OR: The Burning & Building of Bridges
Last time I talked about how the Bible explains that there was only one single reason for the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth, which was to bridge the great divide; the great divide between a morally perfect God and morally imperfect man.
The Bridge is Burned
Adam and Eve lost their innocence when they caved into the lies of the serpent. Previously oblivious to the knowledge of the existence of evil, they had disastrously walked over and stepped off a monumental bridge; a bridge that immediately exploded into flames behind them.
Till then, unaware that they were naked, all of a sudden they felt shame; a new and very unpleasant sensation! God provided for them clothing of animal skins. Animal skins come from animals that have been killed (BTW, this is the first occurrence of death in history). In doing this, God demonstrated that blood would have to be shed in order to “cover” sin. Before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gave the Hebrews the elaborate sacrificial system to foreshadow the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ – Immanuel/God with us - who takes away the sins of the world. People were put back into right relationship with God through faith in the promise of Jesus Christ those sacrifices represented.
Just before that system was instituted with the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses, God indicated His intention through the Passover, just before bringing the Hebrews out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership. The blood of the unblemished, innocent lamb painted over the doors kept the Angel of Death from visiting every home so adorned.
The killing of the animals to provide clothing and the Jewish ceremonial sacrificial system of atonement (making reparation for a wrong) through the sacrifice of animals were merely foreshadowings of the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God – Jesus Christ, who would one day offer Himself on the cross to make atonement for the sins of all mankind. Once and for all.
And so the bridge is rebuilt
The bridge that figuratively burned behind Adam and Eve as they were banished from the garden, preventing them from eating of the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-23)*, is restored through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29)**
And, again, why was a sacrifice necessary? In the New Testament book of Romans, penned by the Apostle Paul, we are told that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). And then, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23), and then:
THE BIG BUT
“…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
And, so, the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God is satisfied by the LOVE of God, who ingeniously devised this plan for Adam and Eve and for you and me way back when in the Garden of Eden.
“He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.”
May you be blessed this day as you contemplate the white-as-snow purity and righteousness of God, our Creator, and His unmeasurable love for us as demonstrated in His offering of his Son to be our Savior, bridging THE GREAT DIVIDE, this special Advent season and every day of every year.
Because of this, and only because of this, if we:
"...confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
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*Genesis 3:22-23 - Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
**John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him [John the Baptist], and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
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