“so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)

Happy Monday! Today’s verse from the author of Hebrews gives us the central theme of Christianity. We were created in God’s image but fell to the temptation of sin. That fall, brought into the world by one man, Adam, carried through the bloodline of God’s creation until another man – Jesus, who was God, atoned for the sins of all mankind. Christ Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who cleaned the stain of sin out of our fabric and “took away the sins of many.” Now unfortunately, we still sin today and every sin acted out, or internalized within our minds, causes Jesus to relive His sacrifice. But God is merciful, Amen! We need only to lean on the cross in true repentance for our sins to be forgiven and stand righteous again through the acts of Christ Jesus before our Lord and Heavenly Father. And while God knew we would need constant help in keeping our sin at bay, Jesus has said this in Matthew 22:37-38, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Now Jesus will come a second time, and for those who take this command to heart, Jesus will not be coming to reconcile our sins but to save us completely from this fallen world and take us home to be with God in Heaven. This world can be harsh, people’s sin will be ugly, but God is true to His promises. So stand firm, Love God, repent of your sins, and know that Christ Jesus will “bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”