"Blessed be the King that comes in the Name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest." (Luke 19:38)
"I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to [him that is] far off; and to [him that is] near," saith the Lord; "and I will heal him." (Isaiah 57:19)
There is an equalizing that took place when Jesus came into the world, whereby the Lord declared ALL have sinned in order that ALL who believe in Jesus the Christ could be saved. The confusion comes from not understanding that there are two very different dispensations in the Bible -- the first being the old and the second -- this current dispensation of grace wherein we live. For clarity, consider the old a covenant and the new a testament, whereby the Lord Himself became the perfect sacrifice on the cross.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a Name which is above every name; that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
But I digress. In the old, we see God's chosen people whom He continued to feed manna from heaven and loved as His beloved, even when they chose other gods to worship. In spite of His continued goodness to them, these chose not to worship the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12:29-31; Deuteronomy 6:4) Instead, these turned to other gods for their sustenance. The Lord knew this would happen and had decided (even before the foundation of the world was formed) to personally deliver to us in this current dispensation of grace His free gift of salvation, wherein we can choose life in Him.
But in order to do this -- because God is holy and incapable of breaking His own precepts -- He had to declare all people as sinners so that we being justified by faith can find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God had to declare that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God so that we could be justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-23)
"Whom God hath sent forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare [demonstrate], (I say), at this time His righteousness, that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:24-25)
In the old, there were ordinances kept as a sin offering which offered atonement to the priest entering in and for the people. We see this in Leviticus 16 wherein Moses is instructed to speak unto his brother Aaron to come into the holy place with a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, and to put on the holy linen coat after washing his flesh in water.
"The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation." (Hebrews 9:8-10)
It is for this cause that He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (Hebrews 9:15-18)
And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, by Him ... in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)
This is why God winked at man's ignorance (having worshiped an unknown god) "but now commands all men every where to repent." (Acts 14:16; Acts 17:30; Acts 2:36-38)
While we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good an some would even dare to die, but God commended His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [*Atonement meaning reconciliation]
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin [Adam], and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned ..." (Romans 5:12)
Why is it this way?
"For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:13-17)
This free gift of salvation is not like the sin that came from the one who sinned, but rather the gift of righteousness.
Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offence might abound. [The law being the schoolmaster that was intended to draw us unto Christ]
The good news being -- where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)
"By whom also we have great access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)
Why did it have to happen this way? We can take instruction from Jesus' teachings, wherein Jesus is saying to His disciples -- "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But [this comes to pass] that the Word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, "They hated Me without a cause." (John 15:22-25)
This is the faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation -- that Christ Jesus came into all the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, howbeit for this cause, I [we] obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.
The One who knew no sin and yet humbled Himself to become as one of us so that we might have life abundantly in Him. The One who is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him. When He was despised, we esteemed Him not.
"He was in the world and the world was made by Him but the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11)
"Surely, He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. 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." (Isaiah 53:1-5)
Yes, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, and 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 opened not His mouth ... for the transgression of My people was He stricken." (Isaiah 53:6-12)
This is why whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law. But we know as believers in Jesus Christ by faith, who have also willingly washed our flesh in water baptism in His Name -- the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are clothed in His righteousness. We are sealed, and in so doing, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38; Acts 10:40-44; Romans 6:3-4; Acts 19:1-7; I Peter 3:21-23)
He was manifested to take away our sins. And ye shall call His Name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins! (Matthew 1:21-23; I John 3:2-9)
After His kindness and love, God became our Saviour. (Titus 3:4-7)
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. (I John 3:1-2)
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14)
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be honour and glory forever and ever, Amen." (I Timothy 1:14-17)
Stand in the offering plate.
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