A Life in Exile

For over two thousand years, individuals have responded to the person and teachings of Jesus from within their unique life circumstances. Rich or poor, educated or not, working or struggling to survive, free or imprisoned, no matter the situation, Jesus offers what no earthly ideology or person can—freedom from the bondage of sin—salvation for the soul.

He made that clear in his time on this earth, and it’s been recorded in Scripture for all to read. His purpose was foretold from the earliest of days through the Torah, Psalms, and Prophets. We know the verses. Here are a few of the many that flow throughout the Bible.

As sin entered the world, there was a promise of victory over the perpetrator of evil.

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15 CSB)

It becomes clear that through the line of Jacob, a conquering king will come.

I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. (Numbers 24:17)

In their struggles, the people were repeatedly reminded that they were to look to the Lord for their redemption. At the root of their need was their sin.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance. And he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (Psalm 130:7-8)

A once-for-all solution to the problem of sin could be provided by God alone through the Messiah alone.

Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:10-11)

What was the motivation for this bittersweet plan of God? His hesed love.

Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. (Micah 7:18)

Jesus Christ himself lays out the circumstances of how this ancient plan would be accomplished during his discussion with Nicodemus.

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. (John 3:14-18)

The people missed the point.

My brother and I were recently talking about pain, and he noted how when you’re hurting or recovering from surgery, it’s hard to focus. It was like this for the people of the first century, as Jesus entered the scene. He was telling them that the Kingdom of God was at hand, but they couldn’t see it or grasp the meaning of his message. Why? Because they were drowning in the reality of their circumstances as an oppressed and occupied nation under the Romans.

They blamed the Romans for every problem in their lives, from poverty to the inability to live according to the Law of Moses, although in reality, they had not lived by the Law of Moses for hundreds of years. John the Baptist came, preparing the way for the Christ by calling people to repentance; and I’m sure they did repent, but I wonder how many truly realized the depth of their depravity and need for salvation.

Jesus preached a righteousness by faith, but gained a following more because of the miracles of healing he performed or food provided to the multitudes. Centuries of poor teaching had left people with the perception that the Messiah would liberate them from Roman oppression, not their root problem of sin.

Still, despite their misconceptions, he gave himself to the cross and died as the Sacrificial Lamb of God, making a way for sin and death to be conquered in the lives of all who would believe.

People still miss the point.

Many claim to follow Jesus today but have missed the point in the same way as those first-century Jews. Living with ideological blinders on, they claim that Jesus came for this reason or that, forgetting to read his own words, much less the entirety of Scripture that serves as God’s roadmap for mankind.

If sin is not addressed as the root cause of Christ’s arrival on this earth, then it is a false gospel.

If the cross is not addressed as the reason Christ came to die for our sins, then it is a false gospel.

If Christ’s righteousness is not received by faith and man thinks he can live by his own righteousness, then it is a false gospel.

If the Bible is not held as the Word of God, given by God to guide us with the help of the Holy Spirit, then it is a false gospel.

If the answer to the problems of our world today is found in anything other than the crucified and risen Christ, it is a false gospel. Why? Because the root of every problem is the sinful hearts of men. The Answer is changed hearts through faith in Christ—Nothing more, nothing less.

We must stop living with blinders on when it comes to Jesus—wanting him to give us in the flesh what he never came to give. It’s time to gain understanding and speak boldly of what he says about himself and what God’s Word confirms. We have a sin problem that broke our relationship with God. He wanted us back and sent Jesus to save us as only he could—on the cross.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these other posts about our need for Christ: No, I’m the Worst, Learning from the Past: Thirteen, Learning from the Past: Twelve, The God Who Forgets, Vain Cures, Is Sin Real?, and Born to Die.