Jesus Paid Our Death Penalty – Will You Accept It?

It is written..."Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God... [Saying] the time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). 

In the Holy Scriptures, the apostles of Christ Jesus deserted Him at the garden of Gethsemane, when Judas the betrayer of Jesus led a great mob from the chief priests and leaders of the Jews to take Jesus by force with swords and other weapons of the time (Matthew 26:36-56). Peter, Jesus's chief apostle, the one whom Jesus gave the charge to "take care of" His sheep (John 21:15-17). Peter whom Christ Jesus gave this charge, even he denied Jesus three times while trying not to be detected as one of Jesus's disciples, fearing for his life, which Christ had previous predicted to Peter (John 13:36-38 and Matthew 26:69-75). Have you ever thought to yourself, why after being afraid to stand with Jesus at His death on the cross, this same Peter and Jesus's other disciples began after about 50 days later proclaiming this gospel and the full bodily resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead (Acts 2:22-40)? I mean, why claim a dead Man is alive again, if He is not?

Now, if you are a true skeptic then you should be asking yourself these questions, if the Man Jesus the Christ did not rise from the dead after being nail to the tree (commonly called a cross today), then why would these men proclaim a lie knowing that it meant death? I mean how many are you reading this now would proclaim a lie for any amount of time when you are threaten under penalty of death? For it is said, that "scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet for a good man someone would even dare to die" (Romans 5:6-8); therefore, I ask this question would not the more than 120 to 500 men and women who witnessed Jesus' death and resurrection be entirely insane to proclaim that He rose from the dead, if this was a lie? Furthermore, these same disciples just after Jesus' death that very same evening at least 120 of them had locked themselves in a room and hiding "for fear of the Jews", the leaders and chief priests who caused Jesus' death at the hands of the Romans (1 Corinthians 15:4-7 and John 20:19)? . [These Jews had the greater sin for handing Jesus over to the Romans- see John 19:8-11].

I call upon all who hear the call of my Father in heaven (John 6:44), that you stop doing harm to your neighbor, and your fellow brothers and sisters, for love does no harm to others (Romans 13:10).  Repent (stop) from your wrongdoing against others, and be baptized each one of you in the name of Jesus the Christ for the forgiveness of  your sins; and God our Father and His Christ in heaven will come to you and make their home in you (Acts 2:38).

Most skeptics and non-believers would ask these questions below:  

• Where did we human beings come from, animals by way of evolution?
• Is there a purpose in life? If so, what is it?
• Are we alone in this universe? Were there life on this planet prior to Genesis?
• Why is there sin in this world?
• Is the story of the garden of Eden true? Did this actually happen?
• Who is this Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee?
• I did not sin, Adam did, so why I must repent and be save?

Many who say they do not believe in religion and say God do not exist ask the above type of questions. There is a place to get answers to these questions, and that is the Holy Bible. The Bible says, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). And again the Holy Spirit says, "the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise" (Proverbs 12:15).

Are you willing to accept counsel today? Are you wise in your own eyes? Or will you answer a matter before hearing it?

For those of you seeking life, I say, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Then God created the man Adam saying, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...So God created man in His own image...male and female"...(Genesis 1:26-27). Now, "the history of the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 2:4) is this: "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7).

Now, the Holy Spirit speaks of the creation of the man Adam and all the animals and birds being created from the dust of the ground in Genesis 2; and God planted a garden in the place called Eden, He then had Adam name all these animals and birds, afterwards He put Adam in a deep sleep and made the woman Eve from a rib of the man Adam. When God presented this woman to the man Adam, Adam named the woman calling her "Woman", because she came out of Man (Genesis 2:23). Then God performed the first marriage saying, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh". The Holy Spirit then says, both the man and woman "were naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:7-25).

This is the history of the "garden of Eden", also called and known as "the fall of man": After some time had past (how much is not known for the Scripture is silent on this matter), the beast called the "serpent" appear to the Woman in the Garden. The Spirit tells us that the beast called a "serpent" was more cunning than any other beast God had made (Genesis 3:1). Most skeptics and / or non-biblical persons may be wondering in their mind now with these questions, how can a serpent be cunning? Who is this serpent? Was this serpent speaking? Why they cannot speak now, etc? Well, we must go to other parts of the Holy Scriptures for the answer to these questions.

But first, let me ask these questions for those of you who believe in the "big bang theory" or some similar theory of evolution. Is it more easier for you to believe that a big bang came out of nothing (nowhere) and life suddenly appeared on earth, than believing a serpent in times past spoke to Eve? Again, I ask is it more easier for you to believe that you and your family evolved from apes than to believe that a loving Supreme Being, known as God created you? Lastly, if you believe in evolution, then I ask you how is it that apes today do not speak and yet humans do? Now, let us return to the truth from God in the book of Genesis, as to who is this cunning serpent.  

