Love and Justice
Year Delivered or Published: 2007
Author: Fred Igbeare
Author's Faith: Christianity
Date Submitted to Inspiration and Issues: June 20, 2007
Topic: God
Citation: Revelations, Genesis, Ezekiel, John, Romans, I Corinthians, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Galatians, Hebrew, :21-21
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ symbolizes the triumph of life over death, disease and desolation. In it, mankind finds hope for a life much better than this wretched one. His death is the point where love and justice meet, and love wins!
For me, one of the most exhilarating discoveries is this expectation. That one day in the conceivable future, I will have a life free of pain, suffering and death [1]. Imagine that!
In the past, one of the most troubling issues for me has been the question of death. Why is it necessary at all? Why does a loving God allow people to live, suffer and then die? Does He even exist? If yes, then has He lost control of the universe?
Answers don't come easy. The explanation for death can be brutal, viewed at from a dimly lit perspective. The soul that sins, so it goes, must die [2 & 3].
What is 'sin' anyway? The story of Adam and Eve is at the core of the human tragedy [4]. Our first parents missed the mark set by God. In other words, they went against God's directions for living. In short, they sinned.
There was a time when I wondered why a 'simple' disobedience could bring such ruins upon the human race. Then one day the words of Jesus Christ jumped out at me: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" [5].
And in another place, He said: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! . Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do." [6]
The mysteries of God's existence can truly startle the human mind. How is it possible, for instance, that Jesus Christ is God just as the Father is God? [7] And where did God come from? Does He have a mother or a father? When did He begin to exist?
The answer that has made sense to me is this: God is life, and always was, and always will be, no beginning, no end. Or, if you will, He is the Alpha and the Omega: the Beginning and the End [8].
How do all these apply to Adam and Eve's sin? As the life and the source of life itself, God understands what can nourish or diminish life. So, when He gave instructions to Adam and Eve on what to do, or not do, He was setting guidelines to keep them alive.
In a way, He was saying, if you do as I do, you will live: by being restrained and loving. Sin really boils down to a lack of love and of self-control.
If Adam and Eve walked outside of God's guidelines, they would end up decaying and dying, which they did. In other words, God knows what is good or bad for life. He should know, after all He is life!
The choice our first parents faced confronts us today: good or evil. The things that promote the pure life as exemplified by God through Jesus Christ are good. They nourish life, allowing it to flourish.
Anything else is evil, bad for life because it corrupts, and if unchecked, eventually kills life. And as exemplified in the devil, evil can kill, steal and destroy the fullness and purity of God's creations! That is why Jesus came to offer the abundant, full life [9].
My quarrel with these insights has been: okay, fine, Adam and Eve sinned! So, what's that got to do with me? They did it, not me. I wasn't even there when things went down. I have an alibi that's easy to prove: I wasn't born yet!
Not so fast! Unfortunately (or fortunately), there is a mysterious transaction between parents and their children. Parents invariably impart their own qualities to their children, both physically and spiritually. We were all stained by the physical and spiritual DNA of our first parents, so to speak.
I wrote 'fortunately' above, in the sense that through Jesus Christ, the 'spiritual Adam', we can be reborn into a perfect, eternal life [10 & 11]. That is why we have to be 'born-again' [12]. This transformation begins with a 'spiritual rebirth' that leads to eternal life. And on Jesus Christ's return, it will all come to fruition in our perfect bodies.
The beauty of God's interaction with our first parents and with us today is choice. God gave them and us the ability to choose between what is good for life and what is bad for life. Amazingly, the Ten Commandments bring all of these points to life [13].
Let's take a few: Don't kill. Don't steal. Don't bear false witness. Don't covet your neighbor's stuff' [14]. Imagine a world in which everyone complied with these commandments [15]. Every human problem can be traced to violating them. There would be no wars, for a start, if we obeyed God.
The sinful nature inherited from our first parents produces many life-destroying acts. Some are: idolatry, murders, witchcraft, drunkenness, envy, hatred and strife [16]. Others include: fits of rage, selfish ambition and sexual immorality.
