I wrote this article ten years ago. It's about my friend Dr. Guy and our unchanging God.
-- P. D. Bramsen, September 2009

鈥淒r. Guy has been in a terrible auto accident. He isn鈥檛 dead yet, but he is going to die!鈥�
This was the message delivered to the United Nations office in Niamey, Niger.

When the hospital workers saw Guy鈥檚 massive injuries, their thought was, 鈥淟et's not waste our medical supplies on him. He will not survive.鈥� But he did survive. And this past Sunday, here in Senegal, Guy testified of God鈥檚 gracious and miraculous intervention in his life. It is a testimony worth repeating.

Guy and Dina are faithful followers of Christ from Brazzaville, Congo. They have two small children. Several years ago, Guy and Dina came to Senegal as medical students. They spent extended times with us here in our town while Guy worked as a surgical intern in the local hospital. Guy and Dina were an integral and beloved part of the family of believers here whenever they were in town. At the hospital, Dr. Guy bore a holy and powerful testimony for the one true God before his Muslim colleagues. He also proved himself to be a skilled surgeon.

In 1997, Guy took his family to Niger to work as a volunteer surgeon in a United Nations鈥� humanitarian program. Guy turned down a higher salary in order to serve in a village hospital, about an hour鈥檚 drive outside Niamey, Niger鈥檚 Capital. The people of Loga, the village in which he works, are syncretistic Muslims. Most are in bondage to drugs and witchcraft. Guy and Dina鈥檚 prayer was that many would be turned from darkness to the Light. With the help of followers of Jesus who live in Niamey, Guy directed various efforts to teach God's Good News in his village. These efforts were met, however, with unified resistance from the local religious leaders. Guy and Dina kept praying, 鈥�Lord, whatever it takes, give us a way to communicate your Truth to these people!鈥�

God made a way.

Sunset, January 27, 1999. Guy and a villager were driving along the desertic highway that runs from Niamey to Loga. Suddenly, an oncoming truck swerved into their lane. Guy鈥檚 passenger panicked, grabbed the steering wheel. Guy put a headlock on his passenger, avoided the truck, but could not keep the car on the road. His Toyota station wagon flipped into a ten-foot-deep gully, landing on its roof. Amazingly, Guy鈥檚 panicky passenger sustained only minor injuries (though mercifully knocked unconscious!). When Guy regained consciousness ten hours later, he found himself in a Niamey hospital. His head was gouged open and swollen to twice its normal size. His right shoulder, arm and hand were crushed, bones protruding. Everyone knew Guy would die. Everyone except God, that is.

After two weeks in the hospital, the prognosis on Guy changed from, 鈥淗e will not survive鈥� to 鈥淗e will survive, but will never again work as a surgeon.鈥� Guy suffered from extreme vertigo, memory loss and a dysfunctional right arm and hand. Realizing that the doctor鈥檚 prognosis was probably correct, he began to think and pray about what to do with the rest of his life. That鈥檚 when his three-year-old son began to pray, 鈥淕od, please heal daddy鈥檚 head and shoulder and arm and hand so that he can be a doctor again!鈥� Through his little boy鈥檚 simple and sincere prayers, Guy began to have a settled peace that God would grant him complete healing. 鈥淥ut of the mouth of babes and infants You have ordained strength....鈥� (Psalm 8:2) Less than two months later, despite an ill-equipped hospital and a negligent and fatalistic medical staff, Guy was back to being 鈥渁 doctor again鈥� and performing surgical operations full-time. To God be the glory.

Three days after the accident, some United Nations employees went to retrieve the wrecked vehicle. They looked and looked, but could not find it. Finally, they asked at a nearby village. 鈥淥h, yes, we know where it is. We helped get the victims out,鈥� said the villagers, 鈥渂ut you will never find the car unless someone guides you to it.鈥� The vehicle had come to rest in a spot which could not be seen from the road, about a kilometer from the nearest village. The U.N. employee asked, 鈥淗ow did you even know about the accident?鈥� A villager replied, 鈥淎 white pastor came and told us to come help. He showed us where the car was. It was totally crushed. We didn鈥檛 know what to do, but the pastor showed us how to extract the victims. Then he helped us up to the road where we flagged down a car to take the two men to the hospital.鈥�

Some time later, Dina and a few others from the small, close-knit evangelical community tried to find this 鈥渨hite pastor鈥� (as the villagers鈥� dubbed him). No one knew anything. Who was this mysterious person who had saved Guy鈥檚 life? And what was he doing out in the middle of nowhere, on foot, after dark? Why did he never check back on Guy? Fact is, no one ever heard from him again. Perhaps the best clue to his identity is found in Hebrews 1:14 : 鈥淎re [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?鈥�

When Dina went to the U.N. headquarters to look at the wrecked vehicle, she wept, 鈥淟ord! Where was Guy in this twisted piece of metal?鈥� The driver鈥檚 seat was broken and flattened by the crushed roof. There was no room for a survivor. How did Guy survive? The answer came to Dina鈥檚 heart, 鈥淵our husband was hidden in Christ.鈥澛� 鈥淗e shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.鈥� (Psalm 91:11)

