• Illustrated, Short Explanation of Bible •

WHAT WAS BEFORE THE BEGINNING?

In the beginning God...

Genesis 1:1 –

the first words in the Bible

[God,] before…you brought forth the…world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:2

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WHO IS GOD?

He is the Creator.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

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"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" say the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?

Isaiah 40:25-26

He is the only God.

[Creator God declares:] "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

Isaiah 43:10

1-2

He is Lord over everything.

[God says:] "I, even I, am the Lord."

Isaiah 43:11

He is the loving Father.

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?

Deuteronomy 32:6

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and...is not far from each one of us. "For in him we live and move and have our being. ...We are his offspring."

Acts 17:24, 27-28

God created man...––male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

God blessed them.

Genesis 1:28

God is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9

[God the] Father in heaven...causes his sun to rise on the evil [people] and the good, and sends rain on the righteous [people] and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:45

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

1-3

He is the only Savior.

[Creator God says:] "Apart from me there is no Savior."

Isaiah 43:11

He is all powerful.

Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.

I Samuel 14:6

With God all things are possible.

Matthew 19:26

He knows everything.

The Lord is a God of knowledge.

1 Samuel 3:2 (English Standard Version)

The Lord is the everlasting God. …His understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:28

I am the Lord; …new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.

Isaiah 42:8-9

I am God, and there is none like me. I make known…from ancient times, what is still to come. …What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

Isaiah 46:9-11

He is totally reliable.

Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.

Romans 10:11

He is richly emotional.

How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! … To all who receive him [Jesus Christ], to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.)

1 John 3:1 … John 1:12

I pray that you…may…grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.

Ephesians 3:17-19

The Lord your God will take great delight in you…[and] will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

Ephesians 4:30

Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. … Do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything…for the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Exodus 34:14 … Deuteronomy 4:23-24

People who don't care, don't become jealous.

But the Heavenly Father cares passionately about you.

He cares deeply whether you love him or not.

You [Israel] provoked the LORD to anger, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you.

Deuteronomy 9:8

(New American Standard Bible)

He is judge of all.

He [God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice.

Acts 17:31

He is 1-God-in-3-Persons

(or, he is 1 essence in 3 forms).

[God is made up of] the Father and…the Son and…the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

• God the Father

In the Bible, "God" usually refers to the Father

• God the Son

The Son of God = Jesus Christ

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• God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit = God's Spirit / Christ's Spirit

Each is distinct from the other.

the Father ≠ the Son

the Father ≠ the Holy Spirit

the Son ≠ the Father

the Son ≠ the Holy Spirit

the Holy Spirit ≠ the Father

the Holy Spirit ≠ the Son

But the 3 are 1 God.

There is one God.

James 2:9

We know that…there is no God but one.

1 Corinthians 8:4

So they have the same:

Nature

Heart

Purpose

Character –

What is God's character? What are God's 2 main characteristics?

God is love.

I John 4:8

"I, …God, am holy.

Leviticus 19:2

But they have different:

Roles

Functions

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Does 1-God-in-3-persons make logical sense?

At first it may seem to be a logical impossibility.

But we all know a very common substance that is 1-essence-in-3-forms.

So, why should it amaze us that Creator God is 1 God made of 3 persons?

For this is exactly how he describes himself in the Bible.

WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

The Bible is God's word.

It comes from Creator God himself.

All scripture [the Bible] is God-breathed.

2 Timothy 3:16

When you received the word of God…you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God.

I Thessalonians 2:13

[Jesus said:] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Mark 13:31

The Bible is Creator God's personal message to us.

[God,] your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

In the Bible:

God tells us who he is.

He tells us who we are.

He tells us how much he loves us.

He tells us why we are separated from him.

He tells us how to come back to him.

He tells us how to be with him forever.

We cannot survive without God's Word.

Jesus [said:] "…Man does not live on bread [food] alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Matthew 4:4

The holy Scriptures [Bible] are able to make you wise for salvation.

2 Timothy 3:15

We can trust the Bible 100%.

[God,] all your words are true.

Psalm 119:160

It is impossible for God to lie.

Hebrews 6:18

So, do we have the right to contradict Creator God's words about himself?

DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHO GOD IS?

Then the Lord answered… "Who is this that [speaks]…words without knowledge? Brace yourself…and I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Tell me if you understand. …Surely you know, for you were already born!

Job 38:1-4, 21

Question:

Does God exist in our minds?

O God…even the highest…heaven cannot contain you.

1 Kings 8:26-27

So, isn't it the other way around?

In him we live and move and have our being. …We are his offspring.

Acts 17:28

Or, can we make our own god?

This is what the Lord says…who created the heavens…and made the earth … "To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, as though we were alike?"

Isaiah 45:18 (NIV) …

Isaiah 46:5 (New Revised Standard Version)

This is what the Lord says––"I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare…what is yet to come––yes, let him foretell what will come. …Is there any God besides me?

Isaiah 44:6-8

God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But…[the nations'] idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Psalm 115:3-8

Who is God?

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?

Deuteronomy 32:6

If God is our Father, how can he be less than what we are?

Our human nature tells us something very important about God's nature.

[Since we are] God’s offspring, we ought not to think that …[God] is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

Acts 17:29

Can our imagination make God?

Can our hands make God?

Do you want to shame your Heavenly Father?

Can a child create his own father?

Did we create him –

or did he create us?

Creator God says . . .

I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

Isaiah 42:8

Do you want to think of him as an inferior object?

If you are a person –

can your Father be represented by a statue of wood, stone or bronze?

Do you want to disrespect your Creator?

Can a child invent his father out of his own imagination?

Do you think that the one who created us was invented in our minds?

Or, could Creator God be nothing more than an animating spirit within nature?

O Lord…there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. …The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.

1 Kings 8:23, 27

What is the brilliant sun, a gorgeous tree, a thundering waterfall, or a majestic mountain?

These beautiful things are simply God's amazing art work!

How could they possibly contain Creator God?

Even heaven cannot contain him!

How could any of these things be our Father?

The Lord says: "…[They are] disgraced…They say to wood, 'You are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' They have turned their backs to me and not their faces."

Jeremiah 2;5, 26-27

WHO IS MAN? WHAT ARE WE REALLY?

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

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God made us – as he made everything else.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: …plants and trees…according to their various kinds." And it was so. …And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11

God said, "Let there be lights in the…sky to separate the day from the night." And it was so. God made two great lights––the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. …And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:14-16, 18

God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds." …And it was so. God made wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-25

So everything is divided into just 2 categories:

But when the Heavenly Father made humans, he gave us a magnificent identity.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over … all the earth.” …So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them.

Genesis 1:26-28

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We are unlike all other created things!

Think how special we are in Creator God's eyes!

Think how much he cares about us to make us in his own image!

Of course, we are not God, for we were created by God.

Anything that is created is inferior in status to the one who created it.

But we are similar to God in important ways:

• We can communicate, create, and love in very sophisticated ways –

far above animals.

And we can relate personally to God:

• We can have a unique spiritual relationship with our Heavenly Father as his loved children –

which is something animals cannot do.

• We can live with God forever.

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Creator God gave us great honor and important responsibilities:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15

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God said, "…Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Genesis 1:26

We must wisely and conscientiously:

• work it

• take care of it

• rule over [it]

Creator God appointed us as his managers!

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THE WORLD WAS PERFECT

God blessed [Adam & Eve].

Genesis 1:31

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Sin and evil had not yet entered the world and drastically impacted it.

So, there was no:

Death.

Guilt.

Shame.

Fear.

Self-doubt.

Suffering.

Adam & Eve were perfect.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis 2:25

They had nothing to be ashamed of.

They had nothing to hide from God or from one another.

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And God was very generous with them.

The Lord God [said]… "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden."

Genesis 2:16

God is still generous with us today.

God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6:17

GOD GAVE MAN ONLY ONE RESTRICTION

God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16

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Did they submit to their Father – to their Creator?

She [Eve] took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband [Adam], who was with her, and he ate it.

Genesis 3:6

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This resulted in a great disaster for the whole world.

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WHAT IS OUR INESCAPABLE PROBLEM?

It is Sin & Death.

Sin is the breaking of [God's] law.

I John 3:4

Holman Christian Standard Bible

That is what Adam did.

So Adam was guilty.

[Adam] sinned by breaking a command.

Romans 5:14

And Adam betrayed his Heavenly Father.

Adam didn't just break a rule.

The Lord God…said [to Adam], "…I commanded you not to eat…"

Genesis 3:11

Adam rejected the one who made him – and who gave him the rule.

So, we can say of Adam:

You forgot the God who gave you birth.

Deuteronomy 32:18

Then, Adam's sin drastically affected all people born after him.

Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

To put it simply:

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

Even today, this is the tragic situation for all people everywhere.

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Sin and death are our greatest problems.

All around us, it is evident that sin in people is the source of evil in the world.

And death is the terrible enemy that defeats everyone of us.

The...enemy...death.

I Corinthians 15:26

But aren't sin and death just a natural part of our world?

We are so used to evil and death that we think they are just a natural part of life –

that they are unavoidable –

that they have always existed.

But, at the beginning God created the earth without these things.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

Then, as we have already read:

Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin.

Romans 5:12

So, sin and death are not a natural part of our world.

They are the direct result of the first man's choice to disobey God.

But that is not all –

And in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

So, sin and death are also the result of our choices.

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HOW DID ADAM & EVE REACT TO THEIR SIN?

They felt shame.

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 3:7

Their sin fundamentally degraded who they were.

Their disgrace was exposed.

They felt fear.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden…, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:8

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Why did they hide from God?

[Adam said to God:] "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

They no longer felt safe with God – but, rather, they felt very vulnerable.

What happened to their relationship to God?

Sin destroys the Father-child relationship that we have with God.

Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you.

Isaiah 59:2

Are we any different from Adam & Eve?

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands.

Romans 3:10-11

There is...no one who seeks God. All have turned away.

Romans 3:11-12

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BUT WHAT WAS GOD'S FIRST REACTION TO ADAM & EVE'S SIN?

They hid from the Lord God… But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9

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Think how significant this is!

What did Adam deserve?

"...when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:16

He deserved instant death.

But what did God do?

God, because of his great love for us, took the initiative to come and look for man and call him back to himself:

“Where are you?”

Then God was doubly gracious to Adam and Eve.

He covered their shame.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

This, too, was very significant.

Instead of destroying them in their guilt and fear and shame as they deserved –

God the Father covered their shame –

he covered their incapacitating vulnerability.

When did God show them this double kindness?

When did he come looking for them and cover their shame?

God did this on about page 3 of the 1,000+ page Bible!

What does this tell us about God's intention throughout the whole rest of the Bible?

Father God's purpose is to call us back to himself –

to restore us as his children.

God is love.

1 John 4:8

Love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.

1 John 4:18

So we…rely on the love God has for us.

1 John 4:16

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

1 John 3:1

The Bible is the historical account of what Creator God had to do to bring us back to himself.

Did you notice what had to happen to cover Adam and Eve's shame?

