Good vs. Evil
The great cosmic battle that involves the whole world and each and every individual.
A battle being fought, sides being chosen, and yet a battle won.
Sometimes hearing the words, 'You don't have to decide just yet.' Are a good thing. They bring relief from pressure, they give you time to think things over and make a decision. Other time hearing those words simply prolongs the agony of indecision. Then again, sometimes hearing the words are nice but being able to make that decision right away feels good- knowing your mind without having to think about it at all.
Too many people live in that world of indecision when it comes to choosing the side they want to be on, good or evil. Too many hover about the middle ground thinking it to be a nice place to hang out not choosing either side. Some lean in one direction or another but aren't making that ultimate choice just yet. It's sad really and life threatening. However, in our world today we've so much confusion that we've pretty much taken the life threatening aspect out of the decision and made it easy for people to hover.
Sin is punishable by death.
The penalty must be paid.
Jesus paid it for all, but all don't accept His sacrifice.
The action on our part towards salvation is to repent and accept sincerely.
Let's read more about the Sanctuary and God's plan for us sinners, the intricate details involved in things can be quite amazing if you're willing to dig deep for them and have more than a surface salvation.
Picking up with William Grotheer's thought paper bits on the Sanctuary we continue here--
Basic Principles From God's Viewpoint -- Light From the Throne -- Continued --
Can God forgive sin as a matter of fact?
The answer is - NO!
Consider the terms of the 40-Day Covenant.
Moses was told - which he in turn conveyed to the people - "Behold, I send an Angel before thee .... Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him." (Ex. 23:20-21)
To forgive sin per se would reflect upon the very character of God, and place in jeopardy the entire universe. A whole series of questions arise. Is God just? Does He mean what He says? Is He infallible? Are there alternatives? Can pluralism exist in the universe? Or is there just one way of righteousness? These questions are as new as today, and as old as eternity, yet basic to the question - Can God forgive sin?
Does God forgive sin?
The answer is YES.
When Israel sinned and broke the 40-Day Covenant, Moses told the people that he would "go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin." In speaking with the Lord, Moses made confession for Israel "This people have sinned a great sin." Then he said - "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their, sin -;" (Ex. 32:31-32) An extended pleading followed on the part of Moses, climaxing in the request - "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." (Ex. 33:18) To this God consented, and placing Moses "in a clift of the rock" and covering him with His hand, He passed by proclaiming "the name of the Lord." In this self-revelation, God declared Himself to be "merciful and gracious ... keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." (Ex. 33:22; 34:5-7)
How then do we reconcile the Name of the Lord which cannot pardon transgression, and the revelation of that God as merciful, "forgiving ... transgression and sin"? Paul answers this question by stating that "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, God can remain "just" and yet show forgiving mercy to the one believing "in Jesus." (Rom. 3:24-26)
Romans {3:24} Being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
{3:25} Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance
of God; {3:26} To declare, [I say,] at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus.
This reconciling revelation of God's character is portrayed in the sanctuary services of types and shadows.
Another basic principle from God's viewpoint can be recognized by asking the question - "Can I provide for the forgiveness of my sins?"
The answer is an emphatic - NO!
To do so would be my demise for time and eternity. This is what the Judgment of the Great White Throne is all about. Those who stand to be judged before that Throne must provide for their own transgressions. These can be satisfied only in the second death. (Rev. 20:12-15)
Rev.{20:12} And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the
book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
{20:13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works.
{20:14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. {20:15} And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
God is just. There is a wrath of God against sin. The Third Angel's Message reveals how His wrath will be manifest against those who persist in worshiping the epitome of iniquity. (Rev. 14: 9-10)
Rev. {14:9} And the
third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his]
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, {14:10} The same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall
be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the
holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb
There is only one escape. Having been justified by the blood of Christ, "we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Rom. 5:9) Again the sanctuary reveals the way.
Romans {5:9}
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through him.
Vignettes -- In the book of Genesis, there are vignettes revealing man's inability to face his Maker in an acceptable way. The record states that as soon as the first pair sinned, they perceived their nakedness, and made for themselves "aprons" of fig leaves. (Gen. 3:7) But when the Lord God called to Adam - "Where art thou?" - he responded - "I was afraid because naked I (am); and I hid myself." (3:10, Heb.) You will observe that in the KJV, the word, "was," is supplied. The word order of the Hebrew would indicate the use of "am" rather than "was". Even though Adam, and Eve had covered their nakedness with a garment of their devising; when facing God, they sensed how totally inadequate was the "apron" of their making. To meet their need, God Himself took the first life ever taken in the universe from all eternity, and made for them "coats of skins." (3:21) In the light of this sketch, how vain is the hope that man can by his works obtain the favor of God, and thereby atone for his transgressions.
