the world because He was bored and there was
nothing better to do? Did God create the world so all men and women could be
servants to Him? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding
"NO!" God did not create the world because He was lonely or bored; He
didn't do it because He needs us or wants all people to be a part of His
servants. No, God is much more self seeking than that. He created the world for
His glory. He created it to make His glory known. Or in other words, He created
the world in order to display the infinite worth of His attributes. He wants to
show how beautifully perfect He is. Do you agree that God's purpose in all He
does is to glorify Himself?
To begin looking into this, we need to go all the way back to Genesis 1:26-28.
To begin looking into this, we need to go all the way back to Genesis 1:26-28.
Then
God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let
them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the
cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created hm;
male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them,
'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.
God created man in His image. That means that God
created mankind in such a way that they will reflect God's image (His glory).
To reflect God's image is to reflect His greatness, His excellence, His beauty.
He then commands Adam and Eve to "Be fruitful and multiply." He wants
them to fill the earth with His image. So then, the earth will be filled with
the glory of the Lord.
Isaiah 43:7 very bluntly states why Israel was created. It says, "Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom, I have made." We were created for God's glory. You were created for His glory. I was created for His glory. Bible declares that Men and women are created in God's image and likeness, to be like Him. Genesis 5:3 says that the first man Adam later "begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." So God was essentially reproducing Himself through humanity. Hence “We are the offspring of God." Therefore God’s purpose goes far beyond the creation of mortal, perishable human beings. He is in the process of fashioning and forming "a new creation" fathering His own spiritual children—immortal and incorruptible children instilled with His very nature and character. The more we understand just what that means, the more spellbound we will become—at not only the majesty of God's purpose but at what this bring about for each of us personally.
Isaiah 43:7 very bluntly states why Israel was created. It says, "Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom, I have made." We were created for God's glory. You were created for His glory. I was created for His glory. Bible declares that Men and women are created in God's image and likeness, to be like Him. Genesis 5:3 says that the first man Adam later "begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." So God was essentially reproducing Himself through humanity. Hence “We are the offspring of God." Therefore God’s purpose goes far beyond the creation of mortal, perishable human beings. He is in the process of fashioning and forming "a new creation" fathering His own spiritual children—immortal and incorruptible children instilled with His very nature and character. The more we understand just what that means, the more spellbound we will become—at not only the majesty of God's purpose but at what this bring about for each of us personally.
The
very reason for creation, the purpose for which God made us and the most
complete life, is found in the Holy Scripture and in living in the Biblical
Holiness. A person may almost be known by the books he reads. The Bible is
the light that shines the image of Christ upon the soul. The way of the Bible
is the way of God, and is therefore the true path of life. Our desire and
prayer should be, “let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,” (Psa.
90:17). “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love
kindness and mercy, and walk humbly with your God”(Micah.6:8).
God
wants us to have more than an intellectual understanding of the
principles of His kingdom and more than a mere awareness of His existence.
His desire for man is that he might enter into a very personal and
intimate relationship with his God.
Beyond
the shores of time and the kingdoms of this world there is a kingdom called the
Heaven. It is the place where God has His great white throne, around which the
angels play upon their golden harps and shout, “praise, and glory, and wisdom,
and thanks and honor, and power, and strength, be to our God forever and
ever.”(Revelation 7:12). The life beyond death depends on the life here. If we
live in humble obedience to God on earth then we will be with Him forever in
that celestial holy city of Heaven.
No
one who is not saved from sin here can be saved from hell hereafter. No one can
see the kingdom of Heaven above, unless the kingdom of God be in him below.
Whoever will reign with Christ in heaven, must have Christ reigning in him on
earth. Therefore let our whole life flow out in a trend with the word of God,
until it wears a channel in holiness and Divine character. If you are born of
God, if God has planted in you divine life, which, in theology is called
regeneration. If there has been a birth from God, there will also be growth
from God.
Hence
walk humbly with God and live in the most intimate communion with God. Meditate
in His law day and night; let the love of your heart grow warmer; let life be
the holiest possible. Do this, and you will be one of the jewels God will
gather to bedeck the temple of the skies. Therefore “Make every effort to live
in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the
Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) His command is, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1
Pet. 1:16).When a person understands the truth about holy Life and its original
purpose, it becomes the most desirable possibility in all of human
experiences. There is nothing so beautiful, so satisfying and so natural
in all of human life than knowing the Creator of the Universe fully and
intimately and walking with God Daily.
Man search for a
perfect world
The
Greek philosopher Socrates made this statement:"Oh that someone would
arise, man or god, to show us God."In the minds of scholars, here's one of
the greatest philosophers who ever lived; and yet he, himself, had beating in
his own breast—and he admitted it—oh that god could come in a man and show the
world god in human form. Plato, who was one of the great students of Socrates,
said, "Unless a god man comes to us and reveals to us the Supreme
Being, there is no help or hope." Again, Plato said, “The world will
never be set right until the perfect man arises who will be persecuted,
buffeted, and tied to a stake and so bring a new righteousness."
