By Melissa McLaughlin
New Life
After a long, bitter winter even our bodies moan, yearning for spring. We wait for the sun’s strength to be emboldened. We breathe in deeply waiting for the smell of fresh earth. Daily we scour the brown frozen scenery for the smallest signs of new life.
The snowdrop is the first sign of spring for us. Despite its mere height of about 2 inches, the hardy white bloom can hold up under the weight of heavy ice and snow. Though only a drop of spring, still spring it is to my heart’s calendar when my eyes behold this mini, yet mighty herald of spring!
Usually aligned with the snowdrops are the bulging of buds on the trees. No actual colors, just a sense of life building up, preparing to burst forth. Soon to follow are the crocuses, our first full color of spring. Purples, yellows and whites singing their springtime carols. The joy they usher in lingers on as we know the vivid spring palettes of countless other trees, leaves, bulbs and flowers will soon be on full display.
One year in early spring, my friend who owns a small sheep farm, invited us to come and see their newborn lambs. Talk about a springtime treat. Though there was still a bite in the air, their little bodies were bounding with new life. Literally bounding! I never knew that lambs actually jump up and down like an animated toddler excitedly grabbing for a festive balloon. Small and sweet, energetic and uncontainable, these precious lambs were a sight for sore eyes and weary souls.
When we think of spring, we think of life. However, what we witness is actually a continuation of life, the life that God created and set into motion long ago.
As we enjoy all the beauty and exuberance of new life in spring, may we remember the true source of all life.
God is life.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. – John 14:6a
God is the source of all life here on earth.
Every bud and bloom,
every plant and animal,
every human being,
every beating heart got its start from God.
It is God who formed us, it is God who breathed life into us and it is God who sustains us.
Only God can create life.
We cannot create life. We can only perpetuate what God has already created.
We can plant a seed in the ground, but we cannot create the biological intricacies necessary for that seed to develop into a dandelion, tomato, watermelon or oak tree. In marriage, a man and woman can come together, become pregnant and have a baby, but even then they only perpetuate the gift of life they were given.
We are not capable of creating even one living thing – one living eyeball, one living ear, one living heart. We have robotic technology that can assist these living things, but we cannot create even one element of life.
Life comes from God.
Life exists because of God.
Life continues because of God.
The LORD is the Living God.
But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. -Jeremiah 10:10a
All that is perfect, good, pure, innocent, holy, true and living is from God alone.
All that is sinful, destructive, evil, deceptive, hateful or wicked is of Satan. Everything that opposes the LORD leads to separation from the God of life – in a word, it leads to death.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What is sin?
Sin is any human action, word or thought that is in opposition to the perfection of God.
How do we know what God’s perfection is?
God declares His perfect will through:
- His Word, the Bible
- His created order and creation
- His Son
- His Spirit
When we choose actions that are contrary to God’s perfection, we are in rebellion against Him. We are operating in sin.
When we rebel against God, we rebel against the Maker of life itself, against life, against that which is created and sustained by God alone.
Consequently, when we are in opposition to God, we are in opposition to life.
The logical outcome of being in opposition to life and to God, is to be in union with death and Satan. There is no happy medium. We are with God or against Him. Believing and following God or not.
Alienation from the Source of all life causes spiritual death.
Separation from God is death because only God gives and sustains life.
So what are we do to, sinful as we are?
Let’s start at the beginning.
The Story of Adam and Eve
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and He said it was very good. Adam and Eve, the first humans, walked in communion with one another and with God in the beauty and perfection of the Garden of Eden. God provided for all their needs. He made the entire garden theirs for the taking. God issued only one command – do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17
Satan Twists God’s Word
When Satan entered in the form of a serpent, he created doubt in Eve’s mind by saying this phrase that has echoed down through all time, “Did God really say…?”
In much the same way, Satan plants this same doubt in “learned” minds of people today when they read the Bible.
