Waiting for someone that will never come

Good afternoon, Bishop.

I would like to tell you the story of a person who has spent their life waiting for someone that will never come.

I was speaking to a man, who has been attending our Church for five years, and during our conversation I noticed that he really wanted to see his dreams come true. However, there was something holding him back, causing his dreams to become distant.

He hasn’t had any physical contact with his wife for three years, she hates him. His son lives in America and is addicted to drugs, but because he lives so far away, the man constantly worries about his son.

In addition, he receives hemodialysis three times a week. He lost two car dealerships and is now unemployed, poor and alone.

After paying close attention to him in church, I noticed that he was attentive, he prayed, sought the Holy Spirit and praised God, or at least he did with his mouth. But unfortunately, his life did not glorify Him.

Intrigued by his attentiveness in Church, I decided to go talk to him and that is when I found out what was really inside him. He is filled with Biblical knowledge, his opinions are made and well-defined, but only in regards to what he agrees with.

According to him, it is no longer necessary to give tithes or make sacrifices to God. All he had to do now was wait for God’s answer. In his opinion, wanting something was enough for God to answer him and change his life.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to open up his eyes to the truth and set him free from the shackles that had imprisoned him for so many years. I explained everything to him with sincerity and respect. He listened attentively, but since then he hasn’t come back to Church.

But the Holy Spirit has convicted me that: You have set him free. Don’t worry because you have done your part."

His actions prove that he had not sacrificed his life to God. He rather be his own lord, and unfortunately continue his journey waiting for someone that will never come.

Greetings to you and your family.

Pastor Junior Figueiredo

Lord of Souls

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment... Hebrews 9.27

Although mankind’s justice is different from the Divine’s, it gives insight into what will happen on Judgment Day.

Usually, when a man is brought to justice, the accused is arrested and held at the police station to await his final sentence. After filing the appropriate paperwork, he is led to court and there he will be judged. If convicted, he is taken to prison, where he will be kept behind bars to serve his sentence.
 If he is found innocent, he is immediately set free.

Divine Justice works in a similar way. It begins with death. Immediately after a person dies, they will face the first phase of the trial. The soul is separated from the body and is taken to the waiting room, before being taken to its final destination. If they are saved, they’re sent to the bosom of Abraham. If they are lost, they’re taken straight to hell.
But who takes them to their final destination?

Each person, regardless of their gender, age, belief, religion, race, nationality or social class, either belongs to God or to the devil.

Whoever repents their sins and gives their soul to the Lord and Savior Jesus when they die, the angels of God, in obedience to His command, come for their soul and bring them to Heaven, that is, to Abraham's bosom.

But if his soul is not completely devoted to the Lord Jesus during his life, there will be no more chances after death, considering that his free will is only valid while he is alive. Whether he likes it or not, after death his soul no longer belongs to him. And, because of his rejection or omission to what the Divine offered while he was still alive, the destination of his soul is hell. And after Judgment Day comes the Lake of fire and brimstone, which will be for all of eternity.

Who will take him to hell? God’s angels? No.

They only serve the Almighty.

The unclean spirits, Satan’s messengers, have authority to bring these souls straight to hell and nobody or nothing can stop them from completing their task.

A Woman’s Influence

I have always heard people say that women have the power to influence. But how do we influence?
Maybe you have asked the same question, but never received an answered.

God has revealed the answer to me. It may sound like a joke, but why is it that when we are passing through a desert or a difficult situation, we are much more sensitive to the voice of God, than when everything is going well.

Women can’t even imagine the influence they have on others! Their influence comes from their emotions.

We know that man is the provider, he brings home the food, he pays the bills and he is the protector. In other words, he is the head of the household.

He makes the final decisions and decides if something is allowed or not. When the opposite happens and the woman takes the reins, the marriage becomes a complete failure. In this case, there is no way they can be happy. Every woman wants to find her hero. No matter how much she tries to survive on her own, with her own strength and her supposed modernism, she will always feel frustrated!

However, the influence she has over her home comes from the emotions she carries. If something hurt or saddened her, she immediately reacts by seeking out a friend or even her husband to talk about what happened. Just because she needs to vent.

