It is a device that has witnessed and captured the handiwork of the Creator God – at least to those who believe one exists. It is the Hubble telescope, and its mechanical eyes have been gazing into the great expanse of the universe for some 19 years. But now, the famous scope is getting its final tune up, courtesy of several space walks from the space shuttle Atlantis. The upgrades will hopefully extend its life for another five or six years before it silently drifts away into the stars for good.
The Hubble has certainly seen more than its share of ‘vision issues’. But more recently it has recorded some astounding events, like the crashing of galaxies and the birth and death of the stars that make them up. Some also believe that the Hubble has actually helped pinpoint the age of the universe at 13.7 billion years and even shows where it is eventually headed.
The universe has always been a subject of great question and fascination whether it is 13 billion, or only 13 thousand, years old. And for those seeking the facts, its true origin, purpose, and destination are all clearly outlined in the Bible by the Creator who authored both. Again, it's all there for all who care to see clearly what it's all about.
The origin of the physical universe itself could not be more clearly stated than it is in Genesis chapter one.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
The eventual destination of the physical universe could likewise not be more clearly revealed than in 2 Peter chapter three.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10-13)
The plight of those having a wrong response to the obvious majesty of the physical creation is seen in Paul’s letter to the Romans.
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Then, too, the Scriptures are unmistakably clear about the right course of action for Christians, considering the soon-coming demise of the physical universe.
“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? “(2Peter 3:11)
Those in God’s family of faith do not need some sophisticated scientific marvel to explain the origin, mechanics, or destination of their material world and universe. It’s all spelled out in God’s supernatural word. And only those in spiritual harmony with their Creator can grasp the reality of the problems and direction of the universe. Romans 8:21-24 puts it this way. “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
But of far greater importance is that only those in God’s family by faith in Jesus Christ can understand and experience the restoration that leads to the all new creation described in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
There is one old creation that is sick and fading away. But scores of ‘new creations’ made in God’s own image will live in His glorious presence for all eternity!
Bill Breckenridge
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Pope Calls for a Palestinian State
While visiting Israel on his Middle East tour, Pope Benedict XVI suggested that implementation of a Palestinian State should come soon. His comment was met with the customary caution or outright objection of Israeli leaders who refuse this plan until law, order and respect for the existing Israeli State can be guaranteed.
One of the most tangled issues of the modern world eludes solution because of misunderstood history and ignorance of the prophetic Scriptures.
There has never been a "Palestinian people" of ethnic or religious solidarity. Palestinians, if they ever existed, would hark back to the Philistines of Old Testament Bible times. They occupied the general area we now call the Gaza Strip and also encompassed the geographic locales of the five Philistine cities listed in the Bible: Gaza, Gath, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Ekron. The names "Palestine" and "Palestinians" evidently derive from "Philistines." From the 1500s to 1917, the entire region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which was centered in Turkey and was the last vestige of Muslim dominance until its resurgence in our day.
As a settlement of World War I, which saw the Ottomans’ demise since they had sided with the Germans who were defeated by the British and French, Palestine came to be known as the area comprising all of modern Israel and Jordan. Various ethnic and religious groups (Arabs, Jews, Christians and Muslims, etc.) were scattered across the region, contradicting the notion of a "Palestinian" people, much less a nation.
From 1948, when a two-state settlement was offered to Jews and Arabs, Egypt occupied Gaza, Syria occupied Golan, and Jordan occupied the West Bank (Biblical Judea and Samaria). In the ’67 and ’73 wars, these areas were captured by Israel. Not one of the previous Arab occupiers ever remotely planned a Palestinian State anywhere. The current calls for a Palestinian State are based on the fantasy of a Palestinian people but are a desirable political whipping boy against Israel.
Will there be a Palestinian State despite all this? Yes. Should Israel presently have all the land God promised her in the Old Testament? No, not now.
In the original conquest of the Promised Land, Philistia was never under complete Israelite control (Judges 1-3) since they failed to completely drive out the inhabitants in disobedience to God’s command (Numbers 33:51 & 52). As a consequence, any Philistines not driven out by the time of Joshua’s death would be left to try Israel as Judges 2:21-23 clearly teaches.
