is True.
Why do we need Jesus?
Good people seeking a higher purpose?
So often we hear that people want to get close to God or to know him. Sometimes
its seeking enlightenment, a higher power. They say they pray, or meditate, or try
to be good. The fact is none of us are good. God is holy which means he is perfectly
good and pure, perfect, and righteous meaning totally upright. We have all sinned,
which means to 'miss the mark'.
"As it is written (Psalms 53:3), "There is none righteous not even one."
Romans 3:10
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"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23
How have we done this? By breaking God’s law. God, in his law, commands that we not steal, do not bear false witness or lie, do not murder, or commit adultery in Exodus 20.
"You shall not murder.”
Exodus 20:13
"You shall not commit adultery.”
Exodus 20:14
“You shall not steal.”
Exodus 20:15
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"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:16
We’ve all lied or stolen something in our life, regardless of how small the cost. 1 John 3:15 says whoever hates his brother is a murderer. Jesus said if anyone looks at a woman with lust, they have already committed adultery in their heart in Matthew 5:28.
If we are honest we would have to admit at some point we are guilty of lying, stealing, hating another human being, and lusting after another person. So by our own admissions we are lying, thieving, adulterous murderers at heart. We are not good people. So the due penalty of breaking God’s law, because God is also just, is eternal separation from Him.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
Even if we are trying to be good it is not enough to cover the fact that we broke God’s law. If I go in front of a judge and say "Judge I am trying to be a good person, I know I broke this law" he, being a just judge, will still have to sentence me to the penalty of breaking the law no matter how good I have been.
Is there hope? are we unforgivable?
God, in his love, sent Jesus to die for us on the cross.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Romans 5:8-10
On the Cross when the Romans crucified Jesus, He took the sins of the world on himself and rose back to life the third day that we may be forgiven, stamped innocent before God, and raised to life in Christ. He took our penalty upon Himself and died in our place. By His death, burial, and resurrection He paid the price allowing us to be bought out of the bondage of sin.
The acceptance of this free gift allows us stand before God in righteousness and be seen without fault. It is because of this gift from God, through the death of Jesus, we have hope for eternal life. Any alternative path we take leaves us enslaved to sin and destined to an eternal death. But the requirement to be forgiven and stamped innocent and given new life is Faith (belief/trust) in Jesus Christ. It is the only way to be made right with God and brought into relationship with Him. That is why Faith is so important.
Speaking to Thomas Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
John 14:6
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Jesus speaking to Nicodemus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
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When the Jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved, Paul responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
Acts 16:31
I know what it is to lose a child. To hear that little heartbeat fill the room the beautiful sound come across the speakers. And, in that instant, to love that child to such a degree I would gladly give my life to protect it. And I still feel the pain of a Father as the nurse searched and nothing but painful silence came through the speakers. This is the incredible depth of love that God has for us. To willingly send His Son as a sacrifice in order that we might be saved. Only through faith in Christ is there access to God. This is the message, the Gospel we must believe and are told to proclaim to the world in Mark 16:15.
That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose the third day according to the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
So my petition and prayer is that you believe in Jesus for salvation. Confess it to God.
Paul writes Romans 10:9-10 - “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with a heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
how can we have hope that god will accept us?
“For the Scriptures say (Isaiah 28:16), ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:11-13
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“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5
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“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
One major difference between humanity and God is that the hearts of mankind are forever changing. Whether it is politics, work life, or personal relationships there is never consistency in man’s state of mind, making it difficult to rely on anyone’s word. God, however, has always been consistent; therefore, we can find assurance in knowing that He will remain consistent.
We can even witness this character of God in Exodus 34:6-7 when He, in person, defined Himself to Moses by proclaiming, “The Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin.” The same God in this verse is the same God who allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to willingly die on our behalf. Almost 2,000 years later, He is still the same God who lives today calling out to us through endless and unfailing love offering us a path to be forgiven our sin and brought into relationship with Him.
It is because of who God is and what He has does for us that allows us to have hope in Him. What hope is there in the world when the world’s pursuits are self-glorifying, self-serving, self-gratifying, always changing and ultimately give no true fulfillment. How do we hope in a world that will abandon us unto death the moment it has lost its usefulness for us?
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If we have accepted God’s offer for salvation, we have found hope by establishing a personal relationship with Him. God ensures this by placing His Holy Spirit in us, allowing us to never be apart from Him or His love. By the Holy Spirit and the continual pursuit of our relationship with God our hope and faith in Him will grow. It is through this assurance that we can find comfort knowing this world, though incredibly difficult and painful at times, pales in comparison with the glory and joy we will experience when we are with the Lord.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
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God is the Author and Creator of our existence and everything we know. This makes Him the most powerful being in existence. There is none like Him, there is none greater than Him, and there is none who can stand in His way. This is the reason, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The only way we can be separate from God is the denial of Jesus, rejecting God’s gift of salvation. By His love for us He grants us free-will to respond to Him, leaving the final decision to us. By His will, we who do respond positively to Him by trusting in Christ can do so freely without fear of any obstacle standing in our way.
