Gary Carpenter Ministries
Monthly Partner Letter

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Dear Partner,

John 1:29   The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD, which taketh away the sin of the world.

During Old Testament days, every time an innocent lamb was offered in sacrifice for sins, the people understood it was for the purpose of paying the price for their sins. They were guilty of sin, but God accepted the life of an innocent lamb as a substitute in order to spare them the judgment they deserved. Did God take pleasure in the death of all those innocent animals? No, as the writer of Hebrews says:

Heb 10:4-7   For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Jesus knew He was born to die. He knew why the Father had sent Him to earth. Jesus was the spotless, sinless LAMB OF GOD. All of those sacrifices in the Old Testament were only types and shadows, pointing toward the day when God's own Son would offer up His life as a sacrifice for us all.

1Pe 1:18-20   Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

God knew before He ever created the world that His Son would have to die on the cross for mankind. But there was a problem. The Son Himself is also God. He is the second member of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. How can God the Son be offered up to die? How can God die? In order for the Son of God to die, He would also have to become the "son of man." Notice in Hebrews 10:5 quoted above Jesus states "a body hast thou prepared for me." How did God prepare a body for the Son? Did He prepare a body the same way He did for Adam? If so He would have had to of done it the same way, by forming a body from the dust of the earth. But wait a minute … the earth itself had now been corrupted because of the fall of Adam. In fact the bible declares that all of creation is in a state of groaning in corruption waiting for the day when there shall be a new heaven and a new earth. [Rom 8:19-22]. It was not possible to provide a body like Adam's before the fall of man, so God chose a most ingenious way to provide a body for His Son.

Luk 1:34-35   Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Every son born of woman could be called a "son of man," descended from the loins of Adam. But only the Son conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary could be called both the "son of man" and the "Son of God." The phrase "son of man" is used 81 times in the four gospels to make sure we understand that Jesus was born as both … son of man … and Son of God. A body was prepared for Him by drawing upon the physical attributes of Mary. His body was descended from Adam, but the human spirit within Him was not descended from Adam, but from God alone. His spiritual Father was God, but Adam was the father of His body. His spirit was alive to God, but His body had the "motions of sin" in it just like every other person born of woman on planet earth. That's why the writer of Hebrews says:

Heb 4:15   For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He had a body like ours. He felt temptation in it just like we feel temptation in ours. He had to agonize in the garden to obey the Father's will instead of His own will just like we have to sometimes struggle to overcome our flesh in order to obey the Father. Jesus has walked in our shoes. He is the perfect Savior for fallen man. He is the perfect LAMB OF GOD who taketh away the sin of the world.

In the Old Testament they had to offer lambs over and over again. Deep down they knew that the blood of animals could not really take away the guilt of sin for man. But thank God, Jesus our Lord only had to suffer death ONCE for us.

Heb 10:8-14   Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.

Sue and I love you and appreciate you.   We thank God for your generous and giving heart.   God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

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