Guy spent five weeks in two hospitals. During this time, the Lord intervened for him in many ways. One day, a doctor ordered a certain injection along with a series of x-ray scans. Guy knew of cases where patients had allergic reactions to this shot and died. He had a strange premonition that the injection would kill him, yet he knew he couldn鈥檛 expect the x-ray technician to go against the doctor鈥檚 orders. When the technician sensed Guy鈥檚 uneasiness, he said, 鈥淗ey, you don鈥檛 need this shot! We鈥檒l just do the scan.鈥� Weeks later, Guy learned that, back in his home church, on the very day the technician overrode the doctor鈥檚 order, some believers had been impressed to pray and fast for Guy, 鈥渢hat God would preserve his life.鈥� 鈥淎nd the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. . . . The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.鈥� (James 5:15-16)

The best part of this story is how God has used this 鈥渁ccident鈥� to change the attitudes of the people of the village in which Guy works. Before his accident, no one heeded God鈥檚 good news message of salvation. Now most of the villagers are at least giving an ear. Recently, when a gospel film was shown, 1500 of the 2000 villagers attended. Several have transferred their trust from their religion and witchcraft to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for them by His substitutionary death and victorious resurrection. Not surprisingly, these new believers are now facing fierce persecution from the community. But God is at work 鈥� because His servants were willing to pray, 鈥�Lord, whatever it takes...鈥�

Yes, 鈥淕od moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform...鈥澛� As this old hymn goes on to say:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain:
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

鈥淛esus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!鈥� (Hebrews 13:8)

Paul D. Bramsen - September 1999

by P.D. Bramsen - October 2007

Islam.

Muslims.

Allah.

Koran.

As a non-Muslim, what images do these terms evoke in your mind?

Did you visualize planes crashing into buildings? Suicide bombers? Masked executioners exulting over blindfolded hostages? Women concealed under black hijabs? Towering minarets blaring out Arabic catchphrases? Mosques with turbaned, bearded men prostrating toward Mecca鈥�?

While such mental images flow from the above terms鈥攊t is wrong to think that all such stereotypes typify most Muslims. While Islam is no ordinary religion, most Muslims are ordinary people with dreams and disappointments common to humankind.

As for the literal meaning of the above terms鈥�

Islam is an Arabic word meaning surrender or submission.

Muslim means one who is surrendered and submitted to the will of 鈥淎llah.鈥�

Allah has a two-fold meaning. First, it is the Arabic word for God (literally: the God). Before Muhammad鈥檚 time, Arab Jews, Christians, and pagans used it. To this day Arabic-speaking Christians use it. Muslims do not own it. Allah is the generic term for 鈥淕od鈥� in Arabic Bibles. A transliteration of John 3:16 begins: 鈥淟i-annhu haakadha ahabba Allahu鈥︹��. However, neither Jews nor Christians ever considered 鈥淎llah鈥� (if speaking Arabic) or 鈥淕od鈥� (if speaking English) to be the proper, personal name of the LORD (YHWH). Just as my name is not 鈥淢an,鈥� neither is His name 鈥淕od.鈥� Nevertheless, in the 7th century AD, Muhammad proclaimed "Allah" to be the personal name of the one true God and proceeded to redefine "the God" who had already clearly revealed Himself in the Scriptures of the prophets and had lastly "spoken to us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:2). Just as the English word "God" can be misused, so the Arabic word "Allah" can be misused.

Koran (or Qur鈥檃n) is Arabic for recitation. Muslims believe this book (about 1/5th the length of the Bible) to be God鈥檚 final revelation to mankind. Curiously, the Koran also commands Muslims to accept the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus. However, since much of the Koran contradicts these 鈥減revious Scriptures鈥� (Koran 20:133), my Muslim friends tell me that the Bible has been tampered with and corrupted (for more on this read Chapter 3 in One God One Message). As for Jesus, the Koran declares that while he was born of a virgin, did mighty miracles, and bears the titles Messiah, Word of God and Soul of God鈥攈e was not the Son of God, nor was He crucified (Koran 4:171,156-158).

More than a century ago, in his book 鈥淭he Life of Mahomet,鈥� Sir William Muir wrote of Islam: 鈥淣o system could have been devised with more consummate skill for shutting out the nations over which it has sway from the Christian Faith, for there is just so much truth, truth borrowed from previous revelations, yet cast in another mold, as to divert attention from the need of more.鈥� Yet Islam is more than a religious system designed to offset and oppose the Gospel. It is also a political system which stirs up zealous Muslims to 鈥渇ight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah, and His Apostle [Muhammad], nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth [Islam], even if they are of the People of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the Jizya [special tax for non-Muslims] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.鈥� (Koran, sura 9:29) With such words, Islam provides an ideological and theological basis for the ongoing use of aggression and terrorism to subjugate the world to its dictates.

But this article is not about Islam. It is about Muslims and how to bless them for time and eternity.

Islam is an imposing ideology. Muslims are our neighbors and colleagues who, for the most part, are friendly, hospitable people who want to enjoy life, care for their families, pay their bills, live in peace with their neighbors, and be ready to meet God on Judgment Day.

