Steve Wong's Posts (242)
Sort by
WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH
FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY?
The Roman Catholic Church
No such law in the Bible "Nowhere" in the bible do we find that Jesus or the apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is, the Seventh day of the week, Saturday. Today, all Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman] church outside the Bible." Catholic Virginian, Oct. 3, 1947
"You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctified." James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp.72,73
"If protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day, that is Saturday. In keeping Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church." Albert Smith, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the cardinal in a letter of Feb. 10, 1920.
"Have you not any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?"
"Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the Seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority" Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed. p. 174
How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holydays?
By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same Church." Henry Tuberville, An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine (1833 approbation), p.58 (Same statement in Manual of Christian Doctrine, ed. by Daniel Ferris [1916 ed.], p.67)
"The Catholic Church,... by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.
" The Catholic Mirror, official organ of Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893.
"Is Saturday the 7th day according to the Bible and the 10 Commandments?"
"I answer yes".
"Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the Church change the 7th day, Saturday, for Sunday, the 1st day?"
"I answer yes".
"Did Christ change the day?"
"I answer no!" Faithfully yours, "J. Cardinal Gibbons" Gibbons' autograph letter.
Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the NEW LAW, that he himself has explicitly substituted Sunday for the Sabbath.
But this theory is entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as holy days. The church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days."
John Laux A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies 1936, vol.1 p.51
Which is the Sabbath day?
Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemity from Saturday to Sunday."
Peter Geiermann, The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1946 ed.), p.50. Geiermann received the "apostolic blessing" of Pope Pius X on his labors, January 25, 1910.
"The Catholic Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant, claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday.
In this matter the Seventh Day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant. The Catholic Universe Bulletin, Aug. 14, 1942, p.4
"The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church." Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today (1868), p. 213
Exodus 20: 8-11,
(8) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. (9) Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: (10) But the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (11) For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Colossians 2:8 warns us to:
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
What power has claimed authority to change God's law?
The Papacy in Rome.
"The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even Divine Laws...The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth." Translated from Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca (Ready Library), "Papa", art. 2.
What part of the law of God has the papacy thought to change?
The Fourth Commandment.
"Catholics alledge the change of the Sabbath into the Lord's day, contrary, as it seemeth, to the Decalogue; and they have no example more in their mouth than the change of the Sabbath. They will needs have to be very great, because it hath dispensed with a precept of the Decalogue." The Augsburg Confession (Lutheran), part 2, art. 7, in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (Harper), vol. 3, p. 64.
"It [the Roman Catholic Church] reversed the Fourth Commandment by doing away with the Sabbath of God's word and instituting Sunday as a holiday." N. Summerbell, History of the Christian Church (1873), p. 415.
Does the papacy acknowledge changing the Sabbath?
It does.
The Catechismus Romanus was commanded by the Council of Trent and published by the Vatican Press, by order of Pope Pius V, in 1566. This catechism for priests says: "It pleased the church of God, that the religious celebration of the Sabbath day should be transferred to 'the Lord's day. Sunday.'" Catechism of the Council of Trent (Donovan's translation, 1867), part 3, chap. 4, p. 345. The same in slightly different wording, is in the McHugh and Callan translation (1937 ed.), p. 402.
Do Catholic authorities acknowledge that there is no command in the bible for santification of Sunday?
They do.
"You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp. 72,73.
How did Sunday observance originate?
As a voluntary celebration of the Resurrection, a custom without pretense of Divine authority.
Matthew 28:1 KJV States clearly that Christ Rose on the Sabbath Saturday!! IN the END of the Sabbath, as it began to Dawn TOWARD the FIRST day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is RISEN, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Who first enjoined Sunday keeping by law?
Constantine the Great.
"The earliest recognition of the observance of Sunday as a legal duty is a constitution of Constantine in 321 A.D., enacting that all courts of justice, inhabitants of towns, and workshops were to be at rest on Sunday (venerabili die solis), with an exception in favor of those engaged in agricultural labor." Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., art. "Sunday".
By what church council was the observance of the seventh day forbidden and Sunday observance enjoined?
The Council of Laodicea, in Asia Minor, fourth century.
What kind of worship does the Saviour call that which is not according to God's commandments?
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men." Matt. 15:9
Roman Catholic and Protestant Confessions about Sunday
The vast majority of Christian churches today teach the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, as a time for rest and worship. Yet it is generally known and freely admitted that the early Christians observed the seventh day as the Sabbath. How did this change come about?
