The gap
The Bible is not a passive, leisure read. In fact, the truth in God’s word is tough, and it easy to step away because of the penetrating words that move the soul. It is difficult to stop, think, and come to terms with what Scripture says. However, as I mentioned yesterday, if God is the Creator as described in Genesis 1:1, His words, all of His words, are truth.
Perhaps nothing is more penetrating than the way the Bible describes humanity.
To understand the Bible is to understand the gap that exists between man and God. There is really no way to sugarcoat what God says about humanity. Reading through Genesis, the beginning of the Bible, the language that God uses to describe humanity is striking.
The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. Genesis 6:5-6
Because of the wickedness, God destroyed mankind by flooding the earth. After the flood, God says the same thing about humanity.
I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. Genesis 8:21
The difference is that in this verse, God vows that he will never destroy all of humanity again. Later, in Genesis 9, He confirms this covenant and gives a sign that He will never flood the earth again.
I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth. Genesis 9:13-16
God’s words about humanity are penetrating, maybe harsh. However, I believe we would all agree that deep down, we all are disobedient, not good, dare I say, evil. Even if our actions are crystal clean, we all have wrong thoughts, motives, and intentions. This is the truth of humanity.
A gap exists between the holiness of God, the Creator, and mankind. God is holy and man is far from it. This gap is laid out for us in the Old Testament, and, after an estimated 300 prophecies of the Messiah, the solve of the gap arrives in the New Testament.
God’s words are harsh, but His love is greater.
The New Testament begins with the arrival of Jesus. The gap is the reason that Christ came to earth. He came not to the “holy” or the self-righteous, as they lacked the humility to believe there was a gap. The prophet Isaiah said that the Messiah came to the region of Galilee “where so many Gentiles live.” The Gentiles were not the religious of the day but were the unchurched. They could be described as more of the outcasts.
Jesus filled the gap for all that would humble themselves, not only Gentiles, but all. He came with a simple message.
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17
And through the cross, He filled the gap between God and man. Man is still evil, but, to those that humble themselves before Christ, there is no gap. Man is unified with God through Christ. This is the Gospel.
Impact others. Live generously.
Follow my blog.
This week, we started the One Year Bible reading. As a reminder, the goal is to read the Bible in a year. For a list of the Scripture to read each day, check here. Audio is available also. Pin this site to the Home Screen on your phone. Or, if you like a hard copy, order those on Amazon: One Year Bible, ESV, One Year Bible, NLT.