Isaiah 53 Or So
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i’m still loving Isaiah. today was Isaiah 50-55.
i purposefully try to not post on the topic i’m posting on because it is inherently inflammatory and usually the following discussion isn’t edifying, but this morning i feel compelled to encourage anyone who might be reading this page with a reminder of the awesome character of our loving God.
surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
:: Isaiah 53:4-6 nkjv ::
there are many intelligent, well-meaning, God-fearing Christians who believe that God’s salvation is limited, available to a preconceived few who He has chosen. they look at passages in the Bible which speak of God’s sovereignty and, using their own God-given logic and reason, they decide that Jesus’ blood was portioned out for a small number of human beings, then concluding that makes God merciful.
it is a terrible tragedy to think of God, our Father, our Lover, our Savior, our Provider, our Refuge, our Light, our Promise, our Hope, our Husband, as unwilling to save whole multitudes of people whom He created. though i don’t have the time nor the desire to post a lengthy treatise on the issue of sovereignty versus free will (both of which are plainly taught in the Scriptures), i think that Isaiah points out clearly the character and nature of God to be both just and righteous, with inexplicable mercy and love.
if man had no free will to choose salvation, then why does Isaiah portray mankind as freely turning from God?
the prophet goes on:
He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.
therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
:: Isaiah 53:10-12 nkjv ::
some of my calvinist friends are thinking, “there you go gene, you proved yourself wrong.” some of us might see the words ‘divided’ and ‘portion’ and ‘many’ and conclude that Jesus’ work on the cross for salvation was not all-inclusive, it was clearly limited, segmented, predetermined.
however Isaiah is clear that Jesus was made intercesson for the transgressors, not for many of the transgressors. He bore the iniquity of us all, not for many of us all. Isaiah 53 is wondrous proof that Jesus died for all mankind and now man must continue in his choice to either turn away from God, to esteem Him smitten, or to (through the knowledge of Him), allow Him to bear our iniquities, allow Him to bear our sin, allow His death to be substitutionary for our own.
be encouraged that today Jesus wants to bear your iniquities, He desires to bear your griefs and sorrows. He desires to give you abundant spiritual life.
be encouraged that your unsaved friends and family are not forgotten by the Lord, they were not created to fuel the fires of hell. hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for men and womeni .
to my intelligent, well-meaning, God-fearing, calvinist friends i say this, God’s Word is infallible and inarguable. there are key issues we must all agree upon for salvation, like Christ’s deity, His virgin birth, His death on the cross and His resurrection 3 days later. the issue of sovereignty versus free will is not an essential issue (though both are taught in the Bible), thus we should not rage against each other on such issues. let’s agree to disagree. i’d rather follow a God of love than a God of damnation because i see a God of love presented in the Bible.
i understand that absolute Divine sovereignty and human free will seems incompatible, seems illogical, seems irrational, but i’ll have to agree with God when He said:
nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.for as heavens are higher than the earth
so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
:: Isaiah 55:8-9 nkjv ::
blessings
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