God made garments of skin.

Genesis 3:21

An animal's life was sacrificed so that their shame could be covered.

(This sets a pattern throughout the whole Bible.)

For from the very beginning . . .

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

THEIR ONE SIN HAD OTHER SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES:

To Adam he [God] said, "Because you...ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' ...cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Genesis 3:17, 19

Their blessing was turned into a curse.

The noble work for which they were created was frustrated.

And they would shamefully end up in the dust of the ground.

The Lord God said, "The man has now [come to know]…good and evil. He must not be allowed to...take also from the Tree of Life, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:22-23

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Adam and Eve were shamefully banished from God's wonderful garden.

But worst of all –

they were separated from eternal life –

from the eternal life which only Creator God can give.

Just one sin separates mankind from God.

What was the immediate spiritual result for them – as well as for us?

You were [spiritually] dead in your…sins.

Ephesians 2:1

Adam and Eve died spiritually.

In time, what was the physical result?

Adam lived…and then he died.

Genesis 5:5

So it is with us.

Death came to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

Sin separates all mankind from God for all eternity.

Just one sin also damaged Adam and Eve's relationship with one another.

The Lord God called to the man, "…Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

Genesis 3:11

Then Adam turned on Eve.

The man said, "The woman you put here with me––she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12

Adam blamed Eve for his own sin.

What, then, can God do to re-establish our relationship with him?

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GOD PRESENTS OPTION #1 FOR OVERCOMING SIN:

First, God gave very general, logical instructions:

Sometime after Adam and Eve were banished from the garden . . .

The Lord said to Cain [Adam & Eve’s son], “…If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

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First, God told us to "do what is right."

He told us to "master" sin.

So, God's instructions were general and obvious:

It is your responsibility not to do bad things.

It is your responsibility to do good.

It is your responsibility to overcome sin.

This makes perfect sense!

This is what parents and teachers teach children:

Just do what is right.

If you want things to go well for you, do what you are supposed to do. Don't do what you shouldn't do. Do good things – not bad things.

But God also said something very fearful:

The Lord said to Cain, "…Sin…desires to have you."

Genesis 4:7

It is a fearful thing not to "master" sin, because . . .

Everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

John 8:34

And, even more fearful is the fact that . . .

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

1 John 3:8

You are doing the things your own father does. …You belong to your father, the devil.

John 8:41, 44

So, God told us to "master" sin so that we could:

• Keep from becoming a slave of sin

• Keep from becoming a child of the devil

• Receive eternal life.

DID CAIN AND THE GENERATIONS AFTER HIM "MASTER" SIN?

Did they always "do what is right?"

Unfortunately, Option #1 proved to be a failure.

Centuries after Cain, during the time of Noah . . .

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become.

Genesis 6:5

How did the Heavenly Father feel about this?

The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

Even though he knew from the beginning that people were unable to master sin,

the Heavenly Father was greatly disappointed at the outcome.

So, Cain failed to "master" sin, but what about his brother Abel?

Is there any other way to please the Heavenly Father besides Option #1?

THE MYSTERIOUS BEGINNING OF OPTION #2:

What did Abel do?

Abel kept flocks [of sheep or goats]. …As an offering to the Lord…Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.

Genesis 4:2-4

Why did this sacrifice please God?

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

So . . .

Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.

Abel knew that something must die in his place –

just as his parents' shame was covered by the death of an animal.

Abel did not try to cover his sins with his own good actions [Option #1].

Instead, Abel knew that he had to rely on God's love – on God's favor.

So Abel trusted God to be merciful to him.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Hebrews 11;6

Abel knew that he couldn't please God by trying to do good things [Option #1].

Abel knew that the only way to please God was by believing in God [Option #2].

So Abel acted in keeping with his faith.

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice.

Hebrews 11:4

Abel offered to God the sacrifice that he knew God wanted –

that he knew was necessary to approach God.

What happened to Abel because of his faith?

By faith he was commended as a righteous [good] man, when God spoke well of his offerings.

Hebrews 11:4

God said that Abel was righteous –

God gave Abel the gift of righteousness.

This is Option #2:

• We believe in Creator God our Heavenly Father.

• So God gives us his righteousness (goodness).

FAITH –––> RIGHTEOUSNESS (GOODNESS)

Righteousness is a gift from God that we cannot earn –

We just trust God and receive it.

But Option #2 starts very quietly in the Bible.

[It is a] mystery…kept hidden for ages and generations.

Colossians 1:26

Option #2 was seen by the few who had faith in Creator God –

but most people could not see it.

Why couldn't they see it?

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.

Romans 11;18-22

What does this say about our personal perspectives, opinions, reasoning, preferences about spiritual things?

What does this say about our cultural viewpoint on spiritual matters?

If we don't start in the right place, can we end up in the right place?

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

Psalm 14:1

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One [Creator God] is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

The Lord looks down from heaven on…men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Palm 14:2

The mystery behind Option #2 would not become completely clear for 1000s of years –

not until . . .

…the time had fully come.

Galatians 4:4

Then, how did Abel know how to approach God?

Thousands of years later Jesus called Abel a prophet:

“…the prophet…Abel…”

Luke 11:50-51

In the Bible a prophet:

• knows God's truth

• speaks God's truth to the people

• and often predicts what God will do in the future

How did Abel speak?

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice. …And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

Hebrews 11:4

Abel speaks to us on about page 4 of the Bible:

But he does not speak to us with words.

He only speaks to those who have a heart that can hear.

"By faith he still speaks" to us.

To everyone who came after him in the Bible, Abel's faith pointed out the only way to God.

And his faith speaks to us today.

It says to us:

You too must have faith.

You can only come to God by faith.

Did anyone after Abel have faith in Creator God?

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:5-6

But didn't anyone believe in the Heavenly Father?

Didn't anyone have faith in Creator God?

YES, NOAH ALSO BELIEVED CREATOR GOD.

Centuries after Abel, Noah also followed Option #2.

So, God decided to start over with Noah.

Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. …Noah was a righteous [good] man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Genesis 6:8-9

So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people [with a great flood], for the earth is filled with violence. ...So make yourself an ark [a wooden ship]. ...You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.”

Genesis 6:13-14, 19

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The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family.”

Genesis 7:1

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They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind. ...Pairs of all creatures...came to Noah and entered the ark...as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in. …And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights… For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth...and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. ...Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out.

Genesis 7:14-16, 12, 17, 19, 23

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Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Genesis 7:23

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How many ways were there to be saved from the Great Flood?

Only one – only God's way.

And only Noah had the faith to follow God's way.

God's favor/grace to Noah came through the ark.

Noah showed his faith in God's grace/favor by building the ark.

Did human effort help anyone who was not on the ark?

No.

No matter how hard they tried, no one could save themselves from the Great Flood by their own efforts.

The ark was the only method that Creator God provided for people to be saved from death.

Surprisingly, many people today still try to use Option #1 as the way to be good enough for God.

Most people are still attempting to save themselves by trying to be good.

But it is unsuccessful, because. . .

You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.

Psalm 5:4-6

What made Noah different from everyone else?

Only one thing:

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that [1] he exists and [2] that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah…in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Hebrews 11:6-7

What resulted from Noah's faith:

• God gave Noah righteousness [goodness].

Noah was an heir of his Heavenly Father –

so he inherited righteousness from God.

No one can become righteous without a child-Father relationship with Creator God.

Righteousness is a gift – we inherit it from our Heavenly Father.

There is no other righteousness.

• Noah was obedient to God only as a result of his faith –

So he built the ark –

And he saved his family.

This shows that faith must come before action.

[God] call[s] people…to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 1:5

• Noah condemned the world for not having faith in Creator God.

The world rejected Option #2.

So the world was judged based on Option #1 –

They were judged solely on what they had done.

So Noah earned nothing by his own efforts –

but he simply received a great gift from God because of his faith:

Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 6:8 (New King James Version)

WHAT HAPPENED TO MAN'S SIN AFTER THE GREAT FLOOD?

Did the terrible punishment of the Flood change people's hearts?

[God said after the flood:] “Every inclination of his [man’s] heart is evil from childhood.”

Genesis 8:21

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Nothing had changed!

But, why not?

Because we are born in a most shameful condition.

I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:5

(Psalm 51:7 in Japanese, New Interconfessional Translation)

We, ourselves, are wrong even before we do anything good or bad.

Our problem starts with what we are.

Our problem isn't simply what we do.

Look how far we have fallen!

Men…have been made in God's likeness.

James 3:9

This is still true today!

But look what has become of me!

I was…sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:5 (same in Japanese: Shinkaiyaku - New Japanese Bible)

(Psalm 51:7 in Japanese: Shinkyodoyaku - New Interconfessional Translation)

Why are we born sinful?

Because we are . . .

. . . in Adam [the first man].

1 Corinthians 15:22

What does "in Adam" mean?

He represented us.

Let's think about it this way:

Why do we each have the eye color, skin color and hair color that we have?

It is because of our ancestors –

we inherited our physical characteristics from them.

We could say that:

We are in our ancestors –

they represented us when our physical features were determined.

Adam is our spiritual ancestor –

so we inherited our spiritual nature from him.

Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin. …The many died by the trespass [sin] of the one man. …The result of the one man's sin…was condemnation for all men. …Through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners.

Romans 5:12, 15-19

From Adam we inherited a sinful nature – an old self.

Our old self…[makes us]…slaves to sin.

Romans 6:6

And from Adam we inherit a shameful condition.

We were by nature objects of [God's] wrath.

Ephesians 2:3

What a terrible position to be in.

Then we just continue down the wrong path.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6

(Isaiah 64:5 in Japanese, New Interconfessional Translation)

So, even our attempts to do good are unacceptable and repulsive to God.

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away.

Romans 3:11-12

The threat of great punishment ...

• May frighten us.

• May even get us to control our outward behavior to some degree.

• May cause us to conceal our inner thoughts and motives –

and make us look good on the outside.

But the fear of great punishment:

1. Cannot change who we are inside – cannot change our identity.

2. Cannot give us the power that we need:

To always do right.

To never do wrong.

God knew that after the Flood nothing had changed:

The Lord…said in his heart: “…Every inclination of his [man’s] heart is evil from childhood.”

Genesis 8:21

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This is exactly what God had said before the Flood.

SO CREATOR GOD SET IN MOTION THE ONLY PLAN THAT COULD SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD.

This happened centuries later.

Option #1 was still in operation.

And Option #2 was still hidden in mystery.

But about 2000 B.C. Creator God set in motion a long process that could actually save the whole world.

God started by choosing one man Abraham – and one nation.

God promised Abraham great blessing and great honor.

[God said:] “I will make you [Abraham] into a great nation and I will bless you; …and you will be a blessing. …And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:2-3

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Think about this!

4,000 years ago, in blessing Abraham, God was also arranging for great blessing to come to you and your people.

What's more, this event happened on about page 10 of the 1,000+ page Bible.

Did you notice who Creator God was thinking about and including in his plan from the very beginning?

It was your people!

