With you, #4 (final in the series)

Because it has been awhile since the last post on this topic, let’s review again: In the first post, the basic point was made that the state of relationship between two parties is illustrated by the degree of separation between them.

In the second post, this principle was shown to be as true of our relationship with God as it is of our relationship with people.

In the third post, God is shown as taking the initiative in the Old Testament, repeatedly, to restore a closeness between Him and His people, and yet because of sin, separation remained.

A final solution to our separation from God was revealed in the Old Testament in the prophesies of the Messiah who would come. The prophet Isaiah let the cat out of the bag, saying, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NASB). You doubtless recognize this as a ‘Christmas verse’ speaking about the incarnation of Jesus. So what does it have to do with the whole “with you” idea?

Matthew, in his gospel, answers that question. Speaking of the coming birth of the baby Jesus, Matthew says, “Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23, NASB).

Jesus Christ is God Himself, clothed in human flesh, and 2000 years ago He was walking among His people. But in a final display of the corruption of sin and the separation it produces, they crucified Him. What they did not realize was that in God's providential plan, that crucifixion was actually the sacrifice of God's final Lamb, the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It was a plan God ordained before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23).

Jesus Christ is God’s full, and final, answer to sin. Joseph was told to name the baby, Jesus, because He would “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Hebrew equivalent of the name ‘Jesus’ means savior or deliverer. It is through the death of Christ, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, that our separation from God is eliminated, because of a change in the state of relationship between us and Christ.

How does that work? We have two main problems; both must be overcome. Problem #1: we have sinned. We have actual transgressions that offend the holiness of God and demand His righteous judgment. Those sins must be dealt with, otherwise the sinner will face eternal judgment.

Problem #2: We sin because we are sinners. We inherited from Adam a latent hostility against God. In the sinner’s heart of hearts, he hates God. This is a difficult thing for most people to see, but becomes obvious when people are confronted with the difference between the way they live and what God requires. They have no regard for, treat lightly, despise, God’s commandments.

The adulterer is not offended by “thou shalt not murder;” he might even agree with the command. But he despises the command, “thou shalt not commit adultery.” The thief is not particularly troubled by the prohibition against adultery, but he despises the command, “thou shalt not steal.” And so on. To despise the law is to despise the law-giver. And God does not grant eternal life to anyone who despises Him.

If Jesus, therefore, is God’s full and final answer to sin, He must conquer these two problems, and so He does. First, in His death on the cross, He accepts in His own body the full wrath of God against the sinner’s sins. You can see that in Isaiah 53:4-6

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

This is not merely beautiful poetry (which it is), it is also divine, life-changing truth in every word. God’s righteous wrath against the sinner who has fled to Christ for safety, was satisfied completely (and eternally) by Jesus' death on the cross. The resurrection is proof of that.

Secondly, when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ and His death and resurrection for our sins, we experience spiritual birth (the theologians call it regeneration). Our heart that was innately hostile against God is transformed, and we are given a new heart that innately loves God. Ezekiel spoke of this: “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26, NASB). Paul refers to it as being brought to life in Ephesians: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5, NASB).

All of this is accomplished the instant a sinner trusts in Christ. Those things which led to our separation from God no longer exist; we are free from them. We “turn back” to God, and “return” to Him; in other words, we repent of our sins, knowing that we will experience a loving, “welcome home” from our heavenly Father. The Old Testament uses a verb, shuv, with an interesting range of meanings: concretely it means to turn or return. But when used metaphorically, it frequently means, "repent." In fact, there are passages in which it is difficult to make the distinction between "return" and "repent." It casts repentance in spatial terms.

Paul speaks of this life-change in spatial terms similar to what we see in the Old Testament: “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13, NASB).

This has been God’s desire from the start: to be with His people, and to allow them to be near to Him. I suppose the final proof of this great “with-you” desire of God, can be seen at the end of the book of Revelation, at the consumation of the ages:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3, NIV, emphasis mine).

So what’s the big idea with this whole mini-series? It’s quite simple.

• God created you to serve Him, worship Him, and fellowship with Him.
• But, like the rest of us, you have sinned against Him, and your sins result in actual separation from Him, now, and in eternity to come. The whole orientation of your heart has turned against Him; deny this if you wish, but even that very denial is an act of hostility against Him, for you are refusing to believe what God has clearly said in His Word.
• It is God, not you or I, that takes the initiative to change the current situation. He sent Christ to pay for your sins, and to give you a new heart that loves Him, if you will, by faith, place your trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection for you.
• This involves believing the testimony of God’s Word, turning from your sins to God (repentance), and confessing Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It results in an entirely new orientation to Him, such that you love Him and His Word, and you delight in serving Him.
• The instant you trust Christ, God comes to dwell with you in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and He will receive you into His kingdom when you die, where you will dwell with Him eternally.