**1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.
This passage tells us that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the way to possess eternal life is to possess God’s Son. The question is, how can a person have the Son of God?
Man’s Problem
Separation From God
Isaiah 59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
According to Romans 5:8, God demonstrated His love for us through the death of His Son. Why did Christ have to die for us? Because Scripture declares all men to be sinful. To “sin” means to miss the mark. The Bible declares “all have sinned and fall short of the glory (the perfect holiness) of God” (Rom. 3:23). In other words, our sin separates us from God who is perfect holiness (righteousness and justice) and God must therefore judge sinful man.
Habakkuk 1:13 You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing.
The Futility of Our Works
Scripture also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. The moral man, the religious man, and the immoral and non-religious are all in the same boat. They all fall short of God’s perfect righteousness. After discussing the immoral man, the moral man, and the religious man in Romans 1:18-3:8, the Apostle Paul declares that both Jews and Greeks are under sin, that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:9-10). Added to this are the declarations of the following verses of Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not of works, so that no one can boast.
Titus 3:5-7 he saved us, not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.
Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? 2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about (but not before God). 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.
No amount of human goodness is as good as God. God is perfect righteousness. Because of this, Habakkuk 1:13 tells us God cannot have fellowship with anyone who does not have perfect righteousness. In order to be accepted by God, we must be as good as God is. Before God, we all stand naked, helpless, and hopeless in ourselves. No amount of good living will get us to heaven or give us eternal life. What then is the solution?
God’s Solution
God is not only perfect holiness (whose holy character we can never attain to on our own or by our works of righteousness) but He is also perfect love and full of grace and mercy. Because of His love and grace, He has not left us without hope and a solution.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the gift of God’s own Son who became man (the God-man), lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact He is God’s Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute.
Romans 1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 4:25 He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made the one who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the right-eousness of God.
1 Peter 3:18 Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit.
How Do We Receive God’s Son?
Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, the Bible states “He that has the Son has life.” We can receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior by personal faith, by trusting in the person of Christ and His death for our sins.
John 1:12 But to all who have received him--those who believe in his name--he has given the right to become God's children
John 3:16-18 For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
This means we must each come to God the same way: (1) as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness, (2) realizes no human works can result in salvation, and (3) relies totally on Christ alone by faith alone for our salvation.
If you would like to receive and trust Christ as your personal Savior, you may want to express your faith in Christ by a simple prayer acknowledging your sinfulness, accepting His forgiveness and putting your faith in Christ for your salvation.
Remember, A decision to follow Christ is a decision for life. You not only say a prayer acknowledging Him as your saviour, asking for forgiveness, and turning from your sin, it means you follow Him everyday and walk in the freedom He has given to you.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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Perhaps this will help the Focus... or FAITH?
ReplyDeletehttp://truth459.blogspot.com/2009/11/pseudo-false-christians-101.html
Thanks, In Christ, Roger.
How unoriginal and useless. The only people to whom this will mean anything are people who already believe in your religion, and so many people have already written this poetic nonsense, I don't see why you bother. It's all been said before, but I have a guess as to why you wrote it and why others continue to affirm their faith this way. If you don't keep telling yourself that you believe in Yahweh, you will lose your faith. Your belief is hanging on by a thread, and it requires constant upkeep. You have to think about it, talk to people about it, and write about it as often as possible because it's too fragile to exist on its own.
ReplyDeleteDear Ankhoneirosinfinitus,
ReplyDeleteYou are so far off base. If only you knew. Your hardened heart has blinded you. Only His grace will set you free.
Em verdade vos digo aquele que nao tiver o coracao puro como o de uma crianca nao mereceras o reino de Deus....\
ReplyDeleteNada e mais forte do que o amor
acho sua opnião e teoria estão plenamente correto e quanto mais vc orientando da forma correta desu te abençoara fique em paz de cristo
ReplyDeleteWow - Love your Videos - Blown away - Keep it up!
ReplyDeletePeace of God!
ReplyDeleteI kindly invite you to read my article:
http://10virgins.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-is-gospel-good-news.html
I want to greet you with the oldest form of the Apostles Creed:
THE APOSTLES CREED.
Cc. 135 AD in Rome, in Greek language
The Apostles' Creed is the earliest Christian formula. The idea of Trinity, of catholic church and of endless torment is not hinted.
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty; and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who
was born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, buried, rose
from the dead on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the
Father; whence he will come, to judge the living and the dead: and in the Holy Spirit; the holy
church; the remission of sins; and the resurrection of the body."
The grace of God, the Father Almighty and of Lord Jesus be with you!
TJ, Romania