Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 1-4.
At the time when Isaiah prophesied, the people of Judah had become so sinful and corrupt that God would not even accept their sacrifices or hear their prayers (Isaiah 1:2-4, 10-15). Yet God was willing to offer them a chance at reconciliation. So He extended an invitation to them.
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:18-20).
The invitation began with God calling the people to “reason together” with Him. He wanted them to understand their current state, His offer, and the conditions attached to that offer.
- Their current state – The people were in sin. Their sins were like “scarlet” and “crimson,” meaning they could not be washed clean on their own. Without God, their condition was hopeless.
- His offer – God was offering them forgiveness, despite their prior rebellion and wickedness.
- The conditions – If they agreed and obeyed the Lord, they would be rewarded. If they rejected the Lord’s offer, they would be destroyed.
The three points above fit together in a reasonable way. If they rebelled and God was willing to offer reconciliation, it would be unreasonable for the people to decide the terms of forgiveness. Instead, God offered what was reasonable – forgiveness if they obeyed His terms.
The same line of reasoning can be used for us today.
- Our current state – All have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are “helpless” (Romans 5:6) to fix this situation without God.
- God’s offer – Forgiveness of sins is available through Christ (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
- The conditions – One must believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3, 5), confess his faith (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized in order to be saved (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21). After this, he is expected to live faithfully until death (Revelation 2:10).
Many people in the religious world believe there are different conditions (faith alone, praying a sinner’s prayer, etc.). Yet is it reasonable to expect God to forgive us when we reject His conditions and offer our own? Of course not! We have sinned. God offers reconciliation. We must meet His conditions. If we do, we will be rewarded (Hebrews 5:9). If not, we will face punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
Tomorrow’s reading: Isaiah 5-8
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
