“Opening his mouth, Peter said: “Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God’s blessing].” Acts 10:34 AMP

Throughout the Scriptures we see that God is interested in Justice and equity. If there were another being more just than God, that entity would be God! This was the problem that was created by sin. Sin isn’t really a physical issue but rather a legal one! While disobedience is practiced in the flesh and can be forgiven, there remains the issue of the penalty. Satan knew that God could not violate His own nature by simply waving the penalty saying, “your forgiven.” The book of Romans reminds us of this fact.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 AMP

Wait a minute Pastor, you just said that sinning can be forgiven but not the penalty? Doesn’t this verse contradict that? Good question! Notice that the first issue here is that man sinned, and death came as a consequence of the action. Sin caused spiritual death, separation from the Spirit of God in our lives and a physical death, the ceasing of physical life of the body. Romans tells us that death reigns from Adam even until now for the flesh. Nowhere in the Scripture is there a promise that the flesh will be redeemed. There is however, many promises that the spirit will be renewed!

“For I will [a]take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.25Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them.”

Ezekiel 36:24-27 Amp

Two important things here. The first is that God will provide a way of cleansing (25Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean ) and that He would also be the one fix the problem (I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols). The question now is, “How is the penalty for sin fulfilled?” Man could not do it as he is born in sin and immediately disqualified. There must be someone who can live the perfect life so that they may qualify to pay the price! Enter Jesus!

Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—

Satan thought he had trapped God in His own requirement, but God had a plan! Look at what the book of Philippians has to say,

“Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], 6who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes–the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; 7but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. 8After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Philippians 2:5-8 AMP

You see my friend, Jesus made it! He became the one who would pay the penalty for mankind fulfilling the type of the Passover lamb. The requirement for the Passover lamb was to be one “without spot or blemish.” We read,

“He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].”

2 Corinthians 5:21 AMP

We also see Jesus at the end of the age again described as “a lamb standing, as if it had been slaughtered…” Rev. 5:6  Because of His sacrifice God can now extend not only forgiveness or our sin but release from its penalty! 

Many today are crying for equity and justice. The total fulfilment of that would be to acknowledge the fact that one is a sinner in need of a Savior and fall wholly on the grace of God who took our place so that we may now possess eternal life! Yes this body will suffer its fate and return to the dust, but those of us who had surrendered will live on never burdened by the power of sin!

“Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; 26and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26 AMP

Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken