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| Volume 22 Number 1 January 2020 | Page 10 |
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| Volume 22 Number 1 January 2020 | Page 10 |
Mark McWhorter
Hebrews 2:17 says that Jesus was a faithful High Priest in that He made reconciliation for the sins of the people. The word “reconciliation” is a big word that means “to appease.” The Greek word is “hilaskomai.” It refers to the role of offering atonement and making peace.
All mankind has sinned. Every person commits sin. Sin separates man from God. There is no peace between God and a sinner. However, Christ made that peace possible. He made reconciliation. He offered the atonement sacrifice. What did He offer? He offered Himself. He was the atonement sacrifice. Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 and Romans 5:11. Both of these Scriptures tell us Jesus is our atonement. He is also the One Who offered the atonement.
First John 2:2 and 1 John 4:10 say He is our propitiation. That is another big word. It means “atonement sacrifice.” It comes from the Greek word “hilasmos.” Jesus was the Sacrifice, and He was the One Who sacrificed. He was a Great High Priest who offered Himself so that there could be peace between man and God.
Study your Bible. Learn all about our High Priest and Reconciler. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
Morality and the Law
Donald R. Fox
We are Americans. Our heritage, culture, morality and laws stem from Judaic-Christian principles. The Bible, both Old and New testaments, is the source for our moral concepts. Our forefathers did not glean or seek guidance from other so-called sacred books. They recognized the superior nature of the Bible. The Hindu writings, the Zend-Avesta of the Zoroastrians, the Confucian texts, the Buddhist writings, the Koran (the Code of Islam or Mohammedanism), etc. did not meet the lofty ideals of the Bible and setting of standards and laws for our western culture, such as in the United States of America.
It is interesting to note that our founders and other western culture leaders understood that law was rooted from the Bible. Notice the following motivating quotation. “…Morality rests upon Law. Law is subject to the Authority of Morality; Law is the Basis of Morality, but yet Morality is the Standard of Law. Law is fixed for the moment, and Morality supposes its fixity, but Morality is a supreme and eternal Rule, which Law must recognize. Law must always attempt to conform to Morality” (Page 331, Article 461, Vol 1, The Elements of Morality, by William Whewell, 1857).
Many of our government officials and lawmakers are struggling with the great changes in our society: same sex-marriage, gay rights, abortion, on and on we could go. If the anything-goes crowd, the moral individualism standard seekers, the atheism system and the dishonest loophole seekers in our Constitution take a firm hold on changing the law, we as a nation will sink deeper into a godless society. We need to go back to traditional norms and the founders’ intent and social guidance for our nation.
It is time to rethink and reestablish the morality, the concepts and the laws our founders intended. The chipping away from the original concepts of our nation—one nation under God—must be halted. “Law is subject to the Standard of Morality.” “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).