Last week, a friend told me of a young Iranian Muslim woman who is attending their home Bible study. Amid the trials of life, she is discouraged and depressed, even doubting the existence of God. But she is seeking. My friend also has contact with a Muslim man who is a waiter in a local restaurant. He is open to discussing the Bible, though he does so warily, lest his religious community find out and make his life miserable... or worse.

Like these two seekers, Muslims worldwide are looking for that which Islam cannot provide.

Several years ago, 600 Muslim-background believers were surveyed. They were asked to list and prioritize the reasons they left their religion to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many mentioned the assurance of salvation. Based on the consistent message of the biblical prophets, they discovered that they could know that their eternal destiny would be heaven and not hell.

Another reason was the incomparable Person of Jesus. While Christ and His redemptive work is the centerpiece of the faith of every believer (since all the prophets pointed to Him), it was the all-together lovely character of Jesus that attracted them in the first place.

Others discovered that the Bible is a truly holy book. They found the New Testament with its promises and fulfilled prophecies irresistibly compelling.

Some mentioned that seeing Chrisitan believers persecuted for righteousness sake motivated them to take a closer look at Christ鈥檚 claims. They concluded they would rather be the persecuted than the persecutors.

A quarter of these former followers of Islam told how the Lord had also given them a complementary dream or vision to get their attention and point them in the right direction. Just as God gave Cornelius a vision to prepare him for Peter鈥檚 Gospel preaching (Acts 10), so God, whose purposes will not be thwarted, is graciously intervening in lands where governments deny their citizens the right to read the Holy Scriptures.

For some Muslim-background believers, the reality of a close relationship with God was the strongest apparent factor in their conversion. My Muslim friends see themselves as God鈥檚 slaves. To learn that God invites them to become His sons and daughters is a great discovery!

By far, however, the most compelling reason鈥攚hich is intertwined with the previous reasons鈥攚as the power of the love of God. Nearly half of those interviewed concurred that 鈥渢he greatest of these is love.鈥� (1 Corinthians 13:13). To these who shifted their allegiance from their religion to the Lord Jesus Christ, love鈥檚 attraction expressed itself in two subcategories. The first category was the practical love, kindness, and compassion shown to them by God鈥檚 people. The second was the infinite, amazing love demonstrated by God鈥檚 Son who became human to suffer and die in their place.

Most Muslims perceive God as distant and unpredictable. While all but two of the Koran鈥檚 114 chapters (suras) begin with 鈥淚n the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful,鈥� those words ring hollow. It is often with a stick over their heads that children learn to recite the Koran, perform ablutions, repeat ritualistic prayers, and observe the fast of Ramadan. No matter how faithfully such obligations are followed, apart from being killed in jihad, the Koran offers no guarantee of entrance into paradise. Muslims do not know the God who demonstrated His love to us 鈥渨hen we were enemies.鈥� (Romans 5:10) Many grow up believing that God wants them to hate their enemies. A Muslim in the USA, with whom I have had extensive e-mail correspondence, wrote: 鈥淭he last man who blasphemed the Holy Prophet to my face swallowed both his front teeth about three seconds later. I took great pleasure in the fact that the next time he spoke blasphemy it would be with a lisp.鈥�

This man鈥檚 words and actions stand in stark contrast to the Lord Jesus who said, 鈥淵ou have heard that it was said, 鈥榊ou shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,鈥� but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you鈥�.鈥� (Matthew 5:43-44) And on the cross, Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, 鈥淔ather, forgive them, for they do not know what they do!鈥� (Luke 23:34)

Such love is not natural.

One day a Middle Eastern Christian minister asked my friend, 鈥淲hy are you witnessing to Muslims?鈥�
鈥淏ecause they need Jesus.鈥�
鈥淢uslims need hell!鈥� responded the minister.

Does the response of this "Christian minister" shock you? It should. His attitude goes directly against the teaching and example of Christ. Yet if we neglect to pray for and do our part to share God鈥檚 love and truth with Muslims, how different are we from this minister who verbalized his thoughts?

Paul said of his Jewish countrymen, 鈥淚 have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish myself accursed from Christ for my brethren鈥�.鈥� (Romans 9:2-3) Although his 鈥渂rethren鈥� had inflicted on his back no less than 195 lashes (2 Corinthians 11:24), Paul did not wish hell for them. His 鈥渉eart鈥檚 desire and prayer to God鈥was] that they might be saved.鈥� (Romans 10:1) The rest of Paul's statement says: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God ... is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:1-4)

What if in our private devotions, homes, and churches we began to pray that Muslims 鈥渕ight be saved鈥�? What if we looked for opportunities to share a smile or a kind word with Muslims and foreigners we pass in the marketplace? What if we sacrificially invested more of our time, treasures, and talents in seeking to bless these precious people with God鈥檚 love and truth? Are we willing to change the way we view Muslims and other foreign guests living in our land?

