All
Have Sinned
"All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on
Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
Whenever I look into the
53rd chapter of Isaiah I feel like I am on holy ground. There is something
about this chapter that fills me with wonder and awe. I'm sure it must be the
fact that here is presented one of the most magnificent portraits of the Lord
Jesus in the whole Bible.
But our verse for the day
starts out with another portrait, a portrait of each of us. "All we like
sheep have gone astray." We have all wandered off the path and away from
God. We have alienated ourselves from Him by living contrary to His grand and
wonderful plan which He designed for each of us.
We are like sheep, which
after wandering far afield are unable to find their way back to the fold. And
while we wander aimlessly in the barren places of the earth, far from God, we
are exposed to the beasts of the field who are bent on our destruction.
We have turned everyone to
His own way thereby setting ourselves in competition with the will of God. This
is the foolishness of our sin, for the will of God is known to be good,
acceptable and perfect. That which sinners choose and devise for themselves is
bad, unacceptable and imperfect.
We have willfully and
stubbornly gone our own way, the way of our own heart, the way of our own
corrupt appetites and passions. We have declared ourselves to be our own God.
We do what we want, we have what we want, and we live the way we want.
In light of all of that, can
you believe that Almighty God, by a momentous act of mercy and grace has laid
on His only begotten Son the iniquity of us all? They were laid upon Christ
when He was made sin, a sin offering for us, and redeemed us from the curse of
the law by being made a curse for us.
There is only one way of
salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
He suffered and died for our
sins. He was wounded for our transgressions. He made atonement for them and
purchased our pardon from them. The crown of thorns on His head was for our sins.
The nails in His hands and feet were for our sins. The spear in His side was
for our sins.
The torment and pain were
for our rebellion. His bruises were for our iniquity. He was delivered to death
for our offenses. By submitting to these chastisements He slew the enmity
between God and man and made peace by the blood of His cross.
Whereas by our sin we were
become odious to God's holiness and obnoxious to His justice, through Christ we
are reconciled. Our sins are forgiven. The great and eternal God becomes our
father and we become the objects of His love. Amazing grace! By His stripes we
are healed.
This vital Bible verse is
just one of 60 carefully selected scriptures that are contained in the
Navigators Scripture Memory course. If you want to memorize
Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorize or how to get started, this is
exactly what you need. The Topical Memory
System includes memory verse cards in four
different Bible versions - NIV, KJV, NASB, NKJV. Topics include all of the
basics of the Christ-centered Spirit-filled life, sharing your faith, and
growing on to maturity in your walk with God. May God bless you as you
fill your life with His Word.
© Copyright 2002, LeRoy Eims