The Rainbow Promise Fundraiser (Gospel Tract)

Originally posted at The Speak:Truth Project

The Gospel tract for the upcoming Pride Charlotte Festival August 27, 2011 has been finalized!  Josh Earl did an outstanding job with the art design and I’m so thankful that God has enabled us to produce our first customized Gospel tract for such a large event.

If the recent Pride Festivals that followed New York’s passing of a same-sex marriage law in June is any indication of the turnout to be expected in Charlotte (the Chicago Pride Festival estimates 750,000 attendees), then this is going to be a major opportunity to share the Gospel with thousands of people.

And this is where you come in!  Beginning today, we are asking you to join us in raising money to purchase 20,000 tracts (4×6″ postcard-size) from Custom Tract Source before August 12, 2011.  You can help us in the following three ways (MUCH thanks to those who have already contributed!):

1. Contributing financially (every $1 counts!)
2. Sharing this post with your social networks
3. Praying for this fundraiser and for the August 27th event

The Speak:Truth Project will post details for the Project Pride Charlotte event in the next week or so, but we encourage you to begin considering donating to this cause for Christ that at least 20,000 patrons of this festival will receive the Gospel.  These tracts will be accompanied by love and compassion for the lost, as such were some of us who were once dead in our trespasses and sins but by Grace have now been washed, sanctified, and  justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 2:1-10).

Below are the front and back of the Gospel tract (click image for closer view or see text at bottom of post for convenience):

Won’t you prayerfully consider contributing to this mission set before us?  Paypal has made fundraising quite easy – you don’t even need a Paypal account to donate! Just click on the image below to pay with your Paypal account or by other means.  If you’d like to send a check instead, please Contact us for mailing information.  And, of course, whether you can contribute financially or not, we greatly value your prayers for this fundraiser and the event to take place on August 27th.  May our great God and King be glorified in this endeavor, and may the Glorious Lamb receive the reward of His suffering – thank you for your support!

The Rainbow Promise

The rainbow is one of the most beautiful phenomena we have the privilege of sighting in nature. Under the right conditions, the human eye can see the majestic display of the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. While rainbows naturally occur in the sky when sunlight shines through droplets of moisture in earth’s atmosphere, they have much greater significance than merely being a meteorological occurrence. Many thousands of years ago, God promised He would never again destroy all living things by a global flood. God Himself said, “I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth…And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

God destroyed the earth because man had become so wicked that “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Though God promised to destroy all life on earth, He also promised to save Noah and his family – and God keeps His promises!

Yet another promise from God is that only the righteous will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Because God is fair, He has given us a way to know whether or not we are righteous – the 10 Commandments. Have you kept them? Let’s find out: Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you used God’s name in vain? Have you looked with lust? If you are honest with yourself and before God, you would have to admit you have broken at least 4 of God’s commandments. This would make you a lying thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart. If you died a sinner today, God must give you what you deserve – eternal hell – because He is a good and just God. Does this concern you?

But God also promises He is rich in mercy! 2,000 years ago, God stepped off His throne in heaven to save His people from their sins. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law by living a sinless life. Because of His great love for sinners, He shed His precious blood on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath against mankind. God punished, crushed, and killed His own Son so that all who believe in Him would be saved through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. After lying 3 days in the grave, Jesus conquered death and was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God waiting to return to cast wickedness into the lake of fire once and for all.

God commands all people everywhere to repent (turn from a lifestyle of sin) and turn to Him to love Him and obey Him. He promises to all who place their full trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross to heal them from their sickness of sin. Jesus says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Call upon the name of the Lord to be saved from the bondage of sin, and He promises to give you eternal life and save you from God’s wrath to come. You can then walk in newness of life and you will be set free from the slavery of sin.

Just as the rainbow shines brightest against the backdrop of the darkest storm clouds, the Hope of Jesus Christ shines brightest in sinners most afflicted and destitute in the darkness of sin who have been saved by the glorious grace of God! Do you want to be set free and experience true love, peace, and hope in Jesus Christ?

For more information on how to receive the free offer of salvation and other resources, please visit http://thespeaktruthproject.com

Jesus Christ Is Your Only Hope

By Justin Edwards

Cast yourself upon Christ and flee from the wrath to come - He is your only Hope!

Why?

By Justin Edwards

Are you seeking the Savior, or stuff?  Are you seeking Life, or mere life enhancement?  Why exactly do you profess to know or follow Christ?

The Gospel Is for Christians

By Justin Edwards

My family traveled to Georgia last week and as we were driving through Atlanta, I got a chance to listen  to the Janet Medford Show.  I was tuning in late to an interview with Mitchell Chase, author of The Gospel Is for Christians.  I had never heard of him before, but this interview was excellent and I found myself "amening" throughout the conversation. 

Having listened to the entire show a couple days ago, there's a couple of things I'd like to highlight.

Mitchell succinctly defined the Gospel as a "work of Christ on behalf of sinners to satisfy the wrath of God."  I've also heard it recently said the Gospel is God saving us for Himself, by Himself, from Himself.  Think about that for a moment.  The plan of redemption, as Mitchell said, is not a Plan B for humanity.  There is no Plan B.  The plan of redemption is Plan A and always has been.  It is not a reaction to fallen humanity, it is merely the unfolding of history according to God's eternal plan to save a people for Himself to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. 

The cross, therefore, is the centerpiece of redemptive history. God's redemptive purposes for mankind are centered on the cross, a work that was foreordained in eternity past according to the counsel of God's own will.  Knowing this, how humbling is it then for His children to be the recipient's of the riches of His divine grace and mercy, to not only partake in the glories of the Kingdom in this life and the next, but to partake in the plan of redemption by being the vessels by which the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed to the ends of the earth.  

The primary mission for the church is to proclaim this message of Good News.  This is the responsibility of the hands and feet of the Body of Christ, namely you and I as individuals, to GO out and make disciples.  While the Gospel is surely proclaimed from faithful pulpits preaching the whole counsel of God, the primary purpose of the pulpit is not evangelism.  While it is acceptable to invite the lost to come to church with us (and we should), this is not a substitute for evangelism.  No, Jesus said to GO.  As we are shepherded, equipped, and prepared in the local church for evangelism (as we should be), our mandate is to take the message of Christ and Him crucified to the world.  Church is a time of Christian fellowship, teaching, correction, exhortation, conviction, sanctification, and being stirred unto good works.  But evangelism takes place outside of the church doors, where the darkness hides, the blind walk, and the wanderers navigate the wilderness of the world with no compass.  Our mandate is to take the message of Hope to the hopeless, not depending on the corporate church to bare that responsibility as that is not the corporate church's primary responsibility - it is yours and mine.

How then do we become compelled to be faithful to the Great Commission?  By truly understanding the Gospel in that it not only saves us from the bondage of sin and the wrath of God, but it gives us eternal life and changes us to be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are changed from being dead in our trespasses and sins into new creations walking in newness of life.  When we are born again, we are awakened from the spiritual dead and given Life, namely Jesus Himself.  Hopelessness is exchanged for an enduring Hope, condemnation is exchanged for Grace, wrath is exchanged for mercy, and love for the world is exchanged for love of the worthy and glorious Lamb of God.

That is what the world needs, and God has designed His plan of redemption in a manner to utilize His found sheep to call His lost sheep to repentance.  He has blessed us with the mandate to proclaim the mercies of God against the backdrop of the wrath to come.  Such sinners were we who have been showered with grace - how can we not be compelled to tell others the truth and glory of the Gospel of Christ that they would also be recipients of God's love, grace, and mercy?