One day, as the Lord Jesus was journeying to Jerusalem to die in the place of sinners, He and His disciples 鈥渆ntered a village of the Samaritans鈥� But they did not receive Him. 鈥hen James and John saw this, they said, 鈥楲ord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?鈥� But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 鈥榊ou do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men鈥檚 lives but to save them.鈥� And they went to another village.鈥� (Luke 9:52-56)

Even as the disciples had no right to despise the Samaritans, so we have no right to despise those who are of a different culture and belief system. Whether or not people receive God's way of salvation is outside of our control. We are called to be channels of God鈥檚 love to all. In Senegal, we had to wait seven years before we had the joy of seeing the first Muslim believe God's good news. Two decades later, this brother continues to be a channel of God鈥檚 love and truth. As a result, many of his countrymen are coming to Christ.聽

Over the years, I have read dozens of books about Islam and how to share God鈥檚 truth with Muslims. Still, my most valuable insights have come from Muslims themselves as I have befriended them, listened to them, and dialogued with them. Radio, websites, e-mail, mailings, and the printed page are powerful tools for communicating the Gospel, but there is no substitute for 鈥渟peaking the truth in love鈥� (Ephesians 4:15) within the framework of an established relationship or personal contact.

This week we received an e-mail from a colleague in Senegal. She wrote:

The Muslim month of fasting, which began a few days ago, affords many occasions to speak of spiritual matters. I struck up a conversation with Eve, a veiled high school girl. 鈥淎re you fasting?鈥� she asked me. 鈥淲hy do you fast?鈥� I turned the question. She replied, 鈥淏ecause God commanded it; and by it our sins are forgiven.鈥� I gathered by her earnestness she was a true seeker after God, so I recited the Genesis account about the fall and God's promise of the Savior who would suffer to bear the penalty of sin for everyone. She accepted a calendar listing the hours of The Way of Righteousness Wolof radio broadcasts, and at her request we exchanged phone numbers.

Asking the right question in the right spirit is an effective way to discover what a person thinks about God, man, sin, and salvation. Their answer to your question will open a door for you to share with them an appropriate word from Scripture which the Spirit of God can use to touch their mind and heart.

Some time ago, I received the following e-mail from a Muslim background follower of Christ who lives in the USA. He is a traveling businessman.

In my work I have opportunities to spend time with Muslim families in their homes, maybe only 3 or 5 minutes after I conclude my business. I was challenged to rearrange my message to give them, in that time, something of significance, as it may be the first and last time this side of eternity that they heard the Gospel from a Christian in a way that confronted them with who Jesus was.

Recently, I met one of the leaders of a mosque 10 miles from here and having concluded business sat with him and his wife drinking tea. I remarked on his vast library of religious, philosophical and political books and he asked me what I thought of Islam. I said I had problems with the God of Islam because I could not see how such a God could love me, but that the God of the Bible was of such a nature and I was of such a nature as to make that a possibility both in reality and to satisfy me intellectually too.

They were stunned.

We agreed that love only existed in a meaningful way in a relationship and that a God in whom no relationship could be defined could not be loving. They sat puzzled for a moment and then the wife said, "You better tell us about Jesus then."

Now I was stunned.

I simply said that He was the Word of God manifest in the world and being the Word of God He was the expression of God's love, the expression of God's mercy and salvation and when we died He would be the expression of God's judgment for those who had rejected His claims. It was therefore imperative that we put our trust in Him and accepted the salvation He offered.

They sat in silence until the husband said that I had given them many things to ponder which they had never ever considered before. It all took less than 5 minutes and I really do believe they understood for the first time in their lives what they were missing.

This businessman said just enough to stir within this Muslim couple the desire to get to know the God of love. Once Muslims begin to search the Scriptures, it is often only a matter of time until they grasp the basic truths about God鈥檚 absolute holiness, man鈥檚 utter sinfulness, and God鈥檚 gift of forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life to all who believe.

So how can Muslims be won to the Savior?

The same way we were won. By love.

鈥淭he greatest of these is love.鈥� (1 Corinthians 13:13)

YOUR STORY reveals how a sinner's story can be forever linked to God's story. This 36-page booklet takes 35 minutes to read aloud - which raises a question in many minds:

Why give away a 36-page booklet instead of a 3-page tract?

Why give away a 36-page booklet instead of a 3-page tract?

Have you ever given away a short gospel tract? Was the recipient led from confusion to clarity? While many readers have been marvelously helped by such brief presentations of God鈥檚 good news, multitudes are left wallowing in confusion as a result of the tract鈥檚 use of terms and concepts that are alien to them鈥攖erminology like Bible, God, sin, Christ, Son of God, shed blood, salvation, eternal life, repent, believe, etc. Is it right to expect anyone to believe a message they don鈥檛 understand? Is it fair to ask someone to trust a stranger? For most people today, God is a stranger. And the gospel of Jesus makes little or no sense.

