Keep Reading

I love books. I love getting lost in a story, or seeing the world from another person's perspective. There is one Book, though, that is living and active(Hebrews 4:12). A Book/Word that creates, and saves, and justifies, and redeems. A Word that gives life to the dead, written/inspired by and describing the one true God and his plan of salvation and justification by faith for all who believe(Romans 3:24, 25).

No other book comes close to the transformational power of the Bible, and nothing should take its place in the life of a Christian, but there are  some books that have impacted my life. I love being able to see other people's glimpses and perspectives of God. With that being said, what I want to do now is to share with my lovely audience some books that have really helped my life. These are not in any particular order.
                                          

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

This book takes an all-around glimpse of the universe to make a case for design. From the detailed precision of the universe and its beginning, to the complexity and orderliness of DNA and cells, to the uniqueness of our planet and its ideal location in the galaxy to support life. After reading this book and seeing the complexities and intricacies of the universe and how it works, I could not help but stand in awe of the Creator and just worship Him.




Crazy Love by Francis Chan

This book is so amazing and convicting. It gave such a great picture of God's love for us. He gives a quick glimpse of God's creation and describes Him on His throne in glory, and this same God loves us, and pursues us, and died for us, and yet we forget this and settle. If He did all this for us, how can we not help but pursue and love Him with reckless abandon? This book stirred and awakened me and my relationship with God went a little deeper because of it.




A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent                                     

The idea of this book is that the gospel is meant for Christians, to meditate on it everyday. He covers every aspect of the Christian life, and shows how meditating on the gospel affects everything for the better, mainly because it takes away all pride. Two ideas that really stuck with me were: that we should consider prayer a privilege that Christ died for, and that we deserve a cup full of God's wrath, and yet, He offers a cup overflowing with blessings.

That is all I will say for now, but I will have a follow-up blog coming soon with more books that have had an impact on my life. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please leave a reply.

Just Pick One

Just decide already. What am I referring to? In the life of a Christian, apart from placing their faith in Christ, this decision is the most crucial, and for me, the most beneficial one that can be made. I am referring to choosing a body of believers or a church and committing to that church. This can be a difficult choice to make, especially in this age of independence, and in light of a general lack of trust in religious institutions and organized religion. To be sure, there are some leaders/churches/ministries that have made bad choices and decisions, failing miserably, and people have gotten hurt and felt or have been betrayed. I am not denying this or condoning whatever mistakes were committed, but the church is not perfect, nor will it ever be perfect. The church is full of sinful, imperfect, and dysfunctional humans living in a fallen world. 

Anyway, while being a part of a church can be difficult, it really is beneficial and necessary. Community is a vitally important part of a Christian's life. Without it, a believer's life is very lonely and depressing and unfulfilling. It can be extremely easy to stumble and fall back into sins and be carried away by various temptations and snares. I'm saying this from experience, because this was a picture of my life until I committed to the church body that I am currently a part of. I thought I could do it on my own and I was wrong. The Christian life is never meant to be lived alone. A Christian needs other believers in their lives to strengthen and encourage and teach and rebuke and to be accountable to and disciple. More than that, when a body of believers is giving and serving and sacrificing for each other, the love of Christ is made  more visible and tangible, and it proves we are His disciples.(John 13:35)

Finally, in this age of so many choices, it may be difficult to find a church, but as long as the church body is a Christ-centered, Bible-believing one, then you probably can't go wrong. Here's a glimpse at what a church body should look like:

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 ESV

Stop Trying

Well, after a short break, I'm back. Do you ever feel like you need to get into or back into God's good graces? Or that you need to earn a right standing with Him, feeling like you need to work to get him to listen to you or even think that it is up to you to earn your salvation? It feels exhausting and even impossible. It's like running up an escalator that is going down. There is a reason it feels this way; it is not possible. God is not pleased with human efforts. Never.
Most people can see that something is wrong with the world, wrong with humanity. But, in our independence, we look for a way to fix it. We look for some moral code to follow. God gave this to us in the form of the Ten Commandments. The problem with this Code? It's a code meant to showcase God's perfect standards, and how far we fall short of His standards(Romans 3:23), not a code to follow and be saved by. The ancient Israelites and the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day thought that it was the law that did the saving, neglecting the Lawgiver, and forgetting that only God can save from and atone for sin. In fact, the law was meant to convict and condemn, not save or forgive.
 