Now
please take note. Plato did not know about what he was talking, but he almost
hit the nail on the head. Bible says “But your sinful acts have alienated you
from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your
prayers “(Isaiah 59:2). “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8) One of the greatest
truths Prophet Jonah reveals in the scripture is that “Salvation and
deliverance belong to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9b.AMP)
David,
the ancient Jewish king , best framed the question in its universal relevance
when he addressed it to God:“When I see Your heavens, the works of Your
fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is mortal man,
that You remember him, And the son of man, that You visit him?”
David's
son and successor to the throne, Solomon, received valuable wisdom regarding
his father's question. Although he could not answer it, he elegantly identified
its source: "God," he wrote in the poem Ecclesiastes, "has
placed eternity in men's hearts." Understanding eternity to be "a
divinely implanted sense of a purpose," Solomon's statement sheds
much light on this mysterious purpose which we are seeking: a God who implants
a sense of purpose within man must Himself be a God of purpose. In other words,
Solomon's discovery implies what we have always sensed to be true but may not
have had words to express: God has an eternal purpose.
What
the restlessness in God's heart moved Him to do is almost beyond our power to
fathom: God created man as the unique one with whom He would fulfill His
purpose. God made us in His image and according to His likeness, similar
to Him in every respect. For example, God is love, which is why we have a
virtue called love; God is perfect, so we have an aspiration for perfection; God
is just, so we have a sense of right and justice. In fact, every one of our
positive attributes is a reflection of who and what God is.
But
the similarity does not stop there. Perhaps our chief similarity to God is His
very own sense of purpose which He duplicated in us at the time of our
creation. Because He needs us for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, He
created in us a matching need for satisfaction which can only be met when His
purpose is accomplished. Thus, by virtue of our creation by God, we cannot be
satisfied until He fulfills His purpose. Is it any wonder that despite our
accomplishments, education, entertainment, pleasure, and even religion, we are
left empty and seeking? These things do not fulfill God's purpose; hence
neither can they satisfy us. By replicating in man His own sense of purpose and
need for satisfaction, God took a momentous step in fulfilling His eternal
purpose.
Note
the earlier quoted verse “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has
also set eternity in the human heart; “(Ecclesiastes
3:11) this means we are never going to be satisfied with earthly pleasures
and pursuits. Because we are created in God's image, we have a spiritual
thirst. We have eternal value and nothing but the eternal God can satisfy us.
The Futility of man
search
Scripture
also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or
religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into
heaven. The moral men, religious man, immoral and non-religious are
all in the same boat. They all fall short of God’s perfect righteousness. After
discussing the immoral man, the moral man, and the religious man in Romans
1:18-3:8, the Apostle Paul declares that both Jews and Greeks are under sin,
that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:9-10). No amount of
human goodness is as good as God. God is perfect righteousness.
Because
of this, No sinner can ever enter God’s holy heaven
(Rev.21:27) through our own good works or by trying to be good we cannot
take away even one sin (Isa. 64:6). The punishment for sin is the lake of
fire, the second death (Hell). Rev.21:8; 20: 11-15. A place of
eternal suffering Mat. 13:41,42.In the Bible God gives us the plan of
how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is
simple! You can be saved today. But God loved each of us so much that
He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear our sin and die in our place.
“God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Although we cannot understand how, God said
our sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. Jesus became our
substitute
Without
God we are like troubled sea
"He has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in a perfect rule. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So we must trust Him now and do his work on earth." Therefore the key to excellence of life is to be centered on God’s principles. We’re not in control; God is in control. We’re arrogant when we think we are in control. Yes, we may control our actions, but not the consequences of our actions. Those are controlled by God’s eternal laws. You can make your own choice, because God has given you free will. But He has also given you a specific, custom-fitted plan for your lives. His plan for your life is different than His plan for mine. In this exciting journey, you will learn to see life from a different perspective. No matter what your circumstances, God can gather up the broken pieces and random elements of your life and form them into a beautiful mosaic—making you a useful vessel for His glory.
"He has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in a perfect rule. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So we must trust Him now and do his work on earth." Therefore the key to excellence of life is to be centered on God’s principles. We’re not in control; God is in control. We’re arrogant when we think we are in control. Yes, we may control our actions, but not the consequences of our actions. Those are controlled by God’s eternal laws. You can make your own choice, because God has given you free will. But He has also given you a specific, custom-fitted plan for your lives. His plan for your life is different than His plan for mine. In this exciting journey, you will learn to see life from a different perspective. No matter what your circumstances, God can gather up the broken pieces and random elements of your life and form them into a beautiful mosaic—making you a useful vessel for His glory.
When man fell, he became dung. His
righteousness became filthy rags. Salvation's plan was made, but that
plan is twofold. The first step in that plan is the salvaging of the
spirit of man when man puts his faith in the finished work of Christ.