The fate of Adam and Eve, the stories recounted in the Bible and our personal experiences have a purpose. They vividly illustrate the damages that certain actions can have in destroying life. They also demonstrate how certain actions can build up life. We are supposed to learn from these experiences.
The bottom line is this: sin is bad. If you've come to that conclusion, then you have come a long way indeed. That is very good, but not enough! You can realize that sin is bad and still be consumed by it! Remember the penalty for sin handed to our first parents? [17] That cannot be ignored. Someone still had to pay the penalty: death [18].
As the judge of the universe, God is compelled to demand the penalty. The punishment entails man's banishment from life, that is, from God who is life. But He is also a God of love. In fact, He is love [19]. Two seemingly conflicting positions: how could they be resolved? They are reconciled in Jesus Christ.
God's son became a man and paid the price for sin with His life. Only the blood of Jesus Christ would suffice: He had to die! [20] This sacrifice of love offers us freedom. The often quoted Biblical verse says it best: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." [21]
What is left really is for you to accept this sacrifice and acknowledge what God has done through Jesus Christ [22]. He came to forgive (and ultimately erase) sin with its lawlessness which threatens life [23]. Believe in Him and you will be saved! [24 & 25]
A great misconception is that you have to be perfect or holy to embrace God's gift of love. According to Jesus Christ, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." [26] Come as you are: your debt to God has been written off by Him! Put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ! [27]
After you accept God's redemption from sin, He still has work to do in your life to change your mindset. Through the Holy Spirit, He guides you in the ways of God which point to eternal life [28 & 29].
As you progress in your walk with God, you will encounter struggles between the old sin-nature and the new mindset under God's supervision. Remember seeing those signs on storefronts: "Under New Management"? Well, it's kind of similar.
Under new management doesn't mean old attitudes and habits die out instantly. This may explain why Christians don't always act like Jesus Christ in perfect love. They are work in progress. But Christians will be like Him when He returns! The full effect of God's solution for sin will not be realized until His second coming [30].
His return promises a future world filled with perfect people. They will have imperishable bodies and the right mindsets [31 & 32]. In this transformed human race, you will see people with lots of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is God's way, the way of life [33].
Why not embrace God's way today? Why embrace death when you can have eternal life in perfect joy? Many people assume they will lose their fun when they come to Jesus Christ. That is not true, to go by Psalm 16:11:
"You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." [34]
What could be clearer than that? Don't delay. Make your peace with God now. It will cost you nothing. Jesus Christ has paid the price. He has written a check for eternal life with you name on it. Take it and cash it.
Why wait until it's too late? "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" [35]. He will then pass judgment on all peoples, granting them eternal life or condemning them to a second permanent death [36].
You want eternal life; trust God on this. Let today be when you claim your life from the clutches of sin. Embrace God's love and let His justice work for you through Jesus Christ [37].
Postscript: An excellent resource is "The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus", a book written by Lee Strobel, a former atheist.
Biblical References:
[1] Revelation 21:1-4
[2] Genesis 2:17
[3] Ezekiel 18:4
[4] Genesis 2-3
[5] John 14:6
[6] John 14:9-11
[7] John 1
[8] Revelation 1:8, Revelation 21:6 and Revelation 22:13
[9] John 10:10
[10] Romans 5:18-19
[11] 1 Corinthians 15:45
[12] John 3:1-8
[13] Exodus 20
[14] Deuteronomy 5
[15] Romans 13:8-14
[16] Galatians 5:19-21
[17] Romans 6:23
[18] Hebrews 9:22:28
[19] 1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16
[20] Hebrews 7-9
[21] John 3:16
[22] 1 John 3:4-5
[23] Hebrews 9:26
[24] Acts 16:30-31
[25] Romans 10:9
[26] Luke 5:31-32
[27] Romans 3:21-22
[28] John 16:5-13
[29] Romans 8
[30] Hebrews 9:26-28
[31] 1 Corinthians 15:42-58
[32] Hebrews 8:10-12
[33] Galatians 5:16-26
[34] Psalm 16:11
[35] Hebrews 9:27-28
[36] Revelations 20:14-15
[37] John 5:24
