Creator's Joy

Many people struggle with this idea that if God is love, then why doesn’t He just forgive?
Why do people have to believe in Jesus to be forgiven?
Why did Jesus have to die?

It is BECAUSE God is love that Jesus died and God refuses to forgive those who don’t believe in him and submit to him.

Why?
God is righteous and this is part of his love.
Honor is one of the ways He shows us his love.
He holds us in high esteem.
Also He doesn’t let himself be mocked.
What kind of God would that be?
He would not be loving himself nor would people hold him in high regard.
Who would want a God that people walk over?
We would not have trust in his power and ability to love and protect us if He would not even stand up for himself.
We would scorn him, even more than we might do now.
We would not love and obey him.
And how could He protect us from harm if people didn’t obey him?
How can a child be protected if it refuses to listen to it’s parents warnings?

So God is righteous.
That means that He doesn’t let any wrongdoeing go by without consequences.
It is because He loves and honors us so much that if someone hurts you or wrongs you that person has to give an account to God for what he did.

The same goes for you.
If you do any wrong then one day, either in this life or after you died, God will require of you a righteous payment. (unless…you receive Jesus and submit to him!)
Just like in this society when you commit a crime punishment has to be paid.
It sits well with no one  when a crime is overlooked with the argument that we all sin and that the crime has it’s root in a depraved upbringing anyways.

How would that make the victim feel?
He would not feel taken serious.
He would not feel loved and valued.
Also he would not feel protected.
The criminal can just commit the same crime again and again if he is not restrained.

No one might request an account of your wrongdoings while you live.
They might not be considered crimes in this society.
Yet God’s standard of right and wrong is often different from ours.
We might think it doesn’t matter if we gossip or put someone down.
If we get angry unjustified.
Or if we have idols. Things or even gods that are not truly God.
If we don’t acknowledge God and give Him the rightfull place in our lives.
Who cares?

But it does matter.
HE cares.
He cares about us so much that He won’t allow any injustice done to us without the right consequences.
He holds us and himself in high esteem.
However He also knows very well that we all failed his standard of love.
That none of us can love the way He does.
That we all deserve to die if righteousness truly was done.

We rebelled against the God of the universe.
How can his kingdom stand if rebels are allowed and given free range?
How could He offer any protection to anyone?

See also “Creator’s joy”.

And that’s why Jesus died in our place.
His death was the righteous payment for the sin of all mankind.
Because He is sinless, and He is God, his suffering and death
was enough to settle our debt with righteousness.
The debt of all mankind.

Read also “Loves price”.

But we cannot be forgiven if we don’t accept this sacrifice of love.
That would be like trampling on Jesus all over again.
God gave his Son Jesus to us to pay the price for our sin.
He let him be mocked and killed for our sake.
And Jesus did it willingly.
God himself died on that cross.

But He won’t accept the sacrifice of Jesus as valid, as rightfull payment, for those who won’t accept it and won’t submit to Jesus.
He won’t let you trample on his beloved Son.
Just as He doesn’t let anyone trample on you.

By dying for us He paid the rightfull punisment for those that did us wrong and thereby acknowledged our value, our worth.
He also paid the price for our own wrongdoing.
Only when we accept this and submit to him He can change us from the inside so that we won’t keep hurting others.
Read also “Choice”.
But also so that we can be healed from every hurt done to us.
This does mean though that we have to forgive others and not play judge over them.
After all the rightfull punishment for their sin has been paid, just as it was paid for you.

NOW (after accepting Jesus)
We can be forgiven and healed completely.
Now every wrong can be made right.
Now we can walk in forgiveness without feeling our hurts have not been acknowledged.
Without feeling our pain doesn’t matter.
Without feeling we have been wronged.
Now we know someone valued us so much He paid the rightfull punishment of what was done to us.
Because we matter.
Because we are important to God.
And now we know the rightfull punisment of our own wrongdoing was paid as well.
IN FULL

So that’s why Jesus died.
That’s why you can only be forgiven if you accept Jesus and submit to him.

Free Gift: click here if you want to accept this gift of Jesus.