After that salvaging, however, there remains another salvaging (salvation) and
that is when man is recycled in order that he may once again fulfill his
original purpose just as the tin and the aluminum that are recycled. The lost
man is free to choose good, but he cannot do what he chooses because he is
lost. He may admire goodness, choose to do goodness, but he will not do
goodness, for even his righteousness is as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6, Bible says
“All have sinned and come short of the glory (holiness) of God. (Rom.
3:23).For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom.6:23). God want us to enter Heaven after we leave
this world.
We
cannot save ourselves. Titus 3:5, Ephe. 2: 8-9. “We need the saviour --
Jesus Christ, to take away our sins and to bring us to God. (1 Pet.
3:18). Salvation is found in no one else (other than Jesus) for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” Although our
soul longs for God, our sinful nature rebels at His ways. Part of us yearns for
God and part of us reaches for fleshly desires. Our hearts are a battleground
of continual conflict. This inner struggle causes tension and excessive strain.
Without God we are “like troubled sea. When it cannot rest. Whose water cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20)There can be no peace until all of life- mind, body, and spirit- are coordinated by the One who made us and understands us. He is not only master of the world but knows your life and mine from the beginning to the end. He was thinking of us when He came into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79) As the Prince of Peace, He invites you to come to Him. “Come unto me, all ye that labbour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). When you come to Him, you will find relief and relaxation in the freedom He gives. Your peace will be as a river. (Isaiash 48:18)- an active, sparkling peace that is refreshing and strong, a peace that passeth all understanding (Philippians $:7). Will you come to jesus, casting your burden upon Him? He says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”(john 14:27).
Without God we are “like troubled sea. When it cannot rest. Whose water cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20)There can be no peace until all of life- mind, body, and spirit- are coordinated by the One who made us and understands us. He is not only master of the world but knows your life and mine from the beginning to the end. He was thinking of us when He came into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79) As the Prince of Peace, He invites you to come to Him. “Come unto me, all ye that labbour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). When you come to Him, you will find relief and relaxation in the freedom He gives. Your peace will be as a river. (Isaiash 48:18)- an active, sparkling peace that is refreshing and strong, a peace that passeth all understanding (Philippians $:7). Will you come to jesus, casting your burden upon Him? He says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”(john 14:27).
A Man without sin
The
Bible also tells us that sin came into the world when Adam and Eve chose to
disobey God's commandment. Romans 5:12 says “Therefore, just as through one man
sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all
men, because all sinned”- and since then only one person was able to claim that
he was without sin. The scriptures are very careful to present Jesus as
sinless at all times 2 Cor.5:2; 1 Pt. 2:22; 1 Jn.3:5. Bible says in Heb.4:15:
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin."
Jn. 8:46 Jesus asks the people "which of you convicts me of sin."But
this was too much for his contemporaries and they put him to a horrible death
when he was just 33 years old. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus in a
little town of Jerusalem forever changed the history of the world. This was not
an ordinary Death! The remarkable signal and subsequent proceedings were the
evidence that Jesus Christ is the most unique personality ever lived in all
history.
The
Old Testament prophets predicted Christ’s coming. The Angel Gabriel announced His arrival.
The Angelic host sang a chorus for Him at his birth. The brightest star marked
His presence. The Wise men came to
worship Him. The Shepherds came to honor Him.
The Priests knew from the Scripture that He was coming. Jerusalem
was troubled at His coming. Simeon, the just and wise man in the
Jerusalem temple took Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said “Lord….my eyes
have seen your salvation…which you have prepared before the face of all people.
However, His coming into the world was not the beginning of Jesus. He was the
word that was in the beginning. He came from eternity. He always was and is
eternal God. He came from glory, the glory that was before the world ever was
(John 17:5). He temporarily laid aside His glory and took a body, through the
Virgin Mary, to live in long enough to die for the sins of the world. C. S.
Lewis said it well: "The Son of God became a man that men might become
sons of God." God became a man so that you might become God's child.
Due
to the sinful nature of our attitude, we tend to blame everyone for our own
misfortunes and for the evil in the world. We point our finger at our parents,
our teachers, politicians but almost never at the target that we
should. Yet the habit of blaming others did not begin with modern trend.
Already in the Garden of Eden Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent. Since
then everyone has blamed everybody else, and there seems to be no end in sight
for this blaming mania. However, Chesterton advices us to take a good look at
ourselves in the mirror.
Jesus Christ is the
perfect demonstration of God's Love.
Psalm
8:3-4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and
the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of
him, the son of man that you care for him? .
And
gospel of John says “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16).
Love
is what we all want. To be loved is the most amazing thing that can happen to
you. Where can you go to feel completely accepted? Where can you look to find
unconditional love? There is only one place where love never disappoints. The
picture of pure love. But how can you know God loves you? How can you see it?
The
picture of pure, passionate love is caught in the frame of Jesus loving you
while hanging on the cross. God made His love visible in Christ. And Jesus
showed that love is measure not merely by feeling, but by sacrifice. How can
you know pure love? Imagine asking Jesus, “How much do you love me?” He would
stretch out His arms, with His nail-pierced hands, and say, “This much”. You
can experience His pure love. You can’t deny it or make up for it. So how do
you get free from your guilt? Can anyone help? Your sin and guiltiness had to
be punished and paid for. That’s how serious God is about your guilt. Jesus was
brutally beaten and killed because that is what it took for us to be forgiven
of our sins. It was an enormous cost that He was willing to pay for you.
