Christ Uplifted

The last great message to a dying world should lift up Christ in all His glory. Few can deny this.Yet most messages tend to deal with anti-Christ, the one in place of Christ, instead of Christ Himself.

Mel Gibson`s movie, THE PASSION OF CHRIST, has stirred up a great deal of interest in Christ and His sacrifice, although it widely misses the mark,showing only the physical suffering connected with crucifixion which tens of thousands experienced at the hands of Rome, Greece, Persia and other political powers.

Jesus died from mental agony of having the sins of the world placed on Him and from being forsaken of the Father. The blood and water from His side indicates a broken heart. In those final moments He could not see His way through the tomb but gave up His existence that we might exist.It was a divine sacrifice although divinity did not not die,only humanity died.Yet He was so weakened by the weight of the sins of the world,so weakened by the humanity in which He lived, and so weakened by being forsaken ,abandoned by God, that He had no hope of a resurrection when He went into the grave.

The Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death and that Jesus died for our sins.

AND IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE, BUT AFTER THAT THE JUDGMENT, Hebrews 9:27.

Those pronounced guilty in the judgment die the second death from which there is no hope of a resurrection, Revelation 20:6,14;21:8. The penalty for sin is the second death. In order to pay the penalty for the sins of believers, Jesus had to die the second death. This is a fact which confronts the Christian. Stop for a moment and contemplate on this fact. It is an awesome thought.

This supernatural,pre-existent Being who spoke this world into existence with all its marvels including life itself,took responsiblity for mankind that He had brought into being, and paid the price for their redemption from the deceitful trap of sin into which they had fallen.

Pastor Neal Punt [ www.biblicaluniversalism.com ] tells us that for the first 400 years of Christianity the message was, All have been saved by the sacrifice of Christ except those that the Bible says will not be saved. After 400 years the message changed to, All are lost except those that the Bible says will be saved.

SURELY CHRISTIANITY NEEDS TO RETURN TO THE POSITIVE THRUST OF THOSE EARLY CENTURIES.

While mankind has some responsibility for actions taken, It is God who is first and foremost responsible for mankind,the beings He created.The creation was for His pleasure, Revelation 4:11.

Mankind was created in the image of God. While there can be much speculation as to just how man is like God, there are two ways in which we can be fairly certain that man is like God.

1. God is triune which the dictionary defines as three persons in one.Man is biune [not in the dictionary,unfotunately ] being made of male and female.

2. Just as God Brought forth after his own image,so mankind, male and female can bring forth after their image.

In these two ways mankind is like God.

In this world parents are responsible for their children: food, clothing.shelter.etc. Should the children damage the neighbor`s property the parents must pay.Likewise God is responsible for His children. Adam`s mistake brought death and destruction to all humanity. Adam was a son of God [Luke 3:38 ] , so God must pay for Adam`s mistake.

In the Old Testament one sold into bondage could be redeemed but it must be by a kinsman. To redeem man God must become man.

We Christians make much out of Jesus of Nazareth being the Son of God.How could the second Person of the godhead,who was equal in every respect with the other two...how could He be called the Son of God ? He always existed and did not come from the Father. Here is an importanrt question which we fail to think through. How could One equal with the Father become His Son ? The answer gives light on salvation which is greatly needed in the churches of today.

Adam, fallen in sin, could not be responsible for his children, so God gave us another Adam,even Jesus Christ, who could.The second Person of the godhead took Adam`s place.Adam was a son of God, therefore when the second Person of the Trinity took Adam`s place,He became a Son of God. He is the new head, the new Father of humanity,and in this position He was obligated to pay for the mistakes of His children ,which He did at Calvary.He is rightly termed the Son of God because He took the place of the first son of God, Adam, and is now the last Adam.

The Bible is clear that men became sinners because of the first Adam, and men become righteous by the last Adam,Jesus of Nazareth. Romans 5:12,18,19;Romans 5:14; I Corinthians 15:45-47. Mankind`s salvation is in the last Adam.Just as man became a sinner in what the first Adam did, an act in which he had no part, so man becomes righteous before God ,by what the last Adam did, an act in which he had no part..

Salvation has taken place in Christ.It is not some thing that takes place in man. Our new Father [see Isaiah 9:6 "everlasting Father"] has paid the price for the mistakes of His children.

Our salvation is 100% God`s responsibility. In John 6:44,65 we are told that no one can come to Christ except they be drawn by the Father. Sin has so affected man that there is not enough will to make a decision to come to Christ, but must be drawn by the Holy Spirit. In chapter 12: 32, we are told that If Christ is lifted up from the earth, all will be drawn to Him. He was lifted up between heaven and earth on the cross,so all will be drawn to Him.

Yes, all will be drawn to Jesus, but since the Bible teaches that all will not be saved, then man does have enough will left that he can resist the drawing of the Holy Spirit drawing him to Jesus who is his Pardon.If a person refuses to be drawn to his Pardon then he has no pardon and has committed the unpardonable sin.

BEING LOST IS 100% MAN`S RESPONSIBILITY.

BEING SAVED IS 100% GOD`S RESPONSIBILITY.

The preaching of today that a person must believe,have faith,repent,and make a decision for Christ is only a half truth. Yes, those saved will have had faith and will have had repentance,however these are gifts from God.See Ephesians 2:8; Romans 12:3; Matthew 16:16,17;Acts 5:31;11:18;II Timothy 2:25.

Man is not saved by making a decision for Christ but rather saved by Christ`s decision for man made in the Garden, Not my will but thine be done.There is not one altar call in the Bible.It was devised by Charles Finney,1792-1875. The word decision is found in only one place,Joel 3:14.

The deceptions for the last days will be so subtle that if possible they would deceive the very elect. Sin began when Lucifer became focused on God`s work in his person rather than on God who had done the work, Ezekiel 28:14-17.

The focus today of man and him crucified, is a different gospel than Paul`s determination to know only Christ and Him crucified.