“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil.”
Hebrews 2:14
God held a private meeting in Heaven so that he could have a conversation with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The topic at hand: how could they help the human race escape their catastrophic destiny?
After contemplating several different options, they came upon the only solution. One of the three present had to stoop to the level of a human being by becoming one in order to help humanity. The Father looked at His Son and said, “Son, will you accept this great challenge?” Jesus responded, “To do Your will is what pleases me.” “You know that this means renouncing Your place in heaven. You will need a human birth like the rest of the human race and you will have to face the adversary, not as God, but as a human, because if you use Your divine powers, you will be disqualified.
When Jesus walked the Earth he experienced emotions and feelings just like any one of us. He faced tests, challenges, and struggles just as you and I do. “Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them…” (Hebrews 10:4, 8).
God was not satisfied with weak substitutes that were presented on behalf of humanity. He required someone with the same human condition, but holy and without blemish, to take the place of all humanity. Only Jesus was able to bear the punishment that the entire human race had to receive. He was willing to do it because in Him dwelt the greatest power of all time, which motivated Him to give His life for us. It was out of a love for those of us who were without hope.
The same way the curse entered the world through one man, which affected the whole of humanity; God required that another man break the curse in order to establish righteousness.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
The famous atheist, Robert Ingerssol, wished to do away with Christianity, because he thought it was a farce. One day, while traveling in a convoy he found himself sitting next to his good friend, General Lewis Wallace, who was Governor of the State of Arizona, in the United States. As they spoke with each other, the conversation began to stir in Wallace a desire to look into Christianity in more depth. He began to write a book to prove to the world that Christianity was not only a farce, but also that Jesus had never existed and that he was only a myth.
Wallace traveled to the best libraries in America and Europe. He started to write this book, which according to him would finish Christianity once and for all. As he progressed, he got to a point where he was unable to continue. His own investigations led him to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was as real as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and other people from that era. History showed that Jesus was exactly who He said He was. Wallace realized that he had made a grave error. He could bear it no longer and falling to his knees he cried out for mercy, recognizing Jesus Christ, not only as a historical figure, but also as the Lord and Savior of his life. The material collected by Wallace was condensed in a work that later immortalized him called ‘Ben Hur’.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I live confident of tomorrow, because He, who is life, lives in me.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
