Personal reflection of God’s word… “line upon line, precept upon precept” (Isa. 28:9-10)

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Part 3

Isaiah 43:1-26 Series: Chosen, Redeemed and Restored

The Price of a Life

(Isaiah 43:3)

Thus far in our Isaiah 43 journey…

1. We have found our identify in a calling that was placed on our lives before the foundations of the world was ever laid.
2. We have been renamed according to God’s plan and purpose for our lives.
3. We have been assured that we will face difficulties in our lifetime.
4. We have been promised that God will accompany us in every challenge that comes our way.
5. We have been introduced to the transformation process God’s Holy Spirit will take us through.

Where does that leave us now? Well, before continuing, let us pause for a moment to consider just what is the critical difference between biblical Christianity and many of the other popular secular or religious belief systems of today. What exactly separates biblical Christianity from all other faiths…because it’s not Jesus. Many unbiblical “Christian” (and even non-Christian) faiths have an opinion about Jesus that fits within their theology. Of the popular secular or religious belief systems of today…

• Most promote a promise of eternality (an afterlife).
• Most come with an expectation of either a reward or a consequence, many times both.
• Most teach that what you receive after death is determined by how you managed this life.
• Most believe in a Higher Power of some sort.
• Some believe that there is no after life and/or there is no Higher Power
• Most believe in the concept of “right” and “wrong” – morality (although the definitions may vary),
• Some do not believe in the concept of “right” and “wrong” (either it’s subjective or non-existent)
• Most teach that you have to “do” to “get.” (in the present life and/or afterlife)
  • The more “good” you do, the better you fair
  • The more your “bad” out ways your good, the worse you fair 
• Most have a Higher Power that they must please in this life to be blessed in the afterlife
  • Most don’t know how they’ll fair (after death) until that time has passed. There is no certainty in this lifetime.

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General Christianity can identify with many of these beliefs, but there are a few things (not mentioned above) that are specifically unique to only biblically-based Christianity, and Isaiah 43:3 captures most of it in just a few simple words.

“For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.” – Isaiah 43:3

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Lord, Savior, Ransom and Substitution.

God is someone with great strength, who has the right to give orders, make decisions, delegate tasks, issue permissions and enforce obedience. Now, that may seem daunting and unpleasant, the thought of being under the supreme control of another…until, we discover who this One is (His character and nature).

Wikipedia lists the following attributes associated with the Christian God:

• Aseity – “God is so independent that He does not need us” (Acts 17:25)
• Eternal – “God has no beginning or end” (Psa. 90:2)
• Good – “God is the final standard of good, and all that God is and does is worthy of approval” (Rom. 11:22)
• Holy – “God is separate from sin and incorruptible” (Isa. 6:3)
• Immanent – “God is in the world…involved with His creation” (Acts 17:28)
• Immutable – “God cannot change” (James 1:17)
• Impeccable – “God is unable to sin” (Heb. 6:18)
• Incomprehensible – “God is not able to be fully known” (Isa. 40:8)
• Incorporeality – “God is a spirit” (John 4:24)
• Infinite – “refers to God’s eternity and immensity” (Isa. 40:28)
• Jealous – “God has a zeal to protect the love relationship He has with His people” (Ex. 20:5-6)
•  Love – “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16)
• Mystery – “God is the ultimate mystery” (1 Tim. 3:16)
• Omnipotent – “God is all powerful” (Gen. 17:1)
• Omnipresent – “God is present everywhere” (Ps. 139:8)
• Omniscient – “God is all knowing” (Rom 16:27)
• Oneness – “God is the one and only” (Deut. 6:4, Mark 12:29, Eph. 4:6)
• Provident – “God is active in the world and cares for the universe” (Acts 17:25)
• Righteous – “God is holy” (Rom. 1:17)
• Sovereign – “God is in complete control as He directs all things” (Isa. 46:10)
• Transcendent – “God exists outside of space and time” (Isa. 57:15)
• Triune – “God exists as three persons” sharing one nature (Matt. 28:19)
• Veracity – “God is truth-telling” (Titus 1:2)
• Wrath – God can display fierce anger (Ex. 15:7, Deut. 9:19, Ps. 69:24, John 3:36) 

I am happy, honored, and fortunate to serve a supreme being such as the Christian God of the bible.

“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully [shaped] in the lowest parts of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.” – Psalms 139:13-18

We were created…not hastily, but with careful thought and consideration. God was intentional when He made us…each of us was literally made with love.

“But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8

He is my Creator and I am eternally grateful to Him for the gift of life.  And although it may be tempting at times, who am I to question His sovereign will? Instead, I should have the utmost trust and reverence (deep respect) for such a genuinely good God who despises all evil, is just, morally perfect, dependable and truthful.

“But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay…” – Romans 9:20

• We are in serious trouble. We are in danger and the God of this universe is greatly concerned for our safety and well-being.

• We are without alternative options. If God himself, personally, insists on doing something; He must feel strongly that no one else in existence is either qualified or capable of resolving the issue.

“I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.” – Isaiah 43:11

“Yet I am the Lord your God… And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me.” – Hosea 13:4

• The trouble we are in falls on all mankind, no exceptions.

^“For as in Adam all die…” – 1 Corinthians 15:22

* Every single human being that has ever existed is in danger.