On the other hand, listening and understanding aren’t part of man’s characteristics. His instinct tells him to "take action" and solve the problem. That is exactly where a woman's influence comes in. She just wanted to vent, she wanted to talk about her feelings and her pains. She wants him to understand what she’s feeling, but she doesn’t have the slightest clue that she is causing a tremendous influence on her husband because of the way she’s acting.

He, as protector, winds up taking action with the intention of solving his wife’s problem, but only ends up getting in the way of that situation.

And who suffers because of this?

They both suffer and end up hurt! All because of a whim that blinds us and prevents us from thinking about the consequences of our influences.

Vivi Freitas

A Book

For a long time, I insisted on doing things my way. Until the day I heard about a book named Better than a New Pair of Shoes by Cristiane Cardoso.

From about the age of 8, I attended a traditional evangelical church. Before coming to this church, my family and I had already knocked on various other doors, but our lives never changed. On the contrary, things kept getting worse year after year. There was always some type of misfortune happening in one of our lives, and when we started attending this traditional church, we were taught to consider our problems as trials sent by God to test our faith.

My mother became very sick, my sister grew up to become a lost rebellious youth, and I closed myself off from the world and led a life of deception (in church I was one thing, outside was another). Our home was filled with arguments and misunderstandings, our father turned his back on us, but then again he already had another family. I suffered with insomnia, I saw shadows, I had many fears, nightmares and low self-esteem. I was constantly feeling lonely (not even my boyfriend could fill my void). I spent various nights crying, which caused me to turn to internet games. I didn’t sleep, so during the day, I would attack my friends and teachers at school. I also developed the habit of wearing men's clothes. A few years later, I started smoking cigarettes, drinking and stealing. However, on Sundays, there I was in church, teaching Sunday school.

Around that time, my cousin moved back to Portugal. She had been living in Spain and had become a member of the UCKG. She stayed at my house for a few days and she wouldn’t stop talking about a book she had read. Some time later, my mother past away and that is when I hit rock bottom.
 

There was a UCKG right in front of my house, but I had always heard people badmouth the church, so I never thought to go and see the kind of work they were doing there. I didn’t care to hear anything about them, so when my cousin spoke about the book, I just ignored her. I hardened my heart, but the messages it contained were so strong that I ended up listening. This young woman named Cristiane Cardoso, had gone through similar situations I did. She had problems with being too shy like me, and she seemed to know everything that was on my mind and in my heart.

A few months later, I accepted my cousin’s invitation to attend a special meeting they were going to have for the turn of the New Year. That’s when I realized that what I was seeing was totally different from what I heard about this Church. The pastor's words touched my heart deeply and I began yearning to find out more about this Living and True God who, until that day, I had only heard about!

It hurt to hear the truth, to acknowledge that my religion and my biblical knowledge didn’t make me better than anyone else and that it didn’t change anything in my life. It broke my pride, and I didn’t go back for a whole month. During that time, I just kept thinking about the book Better than a New Pair of Shoes, so I decided to attend an afternoon meeting.

I smile whenever I think about how God had everything already planned out so well. During the meeting, the assistants handed out the book to whoever went up to give their offerings (there were only a few books). My heart started beating fast because I was so anxious to get my hands on one of those books! As soon as the pastor called up the offering givers, I rushed to the front to make sure I would get mine. I read it in two days!

Since then, my life has completely changed from the inside out!
Today, I serve a Living and True God in the Universal Church, a God that can heal any heart!

Julia Teca, Portugal

No more shoulders

Yesterday, when I began reading about David, I got stuck in the first few verses. I had set myself to write about our experiences in Israel but I couldn’t start without sharing what God spoke to me through the beginning of this beautiful Biblical story…

“Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”
1 Samuel 16:1 – 3

Samuel felt the pain of disappointment to know that King Saul did not fear God as was expected, being especially chosen by Him to be the first king of Israel. The disappointment was not only because Saul did not obey, for that could easily be repaired, the problem was his pride. Samuel knew that Saul has just lost everything he needed to have God by his side as soon as he saw Saul’s reaction to God’s disappointment. He couldn’t care less. In fact, Saul begged for ‘forgiveness’ by tearing Samuel’s own garments! What kind of ‘repentance’ is that? Where is the respect for the prophet of God?

Already there, Saul lost God’s presence. That’s why God tells Samuel to stop being sorry for him. Pity could not change the situation of Saul, by the way, pity does not change anyone’s situation. The one who’s wrong is the one who has to change! And if the person does not change and you want to help him or her change, you will only hinder the Hand of God from helping that person.

Sometimes one has to be alone, lose everything, even friendships, to value the presence of God. But there are people who don’t accept this. They condemn this kind of attitude in the church. They like to say ‘Where’s the love between brothers and sisters?’ – I’d like to invite them to read the above Bible passage again and tell me why the Author of Love was the first One to do this!

Some years ago, when we worked in London and the church was still beginning, with a few pastors and pastors’ wives, our unity was very noticeable. I felt at home with everyone, because we were like a family. We had many things in common especially the desire to win souls. But one day, one pastor’s wife did something wrong and was rebuked for it. I felt sorry for her but at the same time, heard a Voice that said ‘leave her alone, she needs it.’ So I prayed for her and left. I did not go after her to see how she was feeling, nor even offer her a ‘shoulder’, not because I did not care, but because the Holy Spirit is the Shoulder she needed. At the time, another pastor’s wife thought this was absurd on my part. Well, neither are in the Work of God today.

Saul also thought to have been wronged. In fact, Lucifer also thought to have been wronged. Look at the ‘coincidence’… all who think they’re wronged do not repent! They like to focus on the ‘injustice’ instead of what they need to do to get out of it.

I’m still reading 1 Samuel 16…

Onesimus

Onesimus was Philemon’s slave. He was probably influenced and convinced to become a Christian by his master, Philemon. But, after taking advantage of his master’s good faith, which is a character trait of those who are convinced, he stole and then fled. 

Knowing that sooner or later he would be arrested and sentenced to death, he sought refuge with the apostle Paul in Rome.

While in prison, Paul taught him that the life span granted to us in this world is short and worst of all would be spending eternity in the Lake of fire and brimstone. And even though he was in in prison, he was still a free man. He was free to think about and determine his eternal future. The Lord Jesus is the only One who is able to simultaneously guarantee freedom and eternity.

After leading him to a true conversion, Paul sent him back to Philemon with a recommendation letter.

Note his words to Philemon: “...I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains”, which show slave, robber Onesimus’ true conversion into a free man, and above all, he was identified as Paul’s son by faith. This is exactly what we expect to happen with those who, for whatever reason, fled from the Lord’s presence and are lost somewhere out there, threatened with a death sentence by hell.

Because, like Paul, we believe that they have departed for a while, so that we may receive them forever, not as slaves of sin but as beloved brothers. For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. Philemon 1.10 and 1.15-16

If you are reading this and find yourself in the position of being a fugitive Onesimus, lost in this world, know that the UCKG is always ready to give you a new chance.

Be free of your sad past in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Learning from David

King David was one of the most diverse figures of the Bible, whose various experiences of life and faith are described in great detail within Scripture.

Youngest son of his father, shepherd, adviser to the king, musician, warrior, fugitive, captain of a militia, despised leader, writer, king of Israel, adulterer, murderer, man of war, pursued by his own son, visionary of the first Temple of Solomon, predecessor of the Lord Jesus... a life of every color and shade, a man that was very flawed and at the same time, "according to the heart of God."

Studying David's life of ups and downs is a journey full of lessons, adventures and discoveries, after which you will not be the same person. In following the course of David’s life, you'll find yourself on the path of a man who knew God intimately. Following his story will bring you closer to God.

I would like to invite you to do just that. Seize this opportunity and allow your imagination to go back to the past and enrich your faith.

Let's start reading the story of David today. It begins in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, continues through the rest of 1 Samuel, all of 2 Samuel, until David’s death in 1 Kings 2.

Let's read, meditate and learn from this amazing story. It would be great if you left your comments here and shared the lessons you discover along the way, so we can all be blessed.

Are you up for it?

The Son and The Auction

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Michelangelo. They were very close and they would sit together admiring their great findings.

