God has always taken care of our sins
My apologies for not having posted for some months. I have been away over seas, and then our computer needed replacing. Finally, I am back, and again enjoying sharing in these discussions.
If you believe the Old Testament and the early books of the Old Testament are from God, you cannot deny that human sin is not both real, but has some eternal effects. You also have to admit that God has always provided the solution to what man himself could not do.
Genesis 3 tells us that Adam and Eve.. created sinless and in the image of God both chose to deliberately disobey God. The result.. they lost their open relationship with Him.. they became embarrassed in His presence, they hid themselves from him and they tried to pass the blame on for their behaviour to others involved.. none of them were willing or wanting to admit their own sin.
Genesis 3 also tells us that God did four things as a result of their sin
1. He punished them for it.. and not only them.. but the entire human race. In the midst of the "punishments" and the changes that were to come into their lives he gave them the first of what Christians believe are prophecies concerning the coming Messiah..
Why did he punish the entire human race for seemingly the sin of one man? Romans 2 tells us, that though the sin was Adam's... it was no different to the sins you and I commit every day.. we disobey God. We are not honourable in our thoughts or actions, no matter how hard we try to be pure. This the filthy rags that alpha and mike and the bible tells us about.. it's not the obviously "sinful" things we do.. it's everything... why? Because even our good deeds are tarnished by our attitudes and intentions. Even the hope of finding salvation in our good deeds, mean we run the risk of becoming selfish, self centred and full of pride.
2. They had sewn leaves together to try and cover their shame.. but still they hid when God approached them. Only when God himself took an animal skin and covered them did they talk to him. This is the first indication of the need for a blood sacrifice to take away the sins of mankind
3. Gode banished them from the Garden of Eden, and put angelic guards in place to prevent them returning. Paradise was lost to them and to all humans who would follow them. Paradise lost was an act of God, Paradise regained would need his intervention as well.
4. God later set up the sacrificial system which were to be a picture of what Jesus was to later do on the cross.
It's outside the scope of this post to actual detail how Jesus fulfills the requirements of the sacrificial system..but if you would like to read more.. I'll create a post in the coming days and show how the Old Testament Law requirements are fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Only as you understand this, can you truly understand how Jesus is not just Son of Man, but Son of God.
The Jews were required to fulfil the Law completely .. and even if they did, they never had the assurance of their sins forgiven. As the discussion in the posts on the sacrificial system will show.. they lived under doubt that their good deeds, their obedience to the Law would satisfy God.
Christians don't live with that fear. They are under no delusion that they could ever live upto the requirements of the Law.. they KNOW they still sin and are honest enough to acknowledge it, but they KNOW it's not in their own efforts or good works that their salvation is assured. Forgiveness is found only and totally in God alone.
I hope this will add something to our little discussions