Perfection vs. Imperfection Page 5: Jesus, Mankind’s Perfect Redemption

Now we conclude our discussions by bringing the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ into focus. Jesus, as we have been leading up to, is our Perfect Redemption to restore us to perfection once more. He is the one who takes away all of our sins and brings forgiveness, life and hope. Without our Blessed Savior we would have no hope. We would have only guilt, despair and death.

Think about it, my brethren. What would the world be like without Christ? What hope does any person have if Christ is not our salvation and our Perfect Redemption? What hope is there? As Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians states in chapter 15 verse 32, "If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Oh what a terrible place sinful people are in, dear brethren! Their lives literally are just one distraction after another until they die. They have nothing beyond death to look forward to. What a dismal outcome indeed? How frightening?

I find it very intriguing, therefore, dear brethren, that people believe that Christianity is cruel and full of terrible rules and restrictions that prevent people from having fun and pleasures that they feel we are all entitled to. If the unbeliever would only change their perspective they would realize what a blessed relief it is to be a Christian with all of its rules and restrictions! My prayer is that if you are reading this that your eyes would be open. What is more cruel? Is it more cruel to be with hope of a future beyond death and to know that your life has meaning and there is a God who controls all things who is watching over you and protecting you? Or is it more cruel to be without hope of a future beyond death and to know that your life has no meaning at all and there is no one who controls all things and no one is really watching over you or protecting you? And which is more cruel? Is it more cruel to have a God who creates rules that you should live by that may be strict but will ultimately be good for you, and to have a God who will forgive you for the mistakes that you make? Or is it more cruel to have no God, no rules and everyone can do whatever they want?

Imagine a world just as I have described. Imagine a world without God for just a moment. How terrible that would be indeed if it even could exist! Evil men would overpower those who have never fought before in their lives. So good people would be stamped on, wiped out and defeated. The world would have become ruled a long time ago by some evil tyrant who would in turn be assassinated by someone who would then take over as evil tyrant. With no one to really keep them in check, evil would rule and the good would serve the wicked.

I mean, just think of it from a simplified version. If you have a meek and mild person in a room with an overbearing and obnoxious person, who will likely lead who? The obnoxious person will lead the meek person. The obnoxious person will abuse the meek person and make them do everything until the meek person gets so fed up that they either become like the obnoxious person and fight back or they give up and live in despair forever.

This would be how our world would be without a God who watches over all things. It is He who makes sure the good always triumph. It is He that always makes sure that the meek are blessed and live in peace. Just look at America today if you want your example of how a world would be without God? 50 years ago it was more common for Americans to be in church on Sunday worshipping God. 50 years ago you did not have the moral depravity you have today! The more America turns their back on God the more depraved, selfish, self-centered, angry, bitter and violent we become. Marriages do not stay together. Families are falling apart. Mothers are killing their babies. Fathers are abandoning their families. Children are murdering children. Rape and molestation are all over the place. Guns are being fired on civilians who are driving innocently down the freeway. This is what life is like without God, and this will only increase as people continue to reject Him.

And so you see we truly do need God, and we need his chosen Savior to redeem us. We need Christ because we need His rules to live by so that we live our lives as decent human beings. We need His love and mercy and grace so that when we break those rules we aren’t destroyed by the consequences of our own actions. We need Him to maintain control over things so that when we pay for our mistakes we aren’t overwhelmed. We need Him so that we aren’t overpowered by those who would rule tyrannically over us.

This was why Christ came. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." He is our Perfect Redemption, and right now we are going to discuss how this Perfect Redemption came in a perfect way to live perfectly at just the perfect time and to die perfectly for us so that He might perfectly gain our redemption through His perfect resurrection.

It all began around 4 b.c. in Bethlehem which was controlled by the Roman Empire. Why Rome? Why was this perfect for Christ’s coming? This was perfect because Rome would be the vehicle that Christ’s church would spread through. You see, as it is discussed in Chapter 3 lesson 1 of our guide, God had set the stage for the world to receive Jesus, the Perfect Redemption. He planned from the beginning just what He would need for the Perfect Redemption to come in a perfect way. First there was Assyria who conquered portions of the world. Then there was Babylon. After that came the Persian Empire. Then came Greece and finally Rome. Each empire built upon the first, spreading its influence over the world.

The Greeks, more than any others, spread their culture and language abroad, as is discussed in lesson 2. This lead to the unification of major portions of Europe, Asia and Africa. With so many people having a common language as well as having a strong cultural influence, people were able to move quickly from one part of the western world to another. They could communicate more easily to others from one end of the Greek Empire to the other because they had a language in common.

