Encouraging believers to learn and live the truth of God's Word

Tag: sin

Heed the Heavenly Warnings

“…the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

Psalm 19:9b-12

Many people in this day and age do not heed warnings. The most common evidence of this is in hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms. Most of the time, warnings are issued in advance of these dangerous weather phenomena, but many people, for various reasons, choose to ignore the warnings and “ride out the storm.” Some manage to do this safely, while others do so to their own peril.

Likewise, there are many Christians who choose to ignore a much more important warning– the warning that comes directly from God. God makes it clear in this passage that God warns his servants by way of His judgments, or commandments. The commandments of God are the warnings issued by God to keep us from danger.

“For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”

Proverbs 6:23

The spiritual dangers of this world lurk all around us and continually obscure and darken our pathway so that we cannot see the eventual destruction they cause. God’s commands, like a flashlight shining into a dark room, illuminate the darkness of life’s pathway and reveal those hidden dangers so that we may steer clear of them and remain on the proper path that God has for us.

To ignore the heavenly warnings of God’s Word is to set ourselves on a collision course with the dangers of life and align ourselves with death and destruction. No Christian sets out for their lives, testimony, and ministry to be ruined by sin, but the slightest dismissal of God’s warning, however small it may seem, is the first step down this tragic path.

“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

proverbs 29:1

The reason why people do not heed severe weather warnings is because they do not believe the storm will be as destructive as it is forecast to be. In some cases, this turns out to be true, but in other cases the storm turns out to be just as powerful and catastrophic as expected.

Friend, the Scripture says the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. The heavenly warnings issued by God are never inaccurate or unreliable; you had better believe that the destruction God warns us of will occur if we do not heed His commandments.

We must humble ourselves and admit that we cannot understand our errors, neither can we understand our own way (see Proverbs 20:24). We must ask the Lord to cleanse us of the sins and errors which we cannot see because of the stubbornness of our own hearts. Then, we must determine to never again ignore God’s heavenly warnings and embrace the promise presented in this passage that if we heed His warnings, we will experience a great eternal reward that surpasses any fleeting sinful pleasure or pathway which we were previously seeking.

How’s Your Love?

“The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?”

Malachi 1:1-2a (KJV)

It is convicting that God would begin what is essentially a message of rebuke with a proclamation of His love for Israel. God’s love is a love of the most intense devotion; it is utterly unconditional. Yet, Israel responds flippantly to this loyal love in asking “Wherein (how) hast thou loved us?” This question would be more appropriate if it were posed to our fellow man because man is sinful and the quality of man’s love is not on par with God’s. We don’t always back up our proclamations of love with the actions that prove our loyal devotion to those whom we say we love. However, Israel made this same accusation against Jehovah God, the omnipotent Ruler of the universe. How it must have hurt the heart of God to see His love that He had shown for thousands of years consistently and arrogantly left unrequited.

Yet, in reality, we are not far from the Israelites. We may not necessarily lift up our voice to God and say, “Wherein hast thou loved us,” but every time we choose to live carnally as a believer, we have in essence asked this very question. Christian, how is your love life? I’m not talking about with your spouse, your family, or your friends. I’m asking about the status and quality of your love for the Savior–your Savior. Are you in fellowship with Him, or are you walking in the darkness of sin? Are you being faithful to Him in your service, giving, and witnessing? Are you daily in His Word and daily in prayer, seeking to know more about the One who loves you? May you and I seriously consider these questions and do business with God to get our hearts–our love–for Him renewed and restored to complete fervency and vigor.

Originally published under the title: “Devotional Thoughts from Malachi 1:1-2”

Christ’s Sacrifce on the Cross Paid for All our Sins Forever

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Leviticus 14:13

(13) And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:

Hebrews 10:12

(12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews 10:14

(14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Our text today includes three verses, one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. Today, the author would like to explain the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

If we take a look at the verse from Leviticus, we see that the Bible refers to the “sin offering”. First, what is a sin offering?

Let’s take a look back at Exodus for a moment:

Exodus 29:14

But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

The word “bullock” here is referring to a young bullock without blemish (or without any sort of disease, deformity, or other problem). The Bible says that the flesh, skin, and dung of the bull was to be burned with fire for a sin offering. This establishes the principle found in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. The young bullock had to die as an atonement for sin.

Now, let’s take a look at Leviticus.

Leviticus 5:1-6

(1) And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

(2) Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.

(3) Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.

(4) Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.

(5) And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:

(6) And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.

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The Bible says in Leviticus that “if a soul sin…he shall bear his iniquity.” This once again confirms the principle found in Romans 6:23 that sin has a penalty, a wage, or an earning. That earning is death as we saw in Exodus 29:14. In Leviticus, the Bible also says that a trespass offering needed to be offered unto the Lord for “his sin which he hath sinned.” The Bible said that this animal needed to be a female from the flock, a lamb, or a kid of the goats for a sin offering. The priest then was to make an atonement (or a temporary covering) concerning his sin.But, death is not the only penalty for sin. Listen to the next part of God’s commandment concerning the sin offering:

Leviticus 5:8-9

8, And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder:

9, And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.

