For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son, for whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16). This is a well-known verse among the Christian community. The message it conveys is rich and assuring of God’s deep love for humankind. How can God, holy and perfect in every way love a world so unholy and voided of love for Him? It is hard to understand the unconditional love that He has for all of us, for “we all have sinned and have become short of His glory.” What did it mean to us in the situation we were in before our Lord remediated? The glory of God is His goodness. In that, we became unworthy of His glory toward us. We were separated from Him and hopelessly lost in sin, and under His condemnation. For the Jewish nation, under the Law, they sacrificed animals to atone for their sins. However, the time came when that was no longer satisfactory to God. That’s when His Son, YAHSHUA volunteered to take the place of animals to redeem the human race. The letter to the Hebrews says, For since the Law had merely a rude outline of the good things to come-instead of fully expressing those things-it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars]. Because, the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away, hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offering You have not desired, but instead, You have made ready a body for Me[to offer]. In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God- [to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book (10:1,4-7).
The Law, from the beginning, pointed to the One Who would fulfill it to the letter. “A shadow of things to come,” Paul said. But when YAHSHUA laid down His life as a sacrifice once and for all for the entire world, this act of love poured forgiveness for all those who turned to Him by repenting of their sins. As many as received Him, the Bible says, He gave the authority to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in His name (Jn.1:12). YAHSHUA’S death opened the way for men to be reconciled with God. In His death-His demonstration of love, forgiveness flowed from His heart to men’s. Now, no longer under God’s condemnation, and short of His glory, men are free through His forgiveness. It is a powerful and unselfish act of love toward those who received the gift of YAHSHUA’S sacrifice. Through forgiveness, they “are constantly being transfigured into YAHSHUA’S own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another…” (II Cor. 3:18). That’s the process of their sanctification through the Holy Spirit of YAHSHUA. How beautiful, is the work of the Holy Spirit in each one of us who desire His touch of sanctification! So, God’s forgiveness restored men to Himself and men became sharers of God’s glory once again. God’s goodness is so important in one’s life; it would be hard to live without the benefit of it. Because being separated from God’s glory is to be without hope and voided of God’s promises, although available to all. The Bibles says that the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds, preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the Image and Likeness of God, for God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God in the face of YAHSHUA the Messiah. (II Cor. 3:4,6). We believers, who stand in the presence of the Lord, must shine His glory to the world, as Moses shone God’s glory to Israel, when coming down the mountain, after spending time with Him. From glory to glory, Moses, the servant of the Lord, experienced God face to face, and it showed on his face.
Light from the Word 