How come God looks at us through Jesus?

On our own, in our flawed condition, we cannot stand before a holy God without facing immediate destruction. Hebrews 12:29, reminds us that 'God is a consuming fire' (see also 10:27). The Scriptures emphasise that the problem lies with us: 'Surely, the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you' (Isaiah 59:1, 2).

We required someone to mediate, a person who could fully comprehend and advocate for both sides. That person is Jesus.

The Word that existed from the very beginning with God, the Word that was indeed God, took on human form and lived among us (John 1:1, 14) as a Son of God and a Son of man. This was not something we conceived or asked for; it stemmed from God's profound love for humanity (John 3:16).

Unlike pagan religions, where humans offer sacrifices to placate an angry deity, our faith reveals a remarkable truth: the entire process was initiated by God, from start to finish. As we see in 2 Corinthians 5:18, 'All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ.' Who took the first step? God. What was the purpose? To bring us back into relationship with Him. How did He accomplish this? Through His Son.

Furthermore, as we continue to the next verse (v. 19), which seems to repeat, 'God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ', please note that some translations (NKJV) say, 'that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.' It’s truly incredible that it was God who took the initiative, God who completed this work, God who paid for all. And the verse goes on to say, 'not counting people’s sins against them.' This seems to provide clarity to your inquiry.

The process is that Jesus sacrificed himself for us, allowing us to be reconciled with God and regarded as righteous. The chapter concludes with the statement, 'God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.' (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This is an absolute paradox, to our advantage. Jesus was sinless and became sin for us, we were sinners, and became righteous; as the lesson beautifully illustrates the idea of God (or the universe) observing us and seeing Jesus. This is indeed a profound truth.

In the book of Hebrews, it tells us that Christ has entered heaven 'now to appear for us in God’s presence' (9:24). It also states, 'We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' (10:10). So, when God gazes upon humanity, He sees not rebellious sinners, but forgiven ones.

The situation resembles the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15). He found himself exhausted, wounded, broke, disheartened, starving, smelling like pigs. He was prepared to accept the role of a servant if his father would have him back. However, his father welcomed him with open arms and embraced him as his son! When he looked at him, the father didn’t see a prodigal son, but the son.

This is the essence of the gospel!

Do you have any questions?
Feel free to get in touch and we'll come back to you with an answer.