The Substitutionary Sacrifice
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. On the sixth day of Creation, He created man from the dust of the earth (Adam, from the Hebrew word h'adam, meaning 'dust' or 'earth') and woman from man (Eve, meaning 'the mother of all living'). God gave mankind one command to follow: do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
You know the next step...Eve took and ate, and Adam followed. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. What did God do?
Here's the quandary:
1) God is a JUST and RIGHTEOUS God. Therefore, His Judgment must be sound.
2) God LOVES mankind and wants everyone to depend on Him. (1 John 4:10, 19)
Here's the Solution to the Quandary:
3) God already delights in MERCY!
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a)
and
"The life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11)
God killed 2 animals in the place of Adam & Eve. Instead of taking the lives of man and woman, He made a 'substitutionary sacrifice' and covered man and woman's nakedness in bloody animal skins. That was the 'payment' made.
Man generally follows the trend of becoming more and more wicked as time goes along. Look what happened in the time of Noah! God began to get displeased with His creation of man, but He spared Noah and his family through a global flood because Noah was a righteous man! Even today, inhibitions are becoming less 'popular' and morality is being replaced by 'tolerance', which can allow the masses to follow the wrong path straight into hell. So...the all important question:
WHAT WILL GET ME INTO HEAVEN?
God gave His Son, Jesus, as an Everlasting Sacrifice for our sins, replacing the temporary animal sacrifices that need to be repeated after every sin (see Hebrews 9 in full in addition to the following quote).
Hebrews 9:11 - But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
9:12 - Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].
9:13 - For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
9:14 - How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
9:15 - And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
But what about Going to Church?
Going to Church won't Get You Salvation. Our righteousness is but filthy rags. Trying to reach Heaven by simply going to church is like putting on a pair of Nikes and trying to dunk a 100-foot goal with a 24-inch vertical! We can't reach up to God, but He can and HAS reached down to us through His Son. Works won't Save us (see Titus 3:3-8). It's through the Blood of Jesus and Faith in Him that Salvation is obtained - and that's all a gift of God (see Ephesians 2:8-10)!
Ephesians 1:7 - "In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace;"
...or Being a "Good Person?"
Ecclesiastes 7:20 - "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
That quote is from King Solomon, noted for his God-given wisdom. He's right. Even the 'good' and 'moral' people on this planet have potential for doing wrong to someone else, especially to God. Disobeying even one commandment of God is just as bad as breaking the entire law (see James 2 and 4).
In God's sight, there are NONE that do Good (see Romans 3:10-13, Psalm 14, and Psalm 53)! Our righteousness is but filthy rags to God. He has, however, provided a way to the Father.
Accept the Gift!
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).
He came to seek and to save the lost. Save them from what? The justice they deserve for disobeying God: an eternity apart from God in eternal fire, torment, and regret.
If you believe that you are a sinner (have disobeyed God's commands), and feel guilty about it, it's because you ARE guilty. God has given us a conscience for a reason and has given us a spirit, that He may fill the hole in our lives unto fulfillment! Make a profession of faith today: accept His Free Gift of Salvation - it's His Doing and His Gift to you.
Jesus lived fully as a man and was tempted in all ways that we were, yet without sin. He was the Lamb without Blemish that God ordained, and He was and IS the Son of God. He died on the Cross for the payment of our sins and was Slain for us. However, He came back from the dead on the Third Day to conquer death and hell. There is no time like the present to be Born of the Spirit!
"Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus and having Him take on my burden of sin on the Cross. Forgive my sins and bring me in good relationship with You. Jesus, be my Savior. I want to live my life for You. I accept Your Gift of Salvation and accept You as the Sacrifice of my sins. Thank You, in Jesus' Name, Amen!"
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