Ask
to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift that Jesus freely extends to you- but you
must accept it for it to be yours. You can experience complete forgiveness.
Where can you turn to experience ultimate wholeness?
Jesus
cane to do more than forgive you of your sin, He also came to make you whole.
Jesus’ forgiveness shows that He loves you as you are. Jesus’ healing shows He
loves you too much to leave you as you are. He wants to make you whole. Jesus
said, ”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John
14:27)
Jesus
came to be the forgiver of your soul and the leader of your life. He can put
your life back together. He can help you trust, dream, and love again without
fear. He will take you hole-hearted life and turn it into wholehearted passion.
Confident hope for eternal life is only found in the One who died and came back
from the dead- Jesus. Now he holds the keys of death and can raise you- and
those you love- from the dead too! Because of Jesus, our “goodbyes” can be
changed to “See you again!”You can experience everlasting life. Jesus is
knocking at your heart’s door. He is extending an invitation to you to open
your heart and let Him come in. You can open your heart and experience pure
Love, Complete forgiveness, Absolute Wholeness, and Everlasting Life. Pray.
“God thank you for what You have done for me I believe you sent Jesus die for
my sins instead of me. I believe Jesus rose again to give me everlasting
life. Please forgive me for the wrong things I have done. Please give me a new
and clean heart. I invite You into my life. Teach me to do everything You want
me to do and to follow You all the days of my life. I pray this believing in
what Jesus did for me. Amen.”
Man’s Plan and Gods
purpose for salvation.
Man
miserably failed to achieve peace, harmony, happiness and salvation through his
own efforts. He has a broken relationship with God and his fellowmen. He needs
a savior for reconciliation and restoration. Hence all the religions teach
about salvation. It is the aim of every religion to help the man through the
misery and wretchedness to reach the ultimate goal in life i.e. God-given
salvation. They recommend 3 popular ways to help man to reach this experience.
This is known as Path of action, path of love and path of knowledge. Man always
tries to find the salvation of his soul through the one or the other of this
path. Though religion made this attempt, they failed miserably to help mankind
to gain salvation. But the Bible teaches that it is “justification through
faith” , the living faith on Lord Jesus Christ alone can help the man to find
salvation of his soul. It is God that gives to helpless man a sinner, a
man who is unworthy, God in His grace through His Son Jesus, delivers the
mankind from the guilt and punishment of his sin i.e. God-given salvation.
With
regards to the concept of salvation, there are several underlined facts in the
concept of the man. One of the concepts is that he is capable enough to save
himself. In other words, he can save himself by his own efforts. Let me
make it very clear here that no man is able to save himself. Example -- You may
suppose that I had slept and fell into a deep river and I do not know
swimming. For some time, I fell in the water and there I attempt to
catch my own hair in order to save myself. As you know it is practically
impossible for me to catch hold of my own hair and lift myself. In this
manner, a miserable man who is sinking in drunkenness, drugs, unrighteousness,
superstition, immorality, terrorism, corruption, half truths, wickedness,
adultery, idolatry, dead traditions, brainwashing and evil imagination. Man who
is sinking in the evil and sinful sea, you cannot save yourself from the trap
you are caught in. Now a rat that fell in a trap, how much struggle and efforts
it makes even though blood and water come out, it cannot escape from the
trap. As a matter of fact, you are by the things that defeats you, and you get
defeated and the things that subject your body, mind and soul, you know it well
that you are the slave of these things, those things, neither can you
save yourself nor you can save by the various efforts of your own body
that which is inferior. Jesus Christ, the son of God, loves us and
gave Himself up for us, that He might redeem us from all wickedness.(Eph.5:2,
Titus 2:14).
Now,
let me pass on to another misconception that people have regarding this
experience of salvation that one can save himself by a mediator that stands
between God and himself. In all religion there exist idea of mediator between
the Holy God and the sinful man. A majority of people believe that it is
possible to receive salvation through a mediator. It should be underlined here
that a similar man like you who himself needs salvation, cannot be a mediator
for you. Similarly, the so-called religious leaders, founders of religions,
social reformers, and philosophers are all sinners in nature and fall
short of unworthy to become our mediators. If you know their secret life, it
may be much more corrupt than that of others. Therefore, the effort of a sinful
man to save others becomes futile and useless. Bible declares that
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all men. (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
Another
concept that has in the mind of people, different religions can provide
salvation to a man. Let me make it clear not a single religion can save a man.
The plain reason behind it is that the religion itself is a congregation of people
who are searching themselves. The representatives of these people themselves
attaining various means and ways to achieve salvation, but they couldn’t find.
