The Reason for Forgiveness Lesson 2

      Is.59:1-2(Amp) says, "Behold, the Lord's Hand is not shortened at all that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His Face from you, so that He will not hear you."

     God did more than forgive our sins.  In Jesus, our sin and iniquities were not forgiven, but were totally removed on our behalf.  We were born-again by the Seed of God Himself and ,made new creation children of God.  We became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus, in our new creation birth.  Our righteousness is now the Righteousness of God Himself.

     2Cor.3:18(Amp) says, "And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continued to behold in the Word of God, as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit."

     Jesus came to earth, in order to bring all of God's children back into family, instead of strangers who were separated from Him by sin and death.  Jesus accomplished the goal of God's heart to restore His children back to Him.  Jesus said in John17:3(Amp), "And this is Eternal Life. It means to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with), and understand You, the Real God, and likewise, to know Him, Jesus as the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) Whom You have sent."

     It's awesome that we're going to spend Eternity in Heaven when we die, but the Truth is that the Father has given us the privilege of knowing and fellowshipping with Him now, by the Spirit.  Religion has told us that, "No one can come into God's Presence, because we're all sinners."  God could have continued in the Law, where man's sins were covered by the blood of animals.  This meant that God couldn't leave the Holy of Holies and we couldn't into it.  Through Jesus, God accomplished His Own desire, to once again be a Father and have His family.  

     Few in today's Church have come into the Revelation that we can know Him, while we're still on earth and in these mortal bodies.  It's hard to keep the human body of flesh and blood in check, if we don't understand who we've now become here and now, in Christ Jesus.  John17 is filled with Revelation for us today, if we'll simply believe what Jesus said and then walk in it.  Jesus prayed, "The Glory You have given Me, I have given them."  He prayed, "Show them that You Love them even as You Love Me," and "Don't take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil."  These all pertain to our position with God, while we're still here in this world.

     Jesus said in John4:24(Amp), "God is a Spirit (a Spirit-Being), and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in Truth (reality)."  We can't build a knowing of God, by our emotions or feelings, because that's not where He has called us too and deals with us by.  God deals with us by His Spirit and by His Word.  Feelings might arise in us, as we enter in His Presence, but feelings aren't reliable and are constantly changing.  We can't count on feelings to build a strong foundation on which to "know" Him.  Ps.119:89(Amp) tells us that, "Your Word, O Lord,  is forever settled (standing firm and unchangeable)." 

     The world, along with many in the Church, share the opinion that, "You never know what God will do."  This is based on their not knowing God or Jesus, in a personal way of Eternal Life.  I want to know Jesus, when I see Him.  I don't want to arrive in Heaven and have someone introduce me to Jesus, because I'm unable to recognize Him.  I want to know Him now, so I don't need an introduction there.

     Do you recognize God's Voice, when He speaks to you?  Do you spend time in His Presence, in order to converse with and get to know Him?  Do you spend time in His Word, in order to understand His Heart?  Or, do we hold tightly to the time we received Him as our Lord and Savior, instead of learning to Him as Lord?  

     The Father has invited us into His Own Presence, to know and understand Him, by His Spirit.  Is.55:7-10(Amp) prophesies about the "Abundant pardon (Who is Jesus), saying in Vs.8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."  God isn't boasting here, but is inviting us to come to Him, in order to learns His thoughts and His Ways.  God describes how His Word works and tells us how to use it, in Is.1:18-19(Amp), saying, "Come now, and let us reasons together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though they are red as crimson they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the Land."

  

     

 

The Reason for Forgiveness

     Is.59:1-2(Amp) says, "Behold, the Lord's Hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His Face from you, so that He will not hear you."

     We were not sinners, because of what we did.  We were sinners, because of our birth.  When Adam fell, he took all were born of his seed (all of mankind) with him.  The seed of Adam polluted everyone, because of his transgression, causing us to be born into sin and death.  God had to have a new Seed, in order to produce a new creation.

     Rom.5:17(Amp) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense), death reigned through that one, much more surely with those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor), and the FREE GIFT of righteousness (putting them in right standing with Himself), reign as kings in life through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."  We're not just forgiven sinners, but we're new creations by the Word of God.  2Cor.5:17,19(Amp) tells us, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ, the Messiah, he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old previous moral and spiritual creation has passed away. BEHOLD, THE FRESH AND NEW HAS COME."  Verse 9 goes on, "It was God Personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against men their trespasses, but cancelling them and committing to us the Message of reconciliation (the restoration to favor)."

     With the new creation man, comes the Gift of God to be reconciled back to Himself, as though we never existed before we were saved.  Most of us believed that when we were saved, we were cleansed of sin, which means we're going to Heaven when we die.  This is Truth, and a wonderful Truth, but that's not all we have received in our new birth.

     John3:16(Amp) tells us there's more about this new birth, than we've been taught. Thus it says, "For God so greatly Loved and greatly prized the world that He even gave up His Only Begotten, Unique Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him, shall not perish (come to destruction), be lost, but shall have Eternal, Everlasting Life."  For most of us, this means just that we'll live forever with God, but Jesus explains what Eternal Life is in John17:3(Amp), saying, "And this is Eternal Life, it means to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the real God, and likewise, to know Him, Jesus, as the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent."

     We remember Adam mostly for his great transgression in the Garden, that put all of us outside of a relationship with God. One of the great things about Adam was that he "knew" God and walked with Him every day.  How long did Adam walk with God, before satan talked him into transgressing?  We don't know how long he lived in the Garden, before losing dominion or even why he transgressed.

     I'd like to believe that Adam did so, because of his love for Eve.  Adam was after all, born out of the Love of God and this might have been his motive.  Adam didn't taste of the "forbidden fruit" out of deception.  1Tim.2:14(Amp) tells us that Eve was deceived, but Adam wasn't.  Thus it says, "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and deluded and fell into transgression."

     Adam and Eve walked with and knew intimately knew God as their Father, before their transgression.  The didn't have to read about Him, because they knew Him as Father.  The greatest thing about the new birth has been missed by so many of God's children.  We've been restored back to our own Heaven Father, in such a way as to know Him and to know Jesus.  We can now come into His Presence through a personal relationship.  He can now come into our presence, because sin can't hold Him back from us.

     Prior to Jesus, if all of God's Holiness and Righteousness, came into contact with the sin of fallen man, it would have completely destroyed mankind.  God was so intent to have His family back, but He needed to do it in such a way that wouldn't destroy them.  Jesus paid for our sins and death by His Sacrifice, so now anyone who accepts Him as our payment, will be restored to the innocence Adam and Eve had before the fall.  We have the privilege, honor and God-given right to once again know Him.

     We can now enter into the Holy of Hollies, coming face to face and spirit to Spirit, as His Own children.  We've been restored to His family.  There's no barrier or sin to hold Him back or to hold us back.  This isn't true just in prayer, but in actual fellowship and in conversation and Revelation of His will and knowledge.  We can walk hand in Hand with our Heavenly Father, as His children.  Religion has separated us again, but Truth is being revealed, so we're returning with boldness and confidence, to knowing Him as Father.