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| Chapter 8. Concluding Remarks Part 1: What do you call a Being who has essentially unlimited intelligence, has the power to set aside the laws of the universe and work miracles, has a will and makes arbitrary decisions, has personality, and is holy? You call Him God. The creation itself testifies of His existence. In the Bible God says, “I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another…” (Isaiah 42:8). Not recognizing God as the Creator of life denies Him His glory rightfully due Him as the Creator. God counts this denial as sin, indeed, as sin for which a person must give an account. However, as we shall see, God in His mercy has also provided a means of forgiveness for the sinner who is seeking to turn from His sins and be reconciled with his Creator. It is amazing that not only has the Creator designed the creation so that it teaches us of His existence, but He has also decreed that we can know Him personally. A very precious universal promise is given in 1 Chronicles 28:9 of the Bible: “The LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” The living God who created the heavens and the earth promises that a person who seeks Him will find Him. This is good news. It is the most significant promise a person can have. Becoming at peace with the Creator—that is, finding Him and knowing Him—is more important than a job, than a marriage, than health, or a few more years of life, all of which will soon pass away anyway. Along with the promise, though, is responsibility. If a person rejects the light God has given Him, the consequences are eternal. He will be cast off forever. How do you come to know God? The first step is to believe that He exists and that He will reward you if you seek Him diligently:
He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) So, you need to believe that He exists. You need to receive the testimony He has placed in Himself concerning His existence. Then you need to seek Him and do this diligently. Finding Him needs to become your highest priority. The situation we are in is described in the book of Isaiah, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2) The problem is sin. Sin separates us from God. There is a spiritually deadening effect that sin has on a person. We do not need to be told this; we know it from experience. In fact, sin can get such a strong grip on a person that he becomes its slave. The person instinctively knows that sin in His life offends the Creator and for that reason is uncomfortable talking about Him. He does not like to think about Him. He does not seek God even though He knows God exists. However, the above verse is a verse of hope. Even though our sins separate us from God, God is able to save us from our sin. The question is whether or not we want Him to. The issue is whether or not we are willing to seek Him. Isaiah also told us how God would go about saving us from sin. We read about this in the 53rd chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Bible: 3 “He is despised and rejected by men...He was despised and we did not esteem Him.” this man was identified as the Servant of God. We will also call Him by that name for now. 5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah speaks of how the Servant was wounded because of our sins. We who are separated from God by our sins can be at peace with God, because His Servant bore the punishment, bore the chastisement that was due us. It is by means of His affliction that we can be healed from sin and its consequences. The next verse continues,
LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Again, the problem is our sin. We stray from God. We want to go our own way, not His. We want God to bless us for our sakes; we are not interested in serving Him for His sake. Yet, praise God! In His mercy, He has laid on His Servant our sins. Dropping down to verse 10, 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, he shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. God was willing to bruise Him, to put Him to grief for a bigger benefit to follow. This was a grief unto death. The Servant was made an offering for sin. An Old Testament offering always required the death of the one being offered. Our sins create a barrier between God and us. That barrier can only be removed by the death of an acceptable substitute. God has provided a substitute for us in the person of the Servant. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. verse as well as the one preceding it. Although the servant suffered on our behalf, God resurrected Him after the sacrifice was finished. After the resurrection, the Servant could see the fruit of His labors, the salvation of those who would come to know Him. Upon seeing this, the Servant was satisfied. It was worth it. His death and the suffering associated with it will result in the salvation of many. He bore their iniquities and this was a grief. However, seeing the results will make it all worthwhile. This is one of the most precious statements in the Bible. My situation is not good. I have sinned against God. My iniquities have separated me from Him. Yet, in His love for me, He sent His Servant as an offering for my Sin. In His love for me, He has saved me. He offers that salvation to anyone willing to receive it on His terms, which are simple. He offers salvation as a free gift to the one willing to receive it. continued |