Adam, Where Are You?

Where Are You? Where Are You?
The age old question: "Adam, where are you?

Every human being will have to answer this question before God. There will be no props, no people, & no politics to support the answer. Either Jesus will say, " I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." (Mat 7:23.) or He will say,
Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. (Matt 25:23)

Every law is meant to be taken literally. Hence, Sharia is so fearful, & even the 10 Commandments came to us in a fearful fashion, handed down from a fiery mountain top, amidst dark clouds & thundering lightening peels. This signifies that God is holy & to be feared.

Mount Sinai represents the heart of Judaism, & Islam. It is the seat of all righteous Law, through conformity to God's holiness & righteousness. Religion based on conformity does not require love, but it demands obedience. Jesus' earthly ministry satisfied this requirement.

Hbr 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;

*Even today, this mountain of The Law symbolizes the division & separation of mankind; it divides by two brothers, two cultures, two factions, two religions...

*The Law exposes our divisions, our sin.
*The Law can not save us, or reconcile us.
*The Law only punishes lawbreakers, & we are all lawbreakers.
*The Law does not reward obedience.
*The Law only punishes disobedience.
*The Law executes only judgement & death.
*The Law declares all men unworthy, guilty.

Therefore these facts remain:
*The Law can not remove sin; therefore, we are still sinful, even after we obey the Law.
*The Law can only reveal sin; therefore, we are still guilty, even after we fulfill the Law.
*The Law distinguishes us from God, He is holy, we are not; therefore, we are still separated from God , even after we follow His ordinances.
*The Law can not change our nature; therefore, we are still hiding from God, even after we learn His ways.

...so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hbr 9:13,15)

*Yet there is hope for mankind: Jesus Christ, The Savior of the world...

Rom 5:8,12 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
...much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:17)
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*So the question of the ages is, "Adam,' man,' where are you...?"

*Where are you in relation to God?
*He knows where you are, but sin has hid you from Him.
*Jesus is your "GPS" back to God.
*Only Jesus can remove the sin that separates you from God.
*Jesus destroyed the dividing partition, sin, that divides mankind from each other & God.
*Sin has divided nations, & separated relations, but God had a plan to restore that broken fellowship from the beginning.
*War, jihad, can not restore the unity that was lost by the first Adam.
*It took a greater Adam, Jesus, to lead us back to God without fear of judgement.
*Of course, Jesus feared God, but He was not afraid of God, & He is our example.

Hbr 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

*Jesus made the way for us to be reconciled to God, through the Cross.

1Cr 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Hbr 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

*Therefore we boldly declare, "Jesus is the way, the truth & the life," "...no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (Jhn 14:6)

*...And the question remains for you, "Where are you?" Are you still trusting in the Law? The Law can not save you, it can only condemn you, because it reveals the hidden nature of every man. It must be taken literally.

Rom 7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

*However, the punishment we deserve fell upon Jesus.
*These are Biblical idioms: He is our Sin Substitute, our Scapegoat, our Sacrifice Lamb.
*Jesus alone is worthy to forgive us our sin...

Mar 2:1, 10 And again he entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive [them], no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken [it] up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, [Thy] sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

*Of course, Jesus had anger, but anger did not have Jesus. He used this emotion, to communicate God's disdain for sin & hypocrisy. "Be ye angry, and sin not." (Eph 4:26)

Jhn 2:14, 15 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

*Jesus' passion for His Father seemed like indifference toward man, even for His mother. This is not the case.

Jhn 19:25,28 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the [wife] of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own [home].

Jhn 2:3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

Even the Jinn recognized Jesus' authority:
Mar 1:24 Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God.

Everyone, who is honest in his appraisal, knows that the heart of Jesus is love. These are His words:
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

CONCLUSION:

Jhn 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1Th 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
1Jo 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

*Whenever you need us, we will do our best to be there, & answer your questions, but if we fail, or if we are unfaithful, let it be known that God can not fail, because He is love, & He is faithful.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Rom 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

*Let God be true, and every man a liar...

Romans 3:1, 31
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?
Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness?
Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." [fn]
But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)
Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?
Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?"
Why not say-as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say-"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips."
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, [fn] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.


Thank you,


Johndeweb