But Abraham, who was about 80 years old, had a big problem.

To make the problem worse –

his wife Sarah was about 70 years old.

Abra[ha]m said, "O Sovereign Lord, ...You have given me no children."

Genesis 15:2-3

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How could Abraham become the father of a great nation without any children?

Then Creator God made Abraham a promise.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: "...A son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars. ...So shall your offspring be."

Genesis 15:4-5

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Then comes one of the most important statements in the Bible!

Abra[ha]m believed the Lord, and he [God] credited it to him as righteousness . . . and he was called God's friend.

Genesis 15:6 • James 2:23

This is Option #2 again!

• Abraham believed Creator God –

he believed God's promise.

• God gave him a gift – this gift was righteousness [goodness].

What then shall we say that Abraham…discovered in this matter? …God justifies the wicked.

Romans 4:1, 4

God, in his love for Abraham, made Abraham as though he had never sinned.

• So Abraham went from being an “object of [God's] wrath” to becoming “God's friend”!

Abraham's shameful status was replaced with a glorious status because he believed God.

No one in the Bible was ever accepted by Creator God by following Option #1.

Abraham did not earn God's favor by trying hard to be a good person or by trying hard to "master" sin.

He was only accepted by God because:

1. God showed Abraham love and kindness that he didn't deserve –

God showed him grace.

2. Abraham believed and trusted God –

he relied on God's grace and kindness.

How would God's blessing to Abraham come to all people?

Only through . . .

Jesus Christ… the son [descendant] of Abraham.

Matthew 1:1

2000 years after Abraham, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was born in the country of Israel (in about AD 1).

God would bless the whole world through Jesus Christ.

[God said:] “I will make you [Abraham] into a great nation and I will bless you; …and you will be a blessing. …And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:2-3

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But the world would not be ready for the Messiah to come for 2000 more years.

HOW DID GOD PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH?

First, God turned the one man Abraham into a nation – Israel.

For salvation is from the Jews [from Israel].

John 4:22

Why would Creator God focus on one nation?

God had to have a concrete plan to save us –

it couldn't just be a theoretical, mystical or imaginary plan –

it had to be real.

• It had to happen in an actual physical place –

and creator God chose Israel.

• God's action to save us had to be an actual, historical event –

just as Adam's first sin that condemned us was an actual, historical event.

God's act of saving us had to be a real action –

as real as the events that happen in our world every day.

• And our sins had to be actually erased –

someone had to actually . . .

. . . take…away the sin of the world.

John 1:29

• The one who would take away our sins had to be a real person.

Since the children [of God] have flesh and blood [so are human], he [the Messiah] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death––that is, the devil––and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Human beings are all guilty of not "mastering" sin –

so a human being had to pay the penalty.

• Creator God's character does not allow him to simply ignore sin.

"I, …God, am holy.

Leviticus 19:2

It would be unjust of holy God to simply ignore or brush aside all the sin and evil in the world.

He [God]…will judge the world with justice.

Acts 17:31

Think how unjust it would be for God to ignore all the evil in the world.

So God's magnificent plan progressed over 2000 years down to one point – his Messiah.

He chose to speak to the whole world through one man Abraham, through one country Israel and through one Messiah Jesus Christ.

Only in this way could God accomplish his purpose for the entire world:

All peoples on earth will be blessed through [Abraham].

Genesis 12:2-3

But, why did God take 2,000 years to prepare for his Messiah to come to earth?

Think about this:

If someone suddenly showed up and said to you . . .

"I am the Messiah. Believe in me. Obey me. Then you will live forever."

. . . would you believe that person?

Wouldn't you ask:

Who are you?

How do I know you are really the Messiah?

Why do I need to believe?

What will you do for me?

Can you actually do what you say you will do?

What if I don't believe in you?

It is the Old Testament that told everyone 100s and even 1000s of years ahead of time . . .

who the Messiah would be and what he would do.

So, when the Messiah came to earth, people could recognize him.

How did Creator God make Abraham into a nation?

The Lord made a covenant with Abra[ha]m and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi [dry river bed on the eastern border] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates [maybe at its northern end]."

Genesis 15:18

"All the land that you see I will give to your offspring forever."

Genesis 13:15

This is the land just east of the Mediterranean Sea.

But this plan would only come about over many centuries and with great difficulty.

Then the Lord said to him [Abraham], "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a[nother] country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."

Genesis 15:13-14

"Your descendants will come back here [about 600 years from now]."

Genesis 15:16

The place where Abraham was standing would eventually become Israel's home.

Territory Promised to Abraham:

How did Abraham's descendants become enslaved in Egypt?

Jacob, Abraham's grandson, was living in Canaan (the current land of Israel).

His small clan lived in tents like his grandfather Abraham.

They still did not possess the land –

and wandered from place to place in Canaan.

Then something dramatically changed.

Seven years of famine began. …There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. …And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain."

Genesis 41:54, 57

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God spoke to Israel [the new name that God gave Jacob] in a vision at night and said, "…Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again [to Canaan].

Genesis 45:25; 46:2-4

What was God's purpose in sending them to Egypt?

"I will make you into a great nation there."

Genesis 45:25; 46:2-4

Then Jacob left. …He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters––all his offspring.

Genesis 46:5, 7

The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all.

Exodus 1:5

Protected within the borders of the great country of Egypt, this small clan would grow during 400 years into a nation of over a million people.

After many years in Egypt what happened?

Now all that generation died, but the Israelites [Abraham's and Jacob's descendants] were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king…came to power in Egypt. …He said to his people, "The Israelites have become much too numerous for us." …So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor.…and worked them ruthlessly.

Exodus 1:6-11, 13

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Did Creator God care about the Israelites?

During that long period…the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help…went up to God. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac [the son God had promised Abraham] and with Jacob.

Exodus 2:23-24

So God chose a leader for the Israelites.

Now Moses…came to…the mountain of God [in the Sinai Peninsula]. …God said, "…I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. …I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. …I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them…into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. …So now, go. I am sending you to [King] Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

Exodus 3:1, 5-8, 10

But would Pharaoh let the Israelites go?

God said to Moses…"I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go."

Exodus 3:14, 19-20

Beside Pharoah, what other powers did Creator God need to defeat?

The Lord said to Moses… "I will pass through Egypt…and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."

Exodus 12:12

Israel needed to be freed from the power of Satan who was behind these many gods.

We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. …[Is] a sacrifice offered to an idol…anything…? No, but the sacrifices…are offered to demons, not to God.

1 Corinthians 8:4 & 10:20

Demons were the actual power behind the gods of Egypt.

God sent 9 terrible plagues that ruined Egypt.

But –

Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go.

Exodus 9:35

What was God's great purpose in doing all this?

Of course he planned to free Israel from slavery.

In addition, God clearly stated the following purpose about 10 times:

"…that you may know that I am the Lord…"

God wanted the whole world – and us – to know something very important.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, "…By now I could have…struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Exodus 9:13, 15

"…So you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth."

Exodus 9:29

Who is this amazing God?

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites…and they ask me, 'What is his name?'

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."

Exodus 3:13-14

What an amazing answer!

Creator God is the only self-existing person in the entire universe.

No one created him.

No one gives him life.

Creator God just "is".

Father [God] has life in himself.

John 5:26

God speaks for himself!

This is what the Lord says––Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare…what is yet to come––yes, let him foretell what will come. …Is there any God besides me? No, …I know not one."

Isaiah 44:6-8

"To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"

Isaiah 46:5

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. …What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do."

Isaiah 46:9-11

So . . .

God said to Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

What a privilege you also have today!

The God who "is", is right here, right now to show himself to you.

His words in the Bible are meant for you personally . . .

. . . "that you may know that I am the Lord."

How did Creator God finally free Israel from slavery?

Now the Lord had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely."

Exodus 11:1

The Lord said to Moses, "…Say to Pharaoh, '…Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"

Exodus 4:21-23

Do you see the great hope for you here?

Creator God first chose Israel for himself:

God…said to Moses, "…I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God."

Exodus 6:7

You may say:

"This is about Israel. I am not an Israelite. So what does the Bible have to do with me?"

But, think about this amazing fact:

If Creator God has a "firstborn son," he of course has more children!

And he loves those children like he loves Israel.

[About 1400 years later Jesus would say:] "I am the good shepherd. … I have other sheep that are not of this [Israelite] sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

John 10:14, 16

How is this great hope described at the end of the Bible?

I looked and there…was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne [of Creator God]… And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne."

Revelation 7:9-10

So you too are invited:

Come! Whoever…wishes, let him take the free gift of…life.

Revelation 22:17

But the penalty for not listening to Creator God is enormous.

The Lord said to Moses… "I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn––both man and animals––and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."

Exodus 12:1, 12

Those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

Deuteronomy 7:10

What about the Israelites: Were they automatically excused from God's judgment?

No.

The Lord said to Moses… "Each man is to take a lamb for his family. …Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses. …The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-7, 13

So this lamb is called the Passover Lamb.

Because of the lamb's blood, the Lord . . .

. . . passed over the houses of the Israelites.

Exodus 12:27

Were the Israelites saved by Option #1 – were they better than the Egyptians?

No. They were not better than the Egyptians.

They were only saved:

1. By the blood of the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed for them –

and by God's kindness in giving them this protection.

2. By their faith in God.

By faith he [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

Hebrews 11:28

They were not saved because they were a good or special people.

[Moses said to the Israelites:] "The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to you forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

Deuteronomy 7:6-8

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity…for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deuteronomy 9:5-6

The Israelites' freedom from slavery, from the Egyptian gods, and from Satan was a gift from God.

They did not earn it.

In fact, it was the opposite:

They did not deserve it.

So the Passover Lamb is one of the greatest pictures of Option #2 in the Old Testament.

Option #2 is a complete gift from Creator God.

• God gives us his mercy and grace –

in this case through the life blood of the Passover Lamb.

• We receive God's mercy by faith –

in this case people showed that they truly believed and trusted God by painting the blood around the doorway.

It is as simple as that!

In comparison to that, Option #1 is exhausting and hopeless.

What else does the Passover Lamb picture?

About 1400 years later a prophet . . .

. . . saw Jesus [Christ] coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29

So the Passover Lamb points forward 1400 years to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God's Passover Lamb for the whole world.

[Jesus Christ came] to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

In this way . . .

Jesus…will save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

But when Israel was in Egypt, this part of Creator God's plan for the whole world was still hidden in mystery.

So Creator God completely saved Israel from slavery.

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. …During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses…and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds…and go."

Exodus 12:29, 31-32

Did this great deliverance change people's hearts?

How about 3 days later?

Then Moses led Israel…into the desert. …For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. …So the people grumbled against Moses.

Exodus 15:22, 24

Despite the Israelites complaining, Creator God miraculously provided them with fresh water.

After a month and a half were the Israelites trusting God?

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt…in the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and [his brother] Aaron…"If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Exodus 16:1-3

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "…You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."

Exodus 16:6-8

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day."