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. Romans 4:15

for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Romans 5:13

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
    and whose sins are covered;
⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Romans 4:4-8

 
Now what? Let me simply say: give up and stop trying to depend on your own efforts. Stop trying and rest in what Christ has done.

For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:22-25
 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
      the Father almighty,
      maker of heaven and earth,
      of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
      the only Son of God,
      begotten from the Father before all ages,
           God from God,
           Light from Light,
           true God from true God,
      begotten, not made;
      of the same essence as the Father.
      Through him all things were made.
      For us and for our salvation
           he came down from heaven;
           he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
           and was made human.
           He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
           he suffered and was buried.
           The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
           He ascended to heaven
           and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
           He will come again with glory
           to judge the living and the dead.
           His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the Lord, the giver of life.
      He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
      and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
      He spoke through the prophets.
      We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
      We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
      We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
      and to life in the world to come. Amen.
 © 1987, CRC Publications, Grand Rapids MI. www.crcna.org. Reprinted with permission.

Worry Not

 

 

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:25-33

 

 This passage from the Sermon on the Mount has a lot in it, but the main idea is being anxious, or worry. To be anxious means to be uneasy or uncertain from fear of danger, or greatly worried. The first thing to notice is how God cares for all of creation. He takes time to feed the birds and He causes the flowers to bloom. Think about this: if God cares enough for ravens to make sure they are fed, how much more does He care for the only creature made in his likeness?

 

When we seek God first above all else, we will have or be given all that we NEED. When Jesus says all these things, He is referring to food, water, and clothing; basic necessities. Never does He mention riches or a lavish lifestyle or health, in fact in the same sermon this is what He says:

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

Again, He never promised an easy life for those who follow Him, it's a narrow road, but He does promise to meet our needs. Our greatest need was taken care of on the cross when  Christ died and rose again to forgive our sins, and to give us life. Life is more than just food and physical needs, and our greatest need can only be found or fulfilled in Christ. He offers a deep, intimate, and eternal relationship that only He can give us. When we place our faith in Him, we trust in His provision as well, and we will not have to fret about our needs.

 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20

 

 

No Greater Love

What does love mean or look like? How do you explain love? The world sees love as some ethereal, mysterious feeling that is felt. Worldly love is very selfish and extremely dependent on circumstances. Worldly love is all about what's in it for me? Worldly love just takes from others. The world pictures love in a strictly romantic, or even in a more pleasurable or erotic sense. In this case, love just becomes some new drug to be taken,  always looking for the next high. Of course, I am referring to sex here, and when love is just some feeling that is meant to be experienced, and is equated to sex, problems will arise. While sex is not bad, like anything else in this world, it all too easily is corrupted. First of all, sex is a very precious and intimate thing, not meant to be abused, and not meant for just anybody. Just like marriage, sex should only be between a man and a woman, and only married couples should have sex. While sex is very intimate, the main purpose usually is procreation. Neglecting these facts has many consequences, the biggest being unwanted pregnancy, and in this culture of no responsibility, and of making problems go away, along with the moral decay of society, and no wonder so many abortions are happening in this country. I really wanted to talk about true love. TRUE love. Real love. Sacrificing love. This is what love looks like to the Christian:
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

For the Christian, love is not a vague, ethereal concept or some feeling. Love is very tangible, and can be seen in actions. Not just any ordinary action, but with sacrifice. Sacrificial love is the truest love possible.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

As a verb, sacrifice means to make an offering of, or surrender or give up, or permit injury, for the sake of something else, and I would add, without expecting anything in return.
More than this, though, love is a Person. God is love and love is God and comes from God..In fact, we are only capable of love through Him, because of our fallen and sinful nature.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins….We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:7-10,18

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

This is the greatest love: that God sacrificed everything in the case of sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, so that we could get everything, namely eternal life. This is really good news, because when we were unable to love Him, or give Him anything, and even though we did not  deserve anything but God’s wrath, He gave and loved us. So no matter how broken, or unworthy, or helpless, or sinful you are, He did it all for you. It is finished. Just turn from your sin and place your faith in Christ and what he did.