As it is written, by the prophet Isaiah speaking by the Holy Spirit in the book of Isaiah in chapter 28 verses 9-10: "9 Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little" (see also 1 Cor. 1:27). Here we see that God wishes to teach His word to the babes of this world, which none of the wise of this present evil and adulterous age understood in Christ's time nor do they understand today (Luke 10:21). For if they did they would not have crucified our Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 2:8). Again, I ask are you wise in this present evil age? Are you willing to accept counsel today? Or will you answer a matter before hearing it?

Now, the Holy Spirit gives us the serpent's identity in many places of the Holy Scriptures, but we will go to Revelation 12:9, where it says: "And the great dragon was cast out [cast out of heaven by God], the ancient serpent [taking us back to the book Genesis] who is called the Devil and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him." Here the Scriptures tell us that this serpent of Genesis actually was Satan who had entered the beast called by the name serpent in the garden of Eden. Also, this Satan is called by the name "ancient serpent" and "the great dragon"; and this "ancient serpent" of old called the "Devil and Satan" has, have, and is deceiving this world, enlists the deceived and those who volunteer into his service to carry out his work. It interesting to note that this "ancient serpent" from the book of Genesis has grown into a "great dragon" in the book of Revelation, as the sins of men have grown (more on this later).

Returning back to Genesis 3, the "Temptation, the deception of the Woman and fall of the man Adam"; and why we have sin in this world according to the Holy Bible. Now, the Holy Spirit speaks of the ancient serpent asking the Woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Again, you must be asking how is it that a serpent speaks? Now, most of us who believe the word of God, the Bible, the existence of God, and Him having all power this is not difficult for us to believe especially, after learning from Scriptures that this serpent here in Genesis is the same evil one spoken of throughout the Bible and this world as Satan, the Devil. Therefore, I ask this question which is more plausible the serpent speaking or the Woman responding to it? If you believe in evolution, then I ask this question how is it that humans developed speech and animals (today) do not speak, seeing that the theory of evolution claims they both came from the same source?

Back to the story of sin entering the world, you must be wondering, why the serpent asked this question? Well, God had earlier planted in the Garden of Eden the "Tree of Life" and the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil", and instructed the man Adam with this command: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the  tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." So, we see the Man called Adam was responsible for instructing the Woman because she was created after this instruction (Genesis 2:16-18 more on this later).

Returning to the "Deception of the Woman", the Woman replied to the ancient serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat, nor shall you touch it, lest you die'" (Genesis 3:2-3). Notice, the Woman's response here she said God said, "Nor shall you touch it"; God only told the man Adam not to eat of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", this mean Adam added "nor shall you touch it" to his instruction to the Woman. Now, the ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan response to the Woman was, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5). This is the lie that have been told by countless of the so-called wise of this world, and that is: "your human spirit lives forever" claiming your spirit never dies, and that God can only separate you from Himself and not kill your soul. Yet, the Holy Scriptures clearly quote our Savior, Christ Jesus as saying to us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul [referring to man]. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell [referring to God]" (Matthew 10:28 NIV). Satan as usual gave the Woman some truth also, which is "knowing good and evil". From the point that the Woman and the Man ate of the fruit, sin entered the world. Satan still uses these same tactics to cause people to sin, by giving them some truth with his lies and lying wonders. That's why the Holy Spirit exhort us as Christians to test every spirit (thought) that comes into our minds (see 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 and 1 John 4:1-3). 

Going back to Genesis, the Woman seeing that the fruit of the tree looked good and pleasing to her eyes, she concluded that since the serpent said that the fruit of the tree would make her wise like God she ate the fruit (1 John 2:15-17). She reasoned in her mind that God must have lied to Adam about the fruit, and she persuaded her husband to eat of it also. [Adam was willing to die with his wife after learning she had already eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - more on this later]. The Woman believed the serpent over God, and to this day man have believed this lie thinking they are as wise as God. Then the Man and the Woman realize after eating the fruit that they were naked, they covered themselves with fig leaves, they felt the quilt and shame of their sin, and hid. This sin have fallen upon all humans to this day. [This is what a person need to have to be saved, you must have a godly sorrow for your wrongdoing](Genesis 3:6-8).

Next, God comes on the scene (this was a time when God met face to face with the Man Adam and others).

[Note: This is something skeptics love to mention, why God do not meet with men this way today? Then they would believe He exist they say; well, God will will not be mocked, He will grant them their wish in due time].

God calls for Adam, Adam tells God he hid when he heard Him coming because he was naked. God asks Adam and the Woman who told them they were naked? God then asks, "Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat (Genesis 3:11)?"

[Pause, most of you may argue why did God put the tree there if He did not want them to eat from it]. Well, we as humans were created with free will, and God tests our faith in Him by seeing if we will obey Him - Adam and the Woman failed their test. And all humans from this day forward came under the penalty of death unless they accept God's Son in place of their death sentence, as their sacrifice.

