Separation

Sometimes the enormity of Jesus, Our Savior’s, actual humility and sacrifice is glossed over by the important and truthful statement, ‘He died for our sins.’ Sometimes we remember Him, Honor Him, spend the Lord’s Supper pondering Him, but we miss the widescreen picture. Jesus chose to leave the comfort and the love of His Father, to come to Earth. But more than that is, the One who had the power to make anything happen, subjected Himself to mere men and submitted to sin. He who had no sin, became sin. Jesus took on the blackness and death of our sin, and was separated from His Father, His Comfort. Sin is death, blackness, separation from all that is good, Our Father. Jesus willingly became sin to fulfill the word and save you and me, who are full of sin. Again, He Who Had No Sin, Became Sin. For Us.

Men before Christ were not able to have their sins forgiven until their covenant was removed and complete. The first covenant held their sin, and they were not able to be forgiven until Christ came. Hebrews 9:15 “And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may received the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

Romans helps us to see the change from old law to new. Romans 5 talks about the bleakness of sin that reigned in the world, and that grace now abounds because “through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:19 says “for as through the one man’s sin (Adam) the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Christ) the many will be made righteous.”

Mark 15:22-37 is the crucifixion of our Savior. In it we read about His suffering and His pain, physical and emotional, because of His separation, willing separation, from His God. Here in Mark, and in the other gospels, we receive the facts with little description. Perhaps with more mediation through the scripture we would better see and understand, just how much God and Christ loves us. Here it would be nice to have a better visual of the scene to feel the enormity of this moment and the plan of salvation made for each of us.

The separation in sin was part of the old law for those under the old covenant. Through the love, grace, and forgiveness we have in Jesus the Christ, we no longer have to walk with sin. Because of Christ’s willingness to take on our sin, we no longer have to be separated from God. The separation is our choice. We are only separated from God if we choose to be. What will you