Exodus 16:4

Daily for 40 years, God miraculously provided over 1 million people with food in the desert.

How about in the third month?

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt…they came to the Desert of Sinai…in front of the mountain [of God]. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. …The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up. …And God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. …Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold."

Exodus 19:1, 18; 20:1-2, 23

Did the people worship Creator God alone?

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron [Moses' brother] and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that you…are wearing, and bring them to me." …He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf. …Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

Exodus 32:1-4

Moses did come down from Mt. Sinai.

Moses told Israel:

"The Lord said to me, 'I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven.' …Then…I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights. …I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But…the Lord listened to me. And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but…I prayed for Aaron too."

Deuteronomy 9:13-14, 18-20

Moses added:

"You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you."

Deuteronomy 9:24

Being saved from slavery in Egypt did not change the people's hearts.

And it would be a long time before the Messiah would come and . . .

. . . take…away the sin of the world.

John 1:29

Then, how could rebellious Israel ever approach Creator God?

How could they ever come into God's presence?

GOD GAVE ISRAEL A VERY DETAILED RELIGIOUS SYSTEM –

A VERY DETAILED VERSION OF OPTION #1.

This system is called THE LAW.

What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions [sins] until the [Messiah]…had come.

Galatians 3:19

Until the Messiah would come 1400 years later, something needed to be done about all the sins of the people.

So the Law was a stop-gap measure.

What was wrong with the simple version of Option #1?

The simple version was:

Do what is right. …You must master [sin].

Genesis 4:7

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But no one carried out this general responsibility that God gave to people.

Now, Creator God told Israel exactly what he wanted them to do.

What does this detailed version of Option #1 require?

Perfection!

The Lord said…"I am the Lord your God; …be holy, because I am holy."

Leviticus 11:1, 44

Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Psalm 5:4-5

What is in THE LAW?

What did God tell the people to do in order to please him.

THE LAW contains 4 important parts.

1. Commands or Rules – also called the Law.

2. A place of worship.

3. A High Priest.

4. Sacrifices.

Why are we talking about these 4 things? What do they have to do with us?

Because, even today, many people depend on one or more of these things to:

• Gain God's approval and earn eternal life.

• Persuade God to give them what they want or need in this life.

• Gain power over Satan and evil spirits.

So, we need to find out the answer to 2 big questions:

1. Can these 4 parts of THE LAW, given by Creator God himself, actually give us what we desperately need?

Are these 4 things actually effective, or not?

Can they bring us into Creator God's presence?

2. And, what does Creator God's religious system tell us about all other religious systems in the world?

THE LAW was given by the God who made heaven and earth.

There is no one greater than Creator God.

There are no religious rules or religious systems better than his.

So, no other religious system in the entire world can surpass this one.

But, could another religious system be as effective as this one?

If Creator God's religious system is effective, maybe other religious systems can also be effective.

Let's find out.

Let's look at the 4 things that are in THE LAW.

1. Commands or Rules.

Some of us today are trying hard to follow God's rules –

we are trying to be good enough for God –

we are trying to be a good person that God will accept.

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain…and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”…And he wrote on the tablets the words of the…Ten Commandments.

Exodus 24:12; 34:1, 28

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Does God have only 10 rules?

No, it is said that there are about 600 other commands in God's Law!

God was very specific.

But the Ten Commandments summarize what God wants everyone to do.

These are the Ten Commandments:

But does God begin the Ten Commandments by listing the 10 rules?

Or does he begin with something completely different?

God spoke… "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Exodus 20:1-2

God begins with his relationship to his people –

"I am…your God."

I am your Creator and Heavenly Father who loves you greatly – so . . .

"I…brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

For the Father in Heaven, everything is based on relationship –

He is looking for far more than outward performance.

Later, Moses explains to Israel:

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath [promise]…to your forefathers that he brought you out [of Egypt] with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 7:7-9

An Everyday Example:

Good parent-child relationships don't start with a list of rules.

Good parent-child relationships start with love –

with the love of parents for their children.

Then good parents teach their children –

and the relationship grows as the children are taught to respect their parents.

Healthy parent-child relationships are the result of parents providing a healthy balance of love and discipline.

So, based on his relationship to his people, Creator God goes on to tell them:

1. "You shall have no other gods besides me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol. …You shall not bow down to them or worship them…

3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…

4. Remember the Sabbath day [rest day] by keeping it holy [special for God]…

5. Honor your father and mother…

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not give false testimony…

10. You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Exodus 20:1-17

In case we missed the main point of the Ten Commandments, God even summarized them!

[A man asked Jesus:] "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Matthew 22:36

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul …and with all your strength… and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38 • Luke 10:27

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Matthew 22:39

Jesus…[said], "Do this and you will live."

Luke 10:28

What is so important about this summary?

The Heavenly Father cares first and foremost about relationships –

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?

Deuteronomy 32:6

God takes it very personally when we reject him –

when we reject what God says we are betraying our Heavenly Father who created us.

O God. …Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.

Psalm 51:1, 4

(Japan Bible Society Interconfessional Version – Psalm 51:3, 6)

We have also betrayed his Son Jesus.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised . . .

. . . and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 53:3

And God cares about our relationship with people.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

Berean Study Bible

So the focus of God's Law is love –

Love for God

and love for people.

Love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

What did Jesus say was the purpose of God's commands?

[The] commandment…was intended to bring life.

Romans 7:9

[Creator God said,] “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 18:5

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So following the Law perfectly results in eternal life.

Obey and live forever!

Love God and love people – and live forever.

In fact, The Law was God's preferred method for enabling us to live forever:

If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness [goodness] would certainly have come by [obeying] The Law.

Galatians 3:22

Is this not obvious?

If we can always obey God's Law – if we never disobey it – we will always be good in God's eyes.

We will never sin.

God will never be angry with us.

We will never become children of Satan.

We will never go to hell

– and we will live with God forever.

But, can anyone do this? Can the Law actually give life?

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23

What is the result for us?

No one is declared righteous before him [God] by…[obeying] the Law.

Romans 3:20 (NET Bible)

Instead –

Through the Law we become conscious of sin.

Romans 3:20

And what is the final result?

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

Instead of helping us, the Law continually reminds us of how hopeless we are.

In fact, it is worse than that:

I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

Romans 7:10

When the commandment came, sin came to life and I died.

Romans 7:9

Does this mean that there is something wrong with God's Law?

Certainly not! ...The Law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Romans 7:7, 12

So . . .

It is not as though God's word had failed.

Romans 9:6

Then, whose fault is it?

God found fault with the people and said: "... they did not remain faithful to my covenant [Option #1]."

Hebrews 8:8-9

The commandments fail because of us.

We betrayed the Heavenly Father and spurned his love for us.

We rejected his commands.

We are the problem!

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. …I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do––this I keep on doing.

Romans 7:15, 18-19

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me?

So, the first of the four things intended to bring us into God's presence results in failure.

God's commands (or Law) cannot make us acceptable to God.

The Law was powerless to do [it] because it was weakened by…[our] flesh[ly evil desires].

Romans 8:3

Trying to follow God's detailed commands and rules cannot help us –

because we fail to follow them.

Our fleshly evil desires don't even want to follow God's Law.

But it is actually worse than that –

we cannot do it!

The mind…set on…flesh[ly evil desires] is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s Law; indeed, it cannot.

Romans 8:7 (English Standard Version)

How then can anyone come into holy God's presence?

THE LAW added 3 more things for that purpose.

2. The Tabernacle – a tent for worship.

The first covenant [Option #1] had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A Tabernacle was set up.

Hebrew 9:1-2

What was God's purpose in making this tabernacle?

The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."

Exodus 25:1-2, 8

God's purpose was to live with his people.

What an amazing purpose!

Throughout the whole Bible, from beginning to end, Creator God's desire is to be with his people.

God desires to be with you –

to have a personal relationship with you that lasts forever.

So he told the Israelites to build a tabernacle.

What was the Tabernacle?

The tabernacle was a beautiful tent –

it was a sanctuary or chapel where the Israelites could come to God.

But what does this have to do with us?

People everywhere in the world go to special buildings or places to try to meet God.

So the question is:

Can a special building or place bring us into Creator God's presence?

Let's find out.

What was in the Tabernacle?

Inside was the exact location where Creator God would come down to meet with his people.

The tabernacle was made of 2 rooms:

• the Holy Place

• the Most Holy Place

They were lined up end to end.

In its first room [in the Holy Place]…[was a] curtain.

Hebrews 9:2-3

What was hidden behind the curtain?

The curtain…separate[d] the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

Exodus 26:33

Behind the…curtain was…the Most Holy Place.

Hebrews 9:3

The Most Holy Place was the most important place in all Israel –

it contained something extremely holy.

The Most Holy Place…had…the gold-covered Ark.

Hebrews 9:3-4

[The Lord said to Moses:] "There…I will meet with you."

Exodus 25:22

What was the Ark?

Ark = a chest or box

[On] the gold-covered Ark…[was an] atonement cover.

Hebrews 9:4-5

What does "atonement' mean?

Atonement =

to pay for sins –

to make up for being unholy or unclean or unworthy.

The atonement cover was the place where the sins of the people could be covered up.

Why was the atonement cover the most important place in all of Israel?

The Lord said to Moses, "Place the [atonement] cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the… [Ten Commandments] which I will give you."

Exodus 25:1, 21

What was under the atonement cover of the ark?

A copy of God's Law – the Ten Commandments.

What was above the cover?

[The Lord said to Moses:] "There, above the cover between the two cherubim… I will meet with you."

Exodus 25:22

This is why it was the most important place in Israel.

The holy Creator of the whole universe chose to come down and meet with Israel above the cover.

This is wonderful news!

Then, could all the people go into the Most Holy Place to meet with God?

Sadly, no.

The people still could not go in –

because the Law beneath the atonement cover could not make them good enough to meet God face-to-face.

No one will be declared righteous [pure and good] in his [God's] sight by observing the Law. …For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:20, 23

So . . .

The way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed [– it had not yet been made known].

Hebrews 9:8

God was in the Tabernacle, but people could not go in to meet him.

People had no way in.

In the same way, there is no holy place on earth that can allow us to meet Creator God face-to-face.

Then, how could people, who couldn't keep The Law that was below the atonement cover, meet with Creator God who was above the atonement cover?

They needed someone to go into the Most Holy Place in their place.

They needed a High Priest.

Even today, all over the world, people look for someone else to bring them close to God.

We instinctively know that we are unworthy or incapable of coming directly into God's presence.

We look for a guru, or holy person, or priest, or pastor –

we hope that they can bring us into God's presence.

In the Old Testament God provided such a person.

3. The High Priest – the only person who could stand between the people and God.

Only the high priest entered the inner room [the Most Holy Place].

Hebrews 9:7

What was special about the High Priest?

A plate of pure gold…[saying] HOLY TO THE LORD…will be on Aaron's [the High Priest's] forehead…continually.

Exodus 28:38

The High Priest had to be holy in God's eyes.

