"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8). Before we can grasp anything God does for us, we have to first acknowledge that His thoughts are not our thoughts, that His ways are not our ways. In addition, we must know that in Deuteronomy 32:4 He reminds us that "He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Therefore, the plan of salvation He has designed is perfect, just, and upright, and no one could have come up with anything better. The Bible says, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It is clear that the sinless Jesus was crucified on a cross. Most importantly, the Bible explains why Jesus is the only entrance to the Father (God) (John 14:6). How he is the way to the father takes this forms;
Death is the Penalty For Sin. God created earth and man perfect. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commands, He had to punish them. A judge who pardons law-breakers isn’t a righteous judge. Likewise, overlooking sin would make the holy God unjust. Death is God’s just consequence for sin. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Even good works cannot make up for wrongs against the holy God. Compared to His goodness, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6). Ever since Adam’s sin, every human has been guilty of disobeying God’s righteous laws even now. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin is not just big things like fornication, murder or blasphemy, but also includes love of money, hatred of enemies, and deceit of tongue and pride etc. Because of sin, everyone has deserved death – eternal separation from God in hell because God can't behold iniquity.
• God Promised Sin Remedy. Although God banished Adam and Eve from the garden (Gen 3:23&24). He didn’t leave them without hope. Until then, men would sacrifice innocent lambs, showing their repentance from sin and faith in the future Sacrifice from God who would bear their penalty. God re-echoed His promise of the Sacrifice with men such as Abraham and Moses. Herein lies the beauty of God’s perfect plan: God Himself provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son fulfilled God’s perfect requirement of God’s perfect law. It is perfectly brilliant in its simplicity. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• The Coming of a Messiah. From Adam to Jesus, God sent prophets to mankind, warning them of sin’s punishment and foretelling the coming Messiah. One prophet, Isaiah, described Him: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.""And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:1-12). Prophet Isaiah likened the coming Sacrifice to a lamb, slaughtered for the sins of others. • See it Fulfilled Hundreds of years later, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the perfect Lord Jesus. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29). Crowds thronged Him for healing and teaching, but the religious leaders scorned Him. Mobs cried out, “Crucify Him!” Soldiers beat, mocked, and crucified Him. As Isaiah foretold, Jesus was crucified in between two criminals but was buried in a rich man’s tomb. But He didn’t remain in the grave. Because God accepted His Lamb’s sacrifice, He fulfilled another prophecy by raising Jesus from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 26:19; Matt 27:35; Matt 28:6). Remember, the Holy God cannot let sin go unpunished. To bear our own sins would be to suffer God’s judgment in the flames of hell.
Praise God, He kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to bear the sins of those who believe and trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He is the only one who can pay the penalty for our sins of yesterday, today and forever. Hallelujah! to the Lamb of God!
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