Israel evacuated the Gaza strip area three years ago. Isaiah 11:14 predicts a Palestinian entity toward the end of prophetic time ("the shoulder of the Philistines"). Israel is predicted to retake the Gaza area in the future, probably when national repentance and acceptance of Christ at His return gives them full access to what they lost through disobedience. That great day of national restoration and deliverance is outlined in Zechariah 12-14.
Read these passages and read the newspapers, for the curtain is about to rise on these final prophetic dramas.
Dave Virkler
One of the most tangled issues of the modern world eludes solution because of misunderstood history and ignorance of the prophetic Scriptures.
There has never been a "Palestinian people" of ethnic or religious solidarity. Palestinians, if they ever existed, would hark back to the Philistines of Old Testament Bible times. They occupied the general area we now call the Gaza Strip and also encompassed the geographic locales of the five Philistine cities listed in the Bible: Gaza, Gath, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Ekron. The names "Palestine" and "Palestinians" evidently derive from "Philistines." From the 1500s to 1917, the entire region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which was centered in Turkey and was the last vestige of Muslim dominance until its resurgence in our day.
As a settlement of World War I, which saw the Ottomans’ demise since they had sided with the Germans who were defeated by the British and French, Palestine came to be known as the area comprising all of modern Israel and Jordan. Various ethnic and religious groups (Arabs, Jews, Christians and Muslims, etc.) were scattered across the region, contradicting the notion of a "Palestinian" people, much less a nation.
From 1948, when a two-state settlement was offered to Jews and Arabs, Egypt occupied Gaza, Syria occupied Golan, and Jordan occupied the West Bank (Biblical Judea and Samaria). In the ’67 and ’73 wars, these areas were captured by Israel. Not one of the previous Arab occupiers ever remotely planned a Palestinian State anywhere. The current calls for a Palestinian State are based on the fantasy of a Palestinian people but are a desirable political whipping boy against Israel.
Will there be a Palestinian State despite all this? Yes. Should Israel presently have all the land God promised her in the Old Testament? No, not now.
In the original conquest of the Promised Land, Philistia was never under complete Israelite control (Judges 1-3) since they failed to completely drive out the inhabitants in disobedience to God’s command (Numbers 33:51 & 52). As a consequence, any Philistines not driven out by the time of Joshua’s death would be left to try Israel as Judges 2:21-23 clearly teaches.
Israel evacuated the Gaza strip area three years ago. Isaiah 11:14 predicts a Palestinian entity toward the end of prophetic time ("the shoulder of the Philistines"). Israel is predicted to retake the Gaza area in the future, probably when national repentance and acceptance of Christ at His return gives them full access to what they lost through disobedience. That great day of national restoration and deliverance is outlined in Zechariah 12-14.
Read these passages and read the newspapers, for the curtain is about to rise on these final prophetic dramas.
Dave Virkler
Soldier’s Bibles Destroyed
It’s official. The U.S. military has confirmed that they destroyed a stack of Bibles that were the personal property of a soldier serving at an Air Force base in Kabul. Maj. Jennifer Willis stated that the Bibles, written in the Pashto and Dari languages, were in fact eliminated and never distributed. The military supposedly forbids its members on active duty from trying to convert people to another religion. According to officials, the Bibles were sent through private mail to an evangelical Christian soldier by his church back home.
What the U.S. Military has done here is troubling on a variety of levels. Obviously there is no reason for causing any extra friction in a country that already has some armed conflict being waged on their own soil. But for the armed forces to muzzle the personal faith of its volunteers seems less than necessary. To allow weapons of war to fly while stifling words of faith seems somehow off base. An it seems odd to prevent a soldier from gently sharing a personal, private, and peaceful Christian testimony especially considering how those on the ‘other side’ are known for forcing conversions, outlawing opposing religions, and persecuting those who don’t adhere to their beliefs.
It would have been interesting to see what course of action would have occurred had it been a U.S. Muslim soldier receiving English versions of the Qur’an for personal use. And it can only be imagined what would have occurred if English versions of the Qur’an were confiscated or desecrated in any way, much less torn to pieces or burned. An invasion of religious privacy on that side of the spiritual aisle would be world news.
For a committed Christian believer in the U.S. military, there is more than one set of marching orders. Mark 16:15-16 summarizes the spiritual side. ”And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
The logical extension for every disciple of Jesus Christ is to then attempt to reproduce others of his own spiritual kind. Paul shares how this is peacefully and effectively achieved. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) There is never any reference or reason for badgering, force, or threats – but rather a gentle sharing of the reality of the faith and the blessings it brings.
