Psalm 145:13 -Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. Chapter Three of the book of Genesis has the sub-title “The Fall of Man”. The previous chapters describe the creation of the Earth, heavens, plants and animals by God and He made Adam and Eve in his own image and immortal. They cared for this garden world of paradise and ruled over all the Lord God’s creation, in perfect communion with their Maker. This is the height that mankind has fallen down from by original sin. So many people today do not realize the great fall we’ve taken and therefore do not feel the loss, except for the God shaped hole in all our hearts. Blaise Pascal writes, in the book ‘Mind on Fire’, “Man has fallen from a better state which in former times were more appropriate to him. Who does not feel more unhappy at not being a king except a king who has been depose? It is natural for a king to remain so the whole of his life. We have fallen from a high state” By sin, we fell from the Garden of Eden and with fellowship with God to a cursed earth because of that sin to toil in time till death, in separation with God. What a fall from righteousness walking with God to inequity & separation, from immortality in paradise to mortality on earth, from heaven to damnation deserved by our sin. But God provided a means of restoration in Jesus Christ. God sent His Son, who knew no Sin, to offer the free gift of reconciliation by the substitution of our sins upon Jesus and Jesus’ sinless life upon us through His blood, that the penalty of death for sin may be paid in full and that forgiveness, fellowship with God and eternal life in heaven may be given. Those who do not know this truth or those who reject our fallen state before God, look for human distractions and amusements to divert them from the truth that both our today & eternity are at stake in the pursuit of happiness. But that is another blog to come.
Pascal goes on to write: “Truth lies within our grasp, and yet is not our prey. It does not dwell on earth, but has its home in heaven. It lies in the bosom of God, and so it can only be known insofar as it pleases him to reveal it. So let us learn about our true nature from the uncreated and incarnate truth.”
Matthew 18:14 “It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
In Christ, Brian
2 comments:
I was having trouble leaving a comment. Blogger was having trouble. I was listening to the Christian radio station this morning on my way home from work and the pastor said "It is finished!" There is nothing we can add or remove to what Jesus had done because He finished it! We are all lost but even more sadder for me when people remain to have hardened hearts and not recognize their need of our Savior. Blessings to you.
Sorry RCUBE for the difficulty. In the Evangelism Explosion course that I took, Dr. Kennedy explained that the term that our Lord Jesus used "Tetelestai" was used, printed across items that had been paid in full. Christ was declaring that by His death He paid the penalty for our sins. As you said ... there is nothing that we can add or remove to what Jesus had done on the cross. Pascal's heart, along with yours & mine, goes out for the lost, who have not accepted Christ and salvation. This is ministry ... to reach out in the love of God. May the Lord bless the discipleship efforts of the body of Believers, as they all are performed in our blessed Redeemer's holy name, and may the glory be to God. Amen.
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