When Rome came along and took over the Greek Empire, they added other necessary elements for the coming of Christ. Rome was the most powerful empire in history and "it covered the greatest area for the longest period of time." Rome established peace throughout this massive empire for the longest time. Instead of destroying cultures Rome incorporated them into the empire. The largest of these cultures was the Greek culture that they even promoted. The legal system of Rome was a model that many nations would use for centuries. This made it even easier to travel from one end of the empire to the other because you did not have to fear being attacked by enemies along the way.

And finally, Rome provided the death penalty that was perfect for the sacrifice Christ would make according to scriptures. You see, the Old Testament tells us in Deuteronomy 21:23, "for he that is hanged is accursed of God." Therefore, in order for Christ to take the ultimate place for our sins, to sacrifice Himself and die for us, He had to die by being hung on a tree, to be accursed by God and to take upon Himself our curse of death. The cross, being made from a tree and being likened unto a tree, was Rome’s favorite way to sentence someone to die. This "tree" would serve as Christ’s means of death, so that He could be utterly cursed for our sins.

And so, into this setting, Christ was born. When He came He was born in a perfect way for a Savior. Angels appeared to humble men, shepherds. He was born of a virgin woman, so that His conception was not only miraculous, but it proved He was conceived by the Spirit of God. He was a man made with a connection to sinful man, through His mother, but He was also made just as Adam had been made, a man created by God in a supernatural manner. As Adam had been made of the dust by supernatural means, not by a man and woman in unity with one another, so Christ came created by God through the vessel of a woman so that He was both a man like us and God.

And why did He have to be a man? Only a man who was without sin could take the place of men who were sinners. Does this not make sense? Let’s think of it in this way. You are a king. You have people who rebel against you. One rebel, a ruthless tyrant, accuses you of being unjust. He says, "You are a no good king. I can lead better than you. Behold, all you people who serve this king, he is no good. I could do better than him." Now you know, if you don’t prove that you are a good king then this rebel could lead other people astray. You must prove to your subjects that you are good or you will lose more subjects. Since you love them, you don’t want to lose any.

So you say, "I will prove to you that I am just and right." But the rebel says, "Good. I will prove to you that you are not. Behold, I am only a rebel because you have made me one. You set up rules that you knew there was no way I could follow. I physically cannot follow the rules you made for me. Therefore, how is it fair that you can punish me if you first put me into a position and then create rules for me that you know I cannot follow?"

How would you prove to this rebel that you are a good and right king? How would you prove that you are just and fair to punish this rebel? You would have to prove that if you were in the exact same position as him you would be able to abide by your own rules and not break even one. If you break even one rule you prove that you are just as bad as the rebel and that he is right.

This is exactly the situation with us and God. God created us, and He also created the Devil and his rebellious demons. He set His creation in positions of power and authority. He made them what they were. When Satan and Mankind fell, the first accusation against God is, "You’re not fair, God. How can you punish us when you don’t know what it is even like to be in our position? If you were in our position, you would fail too!"

Thus, Satan and Mankind provoke God to prove Himself, and He has. Through Christ He has proven that He can become even as sinful man. He came to the world, suffered the same temptations as we have, suffered worse temptations than we have, endured Hell, literally, and unlike us He never sinned. He never broke a single Law of God. He proved that Mankind COULD actually live by God’s Law. It might be really hard, but we could do it if we really wanted to. And so, there is no excuse. In light of this great man who did no wrong, we must admit that we have done wrong. We have no excuse for our wrong-doing because He proved that we CAN not sin.

And now, this brings up another point. If you were this king who proved that you could take the position that you had made for your servants and you could abide by all the rules, if you proved to your subjects that you are right and just, how would you react? Would you not say, "Now destroy all those who did not think I was a good king!" Wouldn’t you be furious with the ones who dared to do wrong and not be sorry for it? Wouldn’t you say, "These people have no good heart. They are evil because not only did they do wrong when they had a choice and could have done right, but they weren’t even sorry for doing wrong. They got up in my face and said, "You are wrong!" Think about it. You give them a place of authority and power and responsibility and you bless them beyond belief, and when they don’t do as you’ve instructed them they blame you for it! The audacity!

And yet, here is how awesome our God is as king. When we were yet worthy of total destruction, because He loved us, He came to earth, proved it could be done and then He took our place. You see, only the one who is perfect is worthy of taking the place of someone who is not. If I commit a crime and so do you and I try to take your place for the punishment you deserve, would I not be suffering really for my own crime? How can I suffer for your crime if I have my own to suffer punishment for? However, if there is one who has done no wrong and he willingly chooses to take your place then he is truly suffering the punishment for your crime, not his own. Thus, the punishment is satisfied by the one who did no wrong.

