"Resolute!"

 "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die." (John 18:32 KJV)

  "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."" (Galatians 3:13 NLT)

 I really cannot guesstimate the number of times that I have spoken about this, trying to explain how it was that Jesus, being God, had to pay the perfect price for our sins. You would think that it would be easy to show any one with a brain, that only God is perfect, therefore, only God could provide Himself a perfect sacrifice! 

 Why the cross? Some people ask. God does not mess around! That is the short answer, without getting into all of the history, from the beginning; but to be quite frank, there was this certain tree that God had placed in the midst of the Garden! That was where it began, and that is where God finished it! There are so many more things which make this point; but the same tree will not be a part of New Jerusalem, that much is for sure! 

 Paul knew full well of the curse, that it was more than just the cross, but the actual offence that Jesus had died for; the whole reason He had to come from a virgin, without the seed of a man. As most of us have come to understand, 'Eve was deceived; but Adam knew full well what he was doing and did it anyway!' It was Adam that sinned, as he was the one responsible; which should make us men a little more concerned about our role as a husband and a father: We are held responsible! 

 It breaks my heart thinking about all the times I did not lead my family the way that I should have; most of which was because of my own personal sin; sins that are not really personal, at all, because they are harming everyone that I am responsible for, without even caring or realizing the harm, until it is done! You really can't undo some of those things; but I believe God can do anything! 

 That, my friends, is the only thing that keep me sane and alive, is knowing that we will all be together with Christ Jesus in Heaven! "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled", saying, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die." Do you believe this...

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break, still everyone died - from the time of Adam to the time of Moses - even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:12-17 NLT)