The word religion in its essence sense is opinion about God, man, spiritual
reality and the unseen things so on and so forth. If someone says that it is
his religion means that is his opinion. Suppose that I fell into deep waters
sinking and dying and all the different religions stand on the bank and start
to give me swimming lessons, when flattering into the water while casting a
last look to shore for my escape, why should I care for the swimming lessons.
My utmost need is a savior -- one who can come down to very place of mine and
lifts me up from there and bring me to the shore. No ideological advises,
philosophy or principles can bring salvation. All world religions are full of
such advises, opinions and philosophies, but only one book reveals the
truth. One of the main themes that have been dealt with in the Bible is
that helpless and discouraged sinner, a miserable and wretched sinner a weak
and guilty sinner, can be saved by the grace of God through the living faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ
It
is impossible to put into words the full meaning of the Atonement, which is the
most important and most transcendent event in the history of the world. Through
His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, the Savior atoned
for our sins. This is the good news for all people!
God’s wrath against our sin is the fundamental
problem the gospel addresses. Jesus died on the cross as a propitiation, a
sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath (Rom 3:25:1 jn.2:2, 4:10) in order that
we would be saved through faith in him. The substitutionary atonement refers to
Jesus Christ dying as a substitute for sinners. Jesus Christ died in our
place when He was crucified on the cross. We deserved to be the ones placed on
that cross to die because we are the ones who live sinful lives. But Christ
took the punishment on Himself in our place—He substituted Himself for us and
took what we rightly deserved. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians
5:21).
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 peter 2:24).
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 peter 2:24).
After
acknowledging and confessing of sins the sinner must realize that he needs
salvation and Jesus is the only One who can save him. (John 14;6;
Acts 4;12).
The
shedding of blood and sacrifice was legally necessary to atone for man’s sins.
God chose crucifixion to break man’s heart over his sin and show the
seriousness of his sin. Through the Cross, God is just in that he rightfully
discourages sin, but at the same time, he extends the opportunity for mercy and
forgiveness.
Christ
died for our sins and He was buried, and He rose again the third day according
to the scriptures. He was seen of Cephas, then of the 12, after that He
was seen of above 500 brethren at once….(1 Cor. 15:3-6).
Why did Jesus die?
John 17:4 says, "I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do." The life of Christ brought great glory to God because He lived a perfect love of obedience through love to God.And it is Christ's love for the Father that led Him to the cross. When Jesus contemplated His upcoming death, He was filled with great sorrow. John 12:27-28 says, "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."
In His time of sorrow, Jesus' one request was that God would glorify His name. And when He prepared Himself to go to the cross, it wasn't His love for people that helped Him overcome, it was His love for God manifested in the joy of knowing God is glorified. "...for the joy set before Him [He] endured the cross..." (He 12:2). Jesus knew that His death would bring great glory to God because through His death, the righteousness of God is fully manifested.
"...Christ Jesus,; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:25-26).
The tension between God's love for His glory and God's love for sinners who have profaned His glory are reconciled at the cross of Christ. God's justice and God's mercy come together. Before the cross someone could look at the wicked prospering and ask whether God is just. For how can a just God possibly let all of this sin go unpunished? In the cross we see God's justice beautifully displayed and at the same time, His love shines forth. Therefore, the righteousness of God is clearly demonstrated in the death of Christ.
Jesus Christ did what only He could do in atoning
for our sins. To make His Atonement fully effective in our individual lives, we
must have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized and confirmed by one
having authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, obey God’s commandments,
receive sacred ordinances, and strive to become like Him. As we do these things
through His Atonement, we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father
forever.
Forgiveness
God's acts of salvation are motivated by His love for His glory. In Isaiah 48 and Ezekial 36, have shown that God save His people, Israel, not for their sake, but for His. And Christ also died to save His people because of His love for the glory of God. What about the salvation of individuals? Why does God forgive us? For our sake of for His?
"Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act for Thy name's sake!" (Je 14:7). "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name, and deliver us, and forgive our sins, for Thy name's sake" (Psalm 79:9).
And David said in Psalm 25:11, "For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great."
Just as David was full of sin, we too, are full of sin. We cannot save ourselves and our sin deserves an eternity of conscious torment in hell. Our only hope is to throw ourselves at the foot of the cross, crying out for mercy. We must cry out with David, "For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." It is not for our sake that God forgives, but for His name's sake!"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake" (1 Jn 2:12).
Jesus appeared to take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. ( 1 Jn. 3:5).
Forgiveness
God's acts of salvation are motivated by His love for His glory. In Isaiah 48 and Ezekial 36, have shown that God save His people, Israel, not for their sake, but for His. And Christ also died to save His people because of His love for the glory of God. What about the salvation of individuals? Why does God forgive us? For our sake of for His?
"Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act for Thy name's sake!" (Je 14:7). "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name, and deliver us, and forgive our sins, for Thy name's sake" (Psalm 79:9).
And David said in Psalm 25:11, "For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great."
Just as David was full of sin, we too, are full of sin. We cannot save ourselves and our sin deserves an eternity of conscious torment in hell. Our only hope is to throw ourselves at the foot of the cross, crying out for mercy. We must cry out with David, "For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." It is not for our sake that God forgives, but for His name's sake!"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake" (1 Jn 2:12).
