THE GOD OFFERING
There's an old Black-American congregational song that goes something like this:
"You don't have to slay the lamb anymore;
You don't have to put no more blood on the door.
Jesus has taken the place of the lamb;
He Is the great I AM!"
For a long time, God settled. His holiness demanded something to atone for the sin of man. Because of His great mercy toward us, He was willing to make a temporary provision through the Mosaic Covenant. There had to be some blood; so beginning with the blood on the doorposts before the children of Israel departed from Egypt, blood was shed to protect them from the penalty of death. Only because the blood was over the door, did the death angel know to pass over the firstborn in the house. Once they reached the wilderness of Sinai and camped there, at the mount God gave them laws to live by. They were never meant to be permanent--because the promise came without the Law--prior to the Law, through Abraham. The Law cannot supercede the Covenant of Promise, which comes by faith, alone (not works) [Galatians 3:17-19].
The Law was put in place because of the "transgression" of man--but the Promise was never revoked; so the the Law was like a bookmark--to hold man over until the Promise could be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Law is of works--outward, and gives man opportunity to boast if he does a better job of adhering to it than his neighbor does. The Promise equalizes the playing field--none of us can boast--unless we boast in Jesus and the Cross--because He did the complete work--in totality, at Calvary; He said, "It is finished". We can't earn this gift--all we can do is want this gift and have a heart that is ready and willing to receive the gift of righteousness that will be given to us. Not because we can do or be righteous, but because He imputes or counts us righteous, by His act at Calvary, alone. Nothing else makes us righteous. He justifies us--His blood stops the accuser from getting the verdict of guilty against us that he desires. He accuses, but in our defense, Jesus argues His blood on our behalf, and stops the wicked prosecution from destroying us--even though we deserve death. Jesus took our place and bore the sentence for us!
My sacrifice therefore is a heart that recognizes the greatness of His sacrifice, and the unworthiness of my acceptance of it. How great and mighty is His love toward us that He would say, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done", for us! That wasn't justice--it was mercy!
Give God the little that He desires--your heart, wholly and humbly.
***[Isaiah 58:7-59:2]***
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us! [1 John :7-12, AMP]
"You don't have to slay the lamb anymore;
You don't have to put no more blood on the door.
Jesus has taken the place of the lamb;
He Is the great I AM!"
For a long time, God settled. His holiness demanded something to atone for the sin of man. Because of His great mercy toward us, He was willing to make a temporary provision through the Mosaic Covenant. There had to be some blood; so beginning with the blood on the doorposts before the children of Israel departed from Egypt, blood was shed to protect them from the penalty of death. Only because the blood was over the door, did the death angel know to pass over the firstborn in the house. Once they reached the wilderness of Sinai and camped there, at the mount God gave them laws to live by. They were never meant to be permanent--because the promise came without the Law--prior to the Law, through Abraham. The Law cannot supercede the Covenant of Promise, which comes by faith, alone (not works) [Galatians 3:17-19].
The Law was put in place because of the "transgression" of man--but the Promise was never revoked; so the the Law was like a bookmark--to hold man over until the Promise could be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Law is of works--outward, and gives man opportunity to boast if he does a better job of adhering to it than his neighbor does. The Promise equalizes the playing field--none of us can boast--unless we boast in Jesus and the Cross--because He did the complete work--in totality, at Calvary; He said, "It is finished". We can't earn this gift--all we can do is want this gift and have a heart that is ready and willing to receive the gift of righteousness that will be given to us. Not because we can do or be righteous, but because He imputes or counts us righteous, by His act at Calvary, alone. Nothing else makes us righteous. He justifies us--His blood stops the accuser from getting the verdict of guilty against us that he desires. He accuses, but in our defense, Jesus argues His blood on our behalf, and stops the wicked prosecution from destroying us--even though we deserve death. Jesus took our place and bore the sentence for us!
My sacrifice therefore is a heart that recognizes the greatness of His sacrifice, and the unworthiness of my acceptance of it. How great and mighty is His love toward us that He would say, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done", for us! That wasn't justice--it was mercy!
Give God the little that He desires--your heart, wholly and humbly.
***[Isaiah 58:7-59:2]***
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us! [1 John :7-12, AMP]
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