Where I Stand

I want to take this opportunity to reassert my beliefs and I am not backing down or step/ping away because it is way too important to do that. People’s eternal destinies are at stake. I believe that God created the entire universe, all of creation came into existence at God’s command. God created man in His likeness,  desiring us to love and worship Him. ( Gen. 1) The first humans in the Garden sinned against God, and now we all have been separated from Him. (Gen. 3), (Romans 3:23)All humans are inherently sinful, and now we deserve God’s wrath poured out, and an eternity in Hell. Nothing we do can ever atone for our sins. Yet in this helpless and hopeless state, God’s infinite mercy and love and grace provided a way out(.Romans 5:8)

Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God, God incarnate, who came to earth, lived a perfect, sinless life that we are unable to live, and then he was crucified and died, bearing all of our sin, and the full brunt of God’s wrath that we so justly deserved. Then on the third day, he rose again, and showed himself to many before he ascended to heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3-9) where he is seated at the Father’s right hand and he reigns over all powers and authorities and even death. He is the only way to salvation, through forgiveness of sins which comes from repentance of sin and placing our faith in Christ. This can only happen with the Holy Spirit’s leading, the third member of the triune God. When someone repents and places their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in them and they are eternally secure and can never lose this salvation. (John 10:27-30) Jesus is going to return to make everything right, restoring what was lost, but until that time, this gospel must be preached to all persons and people groups, and that is what Christ commissioned all his followers to accomplish with the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:18-20)

 All of this can be found in the Bible, the inerrant word of God, which is the absolute truth, and final authority on EVERYTHING. This is the very Word that created the universe, that breathed life in us, (John 1:1-4, 14) and the Word that conquered the grave. It is this power over death that gives the Word, Jesus Christ, power and authority over all(Colossians 1:16-19), and only Christ offers salvation and life and is worthy of all praise and honor and glory forever and ever amen.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.^[d] Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

Raining Grace

A quick thought
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known^[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

This little phrase just amazes me so much. His grace is lavished on those who love Him, trust Him, fear Him. The Creator of the universe graciously and lovingly lavishes. As a verb, lavish means to expend or give in great amounts or without limit. The word lavish comes from a French word lavasse which means a downpour of rain. He pours down grace. This is not a gift grudgingly given out of some obligation to us, (nothing can force His giving) especially since we don’t deserve it. What we deserve is God’s wrath poured out on us, and yet we are given out of His richness. Unmerited grace is worth infinitely more than all the treasures on earth, because what it gives believers lasts eternally, and He pours it out on us freely, pouring it out like rain.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

Rain down your love on us,
Rain down your love
Rain down your grace and cover me
 Rain Down by David Crowder

Hallelujah, Grace like rain
Falls down on me
  Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew

P.S. Please tell me if something I write goes against the Bible, let me know. Also, if anybody wants to guest-write for my blog, let me know, I would love it if somebody would want to.

A Reason for Suffering?

Pain, suffering, death, tragedy. Bombs explode at the Boston Marathon, somebody dies in agonizing pain from cancer, a child is killed by a drunk driver, a mass shooting takes place at a movie theater or a school, the list of pain and loss goes on and on ad infinitum. Everybody has at least seen or known somebody who has died, or suffered, or is suffering, if not suffering themselves. Let me make something clear, there is a difference between evil and suffering, because while all evil causes suffering, not all suffering happens due to evil. My focus in this post is on the suffering aspect.

Why do bad things happen to good people? In this fallen and corrupted world, suffering is commonplace. At times, the pain and sorrow is so overwhelming, you don’t know how to go on, and I can absolutely understand. The world has no answer for any of this, and that’s why with the secularizing of the world, especially America, assisted suicide is growing in popularity. When you are told that humans have no purpose, life has no meaning, and there is nothing beyond the here and now, or there is just no reason to continue, you might as well end it. The biblical worldview of the Christian offers hope.

When it comes to disease and loss, God is sovereign and in control of everything. He creates people with diseases and allows them to take place. With Job, God allowed his suffering to test his faithfulness, and how did he respond?

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21

This is one example of why God allows suffering. He uses it to draw people closer to Himself. This is true in my life My suffering is what lead me to Christ.
He causes people to have disease. We see this in Exodus 4:11:

So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?

Why does He do this? Jesus gives an answer in the Gospel of John:
 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”³ Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. John 9:2-3
Why does God cause, or at least allow pain and suffering and loss? Why would He want us to go through this? We should never forget what happened on Calvary. The terribly great and excruciatingly painful cost of our salvation. Jesus was beaten and tortured and killed for us. When we experience pain, we should consider it as a chance to get a glimpse of what Christ suffered and went through for us, getting to share in His suffering, and we also are able to gain a more personal and deeper perspective of God’s great love for us. And if you are experiencing a death of somebody close to you, just remember that God the Father went through the loss of His dearly beloved Son.

