GOD HAS PREFERENCE BUT HE’S NOT PARTIAL
There is a deep saying, “Every one is created by God but not every one is a child of God.” This statement has brought so much arguments and contentions among Christians and non-Christians. They question: how can God create me and yet I’m not His child? From their head knowledge, they question God’s sovereignty. God has the authority and power to do whatever He likes and whatever gives Him honor and glory. That is why God could say: “Jacob I love and Esau I hate; I have mercy on whom I chose to have mercy.” For every thing He does is according to His plan and purpose; most importantly to give Him glory and honor. He neither compromises nor shares these with anybody or anything. God created all things. He created man in His image and likeness to know Him; give Him honor and glory. God gave man power to control his will and ability to choose between good and bad and of course, accept the consequences. That is why God respects our decisions and choices borne out of our self will.
Sometimes our decisions may be contrary to God’s laws and orders yet He respects the free will that He gives mankind. That explains why mankind must choose to know God; to accept or reject Jesus as the Son of God and put faith in His saving grace. Again, if you hear God’s voice and obey His commandment, you enjoy His blessings and if not you suffer curses [Deuteronomy 28:1ff]. Also God admonished Joshua, “Only you be strong and very courageous that you may do according to all the laws which Moses, My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper whichever you go. …….meditate on the Book of law day and night and observe according to all that is written…….shall make your way prosperous;.deal wisely and have good success [Joshua 1:7-8] In our era and age, most times we make bad choices and turn around to blame God, other people and institutions but not ourselves. We want God’s miracles but not God or His commands; want pleasure not hard work and the crown not the cross. Surprisingly and most often neglected, God equates His love with obedience. If you do the will of God, you have His blessings and if not, disobedience brings punishments.
A good example is the story of Cain and Abel, the two sons of biblical Adam and Eve [Genesis 4:1f]. Cain was the first born and a farmer [tiller of the ground]. Abel, his brother was a shepherd. During offering, Cain brought offerings of the fruit of the farm before the Lord. Abel, the shepherd brought an offering of the first born of his flock and of the fat portions [Hebrews 11:4]. According to the scriptures, the Lord accepted Abel and his offerings but rejected Cain and his offerings. The unique nature of Abel’s offerings could have added value to his acceptance. It involved blood sacrifice: For the life of the flesh is in the blood……; it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul [Leviticus 17:11]. The truth is God has a preference and does not just accept anything we throw on Him. Whatever we choose to give God must give Him glory and honor as well as agree with His purpose and laws; if not, it just does not fit.
Generally, human beings live by sight. It could be because we do not see God physically that is why some people don’t fear and reference Him. If you could pause and ponder on whom God is and how this great and mighty God could bring himself into human experiences; yet people neither pay attention nor give Him things worth and befitting His glory and honor. People often give God remnant of what they no longer need; something we can’t give to our earthly Presidents or governors. We carry our arrogance and ignorance into God’s presence and present to Him: stolen gifts, obtained from greed, cheat, and improper gain as well as fraud. Even when the pastors know that the gifts are ill-gotten, the pastors obtain and pray on the offerings; asking God to prosper and grant the giver long life and good success. It could be long life lived in fears, intimidation and agonies. We should not forget that when Adam and Eve sinned and exited the garden, God in His mercy and loving kindness placed an angel with a flaming sword to scare and prevent them from leaning forward to eat the fruit from the tree of eternal life; so that they would not live a long life in iniquities [Genesis 3:24]. The Pastor and the Church may accept the inglorious gifts; that does not mean God accepts them! Once again God has a preference.
The Psalmist says, “He does not delight in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; in those who hope in His mercy and loving kindness [Psalm 147:10-11]. God did not only reject Cain’s offerings but also disregarded Cain. That also did not mean that God rejected Cain’s destiny permanently. That is why God asked Cain: “Why are you angry? And why do you look sad, depressed and dejected? If you have done the right thing, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; it wants to rule over you but you must overcome it” [Genesis 4:6-7]. God is simply not partial but has a preference.
Our modern-day theology presents the teaching of God’s unconditional acceptance, instead of sticking to God’s unconditional love. This teaching could be misconstrued to mean God accepts anything you just throw to Him. The scripture teaches that the gift of unrighteous person is an abomination unto God [Proverbs 15:8]. Some Church denominations and pastors do not care how and where you get the gift for offerings. Some people offer worthless, despised and stolen offerings to God; something they can not offer to their earthly Presidents and Governors [Malachi 1:6-8]. As long as it’s a fat offering, sow it and they shall herald you and intercede for you. Unfortunately God is a holy God, sees the heart and has a preference. He determines what type of offering He accepts in line with His word and laws. Pause a bit and think why God accepted the biblical widow’s mite but rejected the offerings of Ananais and Sapphira. The widow’s mite came from the heart, was truthful and sacrificial as well as of faith but these merits the gifts of the latter lacked. After the death of Ananias and Sapphira, so much great fears came upon all the Church [Acts 5:11]. This made disobedience and deceit serious matters not only before God but mankind. Unfortunately, these vices have reincarnated in our New Age Churches and fast becoming acceptable virtues. Our society no longer cares how you make your wealth: as long as you make it – whether clean or dirty, you surely dine with royalty; be given inglorious recognitions in Churches and communities. My earnest prayer is that God would do something uncommon that restores holy fears back to the Church and the society.
Cain and Abel were diligent workers and presented gifts pertaining to their works to God in sacrifice. Weighing the two occupations, farming appears more intensive than shepherding. Infact, Cain could have worked harder than Abel. Funny enough, God created the two trades; first, He even planted a Garden of Eden and put Adam there and asked him to dress it, guard and keep it. What matters here is what offering God accepts in sacrifices and the type of sacrifice one is offering. Our gifts must be not only sacrificial, but sincere and of faith. Without faith no one pleases God. Also King David said, “I shall not offer to God that which cost me nothing” [2 Samuel 24:24]. God will not change His law because of you; will not force you to give Him what He wants. We must willingly conform to God’s standards and laws because there are purposes driven. God has what He wants us to do and how He wants us to do it. “The important thing is not how human wants to worship God but how God wants us to worship Him.”
Again, some people would think that Cain was right to offer to God sacrifice from the fruits of his farm but what God accepts for the atonement of human souls is what matters. The scripture says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for the souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” [Leviticus 17:11]. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with the blood and without shedding of the blood there is no remission. For this very reason Jesus took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, drink all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins” [Matthew 26:27-28; Romans 3:23-25].
The purpose of sacrifice is to cleanse and forgive individuals and the people’s sins; restore them to the image of God Almighty. Little wonder the writer of Hebrews said, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous [cleansed and forgiven], God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaks” [Hebrews 11:4]. God has preference for the blood sacrifice than any other because through it we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace [Ephesians 1:7b]. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and whose wrongs are pardoned; the Lord does not accuse of wrong doing and free from all deceits [Psalms 32:1-2]. For this reason Jesus became the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the entire world.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272.