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Monday 21 November 2011

Isaiah 1:16-20 - Forgiveness and obedience

"Stop doing wrong, seek justice". All the religious observance of Israel was a waste of time and meaningless unless they acted justly. We too need to bear this in mind. Salvation by faith or by grace does not mean that it does not matter how we act. The Bible teaches from beginning to end that God cares passionately about how we live our lives, in particular how we treat each other. He longed for the Israelites to act justly and to care for the oppressed and needy.
God calls on the people to reason with Him. God has given us brains, intelligence. If we use our minds aright we can see the truth.
First there is the promise of forgiveness. This is a promise. Then comes a challenge. If they are willing and obedient they will enjoy the best. If not, they will be devoured. Here we can see a parallel in the cross. The cross offers unconditional forgiveness and cleansing, but we need to respond. If we continue to resist then we will go to hell.

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