Now what does that make you to the person who suffered your punishment for you? Your crimes have been erased because he suffered for you. However, are you not now indebted to the one who took your place? Do you not owe him everything? And if he died for you, do you not now owe him your life? Should you not, now, be his servant? Yay! Actually, you should be his slave! You should lay down your life now for him for he laid his life down for you! Doesn’t this make sense?

And yet, here is Christ! He died for you to erase your sins and to take the punishment for your sins. Yes! Even those who are sinners are forgiven of their sins because He paid the price for them. God no longer looks at any person on this planet based on sin. Therefore, now ALL Mankind owes Christ their lives, for He died in their place. He paid the price for ALL sin. If this is the case, if ALL Mankind owes Him their lives what happens now if someone is not grateful for that sacrifice?

Let us go back to the idea that you are king. You just proved to your subjects that you are fair and good, that it is possible to obey the laws you set up. Not only that but you just paid the price for these rebels so that they are now free from guilt and free from punishment for the crimes they committed. In a sense, as a good king, you have made it so that these rebels can be citizens once more of your kingdom. Now let us say that some of these rebels are sorry for their crimes and are grateful to you that you have taken their place for punishment. They admit that they messed up and they say, "Though we are still unable to abide by your laws we agree they are good and we will try to do them from now on. However, if we mess up, please continue to forgive us, for we want to do good but we struggle to do it because it is so hard." Will you, being a good king, not love them and show mercy towards them because they are wanting to do right?

But what about those who are not sorry? Though you suffered their punishment and erased their crimes they laugh at you, mock you or completely reject you. In their hearts they aren’t even glad you took their place of punishment. They continue to want to live as rebels apart from you. They continue to believe you are not a good king. They may even acknowledge you are a good king, but they say, "I just don’t want anything to do with you because you make laws that are too hard. I can’t live by your rules and I don’t even want to try. Forget you. I’m going to continue to do whatever I want when I want, and although I know it makes you mad and you don’t like it and such, I don’t care what you think. I’m going to do whatever I want to do. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to even mock those people who are sorry and who do love you and who do want to be good and who do accept you. I’m also going to hurt them, abuse them, stab them in the back and so on. Oh, and one final thing. I don’t really believe you’re going to do a thing about it. You’re just going to sit there like a bump on a log and watch as I do whatever I want whenever I want wherever I want." In other words, though you did everything to excuse their crimes they still throw it back in your face and reject you.

What would you, oh Mankind who is not perfect, do to those who reject you? Would you not destroy them utterly? Would you not say, "These are wicked people indeed and terrible rebels! For the sake of my people who do love me and serve me I must destroy these people forever or they will continue to hurt those who have accepted my love and mercy and forgiveness. I will surely reward these wicked people for everything that I had suffered to take their place for. Every crime they committed I will surely now exact upon them for they have rejected me even after I suffered for them." Then would you not say to those who you forgave, "But you, oh my people who have accepted my sacrifice, I know you want to serve me and do right. I will continue to forgive you of all that you do wrong because your heart is right. You desire to do good, and therefore I shall not only forgive you continually but I will reward you for every good thing you have done. I will bless you over and over again for all the good you do. I shall remember your crimes no more but I will reward all your good deeds because you love me and accept me. You appreciate my sacrifice and you admit you did wrong. Come and enjoy all the good things I have prepared for you in my kingdom."? Would you not be this way, oh you who are imperfect? And how much more so would a perfect God be this way?

But now, we come to a dilemma. Who is worthy to judge? Who is worthy to forgive our sins and determine who should continue to live in God’s Kingdom? Is it not Christ who lived perfectly and died for us? Would it not be the one who proved you can be perfect and who took our place? Is it not the one that we owe our lives to? Yes, it is Christ. He proved we are wrong and we could live without sin. He then took our place and punishment for our crimes. Therefore, He alone, who proved us wrong and yet forgave us, He alone is worthy to judge us. Can anyone else judge us? Can I judge you? No, I sin. I am not perfect. I do wrong as well. Therefore, how can I judge you? I am just as guilty. Only one who is not guilty can judge the guilty. That is why Christ also had to be perfect, so that He would have ultimate right to pass judge on all things. He alone is worthy.

Thus we come to the end of our discussions. Christ alone came to this world at the perfect time. He lived a perfect life. Even the places He went in life and what He did and said maximized on the impact His life had on people in this world during that time. He gave His life willingly, crucified on a tree, the cross, to be accursed by God for our sakes. He was killed by Jews and Gentiles alike so that all Mankind was represented that day as murderers of a guiltless man. In this way we were all made guilty of killing Christ and making Him suffer for us. And yet, by the power of His Holy Spirit, Christ rose again from the dead to be the first person to conquer death. In this way He makes a way, as a trailblazer, for all Mankind to conquer death through the power that He gives us.