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Philippians 3:10

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

When we are weak, when we face trials, our true selves come out, and we are forced to lean on Christ, and He is our strength.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:4-5

Loveless, Pointless

I have nothing to say, no words of wisdom, no interesting facts, or nice things to say. I am so exhausted of knowledge and theology and religion. I am so sick of living life for myself, and amazing others with tidbits, trying so hard to make much of myself, trying to gain others' admiration and adoration, trying to not upset others or ruffle feathers, ashamed to confess my faith and exclaim the inexpressible joy and hope that I have, embarrassed by Truth that  I have no control over, worried about how foolish and crazy it sounds, and all I can or should do is  place all my faith and trust in this Truth and yet I fail at doing so over and over again. I am tired of reading or hearing about this Truth and what it commands of me and never following through, basically spitting in His face, spending more time mindlessly babbling and small-talking, concerned more about my worthless possessions and possessions I want or, dare I say, I need, worrying more about what I think I deserve or require, how I can entertain myself and vainly pursue what excites me and gives me fleeting glimpses of happiness that fades all too quickly. I am tired of holding onto dreams and hopes in things of this world, savoring the dross and chaff, not the purified gold and precious wheat, things that burn away, not the things that will last. Even worse than that, I am tired of love for others that I should have, love that should be emanating from me, because of Love that was shown to me and bestowed upon me and even dwells in me, being completely neglected and rejected, so much so, that I actually despise others. I despise others so much that I withhold from them the only hope, the only thing that can save them from an eternity of torment in the fires of Hell. In spite of all my failures, though, God still loves me, so much that He poured out His own blood as a propitiation or substitution for my own sins and wrongdoings and shortcomings, and this atoning blood justifies me, sanctifies me, purifies me, and even glorifies me.
⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.    Philippians 3:7-11

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.   1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Beautiful Love

Love. What can be said about this great love of God. The whole entirety of the gospel can be summed up in this one word. There is no way to comprehend or fathom the depths of His love, how far He went to make known how much He loves us.
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
This well-known verse says everything about what He did. He was willing to sacrifice the eternal union with the Precious Son, whom He dearly loved. This love between the two is so strong that a whole other entity is manifested because of it. This entity is the Holy Spirit. From eternity past to eternity future, they have been inter-connected, and this bond is the epitome or embodiment of love, the Truest of True Loves. This is how He could be called Love.    
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins... And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:8-10, 16
He gave up the Son to give us life. Why did He do this? What is the reason for this sacrifice? Why did He offer so much for sinful humanity, for a people so undeserving? We deserve death. We deserve Hell. We deserve the cup of His wrath poured out on us, yet He chooses to show us mercy instead, and sacrificed greatly on our behalf. This was not an easy sacrifice to make either. He gave Him up to be slaughtered, to be mocked, spit upon, beaten and tortured, and was hung on a cross. Crucifixion was the worst type of torture known. It was designed to be humiliating, and very painful, in fact it's where the word excruciating comes from. Most victims of crucifixion died from suffocation, because they would be too weak to lift themselves up to take a breath, but many times it could take days for them to die. He took on the punishment that we deserved, so that we could be reconciled back to Him. He created us to have a relationship with Him, and to worship Him, glorify Him, and freely love Him. Since the Fall, our sinful nature corrupted this union, and a great chasm separated us. God could have destroyed us, and He would have been perfectly just to do so, but chose to show His love.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 
So again, why did God freely choose to give His son on our behalf?
 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
Jesus willingly submitted to the will of the Father, and sacrificed Himself, and yet it did not stop there, because even worse, He dealt with the utter desolation and abandonment from the Father.
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mark 15:34
 The story does not stop at the grave, however. He died for our sins, for those who believe in His name. On the third day, the tomb was empty, and He came back to life, was resurrected. He conquered the grave, and defeated death once and for all.
⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”^[g]

⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?^[h]
O Hades, where is your victory?”^[i]

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-56

This same power is in those who believe in Christ as Lord, and we need not fear death because He will raise us up again.