Years ago I corresponded with Ali, a 68-year old Muslim doctor who, in response to the statement that Jesus died to save sinners, wrote:
鈥淲hat happens to the people who were born and died before God decided to concoct this charade聽 only 2000 years ago? It seems that the Christian God is a poor planner and a late thinker because聽 it took him thousands if not millions of years to find a way of forgiving 鈥榯he sins鈥� of mankind.鈥�

And last year, Jeff, a 35-year old lawyer in Iowa, sent this email message:
鈥淚 came to your website and chronological Bible series as the result of a question which I had聽 after viewing a program on the History Channel. That question was, 鈥楬ow did God forgive sin聽 prior to Jesus鈥� crucifixion?鈥� Before finding this site, I considered myself a Christian. However,聽 my understanding was very elementary and, in hindsight, wholly incomplete. For example, it had聽 never made sense why, or how, Jesus was able to forgive our sins through his crucifixion鈥� Suffice聽 it to write that I now understand... Unlike before, I realize that it is not about trying to be a good聽 person. 鈥od established a single way to become righteous before him. All other efforts are futile.鈥�

In today's biblically-illiterate world, are our skeletal outlines of God鈥檚 message geared to lead people from confusion to clarity? Such brief presentations of the gospel often ignore the architecture of God鈥檚 Book, which has a New and an Old Testament. It is time to rethink the way we share our faith. If the Creator of the universe took thousands of years to prepare the world for the arrival of the promised and prefigured Savior, is it unreasonable to expect truth seekers to invest an hour in thinking their way through God鈥檚 amazing rescue plan that has made it possible for them to know Him and live with Him forever?

The Scriptures are not a collection of isolated doctrines. The truths God wants people to understand are embedded in a story鈥擧IS Story. But it takes time to tell a story. Some ask, 鈥淲ho has time to read a 36-page gospel booklet?鈥� The answer is: People who value their souls and care enough about their eternal destiny to forfeit a one-hour TV program or an hour of sleep. 鈥淲hat good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?鈥� (Matthew 16:26)

The Bible tells of two travelers who, like our email correspondents above, did not understand the concept of a crucified Messiah. So the Lord Jesus, whom they knew only as a 鈥渟tranger鈥� (Luke 24:18) came alongside, and after listening to their story, He took them back to the first pages of the Old Testament, 鈥渁nd beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.鈥� (Luke 24:27) And what was the end result of Jesus鈥� chronological retelling of His story and message to these two confused travelers? 鈥淭hen their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, 鈥榃ere not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?鈥欌�� (Luke 24:31-32) At last they understood why it was necessary for the Messiah to shed His blood, be buried, and rise from the dead. Law of sin and death, False Religious Concepts, God's Truth

Yes, it was the Lord who opened their minds and hearts, but He did it by giving them a clear and compelling panorama of His message and story. YOUR STORY presents God鈥檚 message and story. Does it provide enough information to lead a person from confusion to clarity? Read it and decide for yourself.聽 If you find your own heart 鈥渂urning within鈥� as the Scriptures are opened to you, then pass it on to family, friends, and associates鈥攁nd trust God to open their minds and hearts so that they too might recognize Him and understand the good news that can transform their lives for time and eternity.

-- P.D. Bramsen, September 2009.
To read, download, print, or purchase YOUR STORY, click here.

"This is what the LORD says:
'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
Or the strong man boast of his strength
Or the rich man boast of his riches,
But let him who boasts boast about this:
That he understands and KNOWS ME,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
For in these I delight,'
declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 9:23-25)

This foundational declaration by the kind and just Creator-Owner of the universe, written by the prophet Jeremiah, teaches us why we are on planet earth: to know the LORD God, to love Him, and to delight in His ways. But we have a problem. The prophet Isaiah described it concisely:

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.鈥� (Isaiah 53:6)

These words, written some 2700 years ago, express two things God wants everyone to understand:

1. MAN HAS A PROBLEM聽聽 鈥溾�� each of us [humans] has turned to his own way鈥︹�� (Isaiah 53:6a)

2. GOD HAS A SOLUTION聽聽 鈥溾�nd the LORD has laid on him聽 [Messiah] the iniquity of us all.鈥� (Isaiah 53:6b)

Let鈥檚 consider these two truths more deeply.

1. MAN鈥橲 PROBLEM: 鈥溾�� each of us has turned to his own way鈥︹��

To appreciate the problem, we need to understand what happened in the beginning.

A. GOD & MAN: TOGETHER

鈥淚n the beginning God created the heavens and the earth鈥� Then God said, 鈥楲et us make man in our image, in our likeness鈥︹�� So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.鈥� (Genesis 1:1,26-27)

There was a time when everything was perfect. God created the first man and woman with certain characteristics that set them apart from the animal world. God gave man a mind, emotions, a free will, and an eternal spirit. These characteristics made it possible for God and man to enjoy communication and fellowship with each other. In the beginning, God and man were close friends.

God gave to man the responsibility and privilege to choose whether or not he would honor, love and obey his Creator-Owner. God (who didn鈥檛 create man to be a robot) commanded, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (i.e. be immediately separated from God, the Source of Life)." (Genesis 2:16-17)

B. GOD & MAN: SEPARATED

Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan and disobey God. They followed their own way instead of God鈥檚 way. The Bible calls this sin. After man disobeyed God, the Bible says: 鈥淭he man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, 鈥榃here are you?鈥� He answered, 鈥業 heard you in the garden, and I was afraid鈥︹�欌�� (Gen. 3:8-10)

The close relationship between God and man was broken. God is holy and cannot ignore sin. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they died spiritually. Their sin separated them from God. They had become sinners and were now ashamed to be in the presence of their pure and perfect Creator.