Jesus appeared to take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. ( 1 Jn. 3:5).
Jesus
willingly died to take the punishment for our sins. Jn. 10:11,18.
Because
Jesus had no sin, He could take the punishment for our sins (2 Cor. 5:21).
For
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring
You
to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the spirit. (1
Pet. 3:18).
The
Lord has laid on Him (Jesus) the sin of us all. (Isa.53:6, 1 Pet.
2:24).
He
was buried and on the 3rd day He rose again from the dead. 1 Cor.
15:3,4).
Jesus
resurrection is “God’s stamp of approval”, “God is apologetic”, of Christ and
His life, claims and sacrifice on the cross. It is an even stronger “proof” of
Christ and Christianity than even His spotless life. Paul concluded his message,
“He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead,”( Acts
17:31b).
The
primary message of the Bible is Christ’s resurrection, and the resurrection
formed the cornerstone of the entire NT. Paul wrote: (He) “was declared with
power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:4). At
Pentecost Peter clearly established the fact that Christ’s death and
resurrection qualify Him to be Lord (Acts 2:32-36).
The
resurrection of Christ establishes His Lordship by attesting to the stupendous
claims He made about Himself. The most startling claim was that he would rise
from the dead, which he did, which lends support and authenticates all His
other claims. Christ’s resurrection also shows us that Christ can be and is
Lord of everything because He defeated man’s enemies, thereby availing
salvation and victory. Jesus overcame sin (Matt: 20:28), Mark 10:45, John 1:29;
1 Cor. 15:17; Rom. 4:25). Jesus overcame death (1 Cor. 15:20-26; Heb. 2;14-15).
Jesus defeated Satan and evil (1 Cor. 15;23-28; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3;8). Jesus
inaugurated the Kingdom of God and decisively defeated Satan at His first
coming, and he will consummate the Kingdom of God and His victory at His Second
Coming.
He is the Prince of
Peace
The
great search is on! Multitudes are seeking peace in fame and fortune, in
pleasure and power, in education and knowledge, in human relationships and
marriage. They desire to fill their heads with knowledge and their purses with
wealth, but their souls remain empty. Others are seeking to escape the
realities of life with drugs or alcohol, but the peace they seek eludes them.
All their seeking only takes them in a vicious circle of frustration and
futility. They are still empty and lonely, still in a troubled world with a troubled
mind.
Many
search among outward and tangible things, but neglect to look within. They are
afraid of what they may discover. They would like to blame a troubled world for
their troubled minds, but the cure begins within their own hearts.
Instead
of seeing yourself as the center of existence, you need to turn to God and make
Him your central purpose in your life. Without God as your center, you fall
easy prey to petty worries, self-pity, fears, and anxiety. With God in the
center, every area of your life will reach out from the “hub” like spokes in a
wheel and make your life complete and worth living. Only a heart centered in
God can be kept steady and peaceful.
The
psalmist declares, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed, I will sing
and give praise.”(Psalms 57:7). With the whole trust in God, he could rejoice
in quietness of mind. With our hearts fixed on God, we have inward peace in the
midst of outward troubles. It is possible to be “troubled on every side, yet
not distressed… perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8)
The
solution depends upon a prior understanding of what the fundamental problem is.
And the problem is sin. The default moral state of mankind is sin. There is
"none righteous, no, not one...there is none who does good, no, not
one" (Romans 3:11, 12,). Although this wanton act of violence appears as
the most obvious proof of this proposition, the existence of everyday sins
reinforces this fact: people lie, steal, boast, disobey and hate as easily as
they breathe. And "knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who
practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also
approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:28-32).Since, theology
claims, all humans have violated God's law (in thought, word and deed), then
the salvation men seek should be spiritual and not political or cultural. But
what is salvation? Since "by the deeds of the law no flesh will be
justified in His sight" (Romans 3:20), salvation cannot be obtained by
obeying God enough. Rather one's right standing before God's law-court can only
come through faith alone in Christ alone.
Anyone
who repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can be
delivered from judgment. God sent His Son to live and die in the place of sinners.
And any sinner can flee to Him.
Jesus
invites all men to the most meaningful, life- changing experience. “if any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me.” (Matthew 16:24) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things have passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians
5:17). Will you accept His invitation, “Come unto me”? He offers light for
darkness, trust for doubt, peace for strife, joy for sorrow, rest for
weariness, hope for despair, and life for death. God made man with a living
soul which longs to be in fellowship with its Maker. “As the deer pants
for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with
God?” (Psalm 42:1,2 ). Only the living God will satisfy the soul. Of this you
may be certain: you will never be at peace until you are at peace with God.
How,
then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation?
It's
crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift
off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away
with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this
magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master,
then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. All the while
God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs
and miracles, as he saw fit. (Hebrews 2:1-4MSG)
"How
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" The author places a
large responsibility upon the reader. He says 'we must pay much closer
attention. Now this is a sobering word for the world, because most
people do neglect the greatness of salvation.
