So you are a good person? If anyone was going to heaven would it be you? You sure? Positive?
Well now, to most people you may seem to be a good person, that much is for sure, you might help people as much as you can, not do people wrong, be kind to other and help out in your community—but, those aren’t the things you have to worry about. It is not these good things you have done that will get you eternal life—it is the evil things that you have done that will damn you.
What does God have to say about you? Really? Have you ever wondered what God would say about you? He has plenty to say in His Holy Word, how about:
“As it is written, there is none righteous no not one.” – Romans 3:10
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” – Isaiah 53:6
“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” – Romans 3:12
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” – Ecclesiastes 7:29
This is the universal state of man. This is what you are if you are yet in your sins. God has set up specific boundaries through His Law, and man has universally broken those boundaries and they have sinned.
What is sin?
“Whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” – I John 3:4
God’s Law:
I have set these up so that you can see what you are if you have broken one of these laws. This is how God will judge you as you stand before Him.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” = Idolater
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images” = Idolater
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;” = Blasphemer
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” = Sabbath Breaker
“Honor thy father and thy mother.” = Disobedient
“Thou shalt not kill.” = Murderer
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” = Adulterer
“Thou shalt not steal.” = Thief
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against they neighbor.” = Liar
“Thou shalt not covet.” = Thief at Heart
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” – James 2:10
“Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” – Romans 3:20
God’s law is set up highly and is the standard by which all things are measured. Every deed you have ever done is measured against this law, and if you have so much as offended in one point then you are just as guilty as if you have broken them all. You will suffer the same punishment.
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” – Ezekiel 18:20
“For the wages of sin is death…” - Romans 6:23a
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” – Galatians 3:10
Because of your sin, even the good things you have done have been corrupted by impure motive and under the reign of yourself, they are in themselves filthy in comparison and unacceptable to God.
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” – Isaiah 64:6
The very nature of God is holy, completely opposed to you in your evil, and your filth is absolutely intolerable to Him.
“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.” – Psalm 5:4-6
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” – Psalm 7:11-13
“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” – Psalm 11:4-6
“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” – Habakkuk 1:13
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” – Isaiah 59:2-4
God is the Judge of all the earth. (Genesis 18:25) and He delights in justice, and under His Government, justice will be meted out.
“For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” – Psalm 11:7
“But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.” – Isaiah 5:16
So here is the great problem, the one problem that man with all of his wisdom cannot solve, but only God in infinite mercy can. It is commonly called the Great Dilemma: if God is as Just as He says He is, then he cannot forgive a wicked sinner like you.
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.” – Proverbs 17:15
“That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” – Genesis 18:25
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” – Revelation 20:14-15
But God has seen the plight of man since before the world began, and knew that there would have to be a way to rescue His people from their sin. So, even then, the plans were set in motion for the act of redemption. For Christ the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” – I Timothy 1:15a
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – I John 4:8-10
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
The demands of the law are clear, for sin, one must die. Christ came to earth and He died, having lived a perfect sinless life, to be the perfect sacrifice between God and man. That man might be reconciled to God there had to be a man—so God became a man that He might be the spotless Lamb, our sin offering.
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” – Ephesians 5:2
“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” – Colossians 1:20
“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” – Galatians 1:4
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” –Hebrews 9:26
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not, with him also freely give us all things?” – Romans 8:32
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” – Romans 3:25-26
Through the death of Christ, a sacrifice was made so that man might be forgiven without the justice of God being forfeited. He died to free you at His own expense, and He rose again on the third day for your justification. He sits there on the right hand of God, raised and in His glory, ready to receive you.
“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” - Romans 4:23-25
He died so that you might not have to suffer forever under the wrath of God. God saw your need and provided a way out—a pardon, for you. The ten guns of the law are pointed at you this very moment, each one loaded with the bullet to execute exact justice, if you die by this squad, it will be a state of eternal death. Hell burns and opens her mouth for you, waiting to draw you in, but Christ has made a way, and He bids you come to Him.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” – John 6:37
But you must respond. God has laid down demands and conditions for your redemption and they are these:
Repentance:
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” – Isaiah 55:6-8
“But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” – Ezekiel 18:21-23
“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;” – Isaiah 1:16
Turn away from your sin! Put it away from you, cut it off! Pluck it out! Cast it away! Your repentance should manifest itself by casting away sin. I ask you, do you hate your sin? Do you utterly despise it? Can you say these words from your heart?
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” – Psalm 51:1-4
“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” – Romans 7:15
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” – Romans 7:24
Faith:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
“And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” – Romans 4:21
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” – Acts 16:31
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” – Romans 10:9-11
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17
Throw yourself upon the mercies of God! Cast yourself upon Christ! Fall back into His arms, and believe! This is your only hope! Turn to Christ or you will burn in Hell for the sin you have committed. If God has so revealed your sin to you and you know of repentance at least the beginnings of it, chase after it and draw night to God.
“Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.” –Isaiah 55:6
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” – James 4:8
Seek the Lord. I beg you to let go of men, and professions, and thoughts that you are good enough to enter heaven, and seek the Lord.
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” – Isaiah 55:1-3
…As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die…?” – Ezekiel 33:11b
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6
