Why you believe what you believe I

[Rían]

(Nurvi's question on redemption, con't)

So really to even ASK that question sincerely, one needs to see that, first, one is a sinner, and second, that it is RIGHT that God requires a consequence for sin. And I hope that I've explained how that is logically observable and cohesive.

SO - given that God loves us, and given that God is perfectly holy - What's a God to do?! Just like you wouldn't like to be married to a pedophile, God cannot be in fellowship with sinners - and this is RIGHT.

What follows is "deep magic", as Aslan would say ...

God spoke to a guy named Abraham one day ...

No, let's go back further ... when Adam and Eve sinned (called the "fall" - because their very nature had become damaged and they now, thru their own choices, had a sin nature) - what did they do? They covered themselves with leaves ... And what did God do? He provided another covering - one of animal skin - which means there had to be a death to pay for their choice to sin , because sin requires a consequence. Now this is a PICTURE of how God will provide redemption for people in the future by giving His Son, Jesus (called the Lamb of God), for the sins of people.

So on to Abraham - God calls him out of his country and gives him a promise that He will make a great nation of him, and in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. And so Abraham packs up and leaves - quite a man of faith! And the promise doesn't come ... and years pass ... until finally his wife Sarah is past the time of childbearing, and it's IMPOSSIBLE (from man's POV) for them to have children. So they decide that they gotta help ol' God out, and go with a custom of the time, and give Sarah's maid to Abraham, and she bears a child to him (Ishmael). But God says, "No, that's not my plan - you and Sarah will bear a child." Sarah actually laughs at this - yet ... it comes true, and they have a son thru miraculous intervention (and IIRC, his name, Isaac, means "laughter"!)

So the years pass, and Isaac becomes a young man, and God calls Abraham to make a journey and take Isaac with him, so Abraham can offer a sacrifice to God (a common practice in the region, and one Abraham would be familiar with). And they get there - and God tells Abraham to take his son, Isaac, and sacrifice him ... And Abraham, who is also familiar with this practice, starts to do this (btw, Isaac is a man, so he must have cooperated in faith) - because he believed that God could raise people from the dead. The knife is actually raised to strike - and God calls him to stop! And God Himself provides the sacrifice - there is a ram caught in the bushes which is sacrificed instead. The picture again - a holy God rightly requires sacrifice for sin - and yet this time the picture goes one step further - a person is the one to be killed, yet God provides a substitution. And they enter into another covenant that Abraham will be a father of nations and people will be blessed thru him - and God Himself takes on the full responsibility for it - usually both parties pass thru the sacrifice, but this time, ONLY GOD does.

(OMGoodness, this is getting sooo long! Sorry! But it's such a great story!)

So to summarize the next hundreds of years - the nation of Israel comes from Isaac, and God continues the picture of sacrifice for sin, over and over. The animal must be umblemished and perfect - the BEST of the flock. And the sacrifice carries away the sin for the year.

Then captivity, freedom, captivity again - and finally, 400 years of silence.

Then a baby is born in Bethlehem ... and the Lamb of God fulfills the picture that God has been showing us all this time. The perfect, sinless Son of God willingly comes to bear the penalty of our sins, and to reconcile us to a God that loves us with all his heart.

So we can't reconcile ourselves - only a sinless person can willingly take on the penalty - and Jesus DID it. This is the beautiful picture that has been around since the beginning of the world, and was fulfilled in Jesus. And we can be reconciled to God almighty, who loves us, by accepting what Jesus did on the cross and taking Him as rightful Lord of our lives - for He has taken our sins upon him and paid the penalty. But this is a choice - we can also deny our need, or deny His payment of the penalty. And IMO, Hell is basically the highest compliment God can give to humans - that of acknowledging their free will choice to deny Him. But more on Hell later - I've blabbed enough for now! (but these are complex questions!)