Ang Unang Mga Buang-Buang!!

…. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made aprons. (Gen. 3:7)

Buntag sayo, Lunes nangandam na unta ka  sa trabaho, you are gasping out of  bed… the best effort that you can…. Ahhhhh…. kapoy og poypoy ang lawas, sakit ang mga kasu-kasuan, gahi kaayo nga ubo, nagtubod ang ilong sa sip-on, sigeng hingos….ahhhhhhhh...the world’s worst cold ever! Mura ka’g gidangdang sa kalayo sa kalintura...aaahhhh..absent na lang sa ka sa work..and..  you know the lurking truth: you have an infection. Oo, gi-trangkaso ka!!

Unsa may buhaton nako ?! ngutana pa ka?!!

OK. There are two options: The foolish path and the path of wisdom.

The foolish path is this, nakasulay na seguro ka ani before--deny the pain, and mumble this to yourself in a hundred times or more, “Wala ko’y sakit! … wala ko’y sakit!...wala ko’y sakit!.ok ra ko! ok ra ko!! wala ko'y sakit!!..wala ko’y sakit!”…. and eventually get sicker. Foolish!

The path of wisdom calls you to go and see the doctor and get a treatment.
Pasalig ko--it works a lot better!

Yep! Mga panghitabo nga maka-igmat! 

Si Adan og si Eva, sukad-sukad wala pa kasulay  sama niana sa ilang kinabuhi. Kabalo baka? Nagsugod ang tanan sa gamay’ng ingkib sa bunga, og ang ilang mga mata, nanga-abli og napuno sa kahadlok og kalisang!

Something was dreadfully wrong. Something was out of order. Chaos!!!

Og karon nadunggan nila ang mga dahunog sa  tunob sa Dios. God was coming in Eden!!!

Nataranta sa kahadlok!!

Kangilngig!!!

Kahinumdum baka? Kana bitaw for the first time nasayran nimu nga dakung sala ang imong gibuhat, og nabutyag nga sala gyud! Sama sa nakapamakak ka sa imong bestfriend nga diin pang daan nakasayod ka nga sayop, unya nabutyag sa iya og sa tanan?? 

Yep,  sa dihang ning abot ang Dios sa tanaman sa Eden, ing-ana! ing-ana nga mga panghitabo ang gibati sa duha ka karaho!!

Hala!  Unsa kaha’y ilang mga pulong, mga panghuna-huna, mga actions, pag-atubang sa Dios?

Would these words, thoughts and actions have an eternal significance?

For Adam and Eve, the first hint that they had disobeyed the LORD and thus ruined their relationship with Him is an intense horror. Makalilisang!! Ang paraiso daw sama sa  giyab-an og hilo! Og nakasayod sila niana. Sa kina-iladman og kina-uyokan, nakasayod sila nga sila nakasala. 

They could’nt put words to their feelings. They just knew something was wrong.

And so they acted.

They acted incorrectly and foolishly!!!

Nanguha sila’g dahon sa hegira--yep, dagkong mga dahon, sarang ikatabon--og gitahi nila kini og nanagbuhat og mga tapis niini alang  sa ilang mga kaugalingon.

At least that way, they figured out, “We can’t see each other and God won’t be able to see us .” “Ok ra seguro ni, God won’t think and see anything fault at us. Ok nani. Matago na nato atong mga sayop ani!!!

Oh… how foolish!!!! Mga buang-buang!!!

Unya mo rason pa ta nga naa ta'y "Free Will''! Tan-awa daw na gibuhat ni Adan og Eva kung "Free Will" pa ba nah. These have proved that our free will is not sufficient to do the will of God in any manner.

Since our first parents tried their own remedy for the tragedy, you and I have been doing the same.

You and I take fig leaves everyday and try to cover our sins with them.

Sin is embarrassing--so you try to cover it.

Sa unsang paagi?

May be you've tried to cover it in the darkness of denial. May be you've tried to justify it.

 Yep, we usually do that.

May be you've tried covering it in hopes that God won't notice--by piling "good works" upon "good works", such as attending church and giving money to charities.

May be you've tried to cover it up with self-flagellation, so that when you felt bad enough for your sins then you'll say, " God will overlook my sins and accept me."

It still does not work.

But God, in the abundance of His grace, has given you something that does work:  the BLOOD OF HIS SON.

God killed an animal--the first sacrifice for sin--and covered Adam and Eve both literally and figuratively. God had to do it. He alone could provide the cover for human filth.

After God covered them, he could deal graciously with them. There was hope, but only if God did do the covering.

Yep. Jesus sacrifice on the cross gives you the final covering for all your sin.

Jesus -fully God, fully human-had to suffer physically and spiritually to cover your immorality-your sins and blot it out in God’s sight.

Naa pa ba??

Wala na’y lain nga makatabon sa kapungot sa Dios sa sala og sa makasasala.

NOT GOOD WORKS.

NOT CHURCH ATTENDANCE.

LABAW NA ANG IMONG PENETENSYA!

NOT EVEN DENIAL OF SIN as suggested by our modern culture!!.

ONLY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, THE LAMB OF GOD, CAN COVER YOU.

ONLY THE LAMB OF GOD, ENDURING GOD'S RIGHTEOUS WRATH IN YOUR BEHALF, CAN SHELTER YOU!! 

There is mystery in this.  The mystery of mysteries, though, is this:   Nganu man mag-antos pa man siya sa krus, nga kitang tao man  mismo maoy nakasala??

Nga unta anang higayona pwede man unta sa diha diha wagtangon niya ang tao sa kalibutan, didto sa Eden. 

Apan ang Dios nagpadayag..Oo nagpadayag sa Iyang pagkabalaan….. sa Iyang grasya!!!!

Samtang nagbasa ka niini nga sinulat. Huna hunaa si Jesus didto sa krus. We see his agony, and in his agony we see the holiness and judgment of God.

But you also see grace.

Here is your covering for sin. It’s God’s remedy. It is skin-blood-not fig leaves.

Good works?? They can’t erase bad works..No..Never!!

Denial?? Impyerno ra’y padul-ngan ana.

Penetensya?? Haisssst! It will only compound your sorrow.

Ang Krus ni Hesus?

Karon mao'y atong  kadangpan!!!

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: 

But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. 

(Prov. 28:13)

REPENT OR PERISH!

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Notes:

-Image of Adam and Eve by Cranach, 1528,  is taken from http://www.kolibrikerteszet.hu/zamatos_fugefajtak_termesztese
-Image of Christ on the Cross is taken from http://danacandler.com/blog/?p=67.