The Holy Bible, the only Word of God to man, says that we “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23) and that “… the soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18: 4) but that God is “… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3: 9). The first is the fact of the matter; the second is the sentence of God’s law; the third is the heart (will) of God.
We sinned by inheritance and we are sinning by practice. The Law of God’s sentence on sin is eternal death (eternal separation from the source of life and all good, which is God). Both the law and its sentence are immutable, that is, unchanging. In fact, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a tittle of divine law to fail (Luke 16: 7); a tittle being the smallest stroke of a Hebrew letter. While the law remains immutable, God is however not willing that any should perish; not for any other reason other than God’s eternal love for a priceless soul and the horror awaiting it in all eternity (because of sin). But God’s unwillingness in the face of an immutable sentence could not set man free.
EARTHLY KINGS, UNCHANGING LAWS
Even among mere men the decrees of great potentates are most times immutable. In Daniel 6: 15, Darius was bent on saving Daniel from going to the
lion’s den but the enemies of Daniel told the king: “Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king established may be changed”. And of King Herod, as it relates to John the Baptist’s death by beheading, we read in Matthew 14: 9: “And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it (John’s head) to be given her (Herodias daughter)”. Both Darius and Herod were willing to save Daniel and John alive respectively but their willingness could not save these men from the law, oath or decree of mortal men. God is the incomparable potentate and HIS LAW IS IMMUTABLE, UNCHANGING, AND THAT IS ETERNALLY.
But it is to the eternal praise of God that His Law somewhere else also provided a glimmer of hope, as it were. And it is this: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrew 9: 22). Appears there is some hope, isn’t it! But this is even where our fallen state and helplessness became even more pronounced: because we all, you and I (any man ever created by God), have sinned and therefore cannot shed blood for the purpose of remission of sin. When sin contaminated the blood (yours and mine in Adam) we lost the original nature and image of God for that of Satan. That was what sin did. (By volition we have since then, too, being practically (personally) sinning anyway, making a very complex matter even more complex). And to that extent we all, all of mankind, became disqualified to give any man at all the hope Hebrews 9: 22 gives. What can man do then? Nothing!
GOD RECONCILES HIS LAW AND WILL
Now, man has lost God’s glory by sin (Romans 3: 23). Remember too that the sentence of God’s law on sin which is eternal death of the soul (Ezekiel 18: 4) is immutable, and the will of God (which does not want the soul to perish) cannot do anything about that law’s immutability, as it were. Remember further that the only requirement by the hand of the Law for escape: which is, the shedding of blood BEFORE any remission of sin (Hebrew 9: 22) cannot be met by the sinner-man because his blood is sin-overwhelmed.
And so man is apparently now even more helpless because what is like an escape route actually made man not only to see his deep helplessness to save himself but to know, as well, the seriousness of both his offence and the sentence it rightly attracted from the Hand of God whom every sin committed is against. But while Hebrews 9: 22 apparently compounded man’s position since even with it man couldn’t still be able to free himself, it helped God’s will to save law-condemned man. God tapped on this Hebrews 9: 22 provision to achieve His will. But then it took God Himself to fulfil the requirement of Hebrews 9: 22 in other for man to be free from the eternal chains and torment that Ezekiel 18: 4 has assigned him for his iniquity against his Creator. In Hebrews 9: 22 God reconciled His law and His will. He paid the price Himself. We see that done in EMMANUEL: God with us so is the meaning; God in the flesh so is the mystery; God on His way to Calvary so is the mission; and God paying the price of redemption for man so is the consummation of this God’s grand will for your soul and mine. We are talking about Jesus Christ!
THE ONLY HOLY WRIT SAID!
The Holy Writ said: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23). The Holy Writ further said: In the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was any thing made that was made … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John 1: 1-14). The Holy Writ also said: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9: 6). The Holy Writ said further still: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a Servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS” (Philippians 2: 5-8). This is the Marvellous Grace of OUR LOVING LORD that the hymn writer sings about, and the incomparable Love expressed in the chorus: Jesus loves me; He died for me; nobody loves me like Jesus.
Blessed Jesus, Blessed Saviour, Blessed Lord! He fulfilled the requirement of Hebrew 9:22 to deliver us from the damnation in Ezekiel 18:4. Indeed, when on The Cross all of Heaven, Earth and Hell heard the SOUND (AND EVER VIBRATING ECHO) of the words: “IT IS FINISHED”, the soul’s salvation from sin, hell and Satan even the greatest victory on earth, has been secured; not for Himself, but for you and me. And of this God, through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53: 1) asks: “Who has believed our report?” And He asks further: “And to whom is The Arm (this victory and stretched forth Arm) of the Lord revealed?” You only need to believe the report; reach forth to God’s stretched forth Arm at His Cross at Calvary to be saved. And he that the Son of Man shall set free shall be free indeed (John 8: 36).
DIVINE BECKON TO LIFE ETERNAL
And The Saviour (The Infinite) makes the invitation to finite man Himself: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28); and He does the invitation expectedly waiting: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3: 20).
If only YOU can believe! If only YOU can come to Him now! If only YOU can come to appropriate His sacrificial work for the forgiveness of YOUR VERY DEAR AND PRICELESS SOUL; FOR WHY SHOULD YOU PERISH WHEN YOU ARE NO MORE EXPECTED TO. For with the shedding of His Blood (on Calvary Mount) which Blood He shed for you and me we can now be forgiven our sins and counted as if we have never sinned. In Jesus was not only God’s law and will reconciled but God and man were. “…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them…” (2 Corinthians 5: 19). We all need Jesus now; tomorrow may be too late!
