Sinners Restored
When Adam sinned we all became sinners because we are all descendants of Adam; and as a result, we were all condemned to die for our sins and to be separated from God forever. Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself and died in our place, to make atonement for our sins; so that, we could receive forgiveness of our sins and be made right with God. As a result, God is justified in giving us new life in Christ.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
We are all born into this world as descendants of Adam and are spiritually dead. All who believe in Jesus Christ are identified with Christ and are given new life in Him, made spiritually alive.
Col 1:21-22 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
We were all alienated from God by our sinful nature and we didn’t have any desire to please Him. Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself and died in our place, for our sins, in order to reconcile us to God, so that we could be holy and blameless before God.
Eccl 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
The bible, the word of God, tells us that there is not even one person on all the earth who always does good and never sins.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Every human being is a sinner and therefore is unacceptable to God. The glory of God is His perfection; therefore, anything less than perfection comes short of His glory.
Prov 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
No one can truly claim to be perfect and there is nothing anyone can do to make themselves perfect apart from believing in Jesus Christ.
Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
God sees everything we do and He knows all our thoughts and inmost motives. We cannot hide anything from God, there is not one sin that He is not aware of.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
No one can be justified before God by keeping the Law because no one can keep all the Law, perfectly, all their life. Therefore, the Law only proves everyone to be guilty of sin.
Rom 5:10 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.
God reconciled us to Himself, through the death of His Son, even while we were still sinners. Since He did so much for us, while we were still sinners, we can now expect Him to do much more for us because we are no longer considered to be sinners, if we only believe in Jesus Christ.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Under the Old Testament Law the blood of animals was offered as a sacrifice to God to make atonement, to make a person “at-one-ment” with God. Sin is disobedience to God, rebellion against God, and results in separation from God. Sinners were restored to fellowship with God by the offering of animal sacrifice in obedience to God.
Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
All the Old Testament sacrifices could never take away sin; one might say they were a sin covering, they covered sin but they did not remove it. Old Testament Saints did not go into the presence of God when they died, but they went to Sheol the place where the dead were keep until Jesus Christ made atonement for sin. Ps 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
When a believer in Jesus Christ dies today, he goes into the presence of God because Jesus Christ has removed our sins from us. 2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set 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;
God was able to pass over the sins of Old Testament Saints because He had a plan whereby He made propitiation for their sins. The righteousness of God demanded that the penalty for sin be paid and He paid that penalty by offering the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, in our place.
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to God, for our sins. He shed His own blood, once for all time, to redeem us from the penalty of sin. There is no other sacrifice required for our redemption. Our redemption is complete forever through the one offering of Jesus Christ.
Heb 9:15 And for this cause 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.
Jesus Christ not only made complete and total redemption for our sins when He died for us, in our place, but He is now the one and only mediator between us and God. We can be sure of our eternal inheritance because the one who died for us now lives for us.
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
It was the predetermined plane of God that sinners should crucify His Son, Jesus Christ.
1 Pet 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Before God created the world He knew that man would sin and need to be redeemed. God planned to offer His Son as a sacrifice for our sins, even before He created us. God created us knowing that He would need to redeem us in order to demonstrate His grace toward us.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus Christ came into this world to give His life as a sacrifice for us.
1 Tim 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
The fact that Jesus Christ gave Himself for us testifies to us that He loves us.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. He died for us, in our place, to pay the penalty for our sins. John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The person who believes in Jesus Christ is not judged, because Jesus Christ has taken our sins upon Himself. The person who does not believe in Jesus Christ is judged already, because he does not believe in Jesus Christ and in the love of God for us.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus Christ who never sinned took our sins upon Himself and He died as a sinner, in the place of sinners. As a result of His sacrifice on our behalf, we are able to receive His righteousness. He took our sins and gave us His righteousness.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Jesus Christ took the curse of the Law, for our sins, upon Himself. He has paid the full and complete penalty that the Law demanded for our sins. There is no more penalty to be paid, Jesus paid it all.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, because he loved us, even though we did not deserve His love.
Rom 3:21-24 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
We are all sinners and we all needed to be redeemed. Jesus Christ redeemed us and made it possible for God to give us the righteousness of Christ, if we will only believe in Him. The only way we can be made righteous before God is to receive the righteousness of God, and the only way we can receive the righteousness of God is by believing in Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Because we have been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ we know that we will not experience the wrath of God. God is no longer angry at anyone who believes in His Son, Jesus Christ; but He is still angry at all those who do not believe. The only way to escape the wrath of God is to believe in Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
All Scripture taken from King James Bible
* Bible Studies by Max Swan
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24