History reveals that it was decades after the death of the apostles that a politico-religious system repudiated the Sabbath of Scripture and substituted the observance of the first day of the week. The following quotations, all from Roman Catholic sources, freely acknowledge that there is no Biblical authority for the observance of Sunday, that it was the Roman Church that changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week.
In the second portion of this booklet are quotations from Protestants. Undoubtedly all of these noted clergymen, scholars, and writers kept Sunday, but they all frankly admit that there is no Biblical authority for a first-day sabbath.
Roman Catholic Confessions
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89.
"But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."
Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed., p. 174.
"Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
"Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."
John Laux, A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies (1 936), vol. 1, P. 51.
"Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath. But this theory is now entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days."
Daniel Ferres, ed., Manual of Christian Doctrine (1916), p.67.
"Question: How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
"Answer. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of, and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same Church.'
James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore (1877-1921), in a signed letter.
"Is Saturday the seventh day according to the Bible and the Ten Commandments? I answer yes. Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the Church change the seventh day -Saturday - for Sunday, the first day? I answer yes . Did Christ change the day'? I answer no!
"Faithfully yours, J. Card. Gibbons"
The Catholic Mirror, official publication of James Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893.
"The Catholic Church, . . . by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday."
Catholic Virginian Oct. 3, 1947, p. 9, art. "To Tell You the Truth."
"For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the[Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible."
Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1957), p. 50.
"Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
"Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Answer. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
Martin J. Scott, Things Catholics Are Asked About (1927),p. 136.
"Nowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday .... Now the Church ... instituted, by God's authority, Sunday as the day of worship. This same Church, by the same divine authority, taught the doctrine of Purgatory long before the Bible was made. We have, therefore, the same authority for Purgatory as we have for Sunday."
Peter R. Kraemer, Catholic Church Extension Society (1975),Chicago, Illinois.
"Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:
"1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.
"2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say, this Church, instituted by Christ to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to Sunday. We frankly say, yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages and a thousand other laws.
"It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible."
T. Enright, C.S.S.R., in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, Feb. 18,1884.
"I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' The Catholic Church says: 'No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.' And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church."
Protestant Confessions
Protestant theologians and preachers from a wide spectrum of denominations have been quite candid in admitting that there is no Biblical authority for observing Sunday as a sabbath.
Anglican/Episcopal
Isaac Williams, Plain Sermons on the Catechism , vol. 1, pp.334, 336.
"And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day .... The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the church has enjoined it."
Canon Eyton, The Ten Commandments , pp. 52, 63, 65.
"There is no word, no hint, in the New Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday .... into the rest of Sunday no divine law enters.... The observance of Ash Wednesday or Lent stands exactly on the same footing as the observance of Sunday."
Bishop Seymour, Why We Keep Sunday .
We have made the change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy Catholic Church."
Baptist
Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, a paper read before a New York ministers' conference, Nov. 13, 1893, reported in New York Examiner , Nov.16, 1893.
"There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week .... Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament absolutely not.
"To me it seems unaccountable that Jesus, during three years' intercourse with His disciples, often conversing with them upon the Sabbath question . . . never alluded to any transference of the day; also, that during forty days of His resurrection life, no such thing was intimated.
"Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history . . . . But what a pity it comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!"
William Owen Carver, The Lord's Day in Our Day , p. 49.
"There was never any formal or authoritative change from the Jewish seventh-day Sabbath to the Christian first-day observance."
Congregationalist
Dr. R. W. Dale, The Ten Commandments (New York: Eaton &Mains), p. 127-129.
" . . . it is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath - . . 'Me Sabbath was founded on a specific Divine command. We can plead no such command for the obligation to observe Sunday .... There is not a single sentence in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday."
Timothy Dwight, Theology: Explained and Defended (1823), Ser. 107, vol. 3, p. 258.
" . . . the Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive Church called the Sabbath."
Disciples of Christ
Alexander Campbell, The Christian Baptist, Feb. 2, 1824,vol. 1. no. 7, p. 164.
"'But,' say some, 'it was changed from the seventh to the first day.' Where? when? and by whom? No man can tell. No; it never was changed, nor could it be, unless creation was to be gone through again: for the reason assigned must be changed before the observance, or respect to the reason, can be changed! It is all old wives' fables to talk of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day. If it be changed, it was that august personage changed it who changes times and laws ex officio - I think his name is Doctor Antichrist.'
First Day Observance , pp. 17, 19.