For since Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden until His sacrifice, we were all criminals sentenced with the death penalty. Since God cannot lie and He said, "If you eat of the tree you will surely die," so Mankind must all still die. So what could God do? In order to not lie and yet make it so that death was not the end, He made it so that after we die we shall be reborn, resurrected from the dead, so that Death no longer has any hold on us. Through Christ’s sacrifice and because of His resurrection, the Perfect Redeemer has paved the way so that all who accept His sacrifice may also die and be resurrected.

So today, if you are an individual who has not accepted Christ’s sacrifice for your sins…if you are reading this and you are not one of the brethren, my beloved Catechumen who have already accepted His sacrifice and who are so new to the faith…if you are a rebel and are still living rejecting the Good King who has proven we CAN be sinless…if are a rebel and are still rejecting the Good King’s ultimate sacrifice to wipe away your sins…if you are now realizing that you have not been grateful to this King who has taken your punishment…do not hesitate any longer. There is one way that you can be saved from punishment. It is so easy.

Right now, the All Knowing Creator, God, Jesus Christ the King, is able to know even your very thoughts. Do not hesitate a moment longer. Admit that your ways are wrong. Admit that His ways are right. Tell Him with a simple prayer. Pray it in a whisper. Tell Him, "Lord Jesus. I admit I am wrong. I admit you are right. Please forgive me. I accept Your sacrifice. I accept You paying the price for my sins. I want you to be my King. I want You to help me, protect me and guide me. I want You to give me strength and hope and life. Wash away all my sins. Pardon all my wrong-doings. Help me to never do wrong. Help me not only be perfect because You forgive me but to live perfect in action. I want to do right from now on. Help me to do right and give me eternal life with You after death. Thank you Jesus. Amen."

If you have prayed this from your heart for the first time…if you were sincere about this prayer…then you have done all you will ever need to do to be saved, to have eternal life. Now continue on this path. Do not turn back. Do not go back into rebellion. If you do mess up again and sin, don’t worry. If you are truly sorry for your sins you need not worry about messing up again. He is not sitting there in Heaven counting your sins. Remember, if your heart is right He is choosing to forget all sins that you commit. Therefore, you are no longer guilty of anything. All of the Law of God is now a chosen way of life that you SHOULD want to live by because you have admitted that God’s ways are right and good. If they are right and good you should want to live as He has instructed for you to live.

Thus, because of Christ, if you have turned your heart towards Him and truly have admitted you need Him, you no longer have to worry about sin. Oh, you should try not to sin, but it should be because you no longer want to sin. It is not about punishment or crime anymore. It is merely about serving Christ because of what He did for you and because you admit you think His way is right. It is merely about loving Him and thanking Him for the sacrifice He has done for you.

So if you think being a Christian is all about rules and regulations, you have missed the point entirely. It is about Christ, the Perfect Redeemer, who lived and died for us and was resurrected again so that we could have eternal life, so we could be redeemed to a place of perfection. If you have accepted Him, find yourself a church who is excited about Christ. Find a church who is seeking His will and His direction. Find a church where there are people who are genuinely happy about Christ’s sacrifice for their sins. Then start reading your Bible to learn more about Him. Pray as often as you can and share with Christ, who hears all you think, all of your concerns. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for guidance. When you accept Christ, He puts His Spirit within you so that He can directly guide you and help you through all you go through. He uses His people to help you also, which is why you need the church. He uses scripture to help you. In short, He uses whatever He can to help you, protect you, care for you and guide you.

But be warned. We still live in a sinful world that has rejected Him. We are here to help others find His Perfect Redemption. Therefore, you will still suffer. You will still endure hardships and trials. This is another reason why you need the church. You need other believers to help you through these hard times. You need these people, as imperfect as they still are, to strengthen you just as they need you to help them. Yes, people, even Christians, can be mean and cruel at times, but keep in mind they are imperfect too. Just because you’re saved doesn’t mean you are suddenly going to be like Christ completely. You are still flawed until you die and are resurrected with a new, sinless body. So are other Christians. This is why forgiveness of one another is so vital to our continued survival. If we want to be forgiven we must learn to forgive also even if others we care about hurt us deeply.

So do not allow hurt to isolate you from others. It is all about Christ. Keep that in mind. It is all about Him paying the price for you. So when things get tough, remember He is with you. Remember He is there for you. Remember that He can use anything to help you. He is the All Powerful, All Knowing and Always Present God. He will never leave you. He will never turn His back on you. So keep your focus on Him and you will make it. Keep your focus on Him and watch how He will reward you both in life on Earth and in our Eternal Home.