God never said they could not eat of any tree. The restriction was regarding only one tree. However, masterfully, Satan’s words exaggerated in Eve’s mind God’s only prohibition as he said to her, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
The exaggerating and twisting of God’s Word began. As has also been echoed down through all time, Eve then further twisted God’s Word by making it more restrictive than God ever said, falsely stating they couldn’t even touch this tree.
All other trees, fruits, vegetables and perfect provisions were forgotten in the shadow of this one forbidden fruit. Suddenly, all other trees were not enough.
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'” Genesis 3:2-3
Next Satan directly defied God’s Word and told Eve, certainly you won’t die. He doesn’t just say, “You won’t die.” Rather he proclaimed, “Certainly, you won’t die.”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5
Finally Satan elevated the deception and temptation by pronouncing to Eve she will be like God.
Temptation
As Eve considered Satan’s alluring words, she first noticed that the fruit looked good for food and was pleasing to the eye. This was not a desire to improve herself. This was simply a desire of the flesh, the natural, physical, emotional self, wanting what it wants. Then, she considered how it was desirable for gaining the wisdom of God.
Eve had forgotten much in this short time. She was made in the image of God. Eve had already been given free will to know right from wrong in a simplistic way or this decision would not be a struggle. Her every need had been provided for in a lush, beautiful garden paradise. Eve walked freely in closeness with God.
Tragically, overshadowing all of this was the thought that “to be LIKE God” meant in Eve’s mind that she could decide for herself what is right or wrong, thus making herself EQUAL with God. Making herself GOD.
Satan had already sought this same status and will always suffer eternal separation from God as a result. For only God is God. However, Satan gladly leads others to follow suit, seeking to BE God for themselves.
We learn this same lesson over and over again. The desire to become more like God is humankind’s highest goal. Even as Christians, we desire to become more like Jesus. However, this will not be gained by defying His authority. He alone is God.
Only by surrendering to His sovereignty, truth and goodness and obeying His commands will we actually become like Him. For He is God and we are a small part of the vast kingdom over which He rules and reigns forever.
The Fall Into Sin
After Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, she offered it to Adam and he indulged, as well. Though they must have expected some great wisdom to fall upon them, all they experienced was shame. They immediately recognized their nakedness and covered themselves in fig leaves.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:6-7
Separation From God
When God came through the garden looking for them, calling for them, they hid. At this point, sin had taken hold in their intellect, for it is not reasonable to attempt hiding from God, the Creator who is All-seeing, All-knowing and Ever-present. From physical distortion of the truth, to emotional distortion of the truth to intellectual distortion of the truth, this scene in Genesis captures it all.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:8-13
Once we have indulged in sin, the shine and sparkle quickly wear off and we are left like Adam and Eve, trying to cover up our brokenness and hiding from God.
Separation from God is Death
Separation from God is literally death because only God gives and sustains life. This outcome of sin is easily forgotten.
When God asked them about their choices, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. The sin-blame-game continues in much the same way today. It is still hard to confess we have done wrong, to ourselves, to God and to others. Excuses slide off our tongue and we quickly explain away what we have done. We are no different than Adam and Eve at the core.
When God looked upon Adam and Eve’s human-made inventions for “covering up” He knew it would not be adequate. Therefore, God Himself covered them with animal skins.
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21
Right then and there, the first innocent blood was sacrificed to cover mankind’s sin. Furthermore, God Himself provided what was needed, just as He would do again through Christ one day.
A Sacrifice is Needed
One vital point we would rather overlook in our sinfulness today is the sacrifice that is required to make atonement, to make reconciliation, to make things right between us and God.
The first animal sacrifice for the covering of Adam and Eve’s sin is a foreshadow of the innocent blood of Jesus being shed for our sins on the cross. The system of Old Testament animal sacrifices also pointed ahead to Christ’s final sacrifice for sin. The animals, having done nothing wrong, were killed to atone for the sins of the people, just as Christ, in complete innocence, did the same once-and-for-all.
The God of life, required the lifeblood sacrifice for sins, because the wages of sin is death. The wages are something we have earned, contrasted by a gift of forgiveness which we did not earn. For our sinful behavior, death is what is owed us.