Salvation;--the very term imports
safety or deliverance from great impending evil. If there be no such evil,
there is then no meaning to this term--no real salvation. The writer is
speaking of the salvation declared in the gospel; and the idea that immediately
suggested its greatness is the greatness of its author and revealer. It is
because Jesus Christ by whom this gospel came is so great, compared with angels
that the writer conceives of this salvation as pre-eminently great and
glorious.
What is it really—this great
salvation? What he's really saying is: Don't neglect being
loved by God. Don't neglect being forgiven and accepted and protected and
strengthened and guided by Almighty God. Don't neglect the sacrifice of
Christ's life on the cross. Don't neglect the free gift of righteousness
imputed by faith. Don't neglect the removal of God's wrath and the reconciled
smile of God. Don't neglect the indwelling Holy Spirit and the fellowship and
friendship of the living Christ. Don't neglect the radiance of God's glory in
the face of Jesus. Don't neglect the free access to the throne of grace. Don't
neglect the inexhaustible treasure of God's promises. This is a great
salvation. Neglecting it is very evil. We will not neglect our eternal joy in
God—which is what salvation is. We will gouge out our eyes rather than be lured
away from eternal life.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? There are at least two reasons you might neglect something. One is that it is not really great, and so you neglect it and spend your time and energy on something that you think is really great. The other is that, even though it might be really great, you may not have access to sufficient evidence that it really is great. In the first case, you may know the salvation, but you don't think it is so great. In the second case, you neglect it because you don't know the salvation. How many people do you know who give serious, sustained attention to the salvation accomplished by Christ—who love it, and think about it, and meditate on it, and marvel at it, and feel continual gratitude for it, and commend it to others as valuable, and weave it into all the lesser things of their lives, and set their hopes on it? Do you live this way? Is there a sense of greatness in your mind about your salvation? To neglect our great salvation is to come into judgment and there will be no escape.
There are four stages of witness:"It
was at the first spoken through the Lord," it implies that God the Father
was the first speaker of this salvation. Then the second witness is the
Mediator, the go-between, Christ Jesus. "It was at first spoken through
the Lord," that is, through Jesus. This is a reference to the earthly
ministry of Jesus as he taught and healed and cast out demons and preached the
kingdom of God and died and rose again. So the great salvation was spoken by
God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Therefore whatever stamp God the
Father leaves on this testimony bears witness to its divine origin and whatever
stamp the Lord Jesus leaves on it bears witness to its endorsement by the Son.
The
third witness in the sequence is mentioned "those who heard." Heard
what? Heard what was spoken by the Lord. In other words, he is referring to the
eyewitnesses, the apostles, those who had spent time with Jesus and heard him
teach and heard him tell the storm to be still and heard him command demons to
come out of people and heard him stump the Pharisees, and heard him teach the
incomparable words of the Sermon on the Mount and heard him interpret the Old
Testament, and heard him make stupendous claims about his own resurrection and
his purpose to ransom many from sin, and heard him speak from a resurrected
body and command them to go and make disciples of all nations.
These
were the ones who had come to preach to the readers of this letter. The readers
had heard the stories of Jesus from the very mouths of eyewitnesses. They had
heard God and they had heard Jesus by hearing the very witnesses who were there
when God spoke through his Son, Jesus Christ.
So
the great salvation was "confirmed" by these eyewitnesses. Without
these witnesses there would be no faith. These witnesses are the indispensable
link to the speaking of God the Father and of Jesus Christ. The firmness of our
faith rests on these witnesses. Without them there would be no rock to stand
on. These are the foundation. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of
Christ—but a word mediated by personal eyewitnesses.
The
fourth witness in this series is again God himself. The sequence begins with
God and ends with God. "God also bearing witness with them [that is, with
the eyewitnesses], both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by
gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will." God spoke the great
salvation into being through Jesus, and now God comes in again to witness to
his own word and work.
The
way he witnesses is through signs and wonders and miracles and gifts of the
Holy Spirit. In other words, when the apostles came to preach and witness to
what they had seen and heard, God enabled them to do miracles and he poured out
on the new believers gifts of the Spirit. This was God's added testimony to the
message of his great salvation.
Now
here's the key question. How do all these witnesses give a firm foundation to our
faith in God's great salvation? Two things have to happen to move from
skepticism to a well-grounded faith: first, a testimony has to make clear
something real—the historical and moral and spiritual quality of the reality
has to be portrayed clearly; and second, the mind of the listener has to be
careful and clean and humble enough to perceive and embrace what is real. In
other words, coming to a valid conviction about truth from a testimony is
ultimately the coherence or harmony between the mind's view of trustworthiness
on the one hand, and the witness's embodiment and presentation of reality on
the other hand.
It is great in its very nature. It
is salvation from death in sin.
