Better Than Sliced Bread

By Chris Maakestad

Most Christians are keenly aware that today's popular if-it-feels-good-do-it philosophy stands in conflict with God's Word, the Bible.

We live in a society that increasingly wants to answer to no one or be responsible for anything – that increasingly desires to cast off all restraint and live by a moral code of whatever they can get away with. That lifestyle used to be called barbarianism.

And then there's the Bible. Not only did God give us His Word as a comprehensive summary of everything that He wants us to know and to do, but in this record, He tells us that He created us with many unique features and abilities that set us apart from any other creature.

God did not hardwire us with instincts, as He did with many of His other creatures. He didn’t program us with the inherent knowledge of how to spin a web or build a nest, or exactly where and when to fly south for the winter.

He didn’t gift us with these or any of the millions of other distinctive characteristics He gave to His other creatures, but instead He created us with exceptional intelligence, logic, and some degree of ability to create on our own.

He gave uniquely to man a sense of self awareness, perspective, and conscience, and He gave him true free will to go with it all. He gave us understanding to recognize that just as we are subject to the laws of the physical realm like gravity and inertia, we are also subject to the consequences of our decisions in the spiritual realm.

Before He created man, God first created a wonderful environment to place him in.

First He created a light source that existed outside the solar system that we are familiar with (Genesis 1:3). The next day He created the heavens, a firmament with waters above and beneath it (v. 6).

On the third day, He made us an earth of just the right size, with just the right blend of temperatures and elements, including water. He made the seas, formed the dry land and created plant life (v. 9-13).

On the fourth day He created the solar system for the benefit of the earth and its soon to arrive inhabitants, and then He set it all in motion (v. 14-19). On the fifth day He created all the fish and birds (v.20-23).

On the sixth day He began by creating all the land animal kinds as well as the insects (v.24-25). He was then ready to create the crown of His creation which was man (v. 26-31), whom He placed in a special garden He made called Eden (Genesis 2:1-8).

The Bible tells us that God made man in His image. Although we may not know the exact percentage of God's characteristics that He has given us, we do know that some of these gifts are pretty good!

But why did He go to all this trouble? Why did He create all these creatures and this beautiful world for them? Not because He wanted entertainment from a large-scale cosmic zoo, but because He wanted a supernatural interactive personal relationship with freewill beings that were made in His image.

His Word tells us that He loves us and still desires to have that relationship with us today.

But there is a problem. In order to make us true freewill beings and not robots, He gave us the ability to choose. We could trust and obey or rebel and disobey.

God’s original intention was to give man abundant life and peace in a personal relationship with Himself. So, why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have? Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This is our inheritance from Adam.

Romans 5:12 tells us, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

When the first man Adam was put to the test, in spite of being warned of the consequences, he decided to give in to temptation and disobey. Not only did he experience sin, but the consequence as well, which was spiritual death; separation from God.

No longer could he enjoy walking with God in the cool breeze of Paradise every evening. God is holy. Sin can’t exist in His presence. Man could no longer enjoy that relationship with Him.

Adam and Eve had to be evicted from the garden as a consequence of their sin.

But God still cared about Adam and Eve. Even though they really blew it, He still loved them and wanted to give them a chance to come back into a personal relationship with Him. But they had to be willing to repent and come back on God's terms.

God gave them a covering for their sin: an animal sacrifice had to shed its shed blood, dying in their place. He promised to cover their sin as they through faith continued to practice that sacrifice, which reminded them that someday a perfect man would come and make that sacrifice to take away sin once and for all time.

They were to teach their children and their children's children this oral tradition until that promised perfect sacrifice would come into the world.

Well, the Good News is that the promised Perfect Man has now come to be our sacrifice for sin.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared to the crowd, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!”

They knew John meant that God’s promise handed down through the generations was about to be fulfilled, and those who believed on the Messiah were restored to that original relationship that God first intended.

John 1:12 says, “But to as many as received Him to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

Today, God still wants that supernatural relationship with each of us, but it is conditional, and it is also by faith. The sacrifice has been made; He is ready and willing to accept us as part of His forever family!

So, what do we have to do to get into Heaven? Lots of good works for humanity? Be very religious? Learn and teach all kinds of feel-good philosophies and practice good morals?

The answer from God's Word surprises most people because He says there is nothing you can do to deserve this wonderful relationship. It is a free gift.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved though faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”  How do we receive that gift of eternal life with God in Heaven? It's as simple as opening a door.

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

So it still comes down to free will: that choice to voluntarily open the door of your heart so you can have a personal supernatural relationship with your loving God who made it all possible.

If you haven’t asked Him in, do it now. He’s the best thing since sliced bread: He’s Jesus, the Bread of Life!