鈥淵our iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.鈥� (Isaiah 59:2)

Sin created a great divide between God and man. Many people try to fix their sin problem by doing - or by not doing - certain things. But what does God鈥檚 Book say? How can God and man be reconciled? How can man's聽 sin and shame be removed?

2. GOD鈥橲 SOLUTION 鈥溾�he LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.鈥�

To discover God鈥檚 solution for man鈥檚 sin problem, we need to understand certain foundational truths about God and man.

A. GOD IS HOLY

The majestic Creator-Owner of the Universe is a loving, merciful God, but He is also the holy Lawgiver and a righteous Judge. His justice demands that all His laws be kept perfectly. God鈥檚 mercy can never contradict God鈥檚 justice. All sin must be punished. Only perfect, holy people can live with a perfect, holy God. Only God can give defiled sinners the perfect righteousness they need to stand shamelessly before their perfect and pure Creator.

鈥淕od is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.鈥� (1 John 1:5-6)

B. MAN IS A HELPLESS SINNER

Before they sinned, Adam and Eve had been surrounded by God鈥檚 glory and perfection. They were totally comfortable in the presence of their Creator. However, the moment they broke God鈥檚 law, they viewed themselves differently. Now they were uncomfortable鈥攏ot just because of their physical nakedness, but also because of their spiritual nakedness. Before they transgressed, Adam and Eve were God-conscious and 鈥渇elt no shame.鈥� (Genesis 2:25) Now they had become self-conscious and felt unclean before their holy God. Adam and Eve had become the opposite of their Creator. They were now unholy. They no longer wanted to be in the purity and brightness of God鈥檚 presence. Like cockroaches scurrying for cover when a light is flicked on, they now 鈥渓oved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.鈥� (John 3:19-20)

As descendants of Adam, we share his problem of sin and shame. We聽 are聽 separated from our holy Creator. By ourselves, we have no way to reconcile ourselves to God. From the beginning, God鈥檚 uncompromising 鈥渓aw of sin and death鈥� (Genesis 2:16,17; Romans 8:2) made it clear that even one act of disobedience would produce death, that is, separation. Man is spiritually dead鈥攕eparated from God, the Source of Life.

鈥淭herefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned鈥︹�� (Romans 5:12)

God is pure and holy. A single sin is as awful to God as a single drop of cyanide would be to us in a glass of water. Adding some clean water to the poisoned water will not fix the problem! Likewise, no amount of good deeds, prayer and fasting can fix our sin and death problem. God cannot tolerate sin. Man must die and face God鈥檚 righteous judgment. We are helpless sinners.

鈥淭he soul who sins is the one who will die.鈥� (Ezekiel 18:4)

Sin is such an offensive thing to God that the penalty not only requires the separated sinner to die physically, but also eternally. God鈥檚 Word calls this 鈥渢he second death鈥� because it is a state of eternal separation from God.

鈥淢an is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment鈥︹�� (Hebrews 9:27) "The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone鈥檚 name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14-15)

Because man was created to live forever, and because we are sinners, 鈥渢he law of sin and death鈥� demands that we 鈥減ay鈥� sin鈥檚 penalty for all eternity. We are helpless to save ourselves from the awful consequences of sin. This is very bad news.

How can our sin debt can be removed? How can our shameful state as sinners be reversed? Some 4000 years ago, the prophet Job asked this summary question: "How can a man be righteous before God?" (Job 9:2)

C. GOD HAS PROVIDED A SOLUTION

God Himself has made a way so we can be brought聽 into a righteous relationship with Himself and escape 鈥渢he second death.鈥� God鈥檚 solution for man鈥檚 sin problem not only displays His mercy and love, but also demonstrates His holiness and justice.

The third chapter of God's Book聽 reveals that when Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator, they brought on themselves the double dilemma of sin and shame. Their sin drove them into hiding. Their shame incited them to cover their nakedness.聽 They tried to fix their problem by covering themselves with fig leaves. God (in His justice and righteousness) rejected their self-made coverings of fig leaves, but God (in His mercy and kindness) clothed them in the skins of sacrificed animals. "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)聽 The animal blood symbolized what was necessary to cleanse their sin, and the animal skins symbolized what was necessary to cover their shame.

We share our ancestor鈥檚 sin and shame. Before God, we are defiled sinners and spiritually naked. We are shamefully unfit to dwell in His presence.聽 We need His pardon and His perfection. Our double trouble can be summarized in two questions:
1. How can we be cleansed from the sin that separates us from our Creator?
2. How can we be clothed in perfection so we can live with Him forever?
Only God has the remedy for man鈥檚 sinfulness and lack of righteousness.

On the same day that Adam and Eve first sinned, God promised to send into the world a deliverer (the Messiah). He would be born of the 鈥渟eed of a woman鈥澛� (see Genesis 3:15; Galatians 4:4-6). He would not have a human father. He would come from Heaven. He would not be tainted with the sin nature common to Adam鈥檚 descendants. God鈥檚 plan was to visit the world in human form by causing His Eternal Word to become flesh. Many reject God鈥檚 plan. Nonetheless, this is the central message of the Scriptures of the prophets. The one true God is not limited by time and space. He can be in more than one place at a time. The Scriptures are filled with pictures and prophecies about God鈥檚 plan to send to earth a perfect, all-powerful Savior.