The word sketch from the life of Cain and Abel reveals a fundamental principle upon which the message of the sanctuary is based.
Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and expected the Lord to accept his offering. He perceived of it as something he had produced, even as his parents had made "aprons" from the things of nature.
Abel, on the other hand, brought of the flock, and life was taken.
God can forgive sin, but only when the penalty of that sin is met.
Abel provided his recognition of that fact. "The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect." (Gen. 4:4-5)
How is man to regain acceptance with God? Through his works? A thousand times - No!
How then?
Through the acceptance from God of the Offering He has provided.
In other words, Abel "obeyed" the gospel. He accepted the basic principle upon which God could be just and the justifier of those who would accept His provision for sin. Tragically, there will be untold millions even professed Christians - who will suffer the "vengeance" of "flaming fire" because they "know not God and ... obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thess. 1:8)
God is just and cannot condone sin. Because man cannot provide for his own nakedness, God has provided a covering in Jesus Christ. This is the gospel.
This is the way of God in the sanctuary. The acceptance of that way is to "obey the gospel."
The Basic "Gospel" In Leviticus -- The unfolding of the "gospel" revealed in the sanctuary is found in the book of Leviticus. In the instruction for the first offering - the law of the burnt offering - fundamental principles were enunciated.
First, the offering was to be "voluntary" - no coercion. (Lev. 1:3) Even as God freely provided for man's redemption, so man's acceptance of the means of redemption must be from a willing heart.
Secondly, it was to be offered at "the entrance of the tabernacle of the congregation." A significance of this rule will be seen when we study the sin offerings in particular.
Thirdly, the offerer "put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering." (Lev. 1:4) The Hebrew word, samach, means "to lean upon in full support." This word is also used in Amos 5:19 describing a man who leaned with his hand upon a wall. This placing of the hand in full support upon the offering signified total dependence.
Fourth, the offering was "accepted for him to make atonement." This principle is fundamental and applies to all offerings wherein the hand is laid upon the victim. It is especially significant when understood in relationship to the sin offering. In the Hebrew, one word - chatta' th - is used for both "sin" and "sin offering." The sacrificial animal became sin, and was accepted in the place of the offerer. In the elementary burnt offering and in the sin offering, the one offering sacrifice slew the victim. (Lev. 1:5) The disposition of the blood differed, and in the elementary burnt offering, the whole of the animal was burned on the altar. (Lev. 1:7-9) Of Christ, Paul wrote - God "hath made Him to be sin for us." (II Cor. 5:21) Jesus is accepted in our stead to make atonement. Upon Him, we must place our full dependence.
***
I'm going to stop here for now, but there is so much more to go into, so much more to understand. If you can, look up each and every verse mentioned here, study the word of God, study as if your life depends upon understanding because it really does.
We need to understand that there is only one sacrifice acceptable to God and it's not anything we have to offer, not one single thing. We can be the best person in all the world giving millions to millions, helping in everyway we can, we can devote our lives to the service of others living frugally just so we can give more to others and in the end that will mean absolutely nothing if we haven't Christ. If we don't realize that nothing we do will save us but go on trying to save ourselves, we're lost.
The Sanctuary services were in place for thousands of years. The Sanctuary was given to God's chosen people so that they might know the way to God. The Sanctuary was a type, a shadow of the heavenly. Christ came as a living Sanctuary and we need to realize that just as those before Christ who came to the earthly sanctuary and with a sincere heart of repentance brought a sin offering to God, pleading for forgiveness, leaning on that living sacrificial lamb and then knowing that the price of their transgression warranted an innocent life, they took the knife and sliced the throat of the lamb. Just as that person was truly forgiven by the realization of sin demanding death and sacrifice, we too are truly forgiven when we realize that our sins are placed upon Jesus and he died so he could save us, He is our Sacrificial Lamb without Him there is no hope. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, nothing.
May God help us, keep us, teach us, show us all we need to know to be His and for us to know Him and for Him to know us.
By His Grace and Mercy, now and forever.
Amen.
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