“And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is Risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him. Behold I have told you. Matthew 28:7
It is difficult for people to understand that the admission price to Heaven is not purchased by good deeds but by the grace of God and the belief in Jesus. Recently I did a few favours for a friend and within the thank you’s offered my friend stated “you are sure to go to Heaven now”. Well I guess I am but not for favours done or good deeds accomplished. Jesus died in order to forgive me for my sins. Imagine! How can this be? Why ever for this crazy old man would anyone die?
Well I believe it works like this; Jesus was one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God. This would be an interesting dilemma/proposition for most of us because how can someone be Two hundred percent anything? Well I guess you could say God can do anything and leave it at that, however I think it can explain more than that.
People have held children and said how could I give up this child for the sake of others, simply put they say “I could not”. This is supposed to explain the terrible cost to God that his son’s death would be. However what I could not get over was the fact that when Jesus died he rose again and would be by Gods side. Well it seemed to me that as terrible a death as Jesus suffered, the difference you could not explain then the sacrifice to me, because if my child died, in a few days he or she certainly would not be with me. So then what loss truly was suffered?
I believe God must have sympathy for us all and that would include his Son. Surely his sympathy would have extended to His Son and the horror that was taking place on Calvary. Each new piercing, each new blow and its effect on this innocent man (one hundred percent man remember) must have been viewed from this vantage point. The fact that He essentially lost the part that was man is certainly cause for sorrow. Sorrow of course for a benevolent God and Father but also for us. It begs the question what else could He have accomplished if He had more time. What more could we learn from examples that certainly would have offered? I suppose there was more than enough but I’m sorry he could not have explained this idea of salvation being already purchased as opposed to being earned by the individual. I might have understood the concept earlier as opposed to just the words.
Buying my salvation would be easier if I could just say, sweep the stairs at the old folks home. However apparently I am saved even if don’t sweep the stairs. The truth is I sweep the stairs because I am saved. Still I would imagine God would take a dim view of the times I waxed the stairs at the old folks home. Try it, it’s a blast.
The idea of Jesus being one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God explains a lot for me, I still will have times where the application of this knowledge will be a source of mystery but surely no more than the idea that someone died for me and Heaven is mine through belief and faith.
He is risen, hallelujah!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16