First:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans
3:23).
No
matter how good we are, we always fall short of the glory of God.
Pilate said, “What I have written I have written” (John 19:22).
So, human inadequacy was in the past, now and forever, as it is
written in the scriptures. We are by nature sinners who stand guilty
and condemned before our God. By our thoughts and actions, we have
disobeyed God’s perfect standards. But thanks be to God, for His
only begotten Son whom He sent to save us, has solemnly promised,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John
5:24 KJV).
Second:
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
We
are helpless to save ourselves. No, we can never on our own efforts,
save ourselves. Forgiveness is a gift to be received by the grace of
God through faith in Jesus Christ, not a reward that can be earned.
Thus, the Bible says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not
of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 KJV).
And
we have to pass through Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “I am the way,
the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me”
(John 14:6). There is no other way. Any other way is
merely a waste of TIME and EFFORT.
Third:
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Because
of His love for us, God provided salvation through His Son, Jesus
Christ. He became a member of the human family, lived sinlessly, and
died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, or
in substitution for the sinner (Isaiah 53:5-12). These Old Testament
verses is the anchor of the statement of Apostle Paul when he said:
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures”
(1 Cor. 15:3 KJV).
Fourth:
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”
(Romans 10:9). Being then a believer of Jesus Christ, the Bible
says:
“If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Salvation
is an individual matter and requires a personal
response on the part of any one who wants to be saved. “But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
All
who acknowledge and repent of their sins and believe and accept Jesus
Christ as the only Son of God become children of God. Where do
children live? With their parents. Being a child of God, you and I
will live with Him in heaven. This is the eternal destiny of all
children of God.
(FGBMFI
Davao City Chapter Bulletin February 2, 2013)
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