But what happens when earthly orders conflict with a direct initiative from heaven? Who has the upper hand? This exact thing took place during the early days of the church and is described at length in Acts 5. The apostles had been locked up for ‘filling Jerusalem with their doctrine’ – meaning their sharing the good news and teachings of Jesus Christ. But their words were as foreign and illogical to the Jewish populace back then as it might be to any Muslim living today. It was revolutionary, perhaps scary, and was largely ignored as 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 contends. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “
But after being miraculously freed from their brief imprisonment, the apostles again began speaking out their faith. They were again arrested and again forbidden to speak about Christ. But this time around, when the order to cease came down, it was met with the uncompromising worlds in verse 29: “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.” It was settled. Christ’s followers would not be silenced despite even the most dire of earthly consequences. And some would ultimately suffer just that by forfeiting their lives for the propagation their precious new faith.
There is an eternal battle being waged today that is far greater than the current ‘war on terror’. Ironically it began in the Garden of Eden and right where American forces fight and die today. The duty of every U.S. soldier is to obey his superiors and fight in a fashion that meets his nation’s standards. And it is the duty of every Christian believer in the military to accept the call of his heavenly commander and blend his service in both realms together as best he or she can.
And perhaps it would serve the U.S. military better to realize the value of having Christian soldiers who are blessed with a unique dual role. And it might help, too, if those in authority would follow the pattern of a wise man named Gamaliel who recognized reality and his responsibility in that early confrontation of kingdoms.
“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God." (Acts 5:38-39)
Bill Breckenridge
What the U.S. Military has done here is troubling on a variety of levels. Obviously there is no reason for causing any extra friction in a country that already has some armed conflict being waged on their own soil. But for the armed forces to muzzle the personal faith of its volunteers seems less than necessary. To allow weapons of war to fly while stifling words of faith seems somehow off base. An it seems odd to prevent a soldier from gently sharing a personal, private, and peaceful Christian testimony especially considering how those on the ‘other side’ are known for forcing conversions, outlawing opposing religions, and persecuting those who don’t adhere to their beliefs.
It would have been interesting to see what course of action would have occurred had it been a U.S. Muslim soldier receiving English versions of the Qur’an for personal use. And it can only be imagined what would have occurred if English versions of the Qur’an were confiscated or desecrated in any way, much less torn to pieces or burned. An invasion of religious privacy on that side of the spiritual aisle would be world news.
For a committed Christian believer in the U.S. military, there is more than one set of marching orders. Mark 16:15-16 summarizes the spiritual side. ”And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
The logical extension for every disciple of Jesus Christ is to then attempt to reproduce others of his own spiritual kind. Paul shares how this is peacefully and effectively achieved. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) There is never any reference or reason for badgering, force, or threats – but rather a gentle sharing of the reality of the faith and the blessings it brings.
But what happens when earthly orders conflict with a direct initiative from heaven? Who has the upper hand? This exact thing took place during the early days of the church and is described at length in Acts 5. The apostles had been locked up for ‘filling Jerusalem with their doctrine’ – meaning their sharing the good news and teachings of Jesus Christ. But their words were as foreign and illogical to the Jewish populace back then as it might be to any Muslim living today. It was revolutionary, perhaps scary, and was largely ignored as 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 contends. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “
But after being miraculously freed from their brief imprisonment, the apostles again began speaking out their faith. They were again arrested and again forbidden to speak about Christ. But this time around, when the order to cease came down, it was met with the uncompromising worlds in verse 29: “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.” It was settled. Christ’s followers would not be silenced despite even the most dire of earthly consequences. And some would ultimately suffer just that by forfeiting their lives for the propagation their precious new faith.
There is an eternal battle being waged today that is far greater than the current ‘war on terror’. Ironically it began in the Garden of Eden and right where American forces fight and die today. The duty of every U.S. soldier is to obey his superiors and fight in a fashion that meets his nation’s standards. And it is the duty of every Christian believer in the military to accept the call of his heavenly commander and blend his service in both realms together as best he or she can.
And perhaps it would serve the U.S. military better to realize the value of having Christian soldiers who are blessed with a unique dual role. And it might help, too, if those in authority would follow the pattern of a wise man named Gamaliel who recognized reality and his responsibility in that early confrontation of kingdoms.