So, what exactly do we need saving from? What could possibly be so bad that God personally felt that it was absolutely necessary He make reconciliation for mankind Himself? And, how did we come to be in so much trouble?

The Bible describes 2 aspects of sin; and for the sake of demonstration, we’ll call them: original sin and personal sin. This explains why not one person is safe, and how we came to be in so much trouble.

• We all know the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and their falling victim to temptation, causing them to sin against God. What were the major implications of their sin?
  • God’s warning to Adam was, “… in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” – Genesis 2:17
  • The consequence given to Adam and Eve, and every subsequent generation (all mankind), was…

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…” – Romans 5:19

“…through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—” – Romans 5:12 

“For the wages of sin is death…” – Romans 6:23

• Therefore, everyone is a victim of original sin and the consequence of sin is death. This is why we die. Now, this goes against God’s original plan for us. He never wished for us to die, but to live for all eternity with Him.  In fact, death is considered an enemy by God that will one day be destroyed.

“The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” – 1 Corinthians 15:26

• God created our spirits, however, to be eternal. Our fleshly body is the part of us that will one day die, because sin now resides in the flesh.

“…He condemned sin in the flesh” – Romans 8:3

• These consist of committing any immoral act that God considers to be an offense against Him or His divine law.
  • During His travels, Jesus encountered a rich young ruler along the way. The young man was curious as to how one could become saved. Let’s see what Jesus’ response was to him…

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ Jesus answered, ‘…if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not [lie], honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 19:16-18

Self-assessment time!

How many of the commandments that Jesus mentioned have you kept?

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• If you found yourself guilty of having broken just one of these commandments, join the crowd! Everyone has broken at least one. Most of us have broken many of them…perhaps all of them!

• Nevertheless, breaking just one of God’s laws is the same (in His eyes) as if we had broken every single command God has ever given us in the entire bible!

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” – James 2:10 

For example…

“For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” – James 2:11 

I once heard someone say, picture a mirror with all God’s laws written on the surface. If a person breaks one of the laws and they throw a rock at just the law they broke. What would happen? The entire sheet of glass would shatter; therefore, they would not only break the specific law they struck, but all the other laws written on mirror as well.

• In a self-righteous society (this day and age) God left us with this reminder that no matter how “good” we feel we are doing in our lives, we still fall short of the glory of God…we still do not measure up to His perfect standard of absolute moral excellence.

“…No one is good but One, that is, God.” – Matthew 19:17

“There is none righteous, no, not one…There is none who does good, no, not one…  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:10,12,23

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” – Luke 12:4-5

“Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”- Genesis 3:19

“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” – Ecclesiastes 12:7

If our body were to die without God to save our spirit as well (as Savior), the bible repeatedly says that we (our living spirit) will be sent to hell as punishment for breaking God’s law.

“Let them go down alive into hell…” – Psalms 55:15

Here are some words of advice Jesus give us regarding hell…

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. ’And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” – Mark 9:43-48

Notice, Jesus gave us 2 options, or destinations…either enter life (the kingdom of God) or be cast into hell and eternal fire. I once heard it explained this way, “We don’t cease to exist, we simply change locations.” If we die without a Savior, our final destination is hell for the rest of eternity. However, if we are saved (hence the need for a savior), we can enter into life (God’s kingdom).

Why is God the only viable savior? Our savior must be someone who existed in sinless perfection, never having violated God’s moral law. We have established that no natural human being has ever managed to accomplish this; therefore, no person has the authority to save us from our sins if they too are in sin. It would be like a convicted felon on parole going to a judge in an attempt to post bail for suspect pending felony charges. That request would obviously be denied. Only someone in right standing with the law is able to make such a request on behalf of the suspect.   

However, because God has always loved us and His original plan for us was to live with Him forever, He took sole responsibility for setting things right again after mankind entered into sin.

“Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:22 

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” – 1 John 4:14 

“God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8: 3-4

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses [sins], made us alive together with Christ …For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast…” – Ephesians 2:4-5,8-9  

“Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” – Romans 4:4

A price was paid for our salvation, but not by us. Our Savior paid our debt on our behalf. God allows us the freedom to say, “Thank you” or “No, thank you” to the gift He purchased for us (salvation). Whether we accept His gift of salvation or not, it’s a gift that is always available to us for as long as we live. Christ died once for all…all people and for all time.

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We have been found guilty in the eyes of God, having broken his divine laws; therefore, we have become prisoners, destined for bodily death and eternal punishment. Christ was the sinless ransom paid for our release. The consequence of sin is death and God’s wrath. Jesus took both for us.

“…Christ died for the ungodly… scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” – Romans 5:6-11

Jesus substituted His life for ours. He traded places with us on the “chopping block.” If we wish to say “Thank you” to Him for giving His life in exchange for ours, there are just 2 things we must do.

“ I tell you… unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:5

“…I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God…” – Galatians 2:20-21

^“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” – 1 John 5:11-13

“so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ‘He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’” – John 3:14-18

“For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” – Romans 10:13

So, what are the few beliefs unique to only biblically-based Christianity?

“But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags…” – Isaiah 64:6

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” –  John 5:24

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life…,” – 1 John 5:13

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” – John 6:47 

“O Lord, You have searched me and  known me… How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!” – Psalms 139:1, 17

“…you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” – Romans 8:15-17

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Check out Part 4…

Isaiah 43:4 – “Value and Self-Worth: How Does God See You?”