Hebrews

God Provided the Sacrifice

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In Chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis, we read the account of Abraham’s willing intent to sacrifice his son, Isaac – often called the Binding of Isaac.

The narrative details God’s command to Abraham to take Isaac on the three-day journey to Moriah where he would offer his son as a burnt offering. Isaac, most likely in his late twenties or early thirties at the time, was unmindful of the Lord’s directive. Hence, his question of his father just prior to their departure was proffered in innocence:

“Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Genesis 22:7(b)

Abraham’s response not only provided momentary assurance for Isaac but, more crucially, foreshadowed God’s plan for the redemption of humanity:

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Genesis 22:8

At the time, the law had not been given to Moses on Mt. Sinai specifying the circumstances under which various offerings were to be given. The only burnt offering documented in scripture prior to this was that of Noah in Genesis 8:20-21:

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”

As we learn in scripture, a burnt offering was a voluntary sacrifice, typically of an unblemished bull, sheep, goat or bird. The animal was completely consumed by fire on an altar as an act of worship to God signifying total consecration, devotion and atonement for sin.

In this case, the sacrifice was to be not an animal or bird, but Abraham’s only son born of his wife, Sarah.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac because he believed God would raise him from the dead. He had faith in God’s promise that “in Isaac your seed shall be called” (Genesis 21:12(b)). Indeed, as we read in James 2:21-23, Abraham’s faith was completed by his actions:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

God did not mandate burnt sacrifices because He needed them; rather, they were established as a divine means of grace to allow sinful humans to approach and remain in the presence of a holy God.

Of course, such rationale does not satisfy many skeptics who question God’s redemptive plan. And, to be honest, His plan indeed requires trust in the Father’s omniscience, omnipotence and love for His creation.

Scripture teaches us that “without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22) I confess that I do not fully understand why a loving God would require the sacrifice of a living creature to satisfy His wrath and atone for man’s sin. Nor do I believe I am supposed to in its entirety.

What I do understand is this: God’s plan intended that the blood of bulls and goats would be but a temporary means of atonement for sin – that He had a much more awesome design for removing the barrier of sin that precluded His creation from fellowship with Him…

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)

That plan indeed included a blood sacrifice – a sacrifice not of bulls, goats or birds – but of His only begotten Son. In His great love, God not only gave us the road map to perpetual fellowship with Him, He provided the sacrifice! The great plan of God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit came together at the cross – a once for eternity atonement for the sins of those who believe in Him.

We know, of course, that as Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to sacrifice his son, he was interrupted by the Angel of the Lord:

“Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. (Genesis 22:12-13)

As He did for Abraham, God has provided the sacrifice – the ultimate sacrifice for those who, like Abraham, fear God and put their faith in Christ Jesus.

Endurance & Perseverance: Running the Race for Eternity

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“…one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

The upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The resurrection. The prize of eternity with the Lord.

It is the only prize that matters. As with any prize, there is a path to victory. To Christians, that path is sometimes referred to as The Way…as in:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

And while The Way has 66 books of the Bible devoted to its amplification, an exceedingly abridged account of the path incorporates:

  1. Acknowledgement of our sin: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
  2. Recognition that we deserve death: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
  3. The understanding that Jesus died as a propitiation for our sins and was resurrected: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  4. Faith: “For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  5. Living our faith by being obedient to His word: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

How to Run

The Bible makes several analogies of our journey in The Way as a race. The Apostle Paul instructs us as to how this race is to be run:

“…I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

Philippians 3:12b

In other words, we run by “pressing on.” We do not relent. We do not lose focus. We run with perseverance.

As the author of Hebrews exhorts us:

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Hebrews 12:1

Although we may be mature in our beliefs, we must recognize that Satan is ever-present. He is always seeking to make the race more difficult by throwing up obstacles – those things we see as temptations or distractions. It is why we must run with endurance and perseverance – and be confident that as we tire or become confused, the Holy Spirit will give us a course-correction.

Preparing to Run

Competition and fitness were central features of the Roman and Greek cultures in which Paul was immersed during his four missionary journeys. Athletic success required preparation. Training and diet were fundamental elements of that preparation.

Perhaps this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote in chapter 4 of his first letter to Timothy that good ministry requires that one be “nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” while exhorting him to “exercise yourself toward godliness.”

Despite the fact that Paul knew Jesus better than anyone else, he continued to hunger for ever-greater, ever-deeper knowledge of Christ. Nourishment in God’s word strengthens the relationship one has with Him. A greater knowledge of God leads to a greater love of Him.

Of course, most of us know of someone with a shallow or insincere love of Christ. Most likely, that reveals a shallow knowledge of Him. Running the race with endurance and perseverance requires that we nourish ourselves properly with “words of faith and good doctrine.”

It also necessitates “exercise towards godliness.” Becoming increasingly godly is foundational to the race itself. We do so by consuming a steady diet of God’s word and exercising love and discipline in our obedience to it. Preparation becomes part of the race itself.

Winning

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

I Corinthians 9:24-27

In the athletic competitions of ancient Greece, there was but one winner. Thankfully, that is not the case in this race. Jesus died on the cross so that each and every one of us can win our race. We are not racing against others – but we are racing against the world.

A key component of our individual race is the exhortation of our brethren to train with us, and run with endurance and perseverance. For as Jesus said to His disciples just prior to ascension,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”

Matthew 28:19-20

And we are to run, as instructed by Paul in I Corinthians 9, with the certainty of victory. We are to exercise discipline to run through our inadequacies. And we are to be obedient to the rules of the race.

The Finish Line

While sitting in a Roman jail – knowing that his execution was but days away – Paul wrote to Timothy:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7

Death on earth is indeed the end of the race. But for those that have run with endurance and perseverance, and finish with faith and obedience, it is the beginning of a resurrected eternity with the Lord. It is the prize for which we press on, the reward for finishing well.

Paul knew the resurrection to be fact – he was, after all, face to face with Jesus on the Damascus Road. He knew that Jesus had defeated death. That gave Paul his ultimate goal – and his reason to press on.

Perhaps we have not been face-to-face with Christ in the same way. But Christians have felt the presence and the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives – giving us the same confidence Paul had. Confidence in Christ. Confidence in the resurrection. And with confidence comes hope. With confidence comes joy. With confidence comes peace.

In fact, Paul’s confidence was such that he could see death as gain:

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21

How about each of us? Do we fear death – or do we see death as necessary to win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus?

If we have run the race the right way, death is not to be feared; rather it is to be viewed as gain. For as C.S. Lewis so wisely wrote:

“Nothing that has not died will be resurrected.”

The Manifestation of Faith

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

I started this post with the intent of addressing the what, why and how of eternal life with the Lord. But as I began to put context to this idea, I quickly realized that I was adding unneeded complexity to a simple truth. The what and why are obvious…and the how is actually quite uncomplicated.

There is but one how to eternity: faith in the Triune God.

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul confirms this truth:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (8:1)

No condemnation. No death. Faith alone.

The concept of “faith” may be obscure to many. Even as defined by the writer of Hebrews in verse 11:1, the meaning can seem vague:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is trust in God’s word. Faith is certainty of His existence and His promises – despite the fact that we cannot perceive them with our physical senses. It is spiritual certitude grounded not in tangible evidence, but in our trust of God’s character.

This certainty – this faith – triggers a transformation of our very being. What are the manifestations of that transformation in our time on this earth?

Love. Repentance. Mercy. Humility. Obedience.

Our faith is an open invitation to the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts and lead us in fulfilling the words of the prophet Micah:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:8)

I pray that this faith is YOUR faith. If so, you are blessed. But the Lord’s blessings are waiting for those who have yet to find it. He has made Himself known through creation, through scripture, and through the person of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will seek Him.

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13