As you might recall, when Adam and Eve sinned against the Lord by disobeying His command and eating from the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and they saw their nakedness. As a result, they became ashamed of it, and tried to cover it up with fig leaves. But soon enough, the Lord came to visit them as He did everyday in the late afternoon. But this time, because of their disobedience to the Lord's command, Adam and Eve hid from The Lord's presence among the trees. Eventually, Adam and Eve admitted to the Lord that they had eaten from the forbidden fruit tree. Mind you, they blamed one another for it; thus, trying to rid themselves of guilt. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent (the devil) for deceiving her. (Side Note: Has anyone ever played the "Who's to blame" game before? Because I certainly have.)
As a result of their sin, the Lord professed righteous judgment towards them. Let's take a look at what the Bible says in Genesis 3: 11-19; (extracted from the New Living Translation of the Bible):
"Who told you that you were naked? the Lord asked "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"
"The man replied: It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
"Then the Lord asked the woman, "What have you done?"
"The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."
"Then the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the animals, domestic and wild. You will craw on your belly, grovelling in dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
"Then the Lord said to the woman, 'I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you."
"And to the man he said, 'Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow you will have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3: 11-19)
I have to admit that while reading that particular portion of Scripture, for a moment, I definitely felt the weight of sin on my shoulders. (Is anyone else with me on this?). To those of you who can relate to such a feeling, here's a word of encouragement: Don't fret. Don't despair. There IS hope. Though we were hopeless for a moment, though the future of mankind seemed dim and dark, the Lord our God had already drafted the perfect plan of redemption. The perfect plan for the atonement of our sins, and for the restoration of our fellowship with The Lord God. And as I've said in the previous blog post, that's where JESUS comes in!
You see, the Lord loved us-All of us- so much, that He sent us a Redeemer, a Savior, His only begotten Son, to come to Earth, rid Himself of all of His Majestic Glory, and live here on Earth as a man who knew no sin, and die for our redemption. And His wonderful and powerful name is: Jesus!
This is what the Word of the Lord says in John 3:16-17 (New Living Translation of the Bible):
"For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17)
"For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17)
Jesus led a completely blameless life, so that through His perfection, our sins would be atoned for. He knew no guilt. But He was unjustly accused and crucified. But all of that happened, because He willingly and selflessly gave Himself as a Most Holy Sacrifice, to atone for our sins, and to save the souls of many. For that was the will of God the Father. And so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled. But also as the Scriptures had predicted, Jesus was resurrected-by the power of the Holy Spirit-three days after His crucifixion. He now sits at the right hand of God. In a place of highest honor. But even so, His deepest desire is that "none should perish" and that ALL PEOPLE might believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, who was sent as a Redeemer, a blameless Lamb to serve as the Most Holy and Ultimate sacrifice, in order to erase the guilt and shame of sin, and to tore the veil that once obstructed the fellowship between God and mankind.
I frankly can't find the words to express the intensity of God's love for His creation. I'm still astounded. baffled. Literally speechless. But what I can do however, is quote the Word of God; which is full of life-giving truth. So, here it goes:
"God showed how much He loved us by sending His One and Only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (I John 4:9-10).
Isn't that the Greatest Love Story Ever Written? And it wasn't just written; it didn't just stay on paper. It was fulfilled! It came true! It is an abundantly gracious offer of salvation to me and to you. And all we have to do, is believe by faith, that the Word of God is true! And so is its message of salvation, healing, (physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual), and redemption. All of which, was accomplished through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the Son of God. The Holy Lamb. The Great "I AM".
Let me close by saying this: We all search for love in one form or another. For a love that is genuine and true. For a love that is selfless. For a love that is not oppressive or hurtful. For a love that is "patient and kind." For a love that is "everlasting;" because that is the definition of true love. But could it be that we've been looking for it in the wrong places? In the wrong people?
What if the expression of true love has been shared throughout the world, but still some, unknowingly reject the very thing they so desperately search for? What if true love exists, and is available to you? In fact, what if it's calling out to you? What if all you have to do is reach out and receive it by faith? What will you do?
Please allow me to say this: The purest, truest, most genuine form of love, is the one displayed by God for His creation, when He gave His Only His son in sacrifice, for the atonement of our sins and the salvation of our souls; thus, restoring our relationship with the Lord God.
True love can only be found in, with, and through Jesus Christ. The question is: Will you accept Him or reject Him?
It's up to you...
All glory, honor and praise be to God!
Both now, and forever!
Both now, and forever!
Amen & Amen!
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