Unfortunately, the son was drafted off to war. He was very brave. However, he was killed while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for many years. The death of his only son shook him up so badly that he lost his will to live.

A couple of months later, there was a knock at the door.

A young man stood at the door with a large, beautiful picture frame in his hands.
He said to the father:
 

- Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier your son gave his life for. He saved many lives, including mine. While he was carrying me to safety, a bullet struck him in the chest and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art.

The young man held out the picture frame and said:
- I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this. The father tore through the packaging that protected the frame. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young soldier. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the portrait.

- Oh, no sir! I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son. A few months later, the man died. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.

Many influential people gathered with excitement to purchase such great works of art. Among the valuable pieces sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel and announced the beginning of the auction:
- We will start the bidding with this picture of “THE SON”. Who will bid first? How much will you bid for this portrait?

There was silence… Then, a voice in the back of the room shouted:
- We want to see the famous paintings: Van Gogh, Picasso!

But the auctioneer persisted:
- Will somebody bid for this painting? $100, $200?

After the auctioneer persisted for a while, another voice answered:

- I’ll give $10 for the painting.
It was the father’s old gardener. Since he was a very poor man, this was all he could afford.

- We have $10! Who will bid $20? – shouted the auctioneer.

No one said a word. So, the auctioneer pounded the gavel:
- Going once. Going twice. SOLD for $10!

A man sitting on the second row shouted:
- Now let’s get to the valuable pieces of the collection!

The auctioneer laid down his gavel and said:
- I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but the auction is over.

- But, what about the paintings? – asked the impatient crowd.

- I am sorry, said the auctioneer.
- When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. Only the painting of “THE SON” would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who bought “THE SON” gets everything!

In Conclusion:
He who has the Son of God has eternal life and everything that comes along with it; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. He will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone along with the devil, demons, death, hell, the Beast and the False Prophet.
1 John 5.12; Revelation 20.10,14,15

Those who believe, amen. Those who don’t believe, patience.

What I have, I give to you

Day 20 – The last Chance

Thinking about suicide?

When I was 7 years old I had a large tumor on my right thigh and doctors agreed that my leg would have to be amputated.

My family’s financial situation was bad and we had just received an eviction notice.

That afternoon my father, who didn’t normally drink, came home drunk after spending all of his salary… the money my mother was counting on to pay the rent.

That night my mother kicked him out of the house and decided to   kill herself.   I was an only child, so after putting me to sleep she went into the kitchen with my father's gun and was about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden I woke up and called out to her.

She came into the room expecting to do one more thing for me before killing herself, but I wanted to watch cartoons on TV. She tried to explain that there were no cartoons at that time of night, but I insisted.

So she turned the TV on, turned the volume up really loud and was planning to leave me in front of the TV while she finished the job. But she just so happened to tune in to a program called Panel of Truth just as Pastor Macedo was saying, "If you think there’s no hope for your problems and have a gun pointed to your head—ready to kill yourself—don’t do it. Come to the church because there is a way to solve your problems."

After hearing this invitation she decided to attend the church, but told herself that if nothing changed, she would then go ahead and kill herself.

The next day I was carried to the church because I couldn’t walk anymore. The tumor was too large. When we entered the church she sat me down on the last bench, and there and then, an evil spirit manifested in her.

Pr. Macedo was alone in the church at the time, and as he came over to pray for her the demon said he had been sent to destroy everyone in my family. He said he had come into our lives because my aunt had done witchcraft on one of my doll’s legs, so that I would lose my leg and cause my parents all sorts of pain.

After the prayer Pr. Macedo asked me to come over and give my mother a hug, and I got up and walked—something I had not done in a very long time.  My mother was overjoyed and as I came up to the altar, we noticed that the tumor had burst and all the impurities were oozing out.

It’s been almost 30 years now and throughout this period of time my entire family has been attending the Universal Church. We overcame all our hardships and the witchcraft and persevered in the faith. I have younger brothers who are Assistants and my parents live in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and are members of the UCKG in Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

I gave my life to Jesus at a very young age, after having an encounter with Him at the age of 15. For four years now I’ve been doing the work of God in South Africa.

Fabiana Moreira

Day 19 – The two-way street of faith

Walk in the Spirit. This is a command from the Holy Spirit to His children and servants.