I'm really looking forward to reading Mitchell Chase's book (you can purchase it here at Amazon and read reviews from Al Mohler, Tim Challies, and Tullian Tchividjian).  In the meantime, I hope you take the time to listen to Janet Medford's interview with Mitchell as they cover other topics including repentance, the attributes of God, and the current condition of the visible church.  The interview is covered in the first 20 minutes of the show's first segment:  Janet Mefferd-7/14/2011-Hour 1-Janet Mefferd Radio Show

Speech Seasoned with Grace

By Justin Edwards

My wife, Jennifer, and I took our two children up to the neighborhood pool late yesterday afternoon to wear them out a bit before bedtime.  For some reason, Sundays are not conducive to nap times so a little time in the sun and water always does the trick.  After an hour so, I overheard two of the lifeguards mention God and Jesus, but couldn’t hear the specifics of the conversation.  I switched babies with Jen (the youngest is nine months old) and waded over to the lifeguard stand to see what the conversation was about.  When I arrived, I believe it was Morgan who said she was not about to have “that” conversation with Travis, so of course I cordially said with a smile, “well, I’d like to have that conversation, what are you talking about?”

Travis jumped in to say he thought Jesus was a conman and seemed to say He deceived people into believing the miracles He performed.  I asked Travis how he knew whether that was in fact true, and he told me he didn’t know for sure.  We ended up getting into a great conversation and I was able to share the Gospel with him.   At this point in Travis’ life, he admits to believing in God, but doesn’t really know who He is or what He has done, and most of all he says we can’t know for sure.  Essentially, Travis has broken the 2nd commandment to not form any graven images for he has created a god in his own mind to conform to himself.

Travis admitted to never reading the Bible and everything he thought he knew of Christianity was based on what he saw in professing Christians – hypocrites, corrupt preachers, and judgmental Pharisees.  I told Travis he could not base his understanding of Christianity on people but on the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Word of God.  I also told him to never take a preacher’s word for truth simply because it comes from the mouth of a so-called preacher, but he must search the Scriptures for himself to discover the truth.  At the end of our conversation, I pointed Travis to our website here and told him I would bring him a Bible next time we go to the pool.  If everything I told Travis was indeed true about the afterlife, and it is I urged him, then he must do everything in his power to come to an understanding of the truth and avoid the lake of fire.  I pray the Lord uses this conversation to cause Travis to seek the Truth that he would find it.

Something that really struck me during our conversation was Travis’ comment that I was the first professing Christian he’d spoken with who had not gotten mad – that I was not angry toward Travis or getting heated in an argument.  Of course, I have no idea how many of these types of conversations Travis has had with professing Christians, and his perception of how a conversation goes is a subjective interpretation, but it served as a reminder that we must be careful with how we engage the lost with our speech.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us,

…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…

With gentleness and respect – every single conversation we have when engaging the lost with the Gospel must be centered on the Hope that is found in Jesus Christ alone.  We must do this in a manner that is not condemning of the person, for as Christ said, they are “condemned already” (John 3:18).  There is no reason why we should ever be coarse in our speech toward sinners, and we must always take heed to respect the individual to whom we are speaking.
In Colossians 4:6 we are commanded,

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

It is pointless and vain to engage the lost in spiritual conversations for the sake of argument or trying to prove a point.  This is not to say that argument (reasoning) doesn’t have it’s place (it most certainly does), but what good is it to seemingly win an argument for mere bragging rights?  What good is it to be overzealous toward people to leave sour tastes in their mouths and the impression that we are angry, judgmental, condemning, or self-righteous (although truth spoken, no matter how gracious, is sometimes perceived as such by some people)?  No, our speech must be gracious.  It must be seasoned with grace and truth, pertinent to the questions that are asked.  Be forthright in your speech, but do not lack grace so to disgruntle the listener.  We must not give our hearers any reason to find fault in our speech, but rather,

having a good conscience…when [we] are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. – 1 Peter 3:16

We are not responsible for the religious hypocrites who, in the name of God, blast sinners with condemnation.  Whether they are the Westboro Baptist types, Pelagian heretics who preach on the street, or the run-of-the-mill pew warmer blind by the planks in their own eyes, God will deal with them.  However in light of these hypocrites, we must all the more be sure that

no corrupting talk come out of [our] mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

