We read in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (ESV)
The above mentioned verse gives us counsel on those things that we as believers should set our minds on. Generally, most of us are discreet about our actions and words, but often we are careless about the thoughts that occupy our minds. The reason for is that our thoughts are hidden and there is no way anyone else can perceive them. That is why the word of God encourages us to entertain those thoughts that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. All of these qualities can be best defined and understood based on the word of God alone, which is our fundamental standard. No wonder then that we have to read and understand the word of God more and more.
Mankind has always tried hard to set the guidelines for what is good and what is bad. The problem with this is that what man considers good at one point, he later shuns as bad and vice versa. Let me explain this with an example. In days gone in India we used to have tea shops that sold tea in tumblers made of glass or stainless steel. Later, these were considered not hygienic and were replaced by disposable paper cups. Recently, these disposable cups were considered bad for health as they were apparently coated with a layer of plastic, and hence discarded. Hence, many shops decided to go back to the use of glass tumblers or stainless steel cups. The standards that are set by men are therefore subject to constant change, depending on various factors that he considers good or bad. The matter of the cups is a relatively simple one, but there are many major issues wherein, if one is not cautious, these principles that are set by humans can prove detrimental to us.
Only as we read the word of God, which is the unchanging standard set by God Himself, can we enjoy all that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. We refer to the bible as the true word of God and hence it is beneficial if we can read through the entire bible to understand the truth of God as a whole. As we look at some important verses from the bible and study it in depth, we will have a better comprehension of who God is, what His word says and also with matters pertaining to our own future as well.
God has no beginning or end
We read in Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.(ESV)
The very first verse in the bible helps us understand that God has no beginning, and so also He has no end. It was this God who created the heavens and the earth.
Everything God created was very good
We also read in Genesis 1:31, And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (ESV)
God created everything and on the sixth day when God completed all of His creation, He beheld all of his creation and declared that it was ‘very good’.
God blessed the seventh day
In Genesis 2:3 we read, And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made. (ERV)
The word of God records that Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Have you ever wondered why we have only seven days in a week, and not five or eight? The reason is that God made it this way. After God had completed all of His creation, God rested from His work on the seventh day.
We know that on the sixth day, God created man who was the crown of His creation, as man was made in God’ own image and likeness. Since man was created on the sixth day, technically the seventh day was the first day of his life for him.
There is so much of discussion as to which day should be the seventh day or Sabbath day. Basically the Sabbath day was a day of rest, when one should set aside their usual work. There were two reasons for the Sabbath day, one was to take rest and the other to spend the day with God. There are many in the world today who are working non-stop not realizing that God instructs us to take a break. This is God’s plan for all of creation. So it is important that we set aside this one day when we can spend time with God in His presence, join together in worship and fellowship with other believers.
Some people are so caught up with this number seven, and have not understood the principle behind the Sabbath. As humanity grew in numbers they were scattered throughout the world. Depending on which part of the world a person is in, their time zone varies and this difference can be from an hour to about 26 hours. So we understand that it may be Saturday in India while for countries ahead of us it is Sunday and for those who are behind us in their time zones it is still Friday. So we realize that what is sixth day to some, is the first day to others and the fifth day to some others. The Sabbath is not about the day or time, it is about using the one day of the week where we have a holiday, and set it aside exclusively to spend time with God.
The shadows and the reality
Paul says it this way in Colossians 2:16-17, So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. (NLT)
Everything that happened and is recorded in the Old Testament are mere shadows. If those are the shadows, then the question maybe in our minds is who is the truth? That is what Paul explained in Colossians 3:17 that Christ Himself is the reality whereas everything else like what we eat and drink, observing of holy days, new moons, Sabbath are all simply shadows.
There are many who are still holding on to the shadows, not realizing what the truth is. All of us are aware that shadows are always shifting, depending on the position of the sun. The sun is the constant while shadows are always temporary and subject to change. So also, Christ is the truth while all other events prior to Him were only shadows, constantly pointing to the fact that Christ, the Son of God was coming. Jesus Christ came into this world, took the sins of all mankind on the cross of Calvary, died, was buried and rose again the third day. To all of us who are living today, we must look only to Jesus, for the word of God declares that without Him we cannot receive life.
Let me share a few incidents from the Old Testament to help you understand how these shadows represented Christ.
The first sacrifice
In the Garden of Eden, where God created man and woman, it was a place of perfect harmony, fellowship and the Lord moved freely in that garden. When Satan entered that garden, he deceived Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command. As we read this account we are astounded by the fact that the serpent did not pressurize them to listen to him, rather he just deceived them with his lies. He distorted the truth of God and made them think differently.
That is one of the reasons why we need to be guarded about the kind of things we think about. The world that God created was so perfect, and good that God Himself gave testimony to that fact. However, the enemy brought sin and man by all the wrong choices he made has defiled this beautiful world that God created. There were lots of consequences that occurred as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, but let me just highlight one of them.