But how can we walk in the Spirit and not give in to the desires of the flesh? It seems impossible. And in fact, it is as long as we lack a spiritual nature, as long as we are not born of the Holy Spirit.

Would God ask us to do the impossible?

I don’t think so, how about you?

The fact is, anyone born of the Spirit is spirit. Therefore, walking in the Spirit and overcoming the flesh are absolutely possible and even required.

How do we walk in the Spirit?

When our thoughts and God’s thoughts are linked in our day to day life, whatever belongs to the flesh loses its appeal.

This is why only those who are born of the Spirit overcome, not only the desires of the flesh but the world itself. I John 5.4

It’s worth mentioning that God gives us the right to ask for the impossible, but in return feels He has the right to insist that we do all we can possibly do, for our own good.

Many Christians don’t want Your Kingdom (obedience to God’s Word) but they want Him to come (God’s blessings).

  Day 18 – Why was Abraham tested?

Why did God test Abraham if He knew beforehand that Abraham would obey and sacrifice his son Isaac?

God wanted to make it clear to mankind that anyone is capable of loving and believing in Him, even when their senses are being pushed far beyond the normal limit. Abraham was not born of the Spirit, was not baptized in the Holy Spirit, did not receive an anointing from the Spirit like many other prophets and kings of Israel received; all in all, Abraham was a simple, ordinary man just like you and me. However, he was able to overcome the emotions of his heart and obey. If Abraham was able to do that, then we are able to pay the price and deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow His Son Jesus.

Many unbelievers might argue that Jesus’ sacrifice was doable because He was God, and as a consequence, able to easily overcome the desires of the flesh.

But Abraham’s act of faith can be used as an argument against those who always have an excuse for denying their faith in Jesus and giving in to the desires of the flesh. The fact is, the Lord has never and will never ask for something beyond His servant’s ability to give. When the master gave his servant a talent, obviously his hope was that his servant would multiply it. Instead, he hid it and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground…” Matthew 25.24

Every one of God’s servants has a talent. And yet some servants are bad, lazy and cowardly. Though they are very talented, they hide their talents. These will be cast into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25.30

Day 17 – The devil’s fart

What’s the stinkiest, smelliest fart you’ve ever smelt? Does just remembering it make your nostrils burn and your face grimace? (I hope that wasn’t one of your own, under the sheets…)

Now multiply that stink by a million, and what do you have? You have the devil’s fart.

So, if you were in a room with the devil and he farted (what were you doing in a room with the devil, anyway?), what would you do?

You would run out of the room, of course. You would do anything —anything — to avoid that stink.

Very well. Here’s what I’d like you to do from now on: you’ll think of doubt as the devil’s fart.

Every time that a doubt comes to your mind, you’ll react like you would if you were in a room with the devil and he farted. You will get out of there — of that state of doubt — as fast as you can.

Doubt is a major reason why people fail. It’s what stinks your plans and gives your decisions (if you can manage to make any) a terrible after-smell.

Please remember that: doubt = devil’s fart

I’m telling you, it’s not funny.

From: Bishop Renato Cardoso

Day 16 – your life, your testimony

I’d like to invite you who had your life transformed yesterday, Sunday 15^th January 2012, to share your experience with us.

Your testimony is the message of the 16^th Day.

Be abundantly blessed!

Mount of Transfiguration (English)

Day 14 – Righteousness, Faith and Love II

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But the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2.4     …for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by 


faith.” Romans 1.17

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.Galatians 3.11 ...Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, 
My soul has no pleasure in him.Hebrews 10.38

These holy verses indicate clearly and categorically that the righteousness of God is based on faith. That is, there’s no forgiveness, no salvation, no fulfillment of the Divine Promises, in other words, there is nothing without the action of sacrificial faith.

According to the Law of God, everyone has sinned, sins and will sin. Except for the innocent children, who are not yet able to discern between good and evil. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12

Therefore, it is impossible to receive anything from God without manifesting a practical faith. It’s different form the law of men, which requires compelling evidence to acquit the guilty. That is, everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. If a person is charged with murder, there must be evidence that he killed someone; if a person is charged with robbery, there must be evidence that he stole; if a person breaks the law, there must be evidence that he broke the law.