"The first day of the week is commonly called the Sabbath. This is a mistake. The Sabbath of the Bible was the day just preceding the first day of the week. The first day of the week is never called the Sabbath anywhere in the entire Scriptures. It is also an error to talk about the change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. There is not in any place in the Bible any intimation of such a change."
Lutheran
The Sunday Problem , a study book of the United Lutheran Church (1923), p. 36.
"We have seen how gradually the impression of the Jewish sabbath faded from the mind of the Christian Church, and how completely the newer thought underlying the observance of the first day took possession of the church. We have seen that the Christians of the first three centuries never confused one with the other, but for a time celebrated both."
Augsburg Confession of Faith art. 28; written by Melanchthon, approved by Martin Luther, 1530; as published in The Book of Concord of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Henry Jacobs, ed. (1 91 1), p. 63.
"They [Roman Catholics] refer to the Sabbath Day, a shaving been changed into the Lord's Day, contrary to the Decalogue, as it seems. Neither is there any example whereof they make more than concerning the changing of the Sabbath Day. Great, say they, is the power of the Church, since it has dispensed with one of the Ten Commandments!"
Dr. Augustus Neander, The History of the Christian Religion and Church Henry John Rose, tr. (1843), p. 186.
"The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a Divine command in this respect, far from them, and from the early apostolic Church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday."
John Theodore Mueller, Sabbath or Sunday , pp. 15, 16.
"But they err in teaching that Sunday has taken the place of the Old Testament Sabbath and therefore must be kept as the seventh day had to be kept by the children of Israel .... These churches err in their teaching, for Scripture has in no way ordained the first day of the week in place of the Sabbath. There is simply no law in the New Testament to that effect."
Methodist
Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942, p.26.
"Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day."
John Wesley, The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, A.M., John Emory, ed. (New York: Eaton & Mains), Sermon 25,vol. 1, p. 221.
"But, the moral law contained in the ten commandments, and enforced by the prophets, he [Christ] did not take away. It was not the design of his coming to revoke any part of this. This is a law which never can be broken .... Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind, and in all ages; as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other."
Dwight L. Moody
D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting (Fleming H. Revell Co.: New York), pp. 47, 48.
The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word 'remember,' showing that the Sabbath already existed when God Wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?"
Presbyterian
T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp.474, 475.
"The Sabbath is a part of the decalogue - the Ten Commandments. This alone forever settles the question as to the perpetuity of the institution . . . . Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand . . . . The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath."
From your deep blue eyes
Love emanates from your deep blue eyes
You are the one who created everything in the sky
You are the one who created this world
But because of the fall of mankind it has become a death world
Yet you chose to be born as one of us
Doing everything you can to redeem us
Giving wings to those who have the spirit of repentance
And you are always there for those who need guidance
You came to this death world
As one of us
Yet most in this world
Do not know you as the Redeemer of us
They reject you
They mock you
Such cruelty
Such folly
Yet you are here to free
Humanity
From slavery
Shaping mankind's destiny
A Holy Love
A Divine Love
From Heaven above
My Saviour my Beloved
Originally dated October 31, 2014 at 23:22.
Redemption involves recovering something by paying the debt against it. A redeemer is a one who buys back, or pays ransom, or makes amends. There are many passages of Scripture in the Old Testament (especially in Isaiah) that speak of God being the redeemer of his people, and the New Testament tell us that Jesus, the Son of God, is our redeemer. But I found it hard to understand why redemption is necessary at all. I could see how God saves his people, but how is paying a debt involved? Who must God pay in order to redeem us? And why did Jesus have to suffer and die for that? It made no sense to me. It was a great mystery. But after much prayer and study I think at last I now understand, and I would like to share with you what I have found about the beautiful meaning of God's redemption.
God’s throne is founded on justice
I will begin with Adam and Eve. As you know, they were severely punished when they disobeyed God. But remember, Satan was also severely punished for tempting them. Why was Satan so eager to cause them to sin? Surely he knew that he would also be severely punished? First, I must point out that justice is the very foundation of God’s throne, for it is written, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee" (Psalm 89:14); and again, "Clouds and thick darkness are round about him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne" (Psalm 97:2).
Justice or forgiveness: the dilemma
Pure forgiveness violates justice; and when justice is violated law and order is undermined. When murderers, adulterers, and thieves are excused, or inadequately punished, then murder, adultery, and theft multiply. Now, Jesus commanded law abiding citizens (his disciples) to forgive each other because we ourselves are guilty of occasional offenses. Coupled with love this kind of forgiveness promotes law and order. It is just for those in debt to repay those indebted to them. Thus, justice demands that if I offend others, and I want forgiveness from them, I must forgive them of their offenses against me. Of course, the rule is not limited to specific persons and cases. It does not mean that I must only forgive John for committing X against me, because I committed X in an equal amount against John. Otherwise such forgiveness would be unworkable; for nothing is ever exactly comparable. Thus, we are commanded to forgive minor offenses in the general sense. However, major offenses, such as murder, adultery, and theft, are offenses against God's commandments. And he does not excuse such things. Authorities who have the power and the responsibility to administer justice against major offenders, themselves become guilty of offending God when they excuse or inadequately punish violators, for they are his servants to administer his justice, as Paul said:
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer (Romans 13:3-4).
God never sins, therefore he is under no obligation to forgive. Of course, he certainly has the right to forgive, but simple forgiveness undermines justice; and since God is no fool, he will do nothing which undermines his very foundation. Moreover, God cannot be just if he arbitrarily punishes the offenses of some, while excusing the offenses of others. For if God excuses our offenses, then justice demands that he must excuse others who offend him as well. So you see, when Satan tempted God's children to offend him, he was guaranteeing (no doubt he thought) that God could not destroy him without also having to destroy his children. Otherwise, God would violate justice; something he cannot do because it is his very foundation. Hence, Satan constantly reminded God of our guilt:
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God" (Revelation 12:10).
Without our redemption justice demanded that if God was going to cast Satan into Hell, he must also cast us into Hell with him because we all sin. Therefore, Satan accused God's children day and night in order to save his own skin, because he was not fully cast out of Heaven until Christ redeemed us.
God’s ingenious solution
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33). You see, God knew from the beginning how he was going to save us from being condemned with the devil (Ephesians 3:7-11), but he did not reveal the details of his great plan for our deliverance until the time actually came to carry it out. He only made subtle references to it, such as Isaiah's reference to the Redeemer coming to Zion (Isaiah 59:20). There were many things God did not make clear in the Old Testament. Just as the Old Testament contains only subtle references to life after death, so too, it contains only subtle references to the Son of God. Here are two from Isaiah: "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts..." Isaiah 44:6), and, "Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One..." (Isaiah 49:7). God's plan included combining mercy with justice. Amazingly, his plan enables him to show mercy by forgiving his children of their guilt (Romans 5:10), while at the same time condemning his enemies (1 Corinthians 15:25) for their guilt-yet still being perfectly just. Who could have thought of it? No doubt Satan believed it was impossible. But with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Here is how it happened. Remember, God cannot violate justice. Guilt without condemnation violates justice, and so all who offend God must be condemned, whether they are his children or not, for God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). However, condemnation without guilt also violates justice. You see, our Redeemer lived a perfectly sinless life. Thus, he did not deserve suffering and death. Yet, in obedience to his Heavenly Father, Jesus worked unselfishly, doing good, even allowing himself to suffer and be put to death. Is this not unjust, to let perfect holiness be punished? Would this not be a great violation of justice? Yes! It would be a colossal injustice if there was no compensation. Therefore, Jesus' suffering and death cannot go without reward. Consequently, since God commanded Jesus to go through that ordeal, and Jesus obeyed fully, then God owes Jesus compensation. Is God not a God of justice? Now, there is no way we human beings can fully appreciate the value of a completely sinless life-absolute spiritual perfection. In God's sight, such a one is a priceless treasure. And so, because of Christ's perfect obedience, God gave him a perfect reward. He was made Lord of all, both in Heaven (except, of course, the Father) and on earth. Moreover, all men who willingly sacrifice their lives here on earth to follow Jesus, and who accept his Lordship will be redeemed from condemnation. For you see, Jesus has already paid the price for us. It is part of God's compensation to him. Our redemption from guilt and condemnation is not a matter of simple forgiveness by God, it is an act of justice for Christ. God owes Jesus the right to free us from our guilt. Thus, we were "bought back", or "freed from blame or debt" by the payment of Jesus innocent blood on the cross. For Paul told his Christian brothers, "...you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20).
And the words of that holy man of God, Isaiah, who said that God is our redeemer, are now fulfilled. For he spoke the words of God, when he said, "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). These words were fulfilled at the cross, when the innocent Messiah died in obedience to the Father's will in order to be able to pay the debt for our sins. And Paul could tell his Christian brothers,
And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say], did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out that way, nailing it to the cross; having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:13-15).
