Man has a broken relationship with his Creator (Romans 3:10-12 cf. Psalms 14:2-3; 53:2-3)
This condition was the result of the first man's rebellion
against God, which introduced sin and death (Romans
5:12)
It is man's indwelling sin that is the root cause of why
he cannot live in peace with his fellow man (James
4:1-2 cf. Romans 7:22-24)
Why doesGod allow the suffering
to continue?
God is enduring "with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction", so "that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels
of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory" (Romans
9:22-23 cf. I Timothy 1:12-16)
When willGod put an end to
the suffering?
When God "will make all things new" (Revelation 21:5), i.e. in "the new heavens and the new earth" (Isaiah 66:22) "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13)
All "the fearful and unbelieving" (Revelation 21:8) "shall in no wise enter into it" to "defile" it
(Revelation 21:27)
Thus, "there shall be no more curse" (Revelation 22:3), i.e. "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be anymore pain" (Revelation
21:4)
How can I knowthat I am right with
God?
It is "the gospel of Christ" which is "the
power of God unto salvation ... for therein is the righteousness of God revealed" (Romans 1:16-17), i.e. "the righteousness of faith" (Romans 4:13) that is apart from the works of the Law (Romans 3:19-21)
- "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22-23)
We are "justified by faith" (Romans 5:1) "in His blood" (Romans 3:24-26)
and in His resurrection, which is gives us assurance of our justification (Romans 4:23-25)
It is man's "fear of death" that makes him all
his " lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews
2:15), i.e. to "the bondage
of corruption" (Romans
8:20-22)
Thus, Jesus was made "a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death" (Hebrews
2:9) that "through death
He might destroy him that had the power of death" (Hebrews
2:14) - He did so by His resurrection
(Revelation 1:18)
Through Adam's act of disobedience (Romans 5:19 cf. Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6) came a sinful race (Romans 5:12 cf. Psalms 51:5) subject to the "BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION" (Romans 8:20-22 cf. Genesis 3:17-19), i.e. "FLESH AND BLOOD" (I Corinthians 15:50)
God requires that which sustains the LIFE of "SINFUL
FLESH" (Romans 8:3) for its ATONEMENT, i.e. BLOOD (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 1:3; 9:22)
God shed the blood of a lamb (Romans 13:8)
and clothed our first parents literally in the "coats of skins" pertaining to the promise of redemption
(Genesis 3:15,21)
Through Christ's act of obedience on the Cross (Romans 5:19 cf. Matthew 26:27-29,39,42,44; John
19:28-30) - "He bare our sins
in His own body on the tree" (I
Peter 2:24)
Christ at His INCARNATION was "NOT of BLOOD"
(John 1:13-14) when He "became WATER ONLY" (I John 5:6)
Christ on the CROSS "became WATER AND BLOOD"
(I John 5:6 cf. John 19:34; Hebrews 2:14)
and, thereby, God "made Him to be SIN for us" (II Corinthians 5:21)
- having "condemned SIN in the FLESH" of Christ (Romans 8:3)
that He "by the grace of God should taste DEATH for every man" (Hebrews 2:9)
The "gospel ... by which ... ye are saved ... according
to the Scriptures" (I
Corinthians 15:1-4 cf. Isaiah 53:1,6-11)
"For the PREACHING of the CROSS is to them that perish
foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the POWER of GOD" (I Corinthians 1:18)