When we choose sin or rebellion against God, we choose to oppose the God of life, so in essence, we choose death.
These consequences for sin may appear severe to us at first. However, God is making clear that He is absolutely pure, perfect, true and holy. His standard is absolute perfection because He is absolutely perfect. If He tolerates even a hint of sin and defiance, then He is not being true to Himself. God hates sin because it separates us from Him and from life eternal.
Fast forward from Genesis to the New Testament.
Why did Jesus have to die?
Humans try to cover themselves before God with man-made efforts. Our efforts could never be adequate. As God covered Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, so He covers us today with the blood of Jesus.
Sinning against a holy and infinite God requires a holy and infinite sacrifice. In addition, to fully cover a human sin, a human must die. Only Jesus was both. Fully God. Fully man. Only Jesus could pay the price that was required to reconcile us to God.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God remained true to Himself, by requiring a just payment for sin. A perfect, holy, just God requires a perfect, holy, just payment.
Yet, He also remained true to Himself by allowing for a merciful substitution for that payment. A merciful God, mercifully provided a replacement for our payment. God Himself paid the price that we could not.
As we remember the innocence of the animal slain to cover Adam and Eve, let us remember the innocence of our Savior, Jesus.
If sin causes death, why didn’t Adam and Eve die after eating the forbidden fruit?
They did. The wages of their sin was death. They died an immediate spiritual death, as evidenced in their shame-burdened behavior, covering up, hiding and blaming. In addition, from that point on, a physical death would also one day end their lives. God could not allow something sinful to live forever in His kingdom. In addition, God knew that living an eternal life of sin would be a horrific punishment. Consequently, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden to ensure they could not eat of the Tree of Life.
This is also remedied by Jesus in the New Testament when He said, “If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will live forever.” (John 6:54) Here Jesus symbolizes the Tree of Life.
However, we can only live forever in the kingdom of God if we have first been made holy by the covering of Jesus’ blood. When we partake of the bread and juice at communion, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood shed for us. When we are made holy in Christ, by believing in Him and confessing Him as Savior and Lord, then we may we eat of the “Tree of Life” and live forever in heaven.
As we reflect on all that Jesus did, we see how He refuted every lie of Satan from the beginning:
- Did God really say… “You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” – Lie.
- You will surely not die. – Lie.
- You will be like God. – Lie.
As a result of listening to the lies of the evil one and choosing disobedience to God’s Word:
- Adam and Eve sealed their fate as sinners and shame immediately set in. Every human now contains the seed of that same sin-nature.
- They died an immediate spiritual death and in time a physical death.
- They gave up the opportunity to truly become like God, as disobedience only makes you more like Satan.
- They forfeited the opportunity to eat of the Tree of Life to live in God’s Presence forever.
Jesus Brings Truth and Life
In contrast to Satan’s lies and the consequences of following him into sin, Jesus brings truth and life!
- Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, in complete obedience to God, even unto death.
- Through His physical death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, rescued us from hell and because He arose from the grave, He also won for us the opportunity for life everlasting, where there is no more death, sin or pain.
- For any who believe in Jesus, we are given the gift of becoming children of God and that is what we are! We truly become like God, a part of His eternal family!
- For those who believe in Jesus, we will live together with Him forever!
In this way every lie that Satan murmured in the Garden of Eden is shot down by the all-surpassing power, truth, holiness and grace of Jesus Christ. When questions arise about the truth or infallibility of God’s Word, let us remember that from the very beginning, God meant what He said and said what He meant. His Word is true. His Word stands.
God started the story of mankind in a garden of perfection with His people living in His presence, in obedience to His sovereignty and receiving His blessings. God ends the story of mankind with another garden where He restores His sinful people, by requiring the just penalty be paid for their sins so that they may live in perfect holiness, in His presence, under His dominion and blessing forever.
Jesus restored all that was taken in the garden.
Yet as we stand, forgiven and reconciled to God, through the blood of Jesus, may we not lose sight of the seriousness of our sin. The animal sacrifices of old give us a clearer understanding of how much God hates sin and cannot coexist with sin. For He is good. Through and through. And ultimate goodness leaves no room for evil and sin.
