Moral lessons?

In Ghana with my grandmother

By Kwame

Charles Spurgeon once shared a story about a young pastor and an older pastor. In the story, the older man encouraged the young man to preach Christ in every text of scripture - to preach Christ's person, work and promise in every jot and tittle of scripture; to see in every bible passage, the call to "look unto me [Christ] and be ye saved" (Is 45:22). In the same way, we should endeavour NOT to view various scriptural accounts as mere moral lessons.


As an example, let's take the passage where Jesus and his parents go to Jerusalem for the feast of the passover, and Jesus stays behind in the temple (Luke 2:43). One could say that, "Jesus spent time in the temple, so I will also try to attend church in order to grow in the word". That would be a great thought. After all, iron sharpens iron. However, we are encouraged not to stop there.


How does such a story point us directly to the gospel? It seems that this passage tells us (in addition to other things) that the Saviour's life was not different from ours. As a child, his parents were worried about him. He went to the temple like everyone else and celebrated the feasts along with everyone else. This story (and many more like it) tells us that our High Priest, was fully man and "He Himself hath suffered being tempted" (Heb 2:18). This points to the truth that Jesus was tempted in the very same ways that we are tempted since His life was like ours. Jesus being essentially God was also 100% man and had to deal with everything we deal with today. He had to live a normal life. He came into the world through birth like all of us, crying and needing his mom and dad's protection, like all of us. He wept like all of us and was hungry and tired at times, like all of us. Yet he was SINLESS!!


He obeyed God the Father perfectly!! He lived the normal life in a way that no one else can live. He is the SOLE Saviour of the world! He finished it all by dying on the cross and thus met the just punishment for sin...our sins. Who could have been the lamb of God and who could have taken away the sins of the world if the man Jesus was not sent!!!!!?? Nobody! Clearly Jesus is the only choice, naturally and supernaturally (before the world began). He is the perfect blameless lamb that willingly gave His life!! What joy to have such a Saviour who is absolute, omniscient, omnipotent, loving, just, mighty, awesome awesome awesome and yet was fully a man who had the pains and joys that I have today. In this way, "he is able to succour them that are tempted" (Heb 2:18).


Praise and honour to God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost! Amen!


Kwame