What does God want us to do after accepting his gift?
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:1-2
Our relationship with God, once we have accepted His gift, does not stop at the door. The walk into salvation has made us a new creation by the grace of Him who saved us. We have been washed pure of sin and initiated a relationship with the never-changing Father whose love knows no bounds. He knows us better than we know ourselves, however we still need to grow closer to Him, understand His character, and learn to apply it to our lives. This is how we build trust and faith in Him.
We need to read the Bible and to seek out other followers of Jesus. Doing this helps us hear and learn about Him. It is how God teaches us. By gathering in the name of Jesus, we can even experience the spiritual presence of our savior. Jesus confirms this when He said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” This is family that should not be neglected. Through this gathering we allow ourselves the ability to grow with one another and establish connection for personal accountability and encouragement, all while praising God and giving Him glory.
This instruction is even further established in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another...” Another means of growth in our relationship with God is by spending time with Him in prayer and laying our burdens at His feet. This takes place both within Church and in our own private encounters with our Father.
Many new believers often wonder if their prayers are even heard by God, so allow 1 John 5:14 be a comfort to us, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” He hears us, but we have to remember that sometimes His answer is no.
Next, we need to learn how to worship Him. This is more than just singing a few praise songs, praying a few routine prayers, or attempting to act religious. We need to genuinely submit to His will rather than pursuing our own desires and attempting to justify it. Even though we have come to salvation and have been made new, our bodies are still tied to sin and desire the lusts of the world which God opposes.
It is only our spirit that is cleansed of sin and unrighteousness. This is why we are to ‘present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices’ as a ‘spiritual service of worship,’ meaning we must deny the lusts our bodies desire and resist the temptation to commit the very sins that Jesus cleansed us of when He died on the cross.
In this way we please God by respecting and honoring Jesus’ sacrifice and allowing ourselves to submit to changes God wants to make in our hearts. To do the opposite not only resists God’s will to work in us but is an insult to the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
Keep in mind, there will be days when we fall short and give into sin but find comfort knowing our salvation is not contingent upon our ability to maintain sinlessness. We were bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. We were freely offered salvation by the grace of God because we were unable to achieve salvation on our own.
It is also through Jesus’ sacrifice that God will not give up those He saves further crediting the glory towards Him. Jesus tells us this in John 6:39, “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing.” We can take these words of Jesus as comfort knowing that through salvation, we now belong to Him. It is through that salvation we stay secure to Him regardless of where we may fall short.
While holding on to this comfort and reassurance, we should not allow ourselves to slip into the ideology that we are given free rein to sin. By calling us to worship with our bodies as an act of worship to God, which means denying our bodies the sins it desires, we choose to live God’s way which stands in contrast to the world’s standard. This act of worship allows us to submit to God’s will and be changed into who He called us to be - a reflection of Jesus Christ.
This is a difficult journey and is a heavy cross to bear. Jesus knew this as He stated in Mark 8:34, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
Me.” Every day we need to wake up and deny ourselves the sins we so desire; through this we are bearing our cross in worship to God and crucifying our sinful flesh for the sake of holiness and righteousness. Due to the difficulty of this task and our imperfection, the restraint of the flesh as an act of worship to God allows us to rely upon Him for strength, comfort, and reassurance.
In the moments when we fall short and give in to sin, we can rely on our Father to correct us and to carry us when we turn to Him. By this commitment, we draw closer to our Father by exercising our dependance on Him. To put it simply, when our Father tells us to do
something, He expects obedience to His instructions. When we are obedient, and we act out His will, we please Him and can be confident that we make Him proud just as any child does with their father. In the days that we mess up, and there will be days, God will discipline us just as any loving father should. Proverbs 3:11-12 reminds us of this, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”
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We might think these are impossible tasks set before us, however God has achieved the impossible. With His Holy Spirit inside of us we can proudly proclaim Jesus as King over our lives without shame and be more than what we were before we knew Him. No longer will we need to seek assurance from the world for through Jesus we are affirmed. We can finally stand in contrast to the life the world would force us into.
God has given us new life revived from the sting of death and the fear of judgment. God can do miraculous things through us if we strive to submit to Him every day. So, with all of this known and with confidence in God, let us live our lives by the Great Commission Jesus instructed in Mark 16:15, “Go into the world and
preach the Gospel to all creation.”
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In Christian Love,
Tiana Schowe
Paul Bock
©2023 Christianity is True