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"For God so loved... that He gave" |
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"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends."
Mankind, due to his fall into sin, was condemned
to eternal punishment in the exact same manner as
the evil tempter who caused him to fall. The
*only means by which a man can be saved from this
condemnation, were if one who were guiltless, were
to be punished in his place. Friends, there has
been only one man in existance on this earth that
has been guiltless, and that was the Lord Jesus
whose only will, was to do His Father's will.
Almighty GOD, our heavenly Father loves His
creation. When, in deception as Adam fell into
sin, as did all of his descendants the Father in
His great love for us made a way that we might be
restored to newness of life, and that life
eternal. The price was incredibly high. The only
way to provide for a man without sin, would be for
GOD Himself to take on that role.
This unfathomable miracle occured when "...the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth"
(John 1:14). Suddenly, the
spiritual meaning of the ancient command of GOD
for Israel to sacrifice a spotless lamb as an
atonement for sin, was realized. Just days after
Christ had begun his ministry, when John the
baptist saw Him he cried, "Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world" [John 1:29].
The life of this Lamb was the price. Therefore by
paying this price, the one who offered it, has
surely declared His love for us. The Father could
not offer any more, than the life of His SON. This
passage from Isaiah chapter 53, is a prophetic
account of what Messiah Yeshua did in giving His
life for us-
 Isaiah 53:1-12
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom
is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 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.
3 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.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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 the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his
hand.
11 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.
12 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.
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