SIMPLY GOOD NEWS!!

The Bible starts out in a unique and direct way "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). No treatise to prove the existence of God, no philosophical arguments as to why you should believe in a God etc. It starts out with a declaration of truth - that God IS, and that HE created everything. You and I are living beings, lovingly created by a loving God.

Love is an eternal attribute of God, but so is Holiness - which means HE cannot have any fellowship with unholiness. When man chose to rebel against a loving God, he lost all fellowship with HIM and found common lot with all those who rebel against HIS sovereign authority, which is eternal damnation - a lot that will eventually befall Satan, the arch enemy of God.

Wait a minute...

Before you distance yourself from that scene at the Garden of Eden, I'd like you to consider what the Word of God thinks about all of humanity - "There is not a righteous man, not even one" (Rom 3:10) and then, "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom3:23).

So there's NO ONE good enough? How about Gandhi or Mother Teresa?

I can't tell you about Gandhi or Mother Teresa - sure, we all acknowledge them to be good people who did some very good things in their lives. However, if they trusted in their own goodness for eternal life, even they stand condemned! That's correct, before the all searching eye of a Righteous God, everyone stand guilty and condemned.

So where does that leave me?

The Bible does not use any window-dressing in its language when addressing the issue "...the wages of sin is death.." (Rom 6:23)! That is to say, that on your own, you can only expect death, not just the physical death, but eternal damnation!

But I am very religious, I give to charity, I pray 9 times a day, I fast....

The Bible says, "...but we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." (Is. 64:6). In other words, no matter how "good" we are, or "religious" we are - on our own, God sees us as "an unclean thing".

Is there an escape??

By the Grace of God, YES!! The Lord Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father unless by me." (Jn. 14:6). The way of escape is only through HIM! He is not a way, or one of the ways - but THE way to LIFE eternal.

But how is the question of my sin dealt with?

A righteous God cannot brush away sin - for a Just God demands that the sinner must die, for "... without blood-shedding there is no remission" (Heb 9:22b). In the Old Testament of the Bible, a person who had sinned was commanded to bring the prescribed animal or bird for a sin-offering which was sacrificed at the altar 'instead of' and 'in the place of' the sinner. In the fullness of time, when the Lord Jesus Christ came down to the earth as the lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), He took our place (1 Pet. 3:18) and died on the cross - thus fulfilling the righteous claim of God against sin. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:5).

Now, how do I get this "LIFE"?

Only through HIM. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved..." (Acts 16:31); "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal" (Jn. 3:16)

It is that simple. Believe. Nothing to do, but by faith, simply believe that it is so! "...If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from among the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

But that is way too simple, is that all there is to it - believe?

That's correct, Salvation is the most gracious gift from God (Eph. 2:8). You can't work for it, you can't earn it - you can only receive it as a gift.

Anything more you can tell me?

Sure, This gift of salvation is from God and is based on Grace. Since it did not depend on your 'performance' to receive it, you cannot by your 'poor performance' lose it either - the Word of God is your testament. "He that believes on me has life eternal" (Jn. 6:47). The Lord Jesus also said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that he that hears my word, and believes him that has sent me, has life eternal, and does not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life" (Jn. 5:24).

Now since I am going to heaven anyway, wouldn't that be a license to sin?

Such is the nature of Grace - if you chose to squander the Grace of God, you can. However, the one who has learned the love of God would never willfully do the things that would hurt that very heart of Love. Instead, a believer would diligently seek to do all things in obedience to HIM. Never forget that sin always has consequences - a Loving Father will resort to chastening - "for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives" (Heb. 12:6). Sometimes, such sin can lead to severe forms of chastening - even death (1 Cor 11:30). If that were not enough, there are consequences hereafter too (2 Tim. 2:12, 1 Jn. 2:28), but it never questions the believer's sonship in Christ - once a child, always a child!