So far, the weekend has been about a bloody mess of a way to obtain forgiveness. The interesting thing is that the forgiveness was offered by, atoned for and given by one party -- God. Usually the offending party would have to do something to make up for their offense(s). Not in this case. God was the one offended yet He was the one who made up for it.
"Why would anyone do that?" The simple answer is because of love.
God loves us enough to give us the freedom to make our own choices. If we make good choices, we reap benefits. If we make bad choices, we reap the consequences. As with any loving parent, He tries to protect us with rules but He allows us to make our own judgment calls and decisions. Likewise in love, He sees our offenses but does something to not hold them against us so that we can be allowed in His presence. That is what Good Friday is about, but it is not the end of the story.
When Adam and Eve sinned (disobeyed and rebelled against God), death and sickness came into the world that you and I have come to know with all its weaknesses. Death seems so final that many people avoid talking about it or even thinking about it. We have all lost loved ones, whether by death or by geographical/emotional/relational separation, and the pain is often so intense. Since God loves us so much that He cannot leave us in our broken and fallen state, He offers the one atonement to free us, and then frees us from the power of death by the resurrection of Christ.
That is what we are celebrating today -- death is no longer the final ending. The all-powerful Almighty God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is the only who can promise and assure us of our future, as long as we believe and trust in Him.
I love because He loved first. I forgive because He forgave. I worship because He is worthy. I have victory because He is Victory.
"Why would anyone do that?" The simple answer is because of love.
God loves us enough to give us the freedom to make our own choices. If we make good choices, we reap benefits. If we make bad choices, we reap the consequences. As with any loving parent, He tries to protect us with rules but He allows us to make our own judgment calls and decisions. Likewise in love, He sees our offenses but does something to not hold them against us so that we can be allowed in His presence. That is what Good Friday is about, but it is not the end of the story.
When Adam and Eve sinned (disobeyed and rebelled against God), death and sickness came into the world that you and I have come to know with all its weaknesses. Death seems so final that many people avoid talking about it or even thinking about it. We have all lost loved ones, whether by death or by geographical/emotional/relational separation, and the pain is often so intense. Since God loves us so much that He cannot leave us in our broken and fallen state, He offers the one atonement to free us, and then frees us from the power of death by the resurrection of Christ.
That is what we are celebrating today -- death is no longer the final ending. The all-powerful Almighty God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is the only who can promise and assure us of our future, as long as we believe and trust in Him.
I love because He loved first. I forgive because He forgave. I worship because He is worthy. I have victory because He is Victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment