Hello there! It has been a long time. We have had three months of endless trips to doctors, labs, hospital, and what have you, not to mention troublesome computer problems. But I did manage today to get this short Easter message onto our blog. We have been issued the green light for our trip to Curacao for Bicento's radiation treatments for his diagnosed "Bacterial Lyphoma". We are hoping to leave this coming week - the exact date has not been issued, but we are ready!! Pray for Bicento - that the radiation will do its work and that, God willing, he can taste again and eat again. He never complains about eating soup twice a day, and I try and think up new recipes daily!!
We are nearing the Easter season, and preparations are under way for the celebration of Good Friday, and then Easter Sunday and Monday. Do you take time to ponder, meditate and read what the Scriptures have to say about the Gospel and the Cross of Christ?
According to the Scriptures, the Good News that God provided forgiveness of sin and eternal life to ALL people everywhere - is inseparable from “the Cross of Christ”. Nevertheless, when we mention the cross of Christ, we are talking about the manner in which He died for all the world. In those days the punishment of being hung on a cross was for criminals and wicked people. The Jews, under the leadership of some very religious heirarchy considered Jesus Christ a blasphemer because He was telling the disciples and multitudes that He was the Son of God! And for that reason, they persisted and managed to achieve support from a large throng of Jewish people. They also managed to convince the Roman government at that time to consent to the killing of Jesus on a cross.
The purpose of this short message, is not to try and explain all that the Scriptures say in relation to the Cross of Christ, but want to try and give a solemn exhortation about some false teaching we hear - about the cross. Before we continue, I would like to encourage you to open the Scriptures now and read some very important passages about the death of Christ on the Cross, on which He carried the sins of the entire world in His body. (1 Cor. 1:17-25, Gal. 6:12-16, Eph. 2:14-18, Phil. 2:5-11, Col. 1:19,20 as well as Col. 2:13-15. Then turn to Hebrews and read 12:1-3 and Gal. 2:20,21).
The false teaching that I referred to in the above paragraph has to do with the many different forms of crosses that thousands of people around the world are using today to receive some form of spiritual blessing and assurance after they die. At this moment, according to the Scriptures, our Lord is seated at the right hand of God, the Father, and is the ONLY MEDIATOR between man and God. I want to repeat: Jesus is the only mediator between man (you and I) and God. According to the Word of God we also read that God is NOT WILLING that anyone should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance and knowledge of the TRUTH. Take a moment and read 2 Peter 3:8,9.
Dear friends of all ages, according to God's Word there is no other way to receive forgiveness for we, sinners, to receive forgivness for our sins, and eternal life, except through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In Galatians 3:13,14 we read, “ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree -”
Our religious world is filled with crosses of every kind of shape and form, but none of those, I say none, can free a sinner from the judgement that is to come. The only way in which our Lord God provided a way for us to receive pardon for our sin, and receive eternal life is THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BELOVED SON, Who carried our sin (my sin, your sin) in His body on a cross. Therefore, Salvation is by FAITH, in Jesus Who died in our place on a cross; not in a cross.
God willing,we will continue this topic in the following Blog. May this meditation stimulate your heart and mind, and ask yourself in what am I trusting, you trusting for our life in the hereafter?
By Bicento and Betty (Ratzlaff) Henriquez
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