An Awesome Privilege
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Please open your Bible and read:
(Hebrews 7:21 – 28)
To pray and expect answers is a truly remarkable privilege, considering the holiness of God. In our desire to be blessed, we rarely give much thought to how holy He is; but it is important to God that we understand this aspect of His nature. His character is so flawless that even a hint of sin is incompatible with His presence. Human beings, however, are inherently sinful, so for us to commune with God, He had to plan a way for mankind to atone for transgressions.
God’s holiness requires a blood offering to wipe away sin. (Leviticus 17:11) The Law He gave Moses contained a provision for cleansing the imperfect people: the priests would offer an animal sacrifice to cover the Israelites’ sins. (Leviticus 4, 5) Later, the New Testament brought a new provision: at the cross, God accepted a final shedding of blood as the one – time payment for all sin – past, present, and future. Jesus Christ’s all – sufficient, atoning sacrifice paid our entire sin – debt so that we could enter into God’s holy presence.
Christians sometimes underestimate the significance of being able to speak with the Lord. Prayer is our birthright; more precisely, it is our re – birthright as children “born again” into the family of God. (John 3:3) Unbelievers may talk toward heaven, but Scripture offers no hope that God will listen or respond unless they, too, receive Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf. As believers, we are welcome to pray and draw close to the Father because the Son is our permanent high priest, eternally covering us in a veil of righteousness.
Question: In addition to the awesome privilege of prayer, what other privileges of being a child of God can you think of?
About the Author: Dr. Charles Stanley
