God's Love Post

ATONEMENT

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God has set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.(Romans 3.24-26).

In the Old Testament the mercy seat was covered by the wings of two angel figures which are called cherubim. The ark of the covenant was kept where once a year on the Day of Atonement the high priest sprinkled blood to make atonement for the people. This illustrated what Jesus as the eternal High Priest did with His own blood to make atonement once for all. Hebrews chapter 9 explains the atonement of Jesus Christ in view of the Old Testament. Also St.Paul says: ” Now all things are of  God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors  f0r Christ, as though God was pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II. Corinthians 5. 18-21). The New Covenant is ratified with the body and blood of Jesus Christ:” Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and praising God, gave thanks and asked Him to bless it to their use and when he had broken it, He gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it , all of you; For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.(Matthew 26. 26-28).

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. He is the Bread that gives Life, the Living Bread. “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me, has eternal life.I am the Bread of Life (that gives life, the Living Bread). Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and yet they died. But this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and never die. I am this Living Bread that came down from heaven.If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My body. (John 6.47-51). We have the Lord here in the Holy Communion. The Kingdom of God has come and redemption is here. His death on the Cross is the salvation of mankind. His resurrection is newness of life. The invisible God is visible in His action of redemption, His saving power. The awesome presence of God’s grace in the midst of a dying and suffering world is manifested. This radical action of God requires nothing less than total transformation of the hearts of men, humanly impossible yet accomplished by Him. Our past is redeemed. our present restored and our future revealed:

“Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the resurrection life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.” (II. Corinthians 4.10).

Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. For all these things are taking place for your sake, so that the more grace extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase to the glory of God. Therefore we do not become discouraged. Though our outer man is decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day after day. For our light, momentary affliction is ever more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an eternal weight of glory (beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to fade away! Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal brief and fleeting, but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. For we know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed, we have from God a building,a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here indeed, in this present abode, body, we sigh and groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over (we yearn to put on our celestial body like a garment to be fitted out) with our heavenly dwelling, So that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply not that we want to put off the body (the clothing of the Spirit), but rather that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now He Who has fashioned us for this very thing is God, Who has also given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee. So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord. For we walk by faith nor by sight.

Yes we have confident and hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord.  Therefore , whether we are at home or away from home, we are constantly striving to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect and reverence, we seek to win people over. But what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood by God, and I hope it is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood also by your consciences.(II. Corinthians 4.14-18 and 5.1-11).

The  great mercy and grace of God manifested in Christ Jesus here and now is announced and secured in the Holy Communion. We are brought to oneness, wholeness and holiness with Him.

AMAZING GRACE! PRAISE THE LORD JESUS FOREVERMORE!