Consider this, whether you believe in God or not. It doesn't hurt to read just a simple article. And consider reflecting on what you might do in every circumstance or consider if, will there be someone you know who would do exactly all what is written just because of love?
In the Bible, God says He created the universe, the world and He created man (Gen. 1:1). God gave man free will to choose (Genesis 2:17). Saying if they would eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they will die. God gave all their needs, placed them in a beautiful and fruitful garden of Eden and even walked with man. But, man chose poorly and because of this, sin corrupted man.
Now consider this, if you were God, having all the power, self-sufficient, Creator of all things... And your greatest creation would turn their back on you, what would you do? If you were a potter, and the clay you are molding to be a flower pot says, "Take your hands off me!" or say "Make me to be a flower vase not a flower pot!" How would you respond? The possible thing that could have happened would be, God would at that point destroy man and re-make a new one! Just like a potter who can throw away the clay and get a new clay to form.
But God did not do so. Instead, even with the knowledge of what has happened, He sought man's confession on what they have done by asking if they have disobeyed His instruction. Just like a father seeking his child to be honest and confess what his child have done wrong. And man, instead of admitting the fault, points his finger to someone else (interesting how we do the same when someone blames us, we are fond of the blaming game). God has the right to be angry and eradicate man, instead killed an animal and took of their skin to cover the nakedness of man. (An interesting prophecy foretold even from the beginning of time and pictures why Jesus had to come.)
Now isn't that a thought to ponder? Understanding that from that right on, when man disobeyed and turned their back on God, God was thinking how to bring back man to Himself or has already set out a plan to redeem (bring back to himself) man? Who would do such a thing? If say, your best friend did not trust you nor believe you, or did sin against you, surely your relationship is broken. And the question would be, "Would you want to bring back the kind of relationship you had before the event of sin against you?" Surely things wouldn't be the same. The trust you gave will not be the same as it was, even if your friendship was regained. But not so with God.
And so how does God regains the relationship He has with His creation, esp. with man? Consider these verse: Hebrews 9:22, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, 10, 12 & 18; Reading throughout the verses, the Bible says regaining back the relationship requires the shedding of blood. In other words, because of sin, sin has to be recompensed or be paid by blood or in other words by life. That is why God says in the beginning, if man will eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, man will die! That was the punishment or the payment for the sin done and from which was passed unto all men, because all men came from Adam, the first man. And because of that all man are sinners (Rom. 3:23). And the most dangerous punishment man will experience is that of the second death declared by Revelations 21:8. This is the kind of death God does not desire for man to experience, the eternal separation and suffering of man from God.
This is the reason why Jesus, God's only begotten Son, came. He came by the virgin birth, meaning, Jesus did not come from the lineage of Adam. It was through the work of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was born in the flesh, through Mary's virgin birth. He is the Second Adam or Last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. Though He was made flesh, He was perfect and no sin was found in Him. He too had to go through temptations of the devil but He was never deceived and He pursued the Will of the Father. He was spotless and unblemished, worthy to be called the Lamb of God (I Peter 2:22, John 1:36). And so when the time came, He took His place at the cross of Golgotha and finished God's plan of Salvation / Redemption for man (John 19:30, Hebrews 9:12-10:10). He took the suffering and death, that was supposed to be meant for us, sinners. He was not worthy of the punishment of suffering and death, but He took it. Romans 5:10 says, even when we were God's enemies, still God, by and through the Lord Jesus Christ's death, brings us back to Him. But of course, this is not automatic. He does not force us. He only desires is that we do what He wants us to do. That is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31)!
Now, shall we pause for a while and think, reflect on what the Bible is saying. Here is an unbelievable and unfathomable kind of Love, maybe foolish love in our sight, but not so with God. A Love He is offering to give and desiring we would receive it whole heartedly. Accepting it by faith in what the Lord Jesus Christ had done. Believing who Jesus really is, the Son of God, the Savior and Lord; And yet suffered and died for us! Now, what kind of Love who will initiate the first move towards the other who had done wrong against the one who made the first move of love?
And so, how do we respond? There are only two things of response... receive God's Love or reject it. Rejecting it means, we are better than God and that we do not need His Love. Receiving it, opens a door to a new unimaginable and unspeakable joy and life. What will you choose?
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