Priests…must be holy to their God… Because they present the offerings made to the Lord by fire…they are to be holy.

Leviticus 21:6

What makes him holy?

The Lord said… “I am the Lord, who makes him holy."

Leviticus 21:1, 15

Why else did the High Priest need to be holy?

Because he had to stand between sinful people and holy God –

he had to carry the people's guilt –

the guilt of the people fell upon him.

As the holy High Priest, Aaron had this enormous responsibility:

Aaron…will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts [of] the Israelites…so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.

Exodus 28:28

Without a holy High Priest, the people's sacrifices would have been completely unacceptable to God.

Why should Creator God accept any gift or sacrifice from sinful people?

God only accepted sinful people's gifts and sacrifices because their High Priest was holy.

Since the High Priest was holy, could he go freely into the Most Holy Place?

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover."

Leviticus 16:2

What?

He couldn't go into God's presence freely?

When could the High Priest enter the Most Holy Place?

The High Priest entered the inner room…only once a year.

Hebrews 9:7

Only one person in all Israel could go directly before God –

that was the High Priest.

But he could only go in once a year.

Question to think about:

Does this sound like a personal relationship with Creator God?

Is this the level of closeness that either God or we desire?

Was the High Priest able to go into God's presence once a year because the High Priest was good?

No.

It is true that in order to perform his duties . . .

The Lord said… “I…make…him holy."

Leviticus 21:1, 15

But the High Priest still had a great problem.

What did the High Priest need in order to enter the Most Holy Place?

The High Priest entered the inner room…never without blood, which he offered for himself.

Hebrews 9:7

He is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.

Leviticus 16:11

He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover.

Leviticus16:14

The High Priest, too, was a sinner – like we are.

Even he could not go freely into Creator God's presence based on his own goodness.

Even he needed something that could make up for his sins!

But this wasn't the only problem that the High Priest had.

There have been many of those [High] Priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. …For the Law appoints as High Priests men who are weak.

Hebrews 7:23

Something to think about:

Are you depending on someone who will die, to enable you to live forever?

Can a person who is dead give you eternal life?

Is there a spiritual guru, or holy person, or priest, or pastor, or ancestor who has the power to give us eternal life?

Are they not all weak and defeated by death just like we are?

But THE LAW provided one more thing – maybe this can bring us into God's presence.

What did the High Priest, and all the people, need in order to cover their sins?

4. Animal sacrifices.

The blood of animals was used to cover people's sins.

[The High Priest] shall…slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain [into the Most Holy Place] and…sprinkle it on the atonement cover.

Why is this?

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

Why must blood be shed for our sins to be forgiven? Isn't this very strange?

No. It is very understandable!

1. The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

In fact, as soon as we sin, we die spiritually . . .

…dead in your transgressions and sins.

Ephesians 2:1

Death came to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

So we forfeit our lives.

But God loves his people.

So he created a way for people to buy their lives back from death –

to atone for their life.

And he created a way for our sins that cause our spiritual and physical death to be forgiven.

This can only happen if something gives its life for us –

if something dies in our place.

2. Life…is in the blood.

Leviticus 17:11

When something's blood is shed, it dies.

When something dies in our place our sins are forgiven –

and our life is atoned for.

[God said,] "Life…is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Leviticus 17:11

3. (So) without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

Either we die for our own sins –

or something must die in our place, and we can be forgiven.

But only certain animals were acceptable to Creator God.

1. The sacrifice had to be holy (or "clean").

You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.

Leviticus 10:10

You must …make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.

Leviticus 20:25

God said that only lambs (sheep), goats, cows, pigeons and doves could be offered to him –

only they could be a holy sacrifice.

2. The sacrifice had to be perfect.

When anyone brings…a[n] offering to the Lord…it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or…sores.

Leviticus 22:21-22

The Lord said…"The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it [the blood of animals] to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Leviticus 17:11

In this universe made by Creator God, only blood can make atonement for one's life.

It must be a life for a life.

What about foreigners? Could they also offer sacrifices to Creator God?

Did God love them too?

God said to Israel:

Whenever an alien [foreigner]…living among you presents an offering made by fire…to the Lord, he must do exactly as you do. The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord.

Numbers 15:14-15

Are you Jewish? Or, are you not a Jew?

This is another reminder that in 1400 B.C. the Heavenly Father cared about you both.

Even though Creator God focused primarily on Jews [Israelites] in the Old Testament,

Creator God's concern for non-Jews was permanent –

this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.

Numbers 15:15

So, the love that God had for your people in 1400 B.C. continues to this day.

The love that the Heavenly Father had for his people Israel in the Old Testament

is a picture of the love the Heavenly Father has today for his people all around the world.

But were these animal sacrifices able to bring people into God's presence?

When Moses and the people finally finished building the tabernacle and the ark, what happened?

Do you remember God's purpose in making the tabernacle?

The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."

Exodus 25:1-2, 8

This is the Heavenly Father's desire throughout the entire Bible – to live with his people.

In fact, the very last pages of the Bible describe what eternity will be like on a new earth.

It says:

Now the dwelling of [Creator] God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. …They will see his face. …There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Revelation 21:3; 22:4; 21:4

What a wonderful future!

So Moses finished the work [on the tabernacle]. Then the cloud covered [it]…and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:33-34

For Israel, this was the climax of a whole year in the desert receiving God's Law and building God's Tabernacle.

Were people then able to meet with God face to face?

Moses could not enter the Tent…because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:35

Not even Moses was able to enter!

And, not even the High Priest could go into the Most Holy Place freely!

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover."

Leviticus 16:2

If that is true, how could anyone come into Creator God's presence?

God's very next instructions sounds nothing like the wonderful scene at the end of the Bible that we just read:

Now…God…will live with them. …They will see his face.

Revelation 21:3; 22:4

It sounds sadly anticlimactic:

The Lord called to Moses…from the Tent…

Leviticus 1:1

Does this sound like a personal conversation?

God is on the inside.

And God calls to Moses – who is on the outside.

But God doesn't invite the people into the tent.

He said, "…When any of you brings an offering to the Lord…from the herd, …he must present it at the entrance to the Tent…so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the [animal's] head…and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him."

Leviticus 1:1-3

No one was pure enough to come directly before God.

They could come to the entrance of the Tent, but they could not go inside.

Each person needed to be atoned for.

Something fundamentally and shamefully wrong with them had to be paid for.

So each one needed to bring an animal sacrifice.

He is to slaughter the [animal]…before the Lord.

Leviticus 1:5

A bull, sheep, goat or pigeon had to die in the person's place before he could be accepted by God.

But that wasn't all he needed.

Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar at the entrance to the Tent. …Then…the priests shall…burn all of it on the altar.

Leviticus 1:5, 9

He needed a priest to offer his sacrifice.

Even if he had a sacrifice, he could not approach God on his own.

He needed a priest to intercede for him before God.

He needed a priest to make his sacrifice acceptable to Creator God.

So, with the help of a priest and the blood of a sheep could a person go into God's presence inside the Tent?

No!

The person could not go inside the Tent, past the curtain, and into the Most Holy Place to meet face-to-face with Creator God.

The person could only come near . . .

the altar at the entrance to the Tent.

Leviticus 1:5

Because . . .

The way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed [made clear].

Hebrews 9:8

If that is true, was Creator God pleased with these offerings?

Yes . . . but . . .

[The person] must present it [the burnt offering] at the entrance to the Tent…, so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

Leviticus 1:3-4

It is a burnt offering, …an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:9

So, in a sense, God was pleased with these sacrifices.

These sacrifices allowed people limited access to God.

Yet it says . . .

"Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offers you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the Law required them to be made).

Hebrews 10:8

The aroma was pleasing to God.

And The Law required the sacrifices to be made.

Yet God was not pleased.

Why was God displeased with these animal sacrifices?

The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. …Never [can]…the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship…because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.

Hebrews 9:9; 10:1, 4

The blood of animals had only limited power.

It couldn't free people from their sins.

It couldn't remove their sense of being a sinner.

How do we know that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin?

If it could, would they not have stopped being offered?

Hebrews 10:2

What an obvious question!

The fact that these sacrifices were offered year after year for 100s of years proved that the problem of sin was never solved.

Instead . . .

. . . those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

Hebrews 10:3

Instead of solving the problem of sin, these sacrifices kept reminding people how sinful they were.

The blood of goats and bulls…[only made worshipers] outwardly clean.

Hebrews 9:13

It didn't make the worshipers truly clean in God's eyes –

It only made the worshipers acceptable to God for the time being . . .

. . . external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

Hebrews 9:10

So, a permanent, totally effective solution was needed –

and Creator God already had one in mind.

So, THE LAW with its commandments, tabernacle, High Priest and sacrifices was inadequate –

as are all the world's spiritual commands, spiritual places, spiritual leaders, and spiritual sacrifices, gifts and ceremonies.

Jesus said… "What can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Matthew 16:26

What can we offer Creator God?

Nothing!

This is what we learn from these sacrifices required by the Creator of the universe –

If what God specifically asked us to offer him was inadequate to bring us fully into his presence,

there is nothing in this world that we can offer to the Heavenly Father that can atone for:

Our shameful rejection of his love for us.

Our rebellion against his commands.

Why not?

For…[Jesus Christ] is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:27

This is the killer in Option #1 –

I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne [of God], and books were opened. …The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:12

We get judged according to what we have actually done – and . . .

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

If we rely on Option #1 there is no law, holy place, holy person, or sacrifice or gift to God that can erase our shameful sinfulness –

We will be held accountable for every one of our actions.

But God keeps another book.

Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. …I saw a new heaven and a new earth… I saw the Holy City…coming down out of heaven from God. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. …Nothing impure will ever enter it [the Holy City], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's [Jesus Christ's] Book of Life.

Revelation 20:12; 21:1-2, 27

If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:15

How can our names be written in the Book of Life?

THE LAW was only God's preparation for this wonderful solution.

Why was that necessary? What was wrong with these sacrifices?

In the Old Testament God gave amazing pictures of what the Messiah would do?

And God gave an amazing picture of Option #2.

Passover Lamb

What should God do about sins until the Messiah came?

God gave a a temporary solution.

Then God made Option #1 very specific/detailed/precise.

Option #1 was still based on "mastering" sin and always doing what was right –

But now God told Israel precisely what he wanted them to do.

In about 1400 B.C. when Abraham's descendants had finally become a nation, God gave them very detailed rules for living:

Though the general version of Option #1 (to "master" sin) had failed, God had a special purpose for this detailed version of Option #1.

[Creator God said:] “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 18:5

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God told people exactly what he wanted them to do.

(It is said that God gave as many as 600 commands in the Old Testament!)

The...commandment...was intended to bring life.

Romans 7:10

Keeping God's Law perfectly results in eternal life!

That was the original purpose of the Law.

The purpose of Option #1 was to gain eternal life:

Trying with all our power we must never do wrong and always do right.

We must obey everything God tells us to do.

We must be a perfect person.

So, we are judged for what we do:

In the Old Testament it says:

Ah, Sovereign Lord, ...your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.