One
of the great facts is given us by human consciousness--that men are dead in
sin. Every man knows this. We all know that apart from God's quickening spirit,
we have no heart to love God. Each sinner knows that, whatever may be his
powers as a moral agent, yet, left to himself, there is in him a moral weakness
that effectually shuts him off from salvation, save as God interposes with
efficient help. Hence the salvation that meets him in this weakness and turns
him effectually to love and to please God, must be intrinsically great.
Again, it is great because it
delivers from endless sinning and suffering.
Observe
again, this salvation is not merely negative--a salvation from sin and from
suffering: it has also a positive side. On this positive side, it includes
perfect holiness and endless blessedness. It is not only deliverance from
never-ending and ever-accumulating woe;--it is also endless bliss--exceeding in
both kind and degree, all we can conceive in this life. This is not the world
to realize the full bliss of unalloyed purity. There will be sin around
us;--there will yet be some sad traces of it within us. Yet who of us does not
sometimes catch a distinct view of that purity and blessedness which we know
reigns in heaven? Most blessed views there are, yet no doubt dim and weak,
compared with the great reality. When that bliss shall be perfect--when nothing
more is left us to desire, but every desire of our soul is filled to its utmost
capacity, and we shall have the full assurance that this blessedness must
increase with the expansion of our powers and with our advance in knowledge as
we gaze with ever growing interest into the works of the great God;--this will
be heaven! All this is only one side--the positive side of that blessedness
which comes with this great salvation.
Now
set yourselves to balance these two things one against the other; an
ever-growing misery and an ever-growing blessedness. Find some measuring line
by which you can compare them.
According
to the Bible, this blessedness of the holy is the full fruition of God's love.
Hence the bliss which it involves can be nothing short of infinite. It can have
no limit. A really comprehensive view of what it will be would be overpowering.
This salvation is life's great work. If not made such, it had best be left
alone. To put it in any other relation is worse than nothing. If you make it
second to anything else, your course will surely be ineffectual--a lie, a
delusion, a damnation! Are you giving your attention effectually to this great
subject? This is the message that demands our closest attention. People have
all degrees of attention. Some people pay very close attention, some people pay
less attention, and some people pay no attention at all. We have all been in a
situation where we were in a conversation, and suddenly our mind wanders off.
Instead of listening to the person talking, we begin to think about what we did
last night, or what we are going to have for dinner. Then, just as suddenly, we
come back to the conversation and realize we haven't heard a word. We have no
idea what that person has just said because we haven't been listening.
This
is what the writer to the Hebrews is concerned about. He is disturbed that
people will hear the material presented, but they won't pay attention. He is
warning us to pay attention 'lest we drift away from it.' This phrase literally
means to 'slide past,' or 'drift past' something. The picture is of a boat that
drifts by the safety of the harbor because the crew is not paying attention to
where they are sailing. Suddenly, the boat drifts by the harbor, and the boat,
with nowhere to go but into the open sea, is doomed to destruction.
Now
the question remains, 'How do we know this salvation is true? How do we know
that Christ died for our sins, and God will forgive us if we believe?' The
reason people do not believe is because people do not pay attention to the
revelation. God has given the authority for the message of salvation. The
author says, 'After it was at the first spoken through the Lord...' The unmistakable
message of salvation through Christ was not spoken by men. It was spoken for
the very first time, through our Lord Himself. Luke 19:10 declares this truth.
Jesus says, 'For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost.' In like manner, Matthew 20:28 declares '...the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.' Jesus
Christ Himself announced that He came to earth to pay the price for the sins of
those who will believe in His work and person.
All
of these facts point to the fact that the Gospel is the superior message from
God. It supersedes all other revelation given through the prophets or through
the angels. Furthermore, the revelation of Christ is God's final revelation.
When Christ sat down at the right hand of God, it was a clear display of the
finality of the revelation that God has given to us. We have all we need for
salvation and righteousness.
Where
are you? Have you come to realize that the message of Christ is superior? Have
you placed your faith in His person and work? If you have not done this, is
there a reason? Or are you one who does not pay attention to the message of
Christ? Remember, if you do not pay attention now, you are putting yourself in
grave danger of drifting by His safe harbor. When that happens, there is no
place left to go but to eternity in a very real and very horrible hell.
Jesus’ death on the Cross doesn’t
automatically save and forgive everyone.
A
true story: A man was condemned to death for a violent crime. His
friend was able to obtain a pardon from the governor. For some strange reason,
the condemned man refused the pardon. A special court was called to decide the
case. The decision was “The pardon was valid only if the condemned man would receive
it. Because he has rejected it, the pardon cannot take effect.” The man was
executed. Nobody was sadder than the friend who had tried so hard to save him.
Although Jesus died for your sins, you cannot receive God’s forgiveness and
pardon unless you personally receive this forgiveness through repentance and
faith in Jesus. If you refuse, God’s heartbroken and you will not be saved.
Repentance is more than confession. It is being truly sorry for and forsaking
sin. God commands All men everywhere to Repent! (Acts. 17:30) Confess all your sins.
Ask the Lord Jesus to cleanse your heart from all your sins with His precious
blood. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (Sin). (1 Jn. 1:9).