“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God." (Acts 5:38-39)
Bill Breckenridge
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
More Than a Proclamation
Thursday, May 7, is the 58th Annual National Day of Prayer. Evidently, President Obama attaches less significance to the day than most of his predecessors. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was nothing more than a promise to issue a proclamation. (Update: The President issued the proclamation on Thursday, May 7. It can be read at the White House website.)
Issuing a very late National Day of Prayer proclamation tends to disappoint those who count prayer an essential ingredient for our national continuance and success. Issuing any proclamation about the day upsets atheists and secularists who are upset that Obama would give any legitimacy to prayer whatsoever.
One atheist blogger charges him with abandoning his seeming move toward secularism as outlined in his inaugural speech. She compliments him for going to Turkey and proclaiming that America is not a Christian nation and points out his inconsistency in proclaiming a National Day of Prayer, if he does. She further bitterly denounces Days of Prayer noting that past praying had little effect. "We just came out of one of the darkest periods in this country’s history and the country is in a shambles."
Evidently, the spiritual culture wars are largely lost, with no visible efforts on the part of legislators to either inspire or participate in any concerted prayer effort in Washington or the state capitols. Some atheists and secularists use the day to proclaim and engage in a National Day of Reason to deliberately counter prayer efforts.
America is not suffering from too much prayer but too little. Prayer is more than asking for daily bread, it is pleading, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, amen" (Matthew 6:13).
It is praying, as 1 Timothy 2:2-7 enjoins, "for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…" The twofold purpose of this praying is not accumulating wealth but living in secure peaceful honor and enjoying freedom to share Christ.
Praying should also be penitential. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:11).
The national woes we face from lust, greed and secular thinking are focused by Isaiah 1:4: "Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy one of Israel, They have turned away backward."
And we need the repentance of Isaiah 55:7: "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."
My hope is that the total trust of Ezra, returning to his homeland to reconstruct a wrecked nation, will be our prayer theme on this National Day of Prayer:
"Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer." (Ezra 8:21-23 – emphasis mine)
Dave Virkler
Issuing a very late National Day of Prayer proclamation tends to disappoint those who count prayer an essential ingredient for our national continuance and success. Issuing any proclamation about the day upsets atheists and secularists who are upset that Obama would give any legitimacy to prayer whatsoever.
One atheist blogger charges him with abandoning his seeming move toward secularism as outlined in his inaugural speech. She compliments him for going to Turkey and proclaiming that America is not a Christian nation and points out his inconsistency in proclaiming a National Day of Prayer, if he does. She further bitterly denounces Days of Prayer noting that past praying had little effect. "We just came out of one of the darkest periods in this country’s history and the country is in a shambles."
Evidently, the spiritual culture wars are largely lost, with no visible efforts on the part of legislators to either inspire or participate in any concerted prayer effort in Washington or the state capitols. Some atheists and secularists use the day to proclaim and engage in a National Day of Reason to deliberately counter prayer efforts.
America is not suffering from too much prayer but too little. Prayer is more than asking for daily bread, it is pleading, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, amen" (Matthew 6:13).
It is praying, as 1 Timothy 2:2-7 enjoins, "for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…" The twofold purpose of this praying is not accumulating wealth but living in secure peaceful honor and enjoying freedom to share Christ.
Praying should also be penitential. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:11).
The national woes we face from lust, greed and secular thinking are focused by Isaiah 1:4: "Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy one of Israel, They have turned away backward."
And we need the repentance of Isaiah 55:7: "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."
My hope is that the total trust of Ezra, returning to his homeland to reconstruct a wrecked nation, will be our prayer theme on this National Day of Prayer:
"Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer." (Ezra 8:21-23 – emphasis mine)
Dave Virkler
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Was Lincoln Dying Before Assassination?
According to a new book by Cardiologist John Sotos, Abraham Lincoln’s days would have been short on earth even if he had not been gunned down at Ford’s Theatre. In “The Physical Lincoln”, the author suggests that the slain president, and other members of his family, had a rare genetic blood disorder – a cancer that would have eventually claimed their lives. Sotos is attempting to have DNA test performed on blood from a strip of Lincoln’s pillowcase now housed Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library. So far, the testing has been denied, although that may change if additional questions on the proposed tests are answered appropriately.