We read in Genesis 3:21, And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. (NLT)
When Adam and Eve sinned wanted to cover their sin and nudity, they went searching for leaves in order to do so. They thought they could cover themselves this way. God in His mercy, had to kill an animal in order to provide animal skins as a covering for sinful man. Whenever an animal is killed we know that blood is shed which is not a pleasant sight. The blood always signifies life. As God prepared the clothing from animal skin, it was a reminder to them that their sin was detestable to God, just as the shedding of blood of an animal is not an amicable sight to anyone. It was a reminder that sin not only affected them, but their relationship with God and also had its consequences for all the whole of humanity.
As children of God we must be aware that whenever we do things that are against God, He does not ignore them or take them lightly. God looks at it with displeasure and the solution for such act is not simple. This act of God wherein He clothed man with animal skin was just a fore shadow of something that would be revealed later in Christ.
We read in 1 John 2:2, He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. (CSB)
In order to redeem our sins and the sins of the whole world, Jesus had to become the atoning sacrifice. Jesus the sinless Lamb of God had to lay down His life on the cruel cross, so that He could bear the sins of the whole world on Himself. The sacrifice of the animal at the Garden of Eden and the shedding of blood in order to clothe sinful man, we see, was a shadow of the coming of Jesus, the Son of God who will shed His precious blood on our behalf.
That is why we read in Hebrews 9:22, For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
(NLT)
It is very plain that there could be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. The only reason Adam and Eve escaped the judgement of God was that God made the first sacrifice when He shed the blood of an animal, the skin of which could cover their shame and sinfulness.
The sacrifice that Abel made
Adam and Eve must have shared with their children Cain and Abel about their wonderful experiences in the Garden of Eden. They would have narrated how God had made everything beautifully flawless. They might have told their children that God intended for man to be like Him, but that they got deceived and lost their blessings.
We too must be aware that there is a deceit that is prevalent all over the world. The deception that hinders people from coming to know God by maligning His name and His attributes. If we want to know who God is, this is so evident in the nature of man who is the coronation of God’s creation. Man’s ability to think and reason, make decisions, to imagine and be creative are all God’s attributes bestowed on us.
Cain and Abel therefore had a desire to have a relationship with this God whom they must have heard about from their parents. Both of them therefore desired to make peace with God, and this was how they decided to fulfill this longing.
We read in Hebrews 11:4, By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.(ESV)
While Cain brought the first fruits of his produce, Abel sacrificed the first-born and fatted of his sheep as a sacrifice to the Lord. Both of them had the same intention which was to present a sacrifice to God to honor Him and be at peace with God. Cain just brought something that he thought was good, whereas Abel brought the very best. Cain brought the produce from the land, which we know was also cursed when Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God. Abel however, brought a live sheep and sacrificed it to the Lord, which the Lord found acceptable and pleasing in His sight. We read in Hebrews 11:4 that the sacrifice that Abel offered was by faith, which meant that it was based on the testimony from his parents, which he completely believed and acted upon.
The word ‘sacrifice’ is used for the offering that Abel made. Abel’s sacrifice was more acceptable or favored by God, because it involved the shedding of blood, for in some way Abel had understood that there was no forgiveness of sin, without shedding of blood.
Jesus, God’s supreme sacrifice
As long as we live in alienation from God we will always feel there is some sort of emptiness in our lives. It is only when man gets back into that fellowship with God will he be satisfied, and be filled with a peace that only God can give. There is a vacuum in each of our hearts that only Christ can fill. Nothing in this world, material things, money, position or pleasure can fill that empty place.
We have to read the word of God to understand who God is, how and why He created humanity, what is God’s will for man, all that lies ahead for man and about things pertaining to life after death. All of this comes by faith and that from the word of God alone. There are many who know that there is an Almighty God and that they had sinned and displeased Him in various ways. In order to get their sins atoned for they try various means including inflicting pain to their bodies, hoping that their sins will be forgiven.
The bible is clear-cut that there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood. This God did by sending His only begotten son Jesus, into this world, so that the sins of all mankind can be forgiven and atoned for by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Himself proclaimed that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Let us constantly think about those things that are true. We are constantly crammed with so much of information and in the midst of it God’s word comes to us, revealing the Truth of God to us. God has revealed all of His plans in His word, what was, what is and all that is to come. As we read more and more of God’s word we will get a better understanding of who God is, who we are, about the future and all about the judgement that is to come.
We looked at two incidents from the Old Testament which were foreshadows of the reality that was revealed in Christ when He sacrificed Himself for us on the cross. First when God made the first sacrifice of an animal to clothe fallen man and the second when Abel offered the sacrifice of a sheep that God approved of. May God grant us grace to believe in the Lord Jesus and accept the sacrifice that He has made on our behalf. Let us hold on to the Truth and let go of the shadows that can never save us or rid us of our sins. May we allow God’s word and His Truth to fill our minds always.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
