Many people believe that Christianity began almost two thousand years ago when Jesus walked the earth and made history. But the very first mention of the “Christ” – (The Greek derivative of the Hebrew word for Messiah), was made in the Genesis account.
After the fall of man, God declared that He would put enmity between Mankind and satan and that it would, “bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel,” (Genesis 3:15). Then God made coats of skins for Adam and his wife, covering their nakedness by killing an animal and shedding innocent blood for their sin. From that point on, God has used blood as the symbol for atonement for sin throughout Scripture as a preparation for the coming and purpose of His Christ. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
From the Passover in Exodus – “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses…and when I see the blood. I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you”…(Exodus 12:13 – to the poignant, poetic references to the suffering Messiah by the prophet Isaiah – “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities…and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:5,12) – all the way to Jesus’ tortured fulfillment of prophecy on the cross at Calvary, God has provided the world with The Scarlet Thread that binds for us the covering, and provides the cleansing necessary for the restoration of fellowship between a Holy God, and a race of rebellious, lonesome human beings.
To some, this may sound foolish, but, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men,” for “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty… so, that no flesh should glory in His Presence” (I Corinthians 1:25, 27, 29). Truly, the blessed dwell in His simplicity, and heaven’s door remains open wide for those of us foolish enough to enter in with a child’s uncomplicated faith.
Copyright 2009 by H.D. Shively
Bible Bites | Cafe Logos Homepage
