I have been reading in Leviticus and I read in Leviticus 21 last night about the priests. The priests were instructed on how they had to be clean in order to approach God. Their sins would seperate them from God. Their descendants had to be fit also. They could not come if they had any defect at all, which would even include genetic defects.

Now I ponder this in my head. I realize, for instance, that being one who has scoleosis and a steel rod in my spine, I would not be acceptable as a priest in those days. I also realize how much God requires for us to come before him in worship. Then I think of Christ.

I thought of Christ's miracles of healing. Christ did not heal I believe just to alleviate the pain of the victim of some disease although that was certainly part of it. He did not heal to show alone the coming of the Kingdom of God although that was certainly a part of it. He came as well in order to bring worship to the people so they could enter into a place of worship.

Thus, when the leper comes to Christ we must remember that this person was not fit for worship. Christ healed him thus enabling him to enter the temple and worship. When the prostitute came as well her sins seperated her. Christ forgave her so that she could as well approach God. Christ came bringing the kingdom to the people and enabling them to enter it in every way.

In fact, if we go on many of the followers of Christ later had problems. Paul himself had a thorn in the flesh. Some have speculated this might have been bad eyesight or epilepsy. There are Scriptural bases for both and I do not claim to hold to one or the other. It might have been one of these. It might have been both of these. It might have been none of these. The point is that if it had been something like this he would not have been fit for worship. However, in the Kingdom of God, all are fit for worship by the blood of Christ.

This also goes to show me that Christ is not looking for ways to keep us from Heaven. He is looking for ways to get us into Heaven. This is one reason I believe in eternal security. Opponents of the doctrine seem to think Christ is looking for an excuse to keep us out of Heaven. (If you do this, if you don't do this, if such and such happens.) All of these are given as reasons for Christ to reject us but the picture I see of Christ in the gospels is one who never lets go which he makes very clear in John 10.

But Christ came to bring the kingdom to the common man with all his infirmities which Christ took up on him. He came bringing grace and hope and restoration. We should embrace this and in doing so I am eager to follow him all the more. Conditional security makes me follow out of fear and resentment and legalism. Eternal security makes me follow out of love and desire.

And now, let us follow the advice of the writer of the Hebrews since Christ came to make us holy in his healing. Let us boldly approach the throne of grace.