Who determines sin? God, the Holy Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of all life.
If in my sin, I had to bring a precious lamb like one from my friend’s farm, to be slaughtered for my sins each year, I would be weeping in utter dread for that moment. If I were to see the little lamb looking at me, in all innocence, simply loving me, I can’t imagine how I could endure that horrendous price be paid for me.
And yet how easily we forget, that is exactly what Jesus did and more. Our precious Lamb, living and breathing, innocent and loving, was slaughtered on a cross. For my sins. Had I walked there with Him, had I stood at His feet there at the cross, I would have pleaded for some other way. But only Jesus was good enough to pay the price I owed. Let us not forget His eyes as He hung there, looking at us. Sweating. Crying. Bleeding. To death.
Jesus is our Sacrificial Lamb
May we always remember the price that was paid. Our sin is no small thing to gloss over, to wink at, to say “It wasn’t that bad” or “I didn’t mean it”. The truth is a terrible price was paid for every moment of pride, every look of lust, every white lie, every thought of petty jealousy, every time we acted in self-righteous anger, every moment of selfishness, every time we rebelled against God’s Word by putting ourselves ahead of God or above God in any way.
Our sin is death. The charge stands.
Mercifully, a suitable substitute has taken my place. The price for my sins is paid.
Paid by a precious, innocent Lamb.
As we gaze upon the perfect purity and holiness of Christ and meditate upon the effect of our sins upon Him, may our hearts well up with gratitude and love for Him. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God! May our hearts overflow with unending praise and thanksgiving! For He has won the victory over sin, death and hell! He has paid the price for our rebellion! He has clothed us with His righteousness! He has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light! Worthy is the Lamb! Glory to the Lamb! Christ has risen!
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! John 1:29
*Lion and Lamb / Lamb photo at the top courtesy of Pixabay.
Additional Sources and Resources
What is the Main Message of the Bible By Melissa McLaughlin
The Covenant of Grace By Ligonier Ministries
What We Confess with our Clothing By DesiringGod
Why Did Animals Die for Adam and Eve? By Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
Genesis 3 Bible Commentary By Christianity.com
Bible Commentaries by Biblehub.com
Bible Commentaries by Biblestudytools.com
Great post Melissa. I love the timing as we prepare our hearts to greet the Risen Lord on Easter morning and find the tomb empty. Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts.
Thank you, Yvonne! How kind. I pray that hearts and minds will be in awe and wonder at all Jesus has done! May His name be praised!
Wow! That says it all, praise God! God bless you Melissa!
Glory to the Lamb of God!
Blessings to you, Ryan!
This is so good Melissa!!! Sharing 🙂
Praise the Lord! Thank you for the kind encouragement, Stu! May we be humbled, amazed and overcome with gratitude as we ponder anew what Jesus has done for us! God bless you!
Amen. Jesus brings truth and life. 🙂 I love crocuses. The small sprouts emerging from the ground remind me of new birth.
So true, Melissa! Jesus is truth and life in every way! As the crocuses and others flowers emerge and bloom this spring, may we remember how we too, are born again, by His Spirit into new life – eternal life!
Excellent post and great pictures!!!!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Valerie! How kind! May Jesus Christ be praised!
This is so good, Melissa. I’ve bookmarked it so I can look through it again. But I love how you moved so beautifully, powerfully and logically from Spring and new life to how ONLY God can create life…to “Separation from God is death because only God gives and sustains life.” Then, an explanation of sin, the Garden, and the purpose of Jesus death on the cross as the perfect, sacrificial Lamb. Hallelujah! This shouts the gospel message so loud and clear! And I love it!
Dear Karen, thank you for taking the time to read and bookmark for another read! I know it is a longer post, but I was trying to tie together these gospel threads that sometimes float around in my head without getting fully stitched in place. So, it took a little more to attempt to connect Life/God, Death/Satan/Sin, Eden/Jesus/Heaven and finally understanding the need for a sacrificial Lamb woven through it all. Worthy is the Lamb, seated on the throne! Crown Him now with many crowns! He reigns victorious! Thank you, Karen, for sharing in my joy for the gospel message! May it never get old for each one of us!
