Here is Good News for You!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) The Lord God made the first man and the first woman. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27)
The Bible reveals to us God made everything good and he was pleased with all that he made. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31a)
The Lord gave a command to the first man and woman. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17)
When our first parents disobeyed the Lord, they sinned. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)
Becoming sinners, they died. Physical death was the result of their sin. “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” (Genesis 5:5)
There was no death in the world prior to sin. Sin brought death. Not only is there physical death, there is spiritual death as well. When Adam and his wife sinned against the Lord, they were no longer able to have fellowship with Him like they once were. There would now be a barrier of separation between a holy God and unholy mankind.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12)
God knew there was no way man could ever overcome this separation apart from Him. Man is completely sinful. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) We do not have the ability within ourselves to do things which are pleasing to God. All people are sinners before a just and righteous God. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)
The Bible shows us how we sin against the Lord. “Their throat is an open sepulchre [grave]; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” (Romans 3:13-14) We sin with our speech. Isaiah was a man who understood this kind of sin. When he was present before the Lord one cried out concerning the Lord, “Holy, holy, holy.” Isaiah's response to being present before a holy and righteous God was “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)
How is your speech before the Holy God? Consider your words. How many times have you cursed using the word God? “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) How many times have you murmured something damaging against someone? “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16) How many times have you told a lie? One small lie is enough to keep you out of heaven. Consider the outcome of the one who makes a lie. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) The Lord warned that hell is the place where there is continuous fire; “the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:45b) Jesus said “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) We are all guilty before God and each one of us deserves to be cast into hell for all eternity.
“But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16) The good news is God provided a way for us not to go to hell, but to go to heaven. The way to heaven is through God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
The good news is Jesus Christ died in our place, for our sins. Christ took the penalty for the unclean things we have said. Jesus became our substitute for the ungodly things we have done. He died for our guilt. Although he was without sin, Christ took our sins upon himself. When he was finished paying for our sin on the cross, he was placed in a grave. On the third day, Christ rose from the grave, never to die again. His payment for our sin was finished. He has now made the way for sinners to be cleansed, washed from the filth of their sin.
Acknowledgment must be made that in fact we are guilty before God. We must take responsibility for ourselves and recognize that we are the ones who have done wrong. When we acknowledge our sin before God, we then must place our faith in the Lord Jesus. Fully trust that Christ died for you. Receive forgiveness from the Lord.
“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 whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9,13)
How about you? Will you now acknowledge your sin before the Lord? Trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour today.
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. “
1 Corinthians 15:22
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23
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