27. March 2010 by PawBill.

When will “being a good person” ever be good enough for God?  In a word, “Never.”

The many peaceful followers of the religion of Islam, as I understand, will not know until they face Allah whether or not they have done enough “good works” to allow then entry into heaven.  Islam jihadists who are living their faith as the Koran teaches, on the other hand, will be allowed into heaven by killing themselves and hopefully other infidels in an act of violent terrorism.

Ask yourself this question, “How do I measure up on God’s scale?”  If you are honest in your measurement you did not reach the “perfect-no faults found” mark.  Without input from God, man’s religious thinking needs rules and scales. But, there is another way and that way is found in Jesus Christ.  (God knew that man [Adam] would not be perfect even though he created man to be perfect and to walk with Him in that light.)  God, however, did not want man to be just a “clone of perfection” so He gave man the freedom to make decisions, be they good or bad. This is where the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ provides man with hope in an afterlife.

Jesus Christ gave His life freely and died on a Roman Cross for our sins.  He then arose from the dead and guaranteed our redemption.  Consider God’s way and not man’s way to have forgiveness and eternal life by “faith and belief” alone and not by “good works.”  Consider the following: 

• We are all sinners, outside the will of God, and can never be perfect no matter how good we try to be.

 Romans 3:23 (NIV), “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

• We face death and an eternity without God, because of our sin.

Romans 6:23 (NIV), “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself and died for us so that we would not have to spend eternity without God.

Romans 5:8 (NIV), “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• By believing in Jesus Christ your faith and hope will seal you for eternity.  All you have to do is pray (or say): “Jesus, I know you died on a cross for my sins when I should be the one who died. I believe that you arose from the dead as a guarantee of my redemption. Today I place my faith and trust in you, and I make and claim you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV), “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

 If you considered, understood and prayed (or said) the words written above and accepted them in faith and now believe them in your heart, Jesus Christ has guaranteed you eternal life.  Now, rejoice and tell others of your decision.  Carry the following words in your heart knowing that your faith has saved you: John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned: he has crossed over from death to life.” 

As we approach the season in which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, rejoice in knowing if you prayed or said the words written above and you believe them, one day when you approach the gates of heaven you will not have to bring an account of your good works; your decision to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior paid your sin debt and guaranteed your entry into heaven. 

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27. March 2010 by PawBill.

I can understand the reluctance to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Many in his own time and even one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, did not believe, and they were actual eyewitnesses to His miracles.

Judas killed himself out of remorse for betraying Jesus before he actually witnessed Jesus’ death and resurrection, so we really do not know whether Judas would have finally believed if he had not killed himself and had witnessed the resurrection.  I would like to believe he would have believed.

Jesus’ other disciples were also eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry and His resurrection.  They went to their deaths of martyrdom believing and testifying to what they had seen and heard.  Death sentences carried out by Roman soldiers were so horrific you would think that at least one of Jesus’ disciples would have recanted their story if they had not been true, but none did.

So, Paul was correct when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus after Jesus’ resurrection as recorded in the ninth chapter of Acts, and he changed from being a persecutor of Christians to being a persecuted disciple of Jesus who would also die a martyr’s death for his testimony. 

As a follower of Jesus Christ and a student of end time prophesy, I believe we are indeed living in the last or latter days before Jesus’ second coming.  Many professing Christians do not believe Jesus’ will return.  Jesus is being denied daily, and many more will deny Jesus once persecutions begin to be lavished on anyone who outwardly professes Him.

Both Paul and Peter were cognizant of what the end time future of Christianity would be like with the coming of the Antichrist.  As Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:3-4,  “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised?’ Likewise, Paul wrote in 1Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”

You would think educated people would not believe lies.  But, just look at what our government leaders, both Democrat and Republican, are espousing; unbelievable lies are being told as truth with these lies being believed by a blind and uncaring populace.  The end time Antichrist will have no trouble at all convincing most to believe in him rather than believing in Jesus.

If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead there would be no hope for humanity.  Lost hope and no God would cast us with the animals; survival of the fittest would be the law of the land.  Consider the darkness that would prevail if Paul’s words became truth: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15, verse 14) and “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15, verse 19).

But for me, I have hope in my faith in Jesus Christ that he will one day return for all who have placed their hope and faith in him.  I know God’s Holy Spirit resides in me.  His Spirit can reside in you if you will only relinquish control of your life to the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I know the truth and will forever testify to that truth.  You can also know this truth once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Read more about how in my “Good News” Blog posted 03-27-10.

Comments to: bt@northloopcottage.com

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