Thus, by redeeming us, Jesus, "blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us." Moreover, by so doing he "despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." For Satan and his mighty allies no longer had an excuse for their own guilt. Thus, God's great adversary was defeated and cast from Heaven:
And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death (Revelation 12:9-11).
And now, God the Father will no longer remember our sins for the sake of God the Son, for the author of the book of Hebrews said, "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). Is our beloved Heavenly Father not a God of life giving mercy, as well as justice? For Isaiah also said: "Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18). How wonderful God's justice is, for it requires him to show mercy to all who belong to Jesus Christ.
Our debt to Christ
And now, those of us who genuinely commit ourselves to Christ are ever struggling to purge ourselves of our impurities, striving for his perfection, trying to become more worthy of such mercy (2 Corinthians 7:1). We sacrifice our earthly selfishness, and follow the footsteps of Jesus, as he commanded: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34), and "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). In this evil world, no man (save Christ himself) ever reaches perfection, or complete worthiness. Even the great apostle Paul confessed, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Philippians 3:12). But one great day perfection will come, for Jesus has purified our spirits (1 Corinthians 6:11), and we will be given new bodies of holiness (Philippians 3:21). Moreover, in that new world, the congregation of his sanctified-those whom Christ, the Son of God, purchased with his own blood-will be glorified with him.
But mercy will be only for those who accept Christ. Not all will be redeemed. Our brother, the apostle John, said it so much better than I can:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:16-18).
A note about Islam: The word of God teaches that Jesus alone is qualified to be our redeemer. Thus, Mohammed, who claimed to be greater than Christ, is a false prophet. The truth is, Mohammed was a disciple of Satan, used by him to destroy faith in Christ, our only redeemer. Do not be deceived by the seductive words of his followers. This false religion is is a growing threat to Christianity. Be a faithful soldier of Christ, and fight against it with "...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) at every opportunity you have.
Postscript:
Some may wonder why Satan wanted to have Jesus killed if it meant losing his case with God. It is possible that he simply did not recognize the full implications of Jesus' perfect obedience; for the bible says the plan of our redemption remained a great mystery until it was fullfilled. On the other hand, perhaps it was because he saw that he was losing anyway, and he wanted to preserve his earthly power. Apparently he had run out of ways to try to defeat Jesus, for he saw that he had resisted every effort he made to tempt him. Moreover, Jesus was getting more influential, with a growing number of disciples. It was, of course, fear of Jesus growing influence on the people that led the leaders of the Jews to have him crucified. Thus, it seems, Satan's last tactic was to subject Jesus to this final, terrible ordeal in a "last ditch" effort to cause him to disobey God. And if that failed, it would at least disrupt his following, and remove him as a threat to his earthly dominion. God, it seems, has allowed Satan to gain and maintain the kingship of this world, for Jesus referred to him as "the prince of this world." And when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he did not dispute Satan's boast about ruling over all nations. Thus, by getting rid of Jesus, Satan would have an easier time maintaining his power on earth, which would make it easier for him to continue his quest to defeat God. For the Bible says that the Devil knows his time is "short" (no doubt meaning relative to eternity). And so he continues trying to destroy all on earth who are on God's side (See Revelation 12:12-17). Thus, Christians will always have to "fight the good fight" (1 Timothy 6:12) as long as God tolerates the existence of Satan and his disciples in this world which is dominated by God's enemies.
1.Many in this permissive generation say that God is now a God of love and not justice. The truth is, love is impossible without justice, for injustice is cruel.
2.All of us suffer unjustly from time to time. But since we are all guilty anyway; and whatever suffering we experience is never comparable to what we deserve for our guilt against God, then such unjust suffering deserves no reward. Yet God will reward us if we endure unjust suffering for his righteousness sake; although not because he owes it to us, but because of his grace.
3.See for examples, Romans 16:25-26, Ephesians 3:9-10, 1st Peter 1:10-12.
4.The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him" (John 12:19).
5.God allows all on earth to sin against him-to a point-in accordance with God's own great purpose.
6.See for example, John 12:31
7.And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine (Luke 4:6-7).
Copyright 1997 by Walter L. Porter may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.
http://endtimedeception.org/books/Branton%20-%20The%20Omega%20File.pdf
http://worldtracker.org/media/library/Truth/The%20Dulce%20Book.Branton.pdf
