A lot of folks are struggling nowadays (I think that we always have been, but sometimes we let our current comforts tell us we haven't. Anxiety, depression, anger, and so many other emotions are running rampant. People are losing hope. The root of it all, though, doesn't come from politics, or racism, bigotry, or any other such thing: the root of our problem exists in all of humanity: sin. We all suffer different symptoms of the same disease, and this disease will always lead to death, unless it is dealt with. What is sin? How do I know we all have it? Simply put: we all rebel against the reason we are here: to glorify our creator. Our symptoms of sin come from the same desire our ancestors had. We want to sit on the throne, glorify ourselves, and do what we want. We choose our self over the one who knows how to give us a full and rich life (He designed us that way), and so we plummet further and further in to anger, anxiety, depression, and the like. We all have the same problem, and there's only One solution.
Jesus Christ came and lived as one of us. He was fully Human. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that in his physical body, Jesus was tempted in every way, and yet chose not to sin. He was a man, though fully God all at once. He had all the desires of a man. Was tempted on every point of God's law as a man, and yet overcame because of His desire to please the father, as one of us: a man. Hebrews 2:12 tells us that he even suffered in his temptations! We don't have a God who made an impossible standard, but who, as one of us, lived the Perfect Standard. He was without sin...and yet HE took on the punishment for all sin, yours and mine. He became Sin who knew no sin so that we could put on His righteousness. That is how much He loves us. He lived as one of us, died for us, and rose again so that we, like Him, could become new creations in Him. The designer fixed the disease. We have to repent, turn toward Him, and follow, as He prescribes. I choose the cure for the problem we all have, do you?
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Comments