The ultimate sacrifice

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

One of the hardest concepts for humans to understand about God is the level that God loves us. I believe the reason it’s so hard to comprehend is that we have no basis of comparison, next to the love of God, our own ability to love pales. Many people imagine God as a supreme being sitting on a throne, watching over the universe, and unconcerned with the individual lives of us mere mortals.

Along with this feeling is the feeling that God changed once Christ died on the cross, and he stopped talking to men like in the Old Testament. The fact is, God didn’t change, and he still talks to people, just like in the Old Testament, we just have to learn to listen.

When he sent Christ to become the ultimate sacrifice, he did it to save us. Verse 17 says, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” God sacrificed his own son, not to widen the distance between him and man, but to make himself more accessible to man.

At the moment of Christ’s death, the temple curtain was torn in half (Matthew 27:51) ending the time when people had to go to priests for forgiveness. God paid the ultimate price, the life of his son, so that we no longer have to fear going directly to him to ask for forgiveness. We will never be perfect. We will still make mistakes, and fall short, BUT because of Christ’s sacrifice, can still be acceptable to God.

God sees us for who we are, every flaw, every sin, and yet all he asks of us is that we accept his son, and ask for forgiveness. It’s not an easy concept to grasp, but Christ gave us a story to make it a little easier. The story is the parable of the prodigal son, it is found in Luke 15:11-32. The message is, there is no love greater than a father to his children, and even if you go astray, he will be ready to take you back, and forgive unconditionally.

Challenge: Ask for forgiveness, and have faith that he has.

Enjoy,
Allen