No matter the hearer, whether fellow Christian or non-believer, we must speak the truth in love.  After all, this is all part of our sanctification that we

…must rid [ourselves] of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [our] lips. – Colossians 3:8

It was encouraging and a blessing to be told that my speech toward Travis was implied to be “seasoned with salt”.   I pray the Lord uses my testimony before Travis to draw Travis to Himself, and I pray this post might serve to remind and edify my brothers and sisters to be wise and mindful of your speech toward outsiders, holding fast to the following from 2 Timothy 2:24-26:

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

May the Lord continue to conform us to our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

This post was originally posted at The Speak:Truth Project

Citylight Baptist Church - The Say Yes! Project

By Justin Edwards

My friend Brian Norris and his family are moving to Charlotte, NC to build a church that is Gospel-centered and Christ-focused, and he needs your help!  Beginning today, July 1st through July 3rd, Brian is launching a fundraiser for financial support to build the church that God has called him to pastor.  I'll let Brian tell you a bit more about the vision for Citylight Baptist Church:

I am so excited for what God has in store for Citylight.  As one who is on the streets of Charlotte weekly proclaiming the Gospel, I can tell you many people are open to hearing the truth of God's Word, and so often they ask about a local church to attend. Most of the people we speak with in Uptown Charlotte are poor or homeless and have no means of transportation other than the public transit system.  What Citylight will provide is a biblically grounded church, rooted and faithful to the essential truths of Scripture, located just outside the center city along major transit routes.

The Norris Family

As you learned in the short video above, Citylight will be a church whose primary purpose is building up the Body of Christ to go out and make disciples of all nations, whether they be found in one's own backyard or halfway around the world.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ will be faithfully proclaimed while practicing the life-changing implications of the Gospel through serving and ministering to the local community. Citylight will be a church that does not compromise its biblical convictions, and will shine brightly in the midst of darkness that has so corrupted many American churches today who aim to conform to the world instead of God's Word.

Brian has been commissioned by Eastside Baptist Church of Greeneville, Tennessee, where he served as youth pastor for seven years under the leadership of Pastor David Fox.  Citylight  is accountable to their sending church, Eastside, in addition to a board made up of three church pastors and their churches' leadership teams. These churches function in an advisory role and keep Citylight morally, financially, and doctrinally accountable.  Please see the following link to learn more about Citylight's statement of beliefs:  Beliefs.

The Say Yes! Project is asking you to prayerfully consider joining the Norris family in their pursuit to build a Christ-exalting, New Testament church in the heart of Charlotte, NC.  There are 6 ways you can partner with Citylight:

1. Consider giving monthly - no gift is too small.
2. If you are a blog-owner or social media user, write a post about the campaign.
3. Repost the following link on social media: www.citylightbaptist.org/yes .
4. Ask your friends to link to this post. (Please ask them to ask their friends to do the same.)
5. Make the “say YES!” image your facebook or twitter profile picture from July 1-3.
6. Share the vimeo video.

Citylight's goal is to partner with 200 donors giving $5, $10, $20, $30, or $40 a month for a period of three years.

Without further adieu, I'll let Brian tell you a bit more about the campaign July 1-3 in the video below.  If you are led to financially contribute to Citylight Baptist Church, the Say Yes! logo will be posted in the sidebar through July 3rd for you to click and donate.  I am honored with the privilege to share this new ministry with you and invite you to join my family as we support Citylight Baptist Church for the next 3 years.

You Do Not Believe Because...

