A two part apology in two parts. But this is just the first part.

So i want to apologize.

God's word is primarily two elements: Law and Gospel.  Sometimes we refer to these as Truth and Grace.  Though Grace is true as well.  What is meant is, the Law tells the truth about us and about God.  God is holy.  We are not.  The Law told us what God expects of us.  What God has every right as our loving creator to expect from us.  What God not only expects, but needs from us.

Why does he need it?  Does he lack something?  No.  God is complete.  God does not even need company because God is three persons in one.  God has complete fellowship in himself.  This is how one being can be love.  God doesn't narcissistically love himself, the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and the Spirit is the embodiment of that love.  Perpetual, eternal, complete.

So why do i say God needs this from us?  Because He loves us and wants us to be with him.  The problem is, God is just.  God cannot overlook sin because nothing sinful can enter into the presence of divine holiness without flashing like flesh in a nuclear furnace and going poof.  As the old commercial used to say, don't go poof in a nuclear furnace, be holy.

The problem is, we can't.  We can't be holy.  So we are screwed.  Game over.  Shut off the lights and go to bed and wait for the poof.

Well, you say, why can't, you know, God just forgive us?  He's love right?

Oh yeah!  That's right!  He is love and he does just forgive us!  Yay!  Whew!  That was close.  Man...wait.  Oh shoot, he's also just.  How can he just forgive us when we've hurt so many people?  How can he repair all the damage we've done by giving everyone a free pass?  Some pretty heinous stuff is going down every minute of every day and somebody needs to pay for that.  So maybe he could just tally up a bill for us and we'll just pay the damages?  Yeah!  Good plan!

Oh.  Really?  It's that much?  Ah, yeah, okay.  Ummmm, we're gonna need a loan.  No.  We're gonna need a lot more than a loan.  We're gonna need Grace.

Reenter the Law.  God in almost the same breath as he gives us the Ten Commandments, gives us the sacrificial system.  Oh cool!  So we just slaughter some goats and sheep and cows and doves and we're good, right?  Easy peasy.  Kinda messy but that's cool.  Better them than us, right?

Well, no, not exactly.  But we'll get to that tomorrow.  Stay tuned.