In the Kingdom of God, everyone is guilty and will be condemned, regardless of whether or not he committed any transgressions. Adam’s nature does not allow anyone to be saved or considered innocent before the Righteousness of God. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3.23

How to cancel out a person’s sin before the Righteousness of God? Who could act as a lawyer for the sinner? What arguments could he use to prove his innocence?

Before God, the Righteous Judge, there’s no lawyer or evidence capable of exonerating a sinner. All have sinned. One way or another, all have sinned – whether consciously or not, whether it was a thought, an attitude, words, gestures or feelings. All have sinned and fall short of God’s Mercy.

And this is exactly where faith in the Lord Jesus Christ comes in! Not a theoretical faith that says, “I believe in God” or “I believe in the Holy Trinity”. No! A thousand times no! This kind of belief does not work. If it worked, the Christian world would be a bed of roses. The Son of God had to become like a man, live like a man, be subject to the limits of a man, sacrifice His flesh during His whole life and still die like a detestable sinner, without having committed any mistakes, however small.

The virus of sin in His mother did not contaminate Him, because the DNA of the Most High was stronger. He provided salvation for all who believe in a sacrificial manner. His belief and love made Him sacrifice. Likewise, we are forced to manifest sacrificial faith and love for Him in order to be saved. Otherwise, there is no salvation.

The message that accepting Jesus as Savior is enough to save a person is nonsensical. It widens the door that leads to hell. This is the reason most believers are demon-possessed.

13th Day – Justice, Faith and Love

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Whether or not the devil is to blame, the truth is that most of humanity is hopelessly lost. This includes three out of every four who hear the Word of God.

What should we do, then? Interfere with His justice and impose His will, at any price, on the insolent and rebellious? His righteous and perfect justice has no room for mistakes. His plan of salvation for all is based on righteousness. Not even He, the All Powerful and Righteous Judge, can go back on His word. And yet, this perfect and unmatched righteousness, which comes through faith that is practiced, can literally save anyone as long as they are alive and in a healthy enough state of mind to choose Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The quality of faith that we exercise for the eternal salvation of our souls must have the same character as the ahava type of love. In other words, it cannot be an emotion-based faith.

God loved the world to such an extent that He sacrificed His only Son for her. He sacrificed before receiving any kind of response from mankind. He sacrificed because He loved; He sacrificed because He believed...

There is no faith or love without a willingness to sacrifice. Those who try to run away from this are doomed to fail in both love and faith—in other words, everything in life.

Adam and Eve were created in paradise. They were perfect, both physically and spiritually. In the image and likeness of God refers to their righteous character. After breaking the law they became unrighteous and lost their most sacred possession: their communion with the Righteous Judge. From that point on, what communion could possibly exist between Righteousness and unrighteousness?… between Light and darkness?

Before the sin of breaking the Law could be forgiven, someone would have to own up to it and take it to the grave. This way the sin would also die. But how could anyone bear other people’s sins when he himself had sins? This would not work. In order to bear the sins of others, a person would have to be perfect and without sin. Where would we find this person? He did not exist.

God needed to create a nation, separate from the pagan nations, before bringing His only Son into the world. God’s plan to create a righteous and perfect World with the first Adam, failed because of its unrighteousness. But it did not fail with the Second Adam, Jesus. He was righteous and therefore was able to bear mankind’s unrighteousness. This caused Him to be cursed. And as a curse, He was crucified.

On the other hand, He took all of mankind’s sins to the grave with Him. No human being, and I doubt any angel, can understand the depths of faith and love that God had for mankind when He tore His only Son from His side and exposed him to the shame of the cross. His sense of justice, faith and love is what drove Him to do this. Wouldn’t this explain why He insists that the human race give Him the same kind of faith and love (sacrifices)? This is precisely what Jesus taught: If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself (sacrifice) and take up his cross (sacrifice) and follow me (sacrifice). Matthew 16.24

He can insist on any kind of sacrifice from His followers since He Himself was a Sacrifice for them. And so, a sinner is forgiven, made innocent before God and saves his soul when he adopts an emotion-free faith.