Deadly Living

Life is not fair. Everybody hears this, even thinks it. We feel entitled to freedom,  independence,  happiness, life, health, wealth, etcetera. We think we deserve these things because we are all that matters. To be completely honest, in the end, most of us will get what we deserve. When God created man in the Garden, we were declared good by Him, but then man sinned and all of creation was completely and utterly corrupted. This same sin is imputed to every single human being, and because of this, because we sinned against an infinitely holy and just God, it takes a whole eternity to realize the depths of our depravity.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23)

This is a very depressing picture of the state of humanity, but this is a reality that can never be understated. We are sinful, and nothing we do can ever make up for this sin: no religious ceremony, no set of rules, no incantations, nothing.

God saw this hopeless state, and in His mercy and grace offers a way out. He made a way out to bridge the gap separating us from God. He sent His Son to die for us, dying a bloody, humiliating, violent death. This gruesome death and judgment that was reserved for us and deserved, He freely took on Himself. The only thing required is repentance and His forgiveness will cover our sins. This is simple, but it's not easy, it means surrendering everything to Him. Everything. All of your plans, all of your relationships, all of your dreams, everything. These things can still be sought after, but not for us, but for Him.
²³ Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,^[a] and follow Me. ²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:23-24
 This is very difficult and very few will be able to do this because we are so hardened in our sins, our selfish pursuits and ambitions, just our selves.
¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because^[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14
Dying to self. This is what He requires. This is completely impossible to do on our own, but when you give your all to Him, He gives you all of Himself. When you come to Christ, His Spirit comes into you and gives you the strength to take away your self-centered life. While it is difficult, the reward is well worth it, eternal life in the presence of the great Lover of your soul, the Good Shepherd, the Everlasting God.

Crimson Stain

There is one idea or symbol in the Bible that brings everything into focus and even ties it all together. From the beginning in Genesis to the Book of Revelation, it is something that cries out to us, and the one thing that can remove the blemishes and filth of our sinful, fallen nature. Blood. The crimson stain. It flows through all of us, and most advanced animals, delivering oxygen to every part of the body. While it is physically necessary and life-giving, it also has a spiritual connotation and has power and even a voice. In Genesis 4, after Cain murdered Abel, God said:

And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground." Genesis 4:10 NKJV

Notice how  He said the blood cries out, seeming to imply that Abel still has a voice and lives. This is the first time blood is mentioned in the Bible as well as the idea of sacrifice in the verses beforehand. As a side-note, in the first two chapters of Genesis, in the Garden, where sin does not exist, there is no mention of blood either. In Leviticus, the Lord commands the Israelites not to eat the blood of any animal:

I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ ¹² Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ Leviticus 17:10-12 NKJV

In the second book, Exodus, the importance and life-saving aspect of blood becomes even more evident. Moses had been demanding the release of his people from Pharoah, but after nine plagues, he still would not listen due to his hardened heart. It is now when God has Moses tell the Israelites:

 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. ²² And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. ²³ For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.  Exodus 12:21-23 NKJV

 The saving power of blood is clearly seen here. After the Israelites depart Egypt, and the Ten Commandments are given, the system of sacrifice is instituted. An animal would have to be sacrificed as an atonement or covering for the sins of the people. Of course, only shed blood can atone for sin and for the remission of sins because the wages of sin is death(Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:22). The system of sacrifice that was instituted for the Ark of the Covenant, and later the Temple only went so far because offerings would have to be made continuously, year after year. It was only a shadow of the true Sacrifice that could atone for all sin for all time.

 

The New Covenant

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were always given, because sinning continued, and the guilt of the sin remained, which meant something needed to change. Then comes Jesus to the scene, preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins. Repentance means a deep sorrow or regret for past sins or wrongdoings and involves a turning from, or a change of heart, which is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. While it is easy to receive forgiveness it is never free, there is always a price to be paid. In The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller used the Parable of the Prodigal Son to show this very idea:

 

 Over the years many readers have drawn the superficial conclusion that the restoration of the younger brother involved no atonement, no cost. They point out that the younger son wanted to make restitution but the father wouldn't let him--his acceptance back into the family was simply free. This, they say, shows that forgiveness and love should always be free and unconditional.