Jeremiah 32:17, 19

Finally, at the end of the Bible it says:

The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in [God's]...books.

Revelation 20:12

And we are even judged for our motives, thoughts and words!

[God says:] "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

Jeremiah 17:10

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

I Samuel 16:7

By taking even our motives into consideration, God judges our actions very fairly.

[Jesus said:] "I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Matthew 12:36-37

It is the Lord who judges me. ...He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.

I Corinthians 4:4-5

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 16:5

The cowardly...their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 21:8

So we get from God exactly what we deserve.

God is so just that he even takes our thoughts and motives and words into consideration.

But is it good news that God is so just and fair?

Do you really want to get what you deserve?

9

CAN WE REALLY OVERCOME SIN?

But, do they realize that God even judges motives, thoughts and words?

The Lord saw…that every inclination of the thoughts of his [man's] heart was only evil all the time.

Genesis 6:5

And, do they realize that God's heart is grieved?

The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

Can we accuse God of being unfair in sending the Great Flood?

Actually, whose responsibility is it to "master sin?"

The Lord said… "Sin…desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

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So the problem of sin belongs to us.

Sin is not God's responsibility. He has no obligation to solve our sin problem.

We know the consequences of not "mastering sin:"

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:32

So, even today, people do not take sin seriously.

There is no one who understands. There is...no one who seeks God. All have turned away.

Romans 3:10-12

During the time of Noah, people did not take sin seriously either:

In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.

Matthew 24:38-39 (New American Standard)

JESUS BELIEVED THE ACCOUNT OF THE FLOOD – AND OF CREATION (MARRIAGE).

But didn't God care?

Of course, he did!

The Lord was grieved…, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

How did God show that he cared for the people?

Noah [was] a preacher of righteousness.

2 Peter 2:5

So, through Noah, people had the opportunity to turn from their evil ways.

God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

1 Peter 3:20

(God waited a long time. The ark likely took 60 to 80 years to build.)

(Genesis 5:32; 6:18; 7:6)

Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.

2 Peter 3:15

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Even more amazingly . . .

Christ…went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

1 Peter 3:18-20

This is a mysterious statement – but one important point is very clear:

God provided clear opportunities for everyone living before the Flood to turn from evil and seek him.

Because of his great love, God went far beyond anything he was obligated to do.

Even so, do you think that God is serious about getting rid of sin?

Psalm 5:4-6

And God's Law ...

• May pressure us to do good and avoid evil.

But neither great punishment nor God's Law:

1. Can change who we are inside – can change our identity.

2. Can give us the power that we need:

To always do right.

To never do wrong.

The Law was powerless to do [it] in that it was weakened by [our]…Flesh.

Romans 8:4

But, don't we get credit for doing some good things?

Whoever keeps the whole Law [of God] and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

James 2:10

Illustration:

God’s Law is like a priceless vase: If you drop it once, you completely shatter it.

The Law is not like an exam with a passing score of 51%.

The Law is not like a scale that balances the good against the bad.

Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything [Option #1] written in the Book of the Law [the Old Testament].

Galatians 3:10

God's Law is based on a relationship:

"I am the Lord your God. ...Obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 18:2, 4

Whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder."

James 2:10-11

What matters is who said it!

Our Creator said it.

Our Father said it.

So our sin completely breaks our relationship with our Creator who made us –

it betrays our relationship with our Father who loves us.

Even when we sin against other people, our debt is first and foremost to our Father who created us.

Notice this prayer of confession for sins committed against other people:

Have mercy on me, O God. ...Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

Psalm 51:1, 4

Question:

Since this is all true, do you really want to be judged by God, himself?

Do you want to be judged on the basis of what you have done to him?

Do you want to be judged on whether you kept his Law perfectly?

So what is the end result?

Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.

Hebrews 9:27

We only get one chance at life.

Please, don't waste it.

The Bible has sobering prophecies about the judgment that will come at the end of the world:

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake...to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:2

The dead, great and small, [were] standing before the throne [of God], and books were opened. ...The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:12

[Jesus said:] "At the end of the age...the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13: 40-42

First, God told us to "master" sin – but we couldn't do it.

Then, God told us to obey his specific Law – but we couldn't do that either.

BUT WHAT ABOUT RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES & RITUALS?

Can't they restore our purity? Our relationship to God?

Mastering sin is our responsibility – but we can't do it and only deserve death.

Yet even here God is loving and merciful to us.

Creator God actually gave Israel a yearly purification ceremony.

This happened in about 1440 BC during the time of the great leader Moses, and of Aaron the high priest.

It was about 1,400 years before the Messiah came to earth.

This ceremony was an important part of Option #1.

Option #1 is the great effort people must make – to always do right and to always keep all of God's Laws.

But the people of Israel could not avoid sinning.

So God put a temporary solution for sin into his Law.

The Law…was added because of transgressions until the Seed [Messiah]...had come.

Galatians 3:19

This solution was a crucial part of Option #1 – it covered people when they sinned.

The Day of Atonement – God's temporary solution for sin.

The Lord spoke to Moses…: "Atonement (payment) is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites."

Leviticus 16:2

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron [the High Priest] not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain [in God's sanctuary] …, or else he will die, because I appear [there]."

Leviticus 16:2

Creator God is holy – so no one is worthy to come into his presence.

Even the High Priest could not come freely into God's presence.

This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering. …Aaron is to offer the bull [on the altar] for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

Leviticus 2:3, 6

Before going into Creator God's presence, even the High Priest's sins had to be paid for.

Something or someone must pay the penalty of death for sin.

From the Israelite community he is to take two males goats for a sin offering. …Aaron shall bring the [one] goat…and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the [other] goat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert… . He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites––all their sins––and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert... . The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place.

Leviticus 2:5, 9-10, 21-22

The first goat paid the penalty of death for all the people's sins.

The second goat carried all the people's sins far from them.

This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.

Leviticus 16:34

Why were animals sacrificed?

Because –

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

The soul who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:20

So, our life is on the line when we sin.

Unless something dies in our place, we forfeit our life for all eternity.

So God said to the Israelites:

"The life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Leviticus 17:11

The animal that was sacrificed died in their place.

The animal's life becomes payment for their life – by shedding its life-blood.

So –

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

Is this not shocking?

This ceremony is shocking because it makes very clear that:

• Sin is a life and death matter for us.

• In fact, the payment for sin is extremely costly – it demands the payment of a life. And it can only be eliminated in a very horrific manner.

• So, the problem of sin cannot be dealt with lightly and casually.

But even this ceremony had major weaknesses:

This is also true of other ceremonies, sacrifices and gifts to God found in God's Law.

In fact, these weaknesses apply to any religious ceremony meant for spiritual purification.

1. People still couldn't enter directly into God's presence.

Only the High Priest entered the inner room [the Most Holy Place], and that only once a year. …The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been [made known].

Hebrews 9:7-8

So people's relationship to God was not truly restored by this ceremony.

2. People didn't feel cleansed from their sins.

The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings––external regulations.

Hebrews 9:9-10

Religious ceremonies cannot purify us from our sins or change our hearts.

They are only external.

3. The sacrifices themselves were inadequate.

The Law…can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship… , because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 10:1, 4

Even the sacrifice of animals (though commanded in the Old Testament) cannot remove our sins and make us perfect.

How do we know it is impossible?

If it could [remove sins], would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.

Hebrews 10:2

The Bible asks a brilliant question!

If something has to be done again, it is proof that it was not effective in the first place.

And if it has to be done repeatedly, it is proof that it will never be effective.

Something to think about:

If any religious ceremony, meant for our purification, has to be repeated, why do we rely on it?

4. The High Priest was supposed to represent us to God – yet he was inadequate!

Every High Priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

Hebrews 5:1

This is because we are incapable of going into God's presence on our own.

Who can endure the day of his [the Lord"s] coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiners fire.

Malachi 3:2

So we need an intermediary – someone who can go between us and God.

• Yet even the High Priest, himself, lacks the status or ability to go directly into God's presence.

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell…Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain …, or else he will die, because I appear [there]."

Leviticus 16:2

• The High Priest, himself, is a sinner.

Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself.

Leviticus 2:6

• The High Priest can only go into God's presence because of the blood of another.

The High Priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood.

Hebrews 9:7

• The High Priest was powerless to bring us into God's presence.

The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been [made known].

Hebrews 9:8

• The High Priest cannot give us eternal life – because even he dies.

There have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.

Hebrews 7:23

So, what do we need?

We need a High Priest who . . .

…lives forever… and has a permanent priesthood. …He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 24-25

So, any priest who dies has no ability to purify us from our sins and give us eternal life.

Question:

Are you depending on a priest who will die?

Are you depending on someone who will die, or has died, for your . . .

• cleansing from sin?

• spiritual purity?

• eternal life?

So the Old Testament priesthood, itself, had to be changed.

If perfection could have been attained through the [Old Testament]…priesthood…, why was there still need for another priest to come––…not in the order of Aaron?

Hebrews 7:11

Those Old Testament priests were part of Option #1.

Option #1 cannot make us clean in God's sight.

So perfection was impossible through those priests and through those sacrifices.

The type of priesthood determines the type of law.

On the basis of it [the Old Testament priesthood] the Law was given to the people.

Hebrews 7:11

This Law was Option #1.

But this Law and this priesthood were ineffective.

The Law appoints as High Priest men who are weak.

Hebrews 7:28

So . . .

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the Law made nothing perfect).

Hebrews 7:18

So Option #1 was set aside.

And a new High Priest was necessary.

Such a High Priest meets our need––one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Hebrews 7:26

But a new kind of priest means a new law – a new way to God.

When there is a change of the priesthood there must also be a change of the law.

Hebrews 7:12

So Option #1 must be changed:

• Its High Priest must be changed.

• Its sacrifices must be changed.

• Its Law must be changed.

What, then, is the benefit of the Day of Atonement?

It causes us to see ourselves as we really are.

Those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

Hebrews 10:3

The Day of Atonement, and all other purification ceremonies that must be repeated over and over, make one thing very clear:

We are sinners.

This should cause us to seek another solution for purification from our sins.

So, it points us to a permanent solution.

A better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:19

What is this better hope?

The Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ [the Messiah] .

Galatians 3:24

The Day of Atonement is one of the greatest symbols of what the Messiah will do.

It points us to:

• a new High Priest.

• his new sacrifice.

• a new law.

And it points us to a new solution for sin – Option #2.

"This is the covenant [Option #2] I will make with them after that time," says the Lord. "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Hebrews 10:16-17

So the Day of Atonement was unsuccessful in removing our sins.

But the Messiah would come and do everything that the Day of Atonement could not do.

SO OPTION #1 FAILED.

If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant [Option #1], no place would have been sought for another [Option #2].

Hebrews 8:7

So the first covenant [Option #1] failed because:

• The Law failed.

• The sacrifices failed.

• The High Priests failed.

Whose fault is it?

God found fault with the people and said: "...They did not remain faithful to my covenant [Option #1]."