Dear Melissa,
Oh, praise our wonderful Lamb, Who has come to cleanse us and restore us to the Father. I love how you started with photos of your garden, and spoke of the gardens throughout your post, too. Life began in the garden, Jesus surrendered His life for ours in the garden of Gethsemane, and it will be fully restored in the beautiful garden in Heaven. How our Lord must love gardens! He shows us in so many different ways the beauty of His sacrifice and love for us. Thank you for this beautiful post.
Dear Bettie, I love how you the gardens were the theme that surfaced for you! He is the Master Gardener for sure! You should write a post about this! May we see Him as our Lily of the Valley, our Rose of Sharon, our Bright and Morning Star, shining brighter than the loveliest spring bloom in our hearts! Bless you, dear sister!
Amen! He shines so bright for us! And thank you for the idea–I will jot it down and pray over it. The Lord may expand more on it! I will link back here, if a post comes together! Blessings!
You did a great job explaining the gospel from the very beginning. God’s plan to redeem mankind from our sin was made before he had even created our world. He knew all of this would happen, and he already had a plan. You’ve explained the details so well, giving a great source for a gospel presentation. To explain why Jesus came to die, we must begin with Adam and Eve and all the details you’ve included so beautifully and descriptively.
Glory to God! It is so profound when we really stop and think it all through and yes, I agree, Melinda, to explain the story of redemption for each one of us, it all begins with Adam and Eve, but concludes with Jesus, our final Sacrificial Lamb. A gift like no other! May our hearts and minds be stirred again today, at the great sacrifice made for us on the cross! Blessing to you!
Great post. Love how you start off with talking about spring and then move into the wonderful story of salvation. Very nice!
Thank you for reading and sharing your feedback! There is more to our salvation than first meets the eye. I pray that I was able to capture just a little bit of the grandeur of God through His powerful story of redemption from beginning to end. What a mighty God we serve! Bless you, sister!
Great Gospel presentation! I loved this: “Only by surrendering to His sovereignty, truth and goodness and obeying His commands will we actually become like Him. For He is God and we are only a small, finite part of the vast kingdom over which He rules and reigns forever.”
Thanks!
Thank you for the kind support, Beth! May the Lord Jesus be praised with every word we write and may others see, know, love and live for Him as a result!
Dear Melissa, what a beautiful gathering of the gospel truths, somewhat of a garden presented here ~ a garden of truth, birth and eternal life in Christ our Lord. How well the Lord proved by leaving our first parents to their own free will, by themselves they did not have the wisdom and ability to live on their own. Without Him, His continual Word and Spirit, we are lost and separated from Him. How blessed we are for the sacrifice He has made to bring us to HImself forever. Blessings as we remember His love and continued acts of mercy and grace for us.
Dear Fran, truly it is a garden of such goodness, when we live and walk with the Lord! I love how you describe it as a “garden of truth, birth and eternal life in Christ our Lord.” He is such a good, good Father, providing for our every need. Knowing better than we ourselves what we really need. Mercy and grace!
Thank you for this clear reminder of what the cross means. The day-to-day struggles of life fade with the reminder of his love and sacrifice for us. I pray God uses this blog to teach others about his love and bring them into relationship with Him.
Dear Candice, your words mean so much to me. This is my prayer, that the Lord would use any small offering I bring to teach others about His great love, through Jesus’ sacrifice for us. I couldn’t agree more – may everything else fade away as we gaze upon and cling to the cross. Bless you!
Such a great post for the Easter season!
Thank you, Julie! Please join me in praying that many will read and be drawn to Jesus by remembering the beautiful, terrible price He paid for our sins. Oh Jesus, how we need you!
What a beautiful reminder of the truth of our salvation and God’s love for us. Thank you for using your blog as a platform to spread the gospel!
