WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
When we do accept God is right, and repent, He wants to forgive us and accept us into His family.
We saw earlier that in a physical way all the creatures made by God are equal.
The `breath` or `spirit` of life is in all of them, mankind included, so that “man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 3:19).
In another way, though, men and women are unique. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:29).
The word `image` describes one thing that is like something else, a resemblance. So God made a being that was more like Himself than the animals are, one that could desire companionship with the Creator.
Unlike the other animals, we men and women can think about the reasons for things; we can think about the past and learn lessons from our experiences, and record them in words and pictures.
We can think about the universe and the future and about God himself. We can consider the effects that our words and actions have on other beings.
We can examine the evidence that the Bible is right and that it really is God`s message to us. Especially, unlike other animals, we can want to be more like our Creator.
We have been given consciences to help us to check whether we are doing right or wrong – becoming more like Him or growing away from Him.
God desires men and women to be closer to Him than merely being His creatures. He wants us to come to Him as children.
This has been so from the beginning – “Thus says the Lord, `Israel is my firstborn son`” (Exodus 4:22).
Fathers are expected to give a good example to their sons, and God certainly did that to Israel.
He said “You shall be holy (separate from the evil things of the world around) for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
This was spoken to the nation as a whole, but sadly most of the nation preferred evil to good, and only 40 years later this is what was said about them –
“They are no longer His children . . . they are a crooked and twisted generation . . . The Lord saw it and spurned them because of the provocation of His sons and daughters” (Deuteronomy 32:5&19).
So we see again that the beautiful idea of living in harmony with the Creator appealed to only a few in each generation; but these were the few people who God was searching for.
You can discover how God appreciated these faithful people and what He has in store for them by reading Hebrews chapter 11, in the New Testament.
We mentioned Noah, Abraham, David and the prophets when we were thinking about the series of Old Testament promises that tell us what the Gospel really is.
You will read of others like Abraham`s wife Sarah and their sons: Moses also who led Israel out of Egypt, Rahab a Gentile woman who became an ancestor of Jesus Christ, and many more.
The Lord Jesus himself had the same experience, that only a few accepted him: but how precious they are to him !
The apostle John says of Jesus – “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born .
not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13).
Now that Jesus has come, men and women enter God`s family by `receiving` or welcoming Jesus into their lives, by believing him, repenting, being baptized, and trying to follow his example.
As we saw earlier, the sacrifice of animals and all the other Old Testament ceremonies taught people important lessons about the worship and service of God; but – very importantly - they did something else too.
The ceremonies were a kind of drama that showed beforehand the work that the `Messiah` (God`s promised priest-king) would do when he came.
They were wonderful acted-out prophecies about the ways in which sinners could be reconciled to God.
Jesus proved that he is the Messiah by fulfilling the Old Testament ceremonies perfectly.
We hope to learn more about this later when we think about Jesus` death as the final sacrifice, but at this stage we need to be very clear that the coming of Jesus finished the Old Testament rituals as the way to worship God.
They still teach us important lessons, but the true way to God is through Jesus.
Jesus said “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
And Peter said about him “There is salvation in no-one else” (Acts 4:12). We must find out more !
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What The Bible Says