There are many among the non-believers who reject this notion of Adam's sin and the Woman's deception being pass to their descendants. Therefore, I ask this question, if God had given Adam and the Woman their penalty of death on the very same day that the Woman was deceived by the serpent, called Satan, the Devil and Adam's sinned would you be here today, to make this argument? The actual time of Adam's death sentence was delayed because God had already committed His own Son, Jesus the Christ to die for our sins before He created this world (Hebrews 10:5-7 and Revelation 5:9). However, they would suffer physical death and toil as consequences for their sin (Genesis 3:9-11).

For as it is written in 1 Peter 1:17-21, speaking of Christ Jesus...

• 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Back to this sin, which was passed on to all the descendants of Adam and Eve. Because if God had given Adam and Eve their penalty for their sins, the death penalty in the Garden of Eden before anyone else was born, then none of the skeptics today would be here to ask the question, why am I held responsible for someone else's sin? I mean think about what I am saying here, if God did not want to save Adam and Eve, then He would have killed both of them forever after their sin in the Garden. Yet, God wanted to save all humankind, not just Adam and Eve. However, the penalty for sin could not be removed unless their was a substitute for Adam's sin because he represented all humankind. When these skeptics ask this question, why they are held responsible for Adam and Eve's sin? They willingly forget this one important detail, and the fact, who would die for them once they sin also? I mean how many people do you know who have not sinned before? As the Holy Spirit says Romans 5,

• Romans 5:12-18... 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous

Which brings us to God's physical sentencing of this death penalty, but first notice Adam's and the Woman's responses when God ask them, "have you eaten from the tree of which" He had commanded Adam not to eat (Genesis 3:11). Adam blamed God for his sin because God gave him the Woman by saying to God, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." Then God said to the Woman, "What is this you have done?",  the Woman respond by blaming the serpent saying, "the serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Genesis 3:12-13). Do this sound familiar to you? We, today blame each other for our faults and wrongdoing, also. We as children are quick to say, "he did it, not me". Just as the atheist would argue that, "Adam sinned not me", and the women of today will say, "why am I held responsible for Eve's actions, she was deceived not me?" 

God pronounced sentence on the serpent first because the serpent held the most blame and guilt for deceiving the Woman, God told the serpent, "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:14-15). These verses give us a prophecy of the coming of the Christ (Greek word for Anointed One) or Messiah (Hebrew word for Anointed One). As it is said:

• 1 Corinthians 15...⁴⁵And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being."The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Next, God gave the Woman her sentence concerning her deception by the serpent, God said to the Woman: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

Finally, God lay down sentence to the man Adam saying, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it, all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." Adam like many of the men of God afterwards heeded the voice of his wife by sinning against God. For Adam was not deceived, as the Scripture says:

• 1 Timothy 2:13-15... "13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self--control."

Adam was a type of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, as the Holy Spirit says death came through Adam, but life comes through Christ, the Anointed One:

• 1 Corinthians 15:21-23... "For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive".

Lastly, the Spirit tells us in verse 20 of Genesis 3 that Adam named the Woman, Eve who became the mother of all living human beings today. Afterwards in verse 21 God sacrificed an animal for a covering for Adam and Eve nakedness (their sinful nature), this was the first atonement for their physical sins made by the blood of an animal. However, this animal could not clear their conscious only the blood of the Man Jesus the Christ could clear their mind of sin.  

God concludes with verses 22-24 with this saying... "22.Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life". This proves my earlier saying that Adam and Eve did not yet have eternal life. Notice what God says here, "lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever", even until this day the Tree of Life remains with God (Revelation 22:2,14).

God's Plan of Salvation                          God's Holy Days

Jesus in Prayer             Death and Resurrection of Jesus    

The Atheist and the Agnostic         

Again, I call upon you to heed the call of my Father in heaven (John 6:44), for the call of God goes out to many; but few will stop doing harm to their neighbor, their fellow human brothers and sisters, for love does no harm (Romans 13:10).  Repent (stop) from doing wrongs and be baptized each one of you in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Savior of us all, and for the forgiveness of  your sins; and God our Father and His Christ will come to you and make their home in you (John 14:23 and Acts 2:38). Amen. Praise God.

Evangelist Ron Davis, a servant of Christ, of the Kush Edifying Ministries proclaims the whole counsel of God. This ministry believes in the command of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 10:7-8 "As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (NIV). Jesus commands us to "freely" preach the word without demanding that those we preach to, give us a tithe or tenth of their earnings, which is not commanded under the New Covenant - NEVER HAVE BEEN; not until the leaders in the churches of this present evil and adulterous world saw that it was a way to extort your money from you, then they made it a tradition of the churches, a commandment of men, and not from God.

You may contact Ron Davis and this ministry with your comments at the below email:

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