The Bible says that the blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled on the side of the altar and that the rest of the blood was to be wrung out at the bottom of the altar as a sin offering. Thus, both death AND the shedding of blood was necessary to atone, or pay, for sin.

You may be asking by this point: where is the author going with all this? What the author is trying to get at is that Jesus’ death on the Cross was the fulfillment of all these sacrifices and sin offerings that are recorded in the Old Testament. How so?

1. Leviticus 5:1 establishes the fact that the soul that sinned must “bear his iniquity.” This means that there is a penalty for sin. However, the Bible states that Jesus Christ has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows and that the iniquity of us all was laid on him. In other words, Jesus Christ himself paid the penalty for all our sins so we wouldn’t have to!

Isaiah 53:4, 6

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Bible says that God the Father laid on Jesus Christ (his Son) the iniquity of us all. The penalty for sin rested solely on Jesus Christ.

2. Exodus 29:14 establishes the fact that death is the penalty for sin, which is restated in Romans 6:23. Jesus died a cruel death on an old, rugged Cross so we could be saved from our sin, and live eternally with Him.

 

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3. Leviticus 5:8-10 establishes the fact that blood must be shed in order to pay for sin. This is confirmed again in 1 John 1:7b:

“…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Finally, in John 1, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God that paid the sin offering for our sin: he bore our iniquity on the Cross by dying for our sins; he shed his blood on the Cross and through his beatings, and Jesus Christ was a sinless Lamb of God, which made Jesus Christ the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for all our sin. Praise God. This is why Hebrews declares:

Hebrews 10:12

(12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews 10:14

(14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Jesus’ one offering for sins on the Cross 2,000 years ago paid for all sins: past, present, and future. The only thing you have to do is simply accept Jesus’ sacrifice via his gift of salvation by believing in Christ through faith.

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Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Friend, you cannot earn your salvation through good works or through the killing of lambs or goats. Jesus Christ was and is the perfect propitiation (satisfying sacrifice) for our sin. Our good works will not amount to anything, nor will any animal sacrifices. If you still believe that your good works can get you to Heaven, consider the following verses:

Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The above verses clearly state that even our “good deeds” cannot get us to Heaven. Only the Blood of Christ can pay for our sin.

Hebrews 9:22b “…without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Friend, if you desire to accept Jesus’ sacrifice today through His free gift of salvation, please do not hesitate to click here. May God bless you as you desire to trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus Gave His Life as a Ransom for Many

5 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.

~1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)

As we read yesterday about Christ’s crucifixion, you may be asking why would Jesus willingly be mocked, beat, scorned, and crucified just for us? You may understand the fact that it was prophesied that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world, but you still may not understand why Jesus came. The reason why Jesus came is three-fold:

  1. He loved us (John 3:16).
  2. To seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
  3. To give his life a ransom for many (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Today, we will focus on Jesus Christ being a ransom for our sin. Firstly, what is a ransom?

“1. The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave, or for goods captured by an enemy; that which procures the release of a prisoner or captive, or of captured property, and restores the one to liberty and the other to the original owner.

5. The price paid for procuring the pardon of sins and the redemption of the sinner from punishment.

Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom Job 33:24.

The Son of man came – to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. Mark 10:45.” (Webster)

In the context of 1 Timothy 2:5-6, the first and fifth definitions of the word ransom fit best. This is because the Greek word used here for ransom means a “redemption price (Strong Greek 487).” Because Jesus Christ was righteous and sinless, he qualified to be the Lamb of God to pay the “redemption price (Strong Greek 487)” for our sin, which was death on the Cross. By paying this price, Jesus is able to save us from our sins via the free gift of salvation.

Remember Romans 6:23?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus paid that wage, or earning for sin, which was death on Calvary’s Cross. Well, why would Jesus do that? Because He loves us unconditionally, and he desires that all men would come to know Jesus Christ. As one commentary puts it:

“There is one God (v. 5), and one only, there is no other, there can be no other, for there can be but one infinite. This one God will have all men to be saved; he desires not the death and destruction of any (Ezekiel 33:11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then all men would be saved; but he has a good will to the salvation of all, and none perish but by their own fault, (Matthew 23:37) . He will have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to be saved in the way that he has appointed and not otherwise.” (Henry)

God desires for all of us to be saved and dwell forever in Heaven with Him. He also desires for us to live an abundant, victorious Christian life through His eternal sacrifice that was offered on the Cross over 2,000 years ago. If you are not 100% certain that if you were to die today, you would go to Heaven, please read God’s plan of salvation by clicking here.

Bibliography:

Webster, Noah. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. Ebook.

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition KJV. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. Print.

Henry, Matthew. “1 Timothy 2 Commentary.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible . 1706. Web.

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