By Justin Edwards

You do not believe because you are not part of my flock. - John 10:26

Last Friday's post Atheists Hate Jesus, but Some Don't Realize It has created quite the stir in the comment section.  Many Atheists have commented asking many questions about "the Christian God" (as they say), but the answers given have not satisfied them.  I do not blame them since the Bible clearly states it is impossible for them to understand:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

My experience has been that quoting such a verse only serves to make them more angry.  Not only does it anger Atheists, but it angers professing christians who do not accept the Bible as the infallible Word of God.  Such would be the case from a fellow that goes by the name of Former Conservative (FC) who runs a blog titled Confessions of a Former Conservative.  Most, if not all, of the commenters came from his blog, which serves to attack Christian websites/blogs of whom he disagrees with ridicule and snarkiness.  FC holds much disdain and contempt for fundamental evangelical Christianity, and the fruit that he shows can be described in no other way than this:

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. - 1 John 4:20-21

Examples of this hatred have come through many blog posts at the Former Conservative website.  He has ridiculed many of my own blog posts, in addition to posts by Tony Miano, Defending. Contending., Trisha Ramos, and Steve Sanchez.  FC abhors the Holy Bible and Jesus' command to "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15).  Although I have never mentioned FC on airō before now, he has been the inspiration for a few blog posts including Jesus Died for Me and the recent 4-part series Jesus: Holy and Righteous God of Love and Wrath.

The reason for this post is to address in more detail a comment from one of the commenters (named "depizan") from Friday's article, who said:

"All of His sheep will hear His voice and follow Him, and all who come to Him He will never cast out."

Some of the people questioning your take on the Christian God are, er, His sheep. Are you really that certain that your take is correct and not theirs? How can you say they haven't come to him? I'm pretty sure only God would know that, yes?

I assumed "depizan" is referring to FC, and perhaps one or two others commenters on the post who share an equal disdain for fundamental evangelical Christianity as FC.  Ultimately this is a disdain for the God of the Bible.  Whether admitted Atheist, liberal christian, or anyone else who does not believe the God of Scripture, there is a reason for this given by Jesus Himself (who liberal christians claim to believe yet oftentimes reject or seek to deconstruct the rest of Scripture.  Some call themselves "red letter christians").

Jesus did not shy away from the doctrines of grace (commonly called "Calvinism" today), but rather He was bold in their proclamation.  Take, for instance, the verse posted at the top of this article where Jesus said,

You do not believe because you are not part of my flock.

Note that this does not say,

Because you do not believe you are not part of my flock.

It is important to understand that Jesus is saying the reason they do not believe is because they are not one of His sheep, for if they were one of His sheep, they would indeed believe.  The verse follows Jesus' parable of the sheepfold and the testimony of the Good Shepherd.  In John 10:26, Jesus was speaking to the Jews who rejected Him and accused Him of blasphemy by claiming to be God.

Going back to the beginning of the chapter, Jesus gives the parable:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:1-5).

The thieves and robbers Jesus is referring to are the blind Scribes and Pharisees who do not exalt Christ, but rather exalt their own self-righteousness and promote their man-centered agendas.  This would also apply to any modern/postmodern preacher whose motives are anything but of God.  To this end, J.C. Ryle comments,

The false shepherd of souls is he who enters the clerical office with little or no thought about Christ, from worldly and self-exalting motives, but from no desire to exalt Jesus, and the great salvation that is in Him.

These false shepherds will scatter the sheep.  When a sheep, a born again believer, hears the truth of God's Word, he is drawn by it in such a way that it soothes his soul.  When the Gospel is proclaimed, they are stirred and excited, never growing tired of hearing about the love of God to save men and women from their sin.  These do not follow the voice of a stranger, but rather they know and follow the voice of their shepherd.  

Jesus continues in John 10:11, 14-15:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Here Jesus makes the unpopular claim that He, as the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for His sheep.  He did not lay His life down for all, for all are not His own.  Christ laid His life down for those the Father gave Him from eternity past (John 6:37; Ephesians 1:4).  Christ laid His life down for His sheep, and He knows them each by name (verse 4).  When they hears His voice, they will follow Him without exception, and they will love Him and obey Him, being sanctified in the truth of God's Word (John 17:17).  Amazingly, just as the Father knows the Son and the Son knows the Father, so too does the Son know each of His sheep the same.