Isaiah prophesied: 鈥淭he Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (meaning 鈥楪od with us鈥�)鈥� The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 鈥or to us a child is born, to us a son is given鈥� and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.鈥� (Isaiah 7:14; 9:2,6 [written 700 B.C.])

Later, an eyewitness to the life of the Messiah wrote: 鈥淚n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 鈥he Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 鈥� No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father鈥檚 side, has made him known鈥� He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...鈥� (John 1:1-5,14,18,10-12)

Also on the same day man first sinned,聽 God introduced a new, stronger聽 law that would trump 鈥渢he law of sin and death."聽聽 As we already saw, God put to death some innocent animals and used the skins of those animals to cover Adam and Eve's shame. By the sacrifice of these animals, God was introducing鈥渢he law of the sin offering鈥� (Leviticus 6:25). This law taught that God would accept the blood of an innocent, symbolically flawless animal as a temporary payment for sin.

鈥淚n fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood [death payment] there is no forgiveness [of man鈥檚 sin debt].鈥� (Hebrews 9:22)

This was God鈥檚 way of punishing sin without punishing the sinner. This was also God鈥檚 way of teaching man the seriousness of sin. Sin can only be paid with DEATH (not with good deeds). Thus, for thousands of years, true believers offered up innocent lambs on altars as sacrifices for sin. But, since the value of a lamb is not equal to that of man, such animal blood could only atone for (cover) sin; it could not remove sin. A better sacrifice would be required.

About 1000 years before the Messiah came, the prophet David prophesied that the Messiah would suffer and die; that His 鈥渉ands and feet鈥� would be 鈥減ierced鈥� (see Psalm 22; see also Psalm 2, 16 and 110). The promised Messiah would become the "better sacrifice" that was needed (see Hebrews 8:1-11:4).

Approximately 700 years before the Messiah was born, God inspired His prophet Isaiah to write about Him: 鈥淲ho has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 鈥e was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth鈥� He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD鈥檚 will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.鈥� (Isaiah 53)

At just the right time, God sent the Messiah. 鈥淭he Word became flesh.鈥� His name was Jesus, meaning 鈥淕od saves.鈥� He was unequaled in every way鈥攊n His conception and character, in His authoritative words and miraculous works, and in His death, resurrection and ascension. As the only man who never sinned, Jesus the Messiah came to pay the eternal death penalty for Adam鈥檚 race. This was God鈥檚 plan鈥攁 plan foretold by hundreds of prophecies and foreshadowed by innumerable sacrificed lambs.

In the Gospel record, Jesus is called 鈥渢he Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!鈥� (John 1:29) Jesus did not come merely to cover sin, but to take it away. Jesus Himself said, 鈥淒o not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.鈥� (Matthew 5:17)

Jesus is the Savior of whom all the prophets wrote. Because He had no sin of His own for which to die, He could die for another鈥檚 sin. And because He was the infinite eternal Word of God in a human body, He could pay an infinite price in a finite amount of time鈥攆or the whole world. In His great love, He came to die as our substitute鈥攖o endure sin鈥檚 penalty and consequences in His own body. On a Roman cross, Jesus the Messiah shed His perfect blood and paid sin鈥檚 penalty.

Just as God provided a ram to die in the place of Abraham鈥檚 son, so God provided a perfect and final sacrifice for you and me. Two thousand years later, as Abraham had prophesied, Jesus was crucified on the same mountain range where Abraham had offered up the ram. And just before Jesus died, He declared, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) This statement, in its original language, can also be translated, 鈥淧aid in full!鈥� Jesus Christ satisfied the symbolism of Abraham鈥檚 sacrifice and the millions of other animal sacrifices. He fulfilled the prophecies about the suffering Messiah. He paid your sin-debt in full. He has provided a way by which you can be reconciled to God.

鈥溾�hrist suffered for you鈥� He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats鈥� Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.鈥� (1 Peter 2:21-22; 3:18)

Yes, the Lord Jesus died in your place, as your Substitute. But He did not remain dead. His resurrection on the third day gave proof that His death payment for sin was accepted by God. He had conquered sin鈥檚 penalty鈥攄eath itself! After Jesus rose from the dead, He declared: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18)

As the One who has paid sin鈥檚 penalty and conquered death, the Lord Jesus offers helpless sinners the gift of eternal life. Once again, humans can enjoy a close relationship with their Creator. In the time before the Messiah came, a person鈥檚 relationship was restored with God by believing what God would do for them in sending a Savior (looking forward). They showed their faith in God by offering up the blood of innocent lambs as a covering for sin. Today we can be brought into a relationship with God by believing what He has done for us (looking backward). To those who believe, God says this of your sin debt: 鈥淧AID IN FULL!鈥� This is God鈥檚 Good News.

So what does God require from sinners?

D. MAN MUST BELIEVE IN GOD'S SOLUTION

God wants you to admit that you cannot save yourself, and He invites you to trust in HIM and HIS SOLUTION. Just as people who lived in the time before Christ were declared righteous when they believed God and His plan (showing their faith by sacrificing animals as sin offerings), so God will declare you righteous, the moment you truly believe that the Lord Jesus died in your place on the cross, paying the death penalty for your sin. Jesus declared from the cross, 鈥淚T IS FINISHED!鈥� If you believe God鈥檚 message, He will give you the right to live forever with Him.

