"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17 KJV)
""Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised David. See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."" (Isaiah 55:3-5 NLT)
Before I go any further, I need to point out this little hidden jewel that is so easy to miss, if it were a snake, it would have bite you. The first portion of this verse, which says, "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren." Because this is more than just becoming a man, this is taking on the whole passions and desires; yet having the ability to overcome the temptations!
Maybe it is too much to take in, all at once; but Jesus was "behoved," which actually means that be was bound, as if there was a price to pay; putting it another way, He was born with a debt to pay, which basically means, He owed the guilt that was ours! Imagine what that must have felt like! It might put another light on the reason Jesus wept, having to deal with the death of a friend.
I keep hearing people say, "God knows the beginning to the end," yet, when it comes to understanding that God knew beforehand that Adam was going to sin, there is a pause, as if God was waiting to see if he might change his mind. The way I see it, in God's timeline, Adam was already guilty, even before he had eaten the fruit; God had everything ready, long before he had sinned...
"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:1-7 NLT)
No comments:
Post a Comment