WHO IS TO BLAME?

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*WHO IS TO BLAME?*

*Scripture Treasure.*

John 3:14-18

*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.*

*For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.*

*For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.*

*He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Who is to blame? Certainly, not God!

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Following the fall of man, God embarked on a plan to save the human race.

God announced the plan, in Gen 3:15a. God

said He would put enmity between the serpent and man. This marked the beginning of the current spiritual conflict/ warfare between Satan and man.

Gen 3:15b, God says the "seed of the woman" (interpreted as Jesus Christ) would bruise the serpent's head and the serpent shall bruise man's heels.

Gen 3:15 was the promise on which the coming of Jesus though the virgin Mary stood. It marked the beginning of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the future victory where Christ defeats Satan through his death and resurrection. 

Gen 3:15 underscores the ultimate victory that would overcome Satan forever:

(the Battle of Gog and Magog, Rev 20:7-10.).

Some questions have often come to minds of an ever rebellious world.

Some are, if God were a good God, why does He allow evil?

If God were a forgiving God, why did He allow death as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve?

Why did He not simply forgive, forget and move on with His initial plan for man to live forever?

All these and many like these have become man's reactions to a good God and worst is

'Why did God create hell'?

The children of men were created with the intentions to live forever.

Death was not pronounced until if God was disobeyed by the instructions *".....tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."* Gen 2:17.

This was disobeyed and death was summoned into the life and affairs of man.

Adam and Eve were expelled from the

Garden of Eden into a world of sin, suffering, and mortality they allowed for themselves.

The eating of the fruit, was followed by the subsequent separation from God who can not die. So we knew death because we were separated from Him.

We can not desire to decide for ourselves what is good and evil, and still expect to rely on a God who commanded absolute obedience and did not want us to know what evil was.

So we knew evil by greedy desires, and were separated from Him.

1 John 1:5 says The scriptures says in Him *".....there is no darkness at all....".*

We seem to forget these narrations and continue to justify why we sin rather than justify why we should not sin.

We have from the fall, become sinners in the hands of an angry God where God seeks to save us by His outstretched hands to keep us from falling into hell and at the same time seeking that we receive immediate salvation to escape hell.

This narrative is best illustrated by

Rom 5:8 *But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.*

Acts 17:30 *And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:*

He is too longsuffering to be quick to judge sin (2 Pet 3:9) but He must judge sin or else He will not be the righteous, just and holy God He said He is.

Habakkuk says his eyes are too pure to behold iniquity. Hab 3:2 says *Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:*

There is a necessity of judgment with God because God is righteous and holy, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished, Rom 2:6, 6:23.

1 Peter 4:5 notes that Jesus is appointed to judge the living and the dead, emphasizing His readiness to judge.

His judgment did not start using us as an example of His wrath, it started with Him making Himself as an example, a scapegoat, a substitution as an example of His wrath against sin.

He crossed His boundaries as God to become human to satisfy both justice and love. He sent Himself through Jesus to take the punishment for sin.

What else do we desire of the Almighty to save us from our willful disobedience paying for the debt of sin He did not owe?

What has He not done for you?

What have you done for Him?

All He desires of you is to give your life to Him?

Have you? If not give it to Him today!

If you have, do not take it back!

Many will have themselves to blame when they refuse to give their lives to Him (Lk 13:28)

Imagine the giver of life asking you to give to Him the life He gave you!

Do not blame God!

*Remorse corner.*

God must judge sin to remain holy, just, and righteous, a concept rooted in His nature as the final judge who cannot overlook evil.

*Call to Word action.*

He is not hasty but looking for a final, prepared accountability to judge hoping we would repent.

Rev 22:13 *And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Do not blame God. Blame yourself and make amends.

*Prayer.*

2 Cor 5:20 *Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.*

Lord let those who blame You repent and be reconciled to You, in Jesus name.

Good morning all and have a blessed day.

God bless you.

Shalom.