| Christianity does not leave loose ends. The | | | | all about. It is unveiled and unfolded |
| plan of redemption goes full circle. God is | | | | throughout the early history of man. It |
| holy and our sin separates us from Him. God's | | | | starts in Genesis with the story of Adam and |
| justice demands a price to be paid, the price | | | | Eve and their sin. It follows the patriarchs, |
| of death by the shedding of blood. God's | | | | the Mosaic law and the people of Israel. The |
| grace allows a substitute to pay the price | | | | New Testament explains Jesus' life and |
| for us. In the Old Testament times this was | | | | sacrifice. It leaves no open ending. If we |
| achieved by sacrificing animals. Not any | | | | accept the gift of Jesus by faith, we can be |
| animal, but animals that met God's | | | | assured of our salvation. If not, we can be |
| specifications, they had to be first born, | | | | assured of our damnation. It's as simple as |
| male and without blemishes. God accepted the | | | | that. |
| sacrifice of the animal as payment for the | | | | |
| price of sin of men. But because an animal | | | | Other religions do not offer a similar |
| cannot sin (it is a-moral) this sacrifice had | | | | complete plan. |
| to be repeated again and again, every time a | | | | |
| new sin was committed. | | | | Hinduism claims that one needs only "improve" |
| | | | through numerous cycles of reincarnation. Yet |
| Then God's love dispatched Jesus, His Son, to | | | | the believer will never know with any |
| earth to pay that price with His blood. Jesus | | | | certainty how successful he or she is in |
| was - like the Old Testament sacrificial | | | | achieving that objective. One never knows |
| animals - first born, male and without | | | | upon death if the soul will have reached |
| blemishes. But above all He was also without | | | | Moksha, or if another cycle of rebirth, life, |
| sin by His own choice. That made Him the | | | | and death is required. |
| perfect (and only) sacrificial lam who's | | | | |
| blood was sufficient for all past, present | | | | The situation with Buddhism is similar. When |
| and future sins. By accepting Jesus' payment | | | | is one truly free of suffering? How do you |
| by faith for our sins, we can be reconciled | | | | measure that, and how do you know? You die, |
| to God during this lifetime as well as after | | | | and then what? Do you disappear into Nirvana |
| our deaths, when this reconciliation is fully | | | | or be reborn as a human being or as some |
| realized. | | | | other organism. Like Hinduism, it seems to |
| | | | leave many questions unanswered. |
| This plan of redemption is what the Bible is | | | | |