That is an oversimplification. If someone breaks your lamp, you should demand that she pay for it. The alternative is that you could forgive her and pay for it yourself (or go about bumping into furniture in the dark). Imagine a more grave situation, namely that someone has seriously damaged your reputation. Again you have two options. You could make him pay for this by going to others, criticizing and ruining his good name as a way to restore your own. Or you could forgive him, taking on the more difficult record of setting the record straight without vilifying him. The forgiveness is free and unconditional to the perpetrator, but it is costly to you.

Mercy and forgiveness must be free and unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to merit it, then it isn't mercy, but forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness (92-94).

 

 

Blood needed to be spilled. That is what Jesus came to do. On His last night with the disciples, He instituted the Communion, which symbolized what He was about to do on the cross:

²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed^[b] and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new^[c] covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:26-28(NKJV)

 For the sacrifice to take place, the animal had to be spotless and without blemish. Jesus had never committed any sin and followed the law. Everybody knew this including: Pilate, and the thief on the cross. He was our perfect, spotless sacrifice, and because He was the infinite, eternal God, this forgiveness is a permanent one-time transaction that leads to eternal life.

  ¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance...²⁵ not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— ²⁶ He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself....so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.(Hebrews 9:12-15, 25-26, 28) NKJV

 Let me finish with a line from a well-known hymn:

 

What can wash away my sin? 

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

He became

 ^"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

One of the biggest objections to the Christian faith is the doctrine of the incarnation. The belief that He(God) took on flesh in the form of a human being(Jesus) and submitted to the laws and limits of His creation. He stepped down from heaven and was separated from the Father. He came into this world as any other would, from a mother's womb. Even though His conception and  birth were indeed remarkable events, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, He still came to us in the same manner. So think about this: the Eternal, Almighty One True God, Lord of all creation, the great I AM, gave up everything to become the creation.

 ⁶ who(Jesus), though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 ESV

  ^"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Cor. 8:9

 So He gave up everything to enter into the affairs of humanity. He came to redeem us from our fallen and sinful nature. We were created by God to love and worship Him, and to have a relationship. For us to freely love Him, the option to rebel needed to be there, which is what happened. He knew that we would go against His will and sin would spoil Paradise, and so He had a plan. His plan involved becoming the creature that needed saving. Why did He do this? While He  was on earth, He endured and suffered all sorts of afflictions and trials and faced temptations just like the rest of humanity and really was the Suffering Servant described in Isaiah:

 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,  Isaiah 53:3-5

The reason He became a man, the creation, comes to a head on the road to Calvary and when nailed to the cross where He faced and even carried with Him every single iniquity, and infirmity, and He became the very curse of this world, and took the burden and curse that the law commands where it says the one that hangs from a tree is cursed.(Gal. 2) Not only that, but in the Fall, part of the curse involving man stated that man would toil and reap thorns and thistles. Thorns were a natural symbol of the curse, and while Jesus was being tortured, he was mocked and given a crown of thorns. And finally He died, taking on the greatest part of the curse.
The curse of death that we deserve, Christ took on Himself, and then rose back to life to reign forever as our savior King. He became the creation, became the curse and died and came back from death to finally become KING.

What we want

As a society, we all concentrate on what we want or better yet, even deserve. We feel entitled to everything under the sun because we are told that life is all about doing or discovering whatever it is that makes us the happiest.  Self-realization. We vainly look for fulfillment in ourselves, our possessions, and maybe even our relationships. This is the American dream. We go to college to get the perfect degree to get either the six-figure salary or the career that makes us the happiest, so that we have the money to buy all possessions that entertain us and make everybody around us jealous. We think we deserve the world and all it has to offer because life is all about me.

 

What seems lost in this pursuit of fortune is two-fold. The first being everything we have, we only have because it has been given by God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19:"As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God."

With this in mind, it should also be noted that what wealth and riches we do accrue in this life cannot go with us when we go.

1 Timothy 6:7:" For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

When these two things are forgotten, we begin to place our security and trust in our money and possessions. Once this trust begins to take place, there can never be enough to be satisfied. We are then compelled to cheat other people or the system, lie, even steal. This can be summed up in one word. Greediness. This is why we are exhorted not to covet in the Ten Commandments, and why the Apostle Paul tells Timothy

 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Tim. 6:9-10

 I will get to the last part of this verse in another post, but for now, let me just finish with a couple more thoughts. Desiring a good career and a comfortable life is not necessarily wrong, but when money and comforts become our main drive or incentive, it never stops, until nothing else matters, and all the time is spent worshipping this god called money. This causes us to completely forget anybody else.