John 3:13-16, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Read Num. 21:8-9, John 8:28, 12:32). The brazen serpent was pointing at the cross. When man fell, God’s prescription was that blood had to be shed through the slaughtering of an animal and the skin was used to cover the nakedness of man. When man sinned God made a pronouncement against the snake in Gen. 3:15, the first messianic prophecy – “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.” This prophecy was fulfilled on the cross. The prescription for every poison from the pit of hell and from the snake remains the cross. Cultivate the habit of visiting the cross daily.
The Bible makes it categorically clear that death is the final penalty of the law. The law makes sin punishable by death. That was why on a once for all basis, our loving heavenly Father decided to judge sin on the cross by sending his sinless, perfect Son to shed his sinless precious blood. The One who knew no sin was crucified. He was meant to bear the sin of the whole world so that when we look unto him just as the children of Israel in the wilderness looked up to the brazen serpent and were healed. The serpent’s venom is neutralized by fixing your eyes on the cross. Death is the final penalty of the law but the law has been nailed on the cross. Col. 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” If the law does not judge you to be sinful, then you are not condemned. Without condemnation, you cannot die.
Rom. 8:1-2, “There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” We are free from the law. Once the law of sin and death is suspended, sickness dies. Sickness is a precursor of death. It was nailed to the cross of Christ. No one can be saved by works. It is by what Christ has done for us.
Christianity is not a set of rules and will never be. Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is this – a loving God reaching out to fallen man through his Son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent to die for us so that the penalty that was due to us will be abrogated, the condemnation meant for us, nullified. At the cross, the blessing that we never deserved, the blessing of an inheritance, was bestowed upon us. The greatest thing anyone can have is an inheritance.
Gal. 3:11-12, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” The blood of bulls cannot remove sin. Heb. 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Pray –
- Heavenly Father, I celebrate your love and grace you have shown to mankind in sending your only begotten son to die for the remission of my sins. Through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, I declare my total liberation from the law in Jesus’ name. Amen
TO BE CONTINUED……….