“As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:” (Isaiah 52:14)
Covered in blood, flesh torn and hanging in strips, beaten almost beyond recognition, yet there was enough blood left for the cross.
We are to keep every thought captive for Christ, all that we do we do for the glory of God, we are with all our soul, strength, mind and heart to love the Lord our God above all others, we are commanded to hate not only the world but those we hold most dear to us. Our life is not supposed to be precious to us, only Christ matters.
This is who we are commanded to be and if you are honest with yourself, you will agree with me that not one of us can fulfill all these requirements.
If you want to know what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) then re-read all that was written above here, and then contemplate this truth, you cannot fulfill these commandments. Now if you will, consider this, if you cannot do so here, what makes you believe that you will be able to do so in heaven?
You may say because our sin nature will be removed, but contemplate this as well, sin is a choice, always. Perhaps 1st Corinthians 10:13 has just entered into your mind. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The temptations that cross our path will no longer be present in the Kingdom of the Most High, but you cannot say that if there are no temptations I would not fall to them for that is an excuse, for free will denotes within those two words themselves the ability to choose, and love my friends is a choice we make.
Unless, and I do not believe Isaiah 65:17 refers to this, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” unless our entire memory of our lives on this planet are completely removed it would mean that we no longer have the free will to choose to love the Lord our God, for there would be no other choice. How could we bring to mind the blood that was shed for us, that paid for the sins of all mankind if we have no memory of it, how could we glorify the Lord Jesus Christ if we had no memory of His sacrifice?
No, every sin is a choice, there is not now nor will there ever be a viable excuse accepted for even the smallest infractions against the Most High.
Are you beginning to understand now the price that was paid for you, the incredible grace and mercy of the Living God, the One who has commanded us to be what we cannot be, holy? No work that you can do can make you righteous in His eyes, He sees only the sacrifice of His Son, yet you can be hid in Christ, you can be the righteousness of God in Christ, simply believe in His shed blood for you.
That choice is yours, and without memories of it, even when all temptations are removed, even when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire never to be a factor any longer, the memory of that choice must remain, or all free will must be removed.
“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zech. 13:6)
He will forever have those scars in His hands, and you will forever remember the price that was paid for you when you look at them.
