Amen Sister Dorine! By His stripes we are healed. We need to see His grace continually since we are a forgetful race of sinners. It is His grace that is the power that transforms sinners into saints. His grace does us no good unless we behold it. It would indeed be well to spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Christ, then by beholding His glory ( His character) we would be changed into His image (character) by His Spirit.
"In the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus unfolded the plan of salvation, and His mission to the world."
"In none of His subsequent discourses did He explain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to be done in the hearts of all who would inherit the kingdom of heaven.
"The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself."
Amen Brother Beacon! This is why we leave this chapter stickied, always at the top of all other chapters. It is the knowledge of God and the plan of salvation that the world needs, and most especially those who have been blessed with such great light. Out of all the pages on this website, none is as important as what is posted in this forum.
Grace is more than a word, it is the power that cleanses the heart. Ezekiel 36:26 tells us that God will give a new heart. The new heart is just what the Bible says it is, a NEW heart. This is where Satan has stolen a march upon God's organized church. The carnal heart needs to be cleansed. The new heart has been cleansed from all sin. But, most professing Christians do not believe this. And, the great deception in His church today is that we can have unknown pride in the heart. No. The new heart is cleansed as white as fresh fallen snow.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. It is not the flesh that is cleansed, but the heart. We then have holiness of heart. Then the heart is not as filthy rags as many believe.
If Nicodemus could not receive Christ’s teaching, illustrating the work of grace upon the heart, how could he comprehend the nature of His glorious heavenly kingdom? Not discerning the nature of Christ’s work on earth, he could not understand His work in heaven.
The Jews whom Jesus had driven from the temple claimed to be children of Abraham, but they fled from the Saviour’s presence because they could not endure the glory of God which was manifested in Him. Thus they gave evidence that they were not fitted by the grace of God to participate in the sacred services of the temple. They were zealous to maintain an appearance of holiness, but they neglected holiness of heart. While they were sticklers for the letter of the law, they were constantly violating its spirit. Their great need was that very change which Christ had been explaining to Nicodemus,—a new moral birth, a cleansing from sin, and a renewing of knowledge and holiness. When one goes under the water, he is revealing to the world, he has given his life to God and self has died and a new life has begun in the heart. It may take a long time before one walks in all of the light given to the church, but not so with all the light given to the individual. He walks in all of the light he has been given as long as he abides in Christ and His representative, the Holy Spirit abides in him. More than obedience to all the truth given, he will manifest all of the fruits of the Spirit, not one missing, if the Holy Spirit indwells the heart. We do not believe in once saved always saved. We know that we do not have eternal life is we do not abide in Christ. He is our life. We need Him continually in order to rightly represent His character to the world. We can do no good thing when apart from Him. But, if we sin, we are to understand that we have a Mediator who is calling us back. He stands at the door knocking, wanting back into the heart. He does not forsake us. It is us who forsakes Him if we do not come to repentance. He loves us and gave Himself for us.
It is the plan of salvation that is so clearly revealed in today's reading. What is the bottom line? It would be well to understand our part in the plan of salvation is to "look and live." As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness that those bitten by serpents might live, we too must look at Him who was flogged and lifted up upon the cross that we might have life. For all have been bitten by sin. Why was it a brazen serpent that was lifted up? Because Christ became sin for us.
"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21.Such love! Grace is the highest form of love, it is undeserved love. Christ not only died for us while we were yet sinners, He suffered for every sin of every human who should ever live. It was this suffering in our place that burst His heart. That is right. It was not just the stripes He took for us, but His whole life was made hard by the one who hated Him. From His birth to His death Satan made His life hard. It was this attack upon Him that made His character so very strong.
"Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things He suffered." Hebrews 5:8.How do we know of our heavenly Father's love for us? Was it easy for Him to let His innocent Son come to this dark spot in the universe? Think about this for a minute. Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into the face of his little child, and trembles at the thought of life’s peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan’s power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son, that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones. “Herein is love.” Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth!
It was not easy for God to allow His Son to become our Savior. Yes, they had agreed to this before the foundation of the Earth was laid. But, when it actually because time for Jesus to step in between Adam and death, it was not something that they had to do. Jesus was willing, but our heavenly Father who understood the risk, we not so ready to put into action the plan of salvation. Yes, He loves us, but at what price will He reveal that love?
Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and that world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die. I saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon His countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father. Said my accompanying angel, He is in close converse with His Father. The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father. Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He came from the Father, His person could be seen. His countenance was calm, free from all perplexity and doubt, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as words cannot express. He then made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made for lost man. He told them that He had been pleading with His Father, and had offered to give His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon Himself, that through Him man might find pardon; that through the merits of His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
At first the angels could not rejoice; for their Commander concealed nothing from them, but opened before them the plan of salvation. Jesus told them that He would stand between the wrath of His Father and guilty man, that He would bear iniquity and scorn, and but few would receive Him as the Son of God. Nearly all would hate and reject Him. He would leave all His glory in heaven, appear upon earth as a man, humble Himself as a man, become acquainted by His own experience with the various temptations with which man would be beset, that He might know how to succor those who should be tempted; and that finally, after His mission as a teacher would be accomplished, He would be delivered into the hands of men, and endure almost every cruelty and suffering that Satan and his angels could inspire wicked men to inflict; that He would die the cruelest of deaths, hung up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner; that He would suffer dreadful hours of agony, which even angels could not look upon, but would veil their faces from the sight. Not merely agony of body would He suffer, but mental agony, that with which bodily suffering could in no wise be compared. The weight of the sins of the whole world would be upon Him. He told them He would die and rise again the third day, and would ascend to His Father to intercede for wayward, guilty man.Early Writings, pg 149. For those reading who are not of our faith, there is nothing in this statement that is contrary to the Word of God. Take a moment to consider the price paid for our salvation. This is a revelation of the grace that when allowed into the heart, transforms the life. As we begin another year of life, may we in some small way hasten the soon coming of our Lord and Savior that will put an end to the suffering in this world. Come Lord Jesus!