Glory to God! Thank you for reading and offering your words of encouragement, Emily! May we spur one another on in our most holy faith, all the more as we see the day approaching!
Melissa, I love how you conveyed just how life-giving God is. I am continually amazed when He gives life, sparks life, makes life grow–something from nothing. I’m forever humbled by the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood so that I can have eternal life. You’ve given me so much to think about today.
God is so incredible and like you, I am continually amazed at the many ways He gives life – something from nothing. He is so beyond us! May we be humbled again and again by the great sacrifice and love of Jesus! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts! Bless you, Jeanne!
Such great thoughts as we approach Easter! Holding onto this tonight: “It is God who formed us, it is God who breathed life into us and it is God who sustains us.”
Truly, He is a God of birth and rebirth, life and eternal life! May we rest in His mighty power and his merciful heart to save! Blessings, Jessica!
“As we gaze upon the perfect innocence and holiness of Christ and meditate upon the effect of our sins upon Him, One so pure and loving, may our hearts well up with affection, gratitude and love for Him and all He has done, drawing us ever closer to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God!”
Amen and alleluia! His grace is so beautiful! God bless!
Singing alleluia with you, Nancy! That our eternal, living, powerful God would go to such lengths to save us, draw us to Him and adopt us as sons and daughters, is nothing short of breathtaking! Blessings to you!
It is truly a new culture when we have to defend WHY Jesus had to die. The reality of it is that many people today do not understand it or even try to denigrate it to something it was never intended to mean. Thanks for this post! It is crucial that we understand Christ’s sacrifice.
Thank you for the words of affirmation, Lisa! I am becoming more and more aware of the need to make sure we circle back to the foundations of our faith, as sometimes people may have picked up part of the gospel story, but maybe not all of it. Holy Spirit, help us see and express the exact words that people need to hear! May God bless you in your important ministry!
Beautifully and thoroughly written, dear Melissa. I’m grateful for the gift the Pure Spotless Lamb of God gave to us: salvation.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
I join you in unending gratitude for the gift of Jesus, our Pure Spotless Lamb of God! All glory and praise to Him, who was and is and is coming again! Thank you for the words of encouragement, Wendy. May we stir one another’s hearts for Him day by day!
This post is so timely as we move through Lent towards the Cross and the resurrection. You have captured the Gospel truth! Love the connection to the emergence of spring and spring flowers and new life. Evidence of God’s revelation and signs of resurrection being evidenced.
When we pause to peel back the many layers of why Jesus died for our sins, there is more and more to behold! Thank you for taking the time to read this post and share in my joy, gratitude and amazement at His love, justice and grace toward us! You are right, Anne, God gives evidence for resurrection in His creation, if we only have eyes to see. Lord, help us see you more!
As I read this Melissa , it dawned on me that I had never made the connection with the first animal sacrifice in the Garden of Eden , as being a foreshadowing of our dear Lords sacrifice on the Cross. Your analogy of the innocent lamb looking lovingly into our eyes and the heartache of being responsible for innocent blood being shed so that we may be cleansed and set free from our sin – just reading this brought tears. You are a wonderful teacher, please keep on writing, and may the Lord bless you. Much love in Christ.
Molly
Dear Molly, thank you for taking the time to read through this article. I find the more I read the Bible and learn from others, the more divine connections there are to be found and this is one of them. Such an amazing plan of redemption of God’s people! I also wept at the thought of a precious lamb being sacrificed for my sins. May we remember our precious Savior and love Him all the more remembering all He did for us. Thank you for the kind blessing, dear sister! Much love to you, Melissa
So much good stuff here. Thanks, Melissa. “Separation from God is death, because only God gives and sustains life.”
So simple, yet so profound! Easy to forget… thanks for the reminder. 😊💕
Thank you, Jessie! Glory to God! I agree, it is simple yet profound that because God gives and sustains life, to be separated from Him is death. He is all that is good. How could we ever want to be far from Him? Praying for more hearts and lives to be drawn to His goodness and mercy in Christ Jesus. Blessings to you and yours!