Hebrews 8:8-9

We failed.

Because of us, the Law (with its rules, sacrifices, and High Priests) failed.

For the Law:

• can tell us what to do.

• but cannot give power to do it.

• and cannot make us good.

The Law was powerless to do [it] in that it was weakened by our…Flesh.

Romans 8:3

And who have we offend?

Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you.

Deuteronomy 32:6

Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you.

Isaiah 59:2

And his [God's] heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6:6

There is…no one who seeks God. All have turned away.

Romans 3:10-12

So we are separated from God our Father forever.

And what are we enslaved to?

Sin & Death & the Devil.

[Jesus said:] "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…

…Now a slave has no permanent place in the family."

John 8:34-35

[Jesus said:] "He who does what is sinful is of the Devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning."

I John 3:8

[Jesus said:] "You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire."

John 8:44

The Devil...has the power over death.

Hebrews 2:14 (Good News Translation)

All their lives [people] were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:15

So what is our situation?

[It is] without hope and without God in the world.

Ephesians 2:12

So we are eternally doomed.

BUT . . .

God is love.

I John 4:8

The wages of sin is death [Option #1], BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life [Option #2].

Romans 6:23

11

SO GOD PRESENTS OPTION #2 FOR OVERCOMING SIN:

While Option #1 was still in operation, God set in motion a long process that could save the whole world.

This plan is very specific.

So about 2000 BC, starting in one specific place on earth, God chose one man Abraham to become the father of one nation Israel.

The Lord...said to Abra[ha]m, “I will make you into a great nation, …and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Manga Vol. 1, page

How would God bless all people through Abraham?

Jesus Christ [was]… the son [descendant] of Abraham.

Matthew 1:1

About AD 1, God would send the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to this earth to be born in the country of Israel.

But Abraham, who was about 80 years old, had a big problem:

Abra[ha]m said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless. ...You have given me no children." ...Then the word of the Lord came to him: "...A son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars. ...So shall your offspring be."

Genesis 15:2-5

Then comes one of the most important statements in the Old Testament!

Abra[ha]m believed the Lord, and he [God] credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

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This is Option #2:

Abraham believed God, and God gave him a gift.

This gift was righteousness.

This gift only came to him because he believed God – because he had faith in God.

He did not earn it by working hard to be good or trying hard to obey God's Law (Option #1).

So Abraham was saved by Option #2 – not by Option #1.

What then shall we say that Abraham…discovered in this matter? …When a man works [for an employer], his wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. However to the man who does not work [Option #1] but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness [Option #2].

Romans 4:1, 4-5

Instead of working to please God, Abraham had faith in God.

God credited Abraham's faith to him as righteousness.

And, the righteousness he received from God allowed him to receive eternal life.

And…Abraham…was called God's friend.

James 2:23

What is "faith"?

Faith = Believing / Trusting

What is "righteousness"?

Righteousness = Being clean, pure and good in God's eyes – as though we are without sin!

[The Bible] speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness [Option #2] apart from works [Option #1]: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

Romans 4:6-8

God forgiving all our sins is an important part of God making us righteous.

Is the gift of righteousness only for Abraham?

The words "it was credited to him [Abraham]" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness––for us who believe.

Romans 4:23-24

Illustration:

You may have no money in your checking account. But if, for some reason, the bank decides to credit $1 million to your account, then you have it. In the same way, we have no righteousness of our own. But when God credits it to us, we have it!

So we too are made righteous by Option #2: believing God –

and not by trying hard to earn our own righteousness: Option #1.

What especially do we believe?

Abraham, who was about 80, had to wait about 20 more years before God fulfilled his promise to give him and his wife Sarah a son.

So, like Abraham, we believe that God can raise the dead –

He believed [in]...the God who gives life to the dead. ...Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. ...Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead––since he was about a hundred years old––and that [his wife] Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, ...being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised. ...The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness––for us who believe in him [God] who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Romans 4:17-21, 23-24

Your people (who believe) were always included in Abraham.

Abraham is the father of everyone who has faith in God!

He is the father of all who believe. ...He is the father of us all. ...He is our father in the sight of God.

Romans 4:11(-12), 16-17

So, you too can be included!

But isn't Abraham just the father of the Jews?

No! Because Gentiles (non-Jews) are actually included in God's plan from the very beginning.

He [Abraham] is the father of all who believe. ...He is the father of us all. As it is written [in the Old Testament]: "I [God] have made you [Abraham] a father of many nations."

Romans 4:11, 16-17

God never thought of Abraham as the father of just one nation, Israel.

God always thought of him as the spiritual father of all nations.

So your country was already included in God's plan, through Abraham, 2,000 years before the Messiah came.

In fact, all God's children were actually chosen by God even long before that!

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...chose us in him [Christ] before the creation of the world.

Ephesians 1:3-4

Only those who believe God's promises are true children of Abraham:

Not all [Jews] who are [physically] descended from Israel are [true] Israel. Nor because they are his [Abraham's physical] descendants are they all Abraham's children. ...In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as...offspring.

Romans 9:6-8

In Creator God's eyes, there is something far more important than your physical ancestry.

Are you a Jew by birth?

There is something far more important than that in God's eyes.

Are you a non-Jew by birth?

There is something far more important than that in God's eyes.

No matter your ancestry...

Your faith in God's promise is what makes you a true child of Abraham – a true child of God!

This was God's plan for you from the beginning.

Remember, God chose his children before the creation of the world – before your country ever came into existence.

So don't miss God's plan because of your ancestry.

In God's eyes we are all one –

we are all part of his family –

if we have faith.

Eternal life is a gift from God, and God gives it to anyone who has faith:

[God's] promise [of eternal life] comes by [our] faith, so that it may be by [God's] grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring–– ...to those who are of the faith of Abraham.

Romans 4:16

[Abraham] is the father of all who believe but [are not Jews]..., in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is the father of the [Jews]...who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that...Abraham had.

Romans 4:11-12

[Now,] a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written [in the Old Testament]: "The righteous will live by faith."

Romans 1:17

And this gift of righteousness and eternal life comes to us only through the Messiah:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus the Messiah], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Before believing in the Son of God ...

You were dead in your transgressions and sins. ...BUT because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. ...It is by [God's] grace you have been saved, through faith––and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God––not by [your] works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, 8-9

So Option #2 was completely based on what the Messiah would come to earth to do.

This was clearly predicted long before Christ's birth!

About 1300 years after Abraham and about 700 years before Jesus Christ was born, God's prophet Isaiah gave this description of what Jesus Christ would suffer on the cross. Isaiah foretold this about the Messiah:

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all…have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [the Messiah] the iniquity [sins] of us all.

Isaiah 53:5-6

Do you know when God actually planned to send his Son?

Creator God actually planned Option #2 before the creation of the world!

You were redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ...[who] was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

I Peter 1:18-20

So God went to great effort over thousands of years of time to set up exactly the right circumstances to send his Son to us.

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son...to redeem those under the Law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

Before Jesus Christ came, God's plan remained a mystery:

[Jesus said:] "I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men [in the Old Testament] longed to see what you see [today] but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Matthew 13:17

But...

To you the word of God [comes] in its fullness––the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations.

Colossians 1:25-26

What is this mystery?

[Now] God has chosen to make known...the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

God's eternal plan (Option #2) is all based on one thing:

Christ in you.

He who has the Son has life.

I John 5:12

Today, in his great love, God the Heavenly Father offers you the opportunity to become part of his family forever.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

Hebrews 3:15

HOW AMAZING IS GOD'S LOVE ...

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?

Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay him?

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever. Amen!

Romans 11:33-36

We can't save ourselves [Option #1], so God gave us a gift [Option #2]:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus the Messiah], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Why did Jesus come to this world?

Jesus said... "[I] came to seek and to save what was lost."

Luke 19:9-10

When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36

[Jesus said:] Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ...Learn from me, ...and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

This is our only hope.

No matter how strong or self-sufficient you may think that you are...

• You will be defeated by death.

• You cannot overcome the sin and evil in your own heart.

There is no hope in Option #1 – which is the impossible task of trying hard to be good enough for God.

12

SO WHAT DID THE MESSIAH DO FOR US?

1. Christ took our death penalty on himself.

He [Christ] suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:9

Why did he have to die for us?

Because...

The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

Therefore...

Without the shedding of blood [death] there is no forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:22

So there was no other way.

Someone has to die for our sins –

either we,

or Christ.

2. Christ took our sins on himself...

He [Christ] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree [cross].

I Peter 2:24

God made him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that ...

II Corinthians 5:21

3. ...We became God's righteousness!

... so that in him [Christ] we might become the righteousness of God.

II Corinthians 5:21

4. Jesus Christ frees us from our slavery to sin.

[Jesus said:] "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ...If the Son [of God, Jesus Christ] sets you free, you will be free indeed."

John 8:34, 36

We all sin –

and we can't help but sin –

because we are sin's slave.

How does Jesus set us free?

Our Old Self was crucified with him [Christ].

Our Old Self was put on the cross with Jesus.

Jesus is our representative.

We died with Christ.

Romans 6:8

What happened when we died with Christ?

Our Old Self was crucified with him so that…we should no longer be slaves to sin––because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:6-7

How can dying free us from slavery?

5. So God forgives and forgets our sins.

I [God] will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Hebrews 8:12

6. We become God's children.

To all who received him [Jesus Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 1:12

7. We become a new creation.

What were we before we believed?

You were [spiritually] dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world...and the spirit [Satan] who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Ephesians 2:1-2

We...were by nature children of [God's] wrath.

Ephesians 2:3 (NAS)

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6

Those controlled by the Flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:8 (Berean Study Bible)

Those who are in the Flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:8 (NAS)

What is the Flesh?

Flesh seems to be a general term or over-arching label in the Bible for the strong pull within us to do evil.

It is definitely not our physical body – because we serve God with our bodies.

Offer the parts of your body to him [God] as instruments of righteousness.

Romans 6:13

Flesh seems to include:

• The sin nature we are all born with.

• Our Old Self.

The Flesh does the following things:

• Uses our minds and bodies for evil purposes.

• Desires to rebel against God.

• Is controlled by Sin.

• Thinks evil thoughts.

• Has bad attitudes.

• Does evil deeds.

Our Flesh controls us before we believe in Jesus Christ.

But after we believe, we can and must control the Flesh, with the help of God's Spirit.

So we are able to have victory over our Flesh in this life.

But, our struggle against the Flesh will be difficult and continue until we see Jesus face to face.

For Bible references and more details see: How Do I Defeat My "Flesh?"

When we believe we get a new identity:

But because of his great love for us, God...made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.

Ephesians 2:4-5

In him [Christ] we...become the righteousness of God.

II Corinthians 5:21

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

II Corinthians 5:17

God transforms us into a new person in Christ.

Then we make a conscious choice regarding our new identity.

You were taught...to (have) put off your Old Self, ...and to (have) put on the New Self, created to be like God.

