GOD
Concerning God, the Bible teaches that He is perfectly holy and righteous, which means He is set apart, without any sin, pure, and perfect. He is the all-powerful and all-knowing God who sets the standard of right and wrong. And as holy God, He demands perfect and complete righteousness from His people. Not even one sin is tolerable before Him. In fact, since He is the one who created man, He not only sets the standard, but He also judges man with perfect righteousness. Furthermore, God has made abundantly clear of His law in the Scriptures. Man was to keep His law perfectly in order to be in a right relationship with Him.
MAN
However, since the fall of Adam in the Garden, man has completely fallen short of God’s perfect moral standard. All have broken God’s law and have sinned against Him. Every person falls short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23). From their actions to even their thoughts, they have become corrupted, and have rebelled against God.
The consequences of sin, is that it has alienated man from God. Rather than a direct loving relationship, man has become an enemy of God and is in need of reconciliation. While man was created to enjoy God and have a relationship with Him, sin ruined that relationship by separating him from God. This separation leaves man to deal with his hopeless condition alone. Man has become completely and totally depraved in his sin. Thus, the payment that must be paid for sin is death (Rom 6:23). And that is not just physical death, but a spiritual death, which is a complete separation from the presence of God. As God, the perfectly righteous judge, cannot tolerate any sin, He will judge every sin with perfect righteousness. The Bible teaches that the final destiny for the unrepentant sinner is a place of eternal punishment and conscious torment called hell.
CHRIST
But despite the bad news for sinful man, there is the greatest news that is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was no ordinary man; He is the Second Person of the Triune Godhead, who came upon this earth taking the form of man. This is significant because it is the fully human and fully divine Son of God who came to save sinners. He faced the same temptations as man, but he did all things without sin. And yet it was this sinless God-man who died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for sinners and restore them into a right relationship with God. Jesus Christ, would take our sins upon himself, and bear the wrath of God upon Himself. By accomplishing this, He secured the forgiveness for sinners who place their faith and trust in Him. Through Christ’s substitutionary death, God justified the ungodly because in the death of His Son, His mercy and justice were perfectly executed.
But Christ did not remain dead on the cross. After His death, He was buried, and after three days, He rose again. The resurrection of Christ is now the undeniable proof to all men that the sacrifice of Christ was indeed sufficient. In fact, it is the proof that He is Lord and exactly whom He claimed to be. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and there will be one day where every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is the Lord. There is no other way by which men can be saved. Christ alone has proven that He alone is the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to Father but through Him (John 14:6). Moreover, the resurrection also assures that those who place their faith in Jesus Christ will never be the same again. As the sins of God’s people were upon Jesus Christ at Calvary, the resurrection signifies new life in Christ for the believer. The Christian no longer lives in enslavement to sin, but in the newness of life and living hope in their Savior, Jesus Christ.
RESPONSE
So after being confronted with this gospel truth, the question now is, do you understand this good news? Do you see that you are a great sinner in need of a great Savior? Do you see that there is no other way by which men can be saved, than through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Again, you must be able to assess in your own heart, how can man be made right before a holy God? I assure you, the only correct answer to that is through the sinless Son of God who paid sin’s penalty for all who repent and trust in Him for their acceptance with God.
Remember, there is nothing that you can do in your own strength or works that can cover your sins. God requires this; first, you are to repent of all that dishonors God. This does not mean you are to simply feel sorry for the sins you have done in the past nor does it mean to possess a wounded pride when caught with sin. In fact, simple knowledge of your sin does not change anything in your life. However, true repentance is this: when you turn from your pattern of sin and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Meaning, you are to recognize your utter sinfulness before a Holy God, and turn from yourself and your sin, and submit all that you are to the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. You are to submit all that you are unto Him who has paid for your sins. Moreover, true repentance does not mean that sinners are to continue in their enslavement and bondage to sin. Rather, the result of the faith that you possess will naturally be good works and obedience.
Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ today? Listen, there are only two ways to choose from. Either you repent and be saved, or reject and be under God’s wrath forever.
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