"…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
Most of the time, we tend to think only about our own sins being washed away in the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross 2,000 years ago. But his blood washed away Adam and Eve's sin too.
In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves, being ashamed of their nakedness. Remember, just a few verses before that, the Bible says that "they were both naked…and were not ashamed." (Gen. 2:25) So how come this change? Because of sin! When they sinned, though they gained in terms of knowledge, they lost trust in the LORD. Their sin - and consequent shame - created a distance between them and God. Their former nakedness was innocent and baby-like. Their post-sin nakedness was a symbol of their sin being 'exposed' in front of God.
God is gracious and merciful. He did not want sin to get in the way and separate His children from Him forever. But as we saw in an earlier post, sin must be paid for - innocent blood must be shed to prevent sinners from going to hell. So God killed an innocent animal (there was no human being other than Adam and Eve at that time and they had already sinned). God used the animal's skin to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness (exposed sins). This event foreshadowed the covering of our exposed sins by the Blood of Jesus Christ. That covering applies to you only if you have confessed Christ as Saviour. Covering implies "blotting out" of sins. So if you believe (as per John 3:16), that Jesus is the Son of God, God promises to save you and take your sins as far away from you "as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12)
Praise the LORD for this promise!
Who loves you the most? It's God! They say that "another name for love is sacrifice." That's true, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (This blog may display affiliate ads. Clicking and buying from those sites will earn me commission. You are free not to click.) Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for adverse consequences of applying information given on this blog.
you write well but explain if possible why god has to punish an innocent to prevent sinners from going to hell. if that is the case is it not better off that we sin anyway since if we sin god will protect us but if we are innocent god is going to punish us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment!
ReplyDeleteIt's not that the sinner's payment is not acceptable to God. The logic of making an innocent person pay for the sinner's sins is that the sinner is already imperfect and tainted by his sin. He is himself incomplete - how can I clean myself if I am dirty from head to toe? Even if I wipe off dirt from one hand, the other hand's dirt will stick to it. It requires a clean person (or the flow of clean water-the blood of Jesus in the case of sins) who could use his cleansing power (blood of Jesus) and wash me clean and make me acceptable in the sight of the one who wants me clean!
God knew that we won't be able to pay for our own sins, so He sent Jesus instead. So we are paying for our sins through Jesus' sacrifice when we say "LORD, I believe that Jesus paid the price for my sins because I could not pay it. I accept and receive your solution for the payment of my sins - Jesus' sacrificial death. Therefore I ask in Jesus' name that you forgive me of my sins and make me the kind of person you want me to be. Amen"
thanks for your reply. does this mean then that irrespective of whether we are innocent or have sinned god is going to prevent us from going to hell? innocents suffer so that the sinned can get away with is god's way of justice it seems. do not know if really there is god or not. may be some superpower is there but it is far from perfect without doubt.
ReplyDeleteOnly one innocent person suffers on behalf of sinners - Jesus Christ. And he has already suffered. Forgiveness for sins is available to us if we accept this gift from God.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jesus himself says in the Bible: "For God did not send His Son (Jesus himself) into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
In fact, I would say it is easier to accept this gift from God rather than wait until you get the perfect proof. If you want an answer to your question, i suggest filling out a feedback form by clicking the "I still have questions" here: http://www.allaboutgod.com/
May God bless you!
thanks again. i am a young 15 year old and and would be grateful if you explain since i am not old enough to understand the finer points of life on my own. you write that only one person suffers on behalf of sinners and that is jesus christ. does this mean that the innocent animal who was killed also was jesus christ as it had to suffer for the sins that adam and eve commited. and if god killed that animal has he not himself sinned??
ReplyDeleteDear Friend, give me a few days to reply as I am in the midst of Christmas and other activities. I'll get back to you. Meanwhile, you need to find a non-Catholic church (believers) in your area and contact the pastor if you're a young man or a lady counsellor if you're a young woman. Till then, may the peace of God be with you!
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