John Sotos’ theory is interesting and may, or may not, be true. But it is undeniable that every man and woman ever born came complete with a blood-related disease that leads to certain physical death and, worse, eternal spiritual death, if not corrected. That tragic and universal illness is explained in Romans 5:12 which reads, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” In short, all who have blood running through their physical veins also have the common disorder of sin flowing along with it.
In some ways, the subject of blood is the dominant theme in the Scriptures. The book of Leviticus reveals repeatedly the importance of blood in the Old Testament. In chapter seventeen we read, “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.” (Leviticus 17:11) In the New Testament, the all-important role of blood is also substantiated by the writer of Hebrews. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)
In His absolutely stunning plan of redemption, the omniscient Creator-God decided to use blood to cure the disease transmitted through the blood. But this time the blood of choice was not ordinary sin-stained blood or the animal blood used as a temporary fix in the Old Testament. Neither would work as neither were adequate. God’s ‘blood cure’ for the human condition is laid out 1 Peter 1:17-19. Verse 19 explains the uniqueness of the only blood that had the ability to deal with sin. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Simply stated, only pure blood could purify human sin.
In Romans 3:23-25 the Apostle Paul relates the theological significance of the shedding of Christ’s blood. He uses two highly significant theological terms to make his point. Verse 24 begins, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith.” Justified means to be seen as though one had never sinned. And ‘propitiation’ comes from a Greek word that means merciful, or something that appeases or satisfies a requirement.
In summary, the sacrifice of Christ’s through the voluntary shedding of His sinless blood on the cross satisfied a holy God’s need for justice and judging sin. His wrath was, by design, taken out on His perfect Son as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This nearly inconceivable act of love made Colossians 1:12-14 a reality to those who trust Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. Verse twelve begins, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Whether or not Abraham Lincoln was physically dying at the moment of his death may be an interesting historical debate. But there is no question whatsoever that all are born spiritually dead and headed for an eventual physical demise from the moment of conception.
The only real issue of life and death therefore becomes the same for all - whether they be some famous world figure or some obscure person existing in some remote place. Has the precious and healing blood of Christ procured propitiation and justified them before a holy God, and fully opened the doors of heaven for all eternity?
Bill Breckenridge
John Sotos’ theory is interesting and may, or may not, be true. But it is undeniable that every man and woman ever born came complete with a blood-related disease that leads to certain physical death and, worse, eternal spiritual death, if not corrected. That tragic and universal illness is explained in Romans 5:12 which reads, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” In short, all who have blood running through their physical veins also have the common disorder of sin flowing along with it.
In some ways, the subject of blood is the dominant theme in the Scriptures. The book of Leviticus reveals repeatedly the importance of blood in the Old Testament. In chapter seventeen we read, “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.” (Leviticus 17:11) In the New Testament, the all-important role of blood is also substantiated by the writer of Hebrews. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)
In His absolutely stunning plan of redemption, the omniscient Creator-God decided to use blood to cure the disease transmitted through the blood. But this time the blood of choice was not ordinary sin-stained blood or the animal blood used as a temporary fix in the Old Testament. Neither would work as neither were adequate. God’s ‘blood cure’ for the human condition is laid out 1 Peter 1:17-19. Verse 19 explains the uniqueness of the only blood that had the ability to deal with sin. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Simply stated, only pure blood could purify human sin.
In Romans 3:23-25 the Apostle Paul relates the theological significance of the shedding of Christ’s blood. He uses two highly significant theological terms to make his point. Verse 24 begins, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith.” Justified means to be seen as though one had never sinned. And ‘propitiation’ comes from a Greek word that means merciful, or something that appeases or satisfies a requirement.
In summary, the sacrifice of Christ’s through the voluntary shedding of His sinless blood on the cross satisfied a holy God’s need for justice and judging sin. His wrath was, by design, taken out on His perfect Son as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This nearly inconceivable act of love made Colossians 1:12-14 a reality to those who trust Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. Verse twelve begins, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Whether or not Abraham Lincoln was physically dying at the moment of his death may be an interesting historical debate. But there is no question whatsoever that all are born spiritually dead and headed for an eventual physical demise from the moment of conception.
The only real issue of life and death therefore becomes the same for all - whether they be some famous world figure or some obscure person existing in some remote place. Has the precious and healing blood of Christ procured propitiation and justified them before a holy God, and fully opened the doors of heaven for all eternity?
Bill Breckenridge
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