Ephesians 4:22, 24 NIV & (BibleHub, English - Greek / Hebrew Interlinear)

Illustration:

When someone is chosen by the coach to be on a football team or soccer team, their identity changes: they become a football player or soccer player. And they receive a new uniform that represents their new identity.

Then they must make a choice. Will they choose to identify themselves by their new identity, or will they hold onto their old identity? Before they do anything else they must embrace their new identity.

So they take off their old clothes and put on their new uniform.

Then they go out to play the sport.

Illustration: Your identity matters.

ARE YOU A FAKE TREE OR A REAL TREE?

Before we believe in Jesus Christ, we are like an artificial Christmas tree.

An artificial Christmas tree has no life in it – it is dead.

No matter how much you decorate it to try to make it look good, it has no life within.

The decorations do not change its true identity – it is a dead tree.

Before believing in Jesus Christ we are spiritually dead.

No matter how many good deeds we do to make ourselves look good, they are no better than decorations on a fake tree. These deeds do not please God – in fact, they cannot please him.

This is because...

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

I Samuel 16:7

Good deeds do not change our true nature: We remain spiritually dead because of our sins.

After we believe in Jesus Christ we are like a living tree.

We receive the Spirit of Christ; we become a New Creation. We have God's life within us.

A living tree produces real fruit. And Christ's life in us produces real spiritual fruit.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:3

So our good works flow out of the life of God's Spirit that is within us. They aren't just decorations attached to the outside. Just as the life within a living tree produces real fruit, God's Spirit in our lives produces genuine good works that are pleasing to him.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

All God's children should produce this fruit.

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

There are different kinds of gifts [spiritual abilities], but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

I Corinthians 12:4-6

So our lives have great purpose here on earth:

For God gives each of us different things to do for him – things he has already planned for us to do!

We should do these things motivated by love for God and love for others.

[God says:] "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

Jeremiah 17:10

So my heart and motives matter:

If I...have not love, I am nothing. ...If I...have not love, I gain nothing.

I Corinthians 13:2-3

In this life we may not see the full results or prosperity of much of what we do for God.

But God does not forget.

[Jesus said:] "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Matthew 10:42

Some of the results will only be seen in the next life.

8. The Spirit of Christ lives in us.

The Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ.

Romans 8:9

(Holy Spirit = Spirit of God = Spirit of Christ = Spirit)

9. We receive eternal life and a resurrected body.

Jesus said… , “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

We know that if the earthly tent [body] we live in is destroyed [dies], we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. …[We will] be away from the body and at home [in heaven] with the Lord.

II Corinthians 5:1, 8

[The Bible's final prophecy about the future says:] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. ...And I heard a loud voice from the throne [of God] saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Revelation 21:1, 3-5

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SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

– a 5-minute response –

Believe:

The jailer…asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved––you and your household.” …Then immediately he and all his family were baptized. …He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God––he and his whole family.

Acts 16:29-34

Acknowledge:

If you confess [acknowledge] with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess [acknowledge] and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trust in him will never be put to shame."

Romans 10:9-11

(NIV & Strong's Greek Dictionary)

Repent:

Repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his [Christ's] name to all the nations.

Luke 24:47

They must turn to God in repentance [for their sins] and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Acts 20:21

Love:

“'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (and with all your strength).' And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law...hang[s] on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:37-40 / (Mark12:30)

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6

Read the Bible:

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk [the Bible], so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

I Peter 2:2

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Colossians 3:16

Pray:

This…is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven ...”

Matthew 6:9

Prayer is talking to your Father who loves you!

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints [God's children].

Ephesians 6:18

Don't worry • Be content • Be thankful:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:17-18

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrew 13:5

God's continual, loving presence with us is the foundation for all our attitudes!

Don't be afraid or timid • Be bold and full of faith:

works prepared for you to do

don't be afraid to testify about and suffer for Christ

Obey:

[Jesus said:] "If you love me, you will obey what I command."

John 14:15

Our motivation is:

love for God and others –

not trying with all our might to follow the letter of the Law.

The power comes from:

our cooperation with the Holy Spirit who is living and working in us.

We...call people...to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 1:5

This obedience is based on our faith in Christ, not on trying hard on our own to follow a list of rules.

Righteousness from God...is by faith from first to last, just as it is written [in the Old Testament]: "The righteous will live by faith."

Romans 1:17

We started out by faith in Christ – and we became a child of God.

Then, by faith in Christ we are to live each day in obedience to him.

And, by faith in Christ we will live for all eternity.

But "the obedience that comes from faith" isn't automatic:

God works,

And we work.

You...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Philippians 2:12-13

So learn to avoid the 2 extremes:

• Of trying to do it all in your own power;

• Of expecting God to do it all for you.

So, we please God by relying on his Holy Spirit...

...because we are not Sin's slaves any longer:

We know that our Old Self [that we were born with] was crucified with him [Christ], so…that we should no longer be slaves to sin–because everyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:6-7

A very powerful truth:

1. Our Old Self was Sin's slave.

So, before we believed in Christ, we couldn't help but commit sins.

2. But our Old Self was crucified on the cross with Christ.

Illustration:

Obviously, when a slave dies, he is no longer under his master's control.

He's dead!

3. So now we are free to serve another master – God.

(Visual Illustration: Old Self crucified with Christ)

Before we believed in Jesus Christ...

• Our Old Self made it impossible for us to please or obey God.

• Sin, as a force or slave master within us, made it impossible.

• Our Flesh, with its evil desires, made it impossible.

But our Old Self was crucified with Christ, and now we have Christ's Spirit living in us.

So now we have the ability and power to please God!

[Now] the righteous requirements of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the Flesh but according to...[God's] Spirit.

Romans 8:4

"Righteous requirements" are God's lofty standards. Now we can meet them!

They are different from slavishly trying to follow a long list of commands that are part of "the Law's written code."

So…we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the [Law's] written code.

Romans 7:6

An Important Key: Our Minds.

[Don't have your] minds set on what the Flesh desires; but...have...[your] minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the Flesh is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:5-6

Where we focus our minds is crucial:

To please God each day we must focus on...

• Things of the Spirit.

• Not, things of the Flesh.

Our minds guide our words and actions.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is––his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Put Off & Put On:

With regard to your former way of life, ...put off your Old Self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.

Ephesians 4:22

Put on the New Self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24

Go to church with God’s children:

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.

Hebrews 10:24-25

In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ...Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Romans 12:5 / I Corinthians 12:27

There are different kinds of gifts (spiritually abilities)... There are different kinds of service... There are different kinds of working. ...All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. ...Now to each one the manifestation [expression] of the Spirit is given for the common good.

I Corinthians 12:4-6, 11, 7

The Holy Spirit wants to bless you through God's other children.

But he can't, if you don't go to church!

The Holy Spirit wants to bless God's other children through you.

But he can't, if you don't go to church!

Greet Priscilla and Aquila. ...Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Romans 16:3, 5

... his [Christ's] body, which is the church ...

Colossians 1:24

Christ's church or body is not a building.

Christ church is made up of God's children – those who believe in Jesus Christ.

So it can meet anywhere.

Together we:

• Worship God.

• Learn about God through the Bible.

• Encourage one another in our relationship with Christ.

• Pray to God together – and pray for each other.

• Tell about Jesus to people who don't know him.

• Do God's work and serve each other.

How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Psalm 147:1

Be baptized:

Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:38

Tell others about Jesus:

I am not ashamed of the gospel [of salvation], because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

Romans 1:16

As Jesus was sitting…the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "...what will be the sign of your coming [back again] and of the end...? Jesus answered: "...This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Matthew 24:3-4, 14

Don't give up during hard times:

Consider it pure joy...when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. ...For...God...predestined [us] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. ...If God is for us, who can be against us? ...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convince that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28-29, 31, 35, 37-39

In the midst of trials:

• Rejoice – God loves you. Nothing can keep you from his love!

• See it through to the end:

God's intention from the very beginning is to make you like Jesus!

Don't give up part way and miss out on the spiritual benefit.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, ...who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, ...so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:2-3

You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves..." ...God is treating you as sons.

Hebrews 12:5-7

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Hebrews 12:12-13

In the midst of trials:

God is working in you to make you grow spiritually.

It is also your responsibility to make the effort to grow spiritually.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

It will be worth it!

Be prepared to face persecution for Jesus’ sake:

[Jesus said:] “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of me. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven, ...for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Luke 6:22-23 & Matthew 5:12

[Jesus said about the end times:] "You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ...But he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Matthew 24:9, 13

[Jesus said:] "Do not be afraid of those [people] who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One [God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ...Even the very hairs of your head are numbered [by your heavenly Father]. So don't be afraid."

Matthew 10:28, 30-31

Now if we are children [of God], then we are heirs––heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 8:17-18

Focus on the key:

With Christ!

• Now.

• Through all eternity.

[Jesus said:] "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 146:1-2

OUR UNAVOIDABLE DECISION.

We are given only 2 options!

Whoever believes in [Jesus] the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

John 3:36

What is God's heart toward you?

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise [to judge everyone], as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9

"As surely as I live," declares the Sovereign Lord, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live [eternally]. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die [eternally]?"

Ezekiel 33:11

But ...

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the [physical] death of his saints [those who believe in Jesus].

Psalms 116:15

God looks forward to being with his children forever!

Jesus says: First, consider the cost of following me.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man [Jesus] will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Mark 8:34-38

So God’s invitation to you on the last page of the Bible is: Come!

The Spirit…say[s], “Come!” …Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life [Option #2].

Revelation 22:17

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WHAT WAS BEFORE THE BEGINNING?

1

WHO IS GOD?

He is the Creator.

He is the only God.

1-2

He is Lord over everything.

He is the loving Father.

1-3

He is the only Savior.

He is all powerful.

​

​

He knows everything.

​

​

​

​He is totally reliable.

​

He is richly emotional.

​

He is judge of all.

​

He is 1-God-in-3-Persons

(or, he is 1 essence in 3 forms).

​

• God the Father

• God the Son

1-4

​• God the Holy Spirit

Each is distinct from the other.

​

1-5

Does 1-God-in-3-persons make logical sense?

​

​

WHAT IS THE BIBLE?

It comes from Creator God himself.

​

The Bible is Creator God's personal message to us.

​

​

We cannot survive without God's Word.

We can trust the Bible 100%.

DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHO GOD IS?

Question:

Does God exist in our minds?

Or, can we make our own god?

Who is God?

​

If God is our Father, how can he be less than what we are?

​

Our human nature tells us something very important about God's nature.

​

Do you want to shame your Heavenly Father?

​

Do you want to disrespect your Creator?

​

Can a child invent his father out of his own imagination?

Do you think that the one who created us was invented in our minds?

​

Or, could Creator God be nothing more than an animating spirit within nature?

​

These beautiful things are simply God's amazing art work!

How could they possibly contain Creator God?

​

How could any of these things be our Father?

​

God made us – as he made everything else.

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But when the Heavenly Father made humans, he gave us a magnificent identity.

He is totally reliable.

• God the Holy Spirit

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