Has God indeed said...?

My sense is that we, in the church, are educated beyond our obedience. And that restraint, though necessary, is not the missing ingredient.

What we need is guts.

The electronic PC culture has turned us into tame sycophants, observers, courtiers and attendants, rather than pioneers, pathfinders and persuaders.

From the beginning the God-given mandate was to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion..." (Genesis 1:28). Brute language that, in today’s culture, seems threatening and presumptive. We are however, for the most part, really nice folks who live decent lives, rather than bold victors with a mission to reclaim the Earth and its inhabitants under orders from our Creator-King.

In eating from the tree, we submitted to another entity who had no interest in seeing us fulfill that mandate. The serpent’s lie in the garden, in the form of a question, is the same lie today... “Has God indeed said…?" (Genesis 3:1).

The subsequent shame and disorientation caused us to cover ourselves, inhibiting our ability to be fruitful and to multiply. It rendered us useless in fulfilling the mandate established for us. Although we had been created in the very image of God, we submitted to a low-life being that lacked the reproductive power and potential of Our Creator. Spiritual vertigo set in and we spun until Jesus came into our lives.

It took the shameless, sinless Son of God and man to redeem us, restoring our glory and re-establishing our mandate, setting our feet upon the Solid Rock. “It is finished” (John 19:30) from the cross and “It is done” (Revelation 21:6) from the throne re-declared the intent of God and countered the question the enemy posed.

"Yes!", we may boldly declare, "God has indeed said".

One Goes Free

The principle of salvation is interwoven recurrent throughout the Bible as God established, through His Word and faithful men and women, the spiritual laws that would set us free.

There's a beautiful picture of redemption in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 14.

It applies to the leper on his day of cleansing.

The priest is instructed to go outside the camp to seek the leper. The leper does nothing, which validates the leper's faith (Romans 4:4-5), accounting it for righteousness.

There are two birds prepared for sacrifice. One is killed in a vessel over running water (John 7:37-39), the other is dipped in the blood (Hebrews 9:22) and released (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Wood, scarlet and hyssop are used. We see these, again, at the cross.

One pays the price and the other goes free, signifying the sacrifice made by Christ and the release of the one covered by His blood. It also testifies to the Risen Christ in the life of the freed bird.

Our redemption is perfect and complete. Our freedom is confirmed by the Mediator of our new covenant (Hebrews 9:11-15). His life bought ours.