Come Now, and Let us Reason Together...the Wayfarer 1/23/16

Come Now, and Let us Reason Together
1/23/16

¹⁸ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

(Isaiah 1:18)

Let us reason together!

The time has come for that reasoning throughout the entire world, as the entire world finds itself in the position occupied by Israel when the Prophet Isaiah spoke those words.

That reasoning, on the part of God is still one of reconciliation and forgiveness, mercy and grace for all willing to heed the warnings that have been sounded throughout the centuries, and to accept the only reasonable alternative to those warnings that were given both then and now.

God is a loving, caring, gentle being, unless provoked to the wrath that has been shown in the past, because of an unwillingness to accept reason, and that same unwillingness even now to accept a means of assuaging that wrath and granting that reconciliation with our Creator.

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

² Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

³ The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

⁴ Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

⁵ Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

⁶ From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

(Isaiah 1:1-6)

Both individual, and nation, throughout the world today should recognize the rebellion that exists, separating us from the blessings promised and provided by God.

That rebellion manifests itself throughout the entire society of mankind, from the rebellion within the family unit, first instituted for our very preservation by God, through the governance and established goals of nations in direct rebellion against the governance and goals established by our Creator.

The denial of that governance, established at creation, and the denial of that Governor are evident in the daily activities of the creature intended to be the recipient of the blessings of that Creator.

Even the houses of worship, in far too many instances have exacerbated that rebellion with the acceptance of abomination for the cause of social equality. These remain putrifying sores that only deepen the wounds that could so easily be healed, increasing the stench that is unacceptable to our Father by invoking the will of fallible and sinful man over the infallible and perfect will intended for us.

What then restrains the wrath that is built up by that rebellion?

What is the reasoning for allowing the existence of such an unreasonable creature?

God remains a God of LOVE!

Just as when Abraham attempted to reason with Him about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, begging for the mercy to be shown to the entirety of their populace if only a few could be found, and reached agreement that wrath would be withheld if the remnant, (those few), existed, so too today God makes good on that promise for the remnant… as long as that remnant remains.

Continuance is given for the opportunity for all to reason with Him, to have the means to salvation provided through the sacrifice of His own only begotten Son, Christ Jesus.

That grace, that undeserved love continues to allow the second chance for individual, and if taken nation as well.

¹⁶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

¹⁷ Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

¹⁸ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

¹⁹ If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

²⁰ But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

(Isaiah 1:16-20)

The opportunity is still given, even to this rebellious and stubborn creature, and his rebellious and stubborn nations, to make amends and return to the intended love and peace provided only by God, Father and Creator, through the simple acceptance of terms already established by Him from the beginning, and reiterated by the Son sent to make those terms clear so that none could say there was any misunderstanding of those terms.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Condemnation, wrath, destruction, eternity separated from God, were never, are not and never will be the intent nor will of God for this creation.

All of those things come not because of God, but because of mankind’s continually remaining obstinate, and refusing to accept his own lesser place in the universe created by that Creator.

²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

(Romans 3:21-24)

That justification… through the offer of that same grace offered Israel is now offered all mankind for that same promised redemption.

Take careful note, however, that that justification, that redemption comes only through Faith in Christ Jesus, and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God!

It is only through the crimson blood given by Jesus that sin may be expunged, and remitted, forgiven and forgotten.

The depth, breadth, or length of that sin is without importance, provided that the requirement of repentance is met, that true belief and faith in the work done on the cross, and more importantly, faith in the ONE having done that work and His continual ability to preserve that work through His resurrection, that grants that remittance, redemption and the reward of eternal life in exchange for that repentance and faith.

There is no sin too small to be overlooked by God, and no sin too large to be forgiven by Him when reasoning results in the repentance requested, and demanded by Him!

 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:4-10)

Come, let us reason together! Accept the terms offered, and the rewards of those terms through the acceptance of Christ Jesus as Savior and Redeemer.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer