You enjoy good fortune from the selfless act of another. Or perform an act of kindness for someone else. The satisfaction of seeing another person happy is magnified for you when you provoke their happiness. Giving and receiving undeserved joy is part of the human experience. Where does the unselfish act of human kindness come from? It comes from God. Web search 1 Peter 1: 3-4.
You have just read the result, but what happened before the resurrection (coming back to life after death) of Jesus Christ? God provided us with his son, Jesus, in a selfless act. Jesus’ ministry lasted about 3 years. Read quotes from his teaching in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. His words were heard and then written down by one or more than eleven of his twelve disciples. Look for clues in the New Testament that Jesus fulfilled Bible prophecy. Then, to understand how God has interacted with humanity, look in the Old Testament of the Bible for the words of the prophets, men of God who spoke of the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was that prophecy, fulfilled.
The first prophets were men devoted and faithful to God, and God communicated with them. However, these men could not rid themselves of their own sin. One, Abraham, came so close to putting God first in all respects that he set out to sacrifice his own beloved son (Isaac) as an offering to God. As Abraham was preparing Isaac for the sacrifice, an angel stopped him. God intervened. We do not know why. Perhaps God felt something wrong about it, or did not want faithful Abraham to suffer the guilt of doing that. God may have had a thought about the lineage of Abraham. Dead children do not advance in the family line.
We know that God was prompted to promise Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would father an entire nation of sons and daughters – the Israelites. Perhaps God was moved by Abraham’s gesture of sacrificing the family. Was that the greatest demonstration of a man’s love for God? We don’t know, but it may be that this event has moved God to prepare a better and more permanent way for humanity to recognize and begin to return to a close relationship with God.
When he determined the time was right, God sent himself (the Holy Spirit) to unite with Mary, a human being, to create a hybrid child, part man and part God. This child, Jesus, was a son of God and a son of man. Jesus was raised as a son of man, and he had to look inward, as we all do, to determine who he was and what he was going to do with his life. All of God’s hopes for humanity revolved around Jesus’ ability to resolve and act. As you read the facts of Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament, you see a young man grow up, and you also see a child of God learning who his Heavenly Father is and how to communicate with him (through prayer). Jesus had to manage his human side to remain faithful to his side of God. Otherwise, God’s purpose for him and the hope for all mankind would fail. It was a tremendous 24/7 responsibility and the enemy tempted Jesus and his followers at every turn.
Don’t miss the point: the Messiah had to be especially close (a family member) to God, and the sacrifice creates a covenant between God and all mankind. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus proved that he was the most worthy sacrifice. Jesus gained and practiced the power that only God possessed, such as raising the dead. Read about it. When he understood that it was going to be a sacrifice, Jesus, as a human being, asked God to “take that cup away from me, if that is your will.” But that did not happen. The pinnacle of Jesus’ sacrifice was to carry sin itself, all past, present, and future sins of all men and women, to the grave, and leave that sin in death as rose from the dead.
Jesus was seen and spoke with some living men and women three days after his death. The risen Jesus told his disciples that God had given him all power over heaven and earth. He gave them a great commission (a responsibility) to tell others about his life and sacrifice. Thus the Christian Church was formed. The Christian Church uses the Bible as the meanings communicate the written word of God before, during and after the sacrifice of Jesus. There are no more prophets. John the Baptist was the last of them. The Bible contains a promise that Jesus will return to earth, but when he does, it will be to judge us all. On the day of Jesus’ return, God will forgive all dead and living human beings who have recognized Jesus as their savior.
What can you do now? Read the biblical scriptures. Learn about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are all God (“God in three persons”). In Jesus’ name, pray for God’s grace in your life and for your salvation. Do not pray to any man or woman, dead or alive, or to an angel. This article was written on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. I offered the article to God free of charge, in the hope that it would allow someone to open their heart to the Holy Spirit for help in seeking grace and salvation from God through Jesus Christ. . Perhaps, God shared the article with you.