God created us perfect, without sin. Sin is the ability to miss the mark of God's perfection. We took on sin and chose to miss God's perfection when we chose dualism. (When Adam and Eve desired to know both good and evil and ate that fruit any way. Dualism.)
God is holy. In order to approach God, we need to be holy. Jewish law required the sacrificial blood of a spotless lamb to atone for sin.
Throughout the Old Testament, we read the history of God's chosen people. The prophets in the Jewish scriptures testified about the coming MESSIAH. God's lamb. The Jewish scriptures are part of the Bible, called the Old Testament.
God sent MESSIAH, in fulfillment of the prophesies, to atone once and for all for everyone's sin so all can return to God's perfection. We cannot make ourself holy enough to approach God.
Our Creator sent MESSIAH to atone for all sin, so no one can boast. All miss the mark of God's perfection. In God's great mercy and love, we have been made perfect again. God's spotless lamb, MESSIAH, has atoned for all sin.
Jesus told Nicodemus his mission. See John 3. No one can see God's kingdom unless they are born again, of water and spirit. Water is completely nonresistant, yet it can wear away rock and can wash away everything in its path. God did not send MESSIAH to condemn, but to save. Saved by God's Grace, not by our work SO NO ONE CAN BOAST.
It is a blessed confusion to both love and fear our Creator at the same time and is REVERENCE. God is HOLY. God's holiness is why we can only be holy through God's mercy and grace.
We can humbly accept God's simple solution by our own free will and allow God to wash his FREE grace over us to do its work in us and through us. We are made holy in an instant by God himself. This happens by FAITH in God's plan of salvation, not by any work WE do . . . BY FAITH ALONE so no one can boast.
In God's perfection he is able to use all our imperfections in his perfect timing.
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Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, please feel free to share this with others. Copyright © Terrie Harmer, July 5, 2022