鈥淎bram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.鈥� (Genesis 15:6)

鈥淎ll the prophets testify about him (Jesus the Messiah) that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.鈥� (Acts 10:43)

Jesus said: 鈥淚 tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 鈥 tell you the truth; he who believes has everlasting life. 鈥o not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.鈥� (John 5:24; 6:47; 14:1,6)

Jesus fulfilled God鈥檚 age-old plan by paying our sin penalty in full. God鈥檚 good news for YOU is that the moment you believe (trust, rest in, place your confidence in) HIS solution, He will forgive you, cleanse you and clothe you in HIS perfect righteousness.

鈥淣o 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, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished鈥� he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.鈥� (Romans 3:20-26)

When Jesus, the holy One,聽 shed His blood on the cross,聽 He took our punishment,聽 and, as the One who conquered death, He offers us His righteousness.

鈥淕od will credit righteousness [to all] who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.鈥� (Romans 4:24-25) 鈥淚f anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.鈥od鈥as reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ鈥� For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us [a sin offering], that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.鈥� (2 Corinthians 5:17-18,21)

The moment you abandon your trust in yourself and your religion, and place your hope in Christ and the perfect blood He shed for you:
1) He will cleanse you from sin鈥檚 defilement, and
2) He will cover you with His perfect righteousness.

God has no other cure for your sin and shame.
鈥淲e are all like an unclean thing,聽聽 聽
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.聽聽 聽
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.鈥� 聽
(Isaiah 64:6; 53:6; 61:10)

Are you still "an unclean thing" before God? Or have you been cleansed by the blood of Christ?
Are you clothed in the filthy rags of self-righteousness? Or are you clothed in the pure robe of Christ鈥檚 righteousness?
It all comes down to one question: "Who has believed our report?鈥� (Isaiah 53:1)
Have you believed God鈥檚 report?聽 To believe God's report means to abandon all other options for His truth which declares:

鈥淲e all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.鈥� (Isaiah 53:6)

Do you believe God's message? Do you understand that God demands that all sin be punished, and that only perfectly righteous people can live with a perfect God? Do you agree that you are a helpless sinner, and that you cannot make yourself good enough to escape the lake of fire? Do you believe that the Lord Jesus鈥攖he Eternal Word of God who became man鈥攄ied on the cross in your place, paid your sin-debt in full, and then rose from the dead? If you have truly and honestly said 鈥淵es,鈥� to these questions, then this word is for you: "I write these things to you who believe 鈥� so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13) 鈥淔or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith鈥攁nd this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God鈥攏ot by works, so that no one can boast.鈥� (Ephesians 2:8-9)

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE

If you have received by faith God鈥檚 free gift of salvation, you may want to take time right now to thank Him. You might want to tell Him something like this:

Lord God, You are holy; I am sinful. How wrong I have been in my thinking! I thought I could make myself acceptable to You by my own efforts鈥攂ut now I understand that all my efforts are like filthy rags compared to Your glorious perfection! You are the Only One who can deliver me from sin鈥檚 penalty and declare me righteous. Thank you for taking away my sin and my shame! I believe that Jesus is your Eternal Word who became man. He is the One about whom all the prophets wrote. Lord Jesus, I thank you for willingly dying on the cross for me, in my place. Thank you for paying my sin penalty in full. Thank You for conquering death for me. I believe in You and what You have accomplished for me through Your death and resurrection. Lord, I thank You for giving me the assurance that I will not go to hell, but that I will spend eternity with You in Heaven. Thank you for giving me Your Holy Spirit. Thank you聽 for the great privilege that is now mine to get to know you in a personal way, and to worship you in spirit and in truth鈥攆orever! I love you Lord. Thank you for first loving me!

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find that, from now on, your life will be radically different. The Word of God teaches that鈥攖he instant you believe God鈥檚 way of salvation鈥擧e will renew your heart by coming to live inside of you, by His Holy Spirit. He will give you an聽 inborn desire to please God in all you think, say and do. As a believer in Christ, you are among the privileged ones who "now...know God, or rather are known by God..." (Galatians 4:9) However, being a possessor of these amazing blessings does not mean that your life will be easy.聽 Joyful, yes; easy, no. Most people will not appreciate your choice to believe God's age-old message. Some may even try to harm you. But the LORD God Himself will be with you and will help you to live your new life for His glory and the blessing of others. Enjoy your relationship with Him! Your life will no longer be characterized by religious rituals, but by the joy of knowing your Creator-Redeemer. "The joy of the LORD is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10) Talk to Him at any time and in any place (that's what prayer is all about). Read and meditate on His Word day and night (this will help you know Him better and apply His promises and precepts to your life). Spend time in fellowship with others who truly know God (See Acts 2:41-42 in the Bible).聽 And don't forget to look for opportunities to tell other people about the one true God's provision of forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life--so that they too can know Him in a personal way and live with Him forever!

鈥淣ow this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.鈥� (John 17:3)

聽

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