From the Editor Mar/Apr 2024

Israel My Glory Sneak Peek with Jesse King, our managing editor, is a new video series that gives a glimpse into our latest issue.

I disobeyed my parents many times as a child. They were habitually gracious in their admonition. But on one occasion, I misbehaved so severely that my father told me I needed a serious punishment.

Having always received gentle correction, I felt terrified when he pulled out a belt to discipline me. In a soft, measured tone, my dad explained what needed to happen.

“You’ve sinned,” he said, “and someone must take the punishment for your sin.”

I was already crying, fearing the pain I deserved. But instead of inflicting pain on me, he handed me the belt. I cried harder when I realized what he was doing. A price had to be paid for my sin; and because he loved me, he was willing to pay it for me despite doing nothing wrong. With few words spoken, my dad taught me a lesson I’ll never forget about sin, atonement, and mercy.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, humanity became infected with the terminal disease of sin. Sin corrupts and destroys, drawing us away from the God who loves us more than we could ever deserve or comprehend. Sin is deep-rooted, and we cannot uproot it ourselves.

But because God lavished His grace and mercy upon us, we have an infallible cure: Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son. Because Jesus became man, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, He paid the penalty for our sins. When we believe in Him and accept His gift of eternal life, God counts our faith as righteousness (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 4:5).

God’s gift of saving grace comes by faith, not by our works (Eph. 2:8–9). Without Jesus’ righteousness, we could never escape the consequences of our sin. “For the wages of sin is death,” the apostle Paul explained, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

This issue of Israel My Glory examines sin’s reach, depth, and remedy. We are all born sinners with no means of redemption or reconciliation with God the Father apart from Jesus. But our holy God “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8).

As you consider how hopelessly lost we are in sin, I pray you will stand in awe of Jesus for giving His life to secure yours in Him forever.

In His service,
Jesse King
Managing Editor