Speaking of these truths found in the Gospel of John (in addition to pointing out that God's sheep have been commissioned to call His remaining sheep through the proclamation of the Gospel), my friend John Samson comments,

From John’s Gospel, we can make the following scriptural statements: All that the Father has chosen to be His from eternity, He has given to the Son (John 6:37); and all whom He has given to the Son, the Son knows (John 10:3); and calls (John 10:3-5); and all whom He calls, know Him (John 10:14) and recognize His voice (John 10:4-5) and they come to Him (John 6:37) and follow Him (John 10:4, 27); and the Son lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11); and He gives them eternal life (John 10:28) and keeps them in the Father’s word (John 17:6), so that not even one of them is lost (John 6:39), to glorify the Son forever (John 17:10). This is the indestructible foundation for an infallible salvation that rebounds in the end to the glory of both the Father and the Son.

None of Christ’s sheep finally reject His word. Though He allows some of His sheep to resist the word for a long time, never do they reject it finally. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” (John 6:37). What a promise! And what a privilege we have in sharing the Gospel with people, as we witness the Good Shepherd rounding up His sheep.

So what of those who are not part of Christ's flock?  Returning back to John 10:26, they do not believe because they are not of the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd.  Even more bluntly in John 8:39-47, Jesus said of those who do not believe:

...Now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God...If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here...Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires...because I tell the truth, you do not believe me...Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

What is the cause and effect?  People who reject the God of the Bible and do so until death do not understand the things of God because they cannot hear the voice of Christ.  They are spiritually deaf.  Because the truth is spoken, they do not believe.  It is because they are not of God, but of the father of lies, Satan.  They are in bondage to their sin and the devil has blinded them so they cannot see the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).  It is only those who are of God, who are of His sheepfold, who can hear the words of God and be changed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When praying to His Father in John 17:1-26, Jesus interceded for His sheep:

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

According to Christ Himself, the world hates you when you love the truth, namely Jesus and His Holy Word to us, which includes the infallible writings of the Old and New Testament.  Believers were given by the Father to the Son, and it is these for whom He laid down His life.  Jesus does not intercede for anyone other than the sheep of His flock.  He guides us and guards us and will sanctify us in and by His Truth found in the inerrant Word of God, the Bible.  The world hates us because we are not of the world, but God has called us out of the world to no longer be like the world.  

This leads me into a biblical warning for "Former Conservative":

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. - John 15:18-19

FC, it is clear the world loves you as its own.  I say this for no other reason but to call you to examine yourself per 2 Corinthians 13:5 through the Word of God. I encourage you to begin in the book of 1 John. You have managed to build a following of people who reject, deny, and hate the God of the Bible, and they commend you for your attacks against born again believers.  Satan has further deceived you into thinking you are journeying a worthy cause.  Not only is this confirmed in your hatred for the Body of Christ as evidenced in your writings, but it is further established by the following from 1 John 4:5-6:

They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The world listens to you and loves you, FC.  That is a major red flag, one that you must heed.  Whether or not you will heed the warning I do not know - that will depend upon whether or not you are of God for God's children love the truth, love the brethren, and love the holy and righteous God of love and wrath.  Plead for mercy from God, FC.  Until you know you've been born again and have received eternal life, plead with Him day and night that He would make His truth known to you, that He would sanctify you by His Word.  Plead with Christ to give you eyes to see and ears to hear that you would love all of the attributes of God, to receive Him as your Lord and Savior, that you would receive God Himself to spend eternity with Him in glory.  

Back to the original question posed by "depizan", a conclusive question might be asked:  

is Former Conservative one of God's sheep?

At this point, FC may be one of God's sheep, but his fruit indicates he has yet to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. I pray God does indeed call FC by name that he would repent and follow the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.

In closing, I post the following message to any of the sheep who frequent Former Conservative's website or any other person who is not yet born again.  Perhaps there is only one of you reading, but know this:  the Good Shepherd knows you by name and He is calling you to come into the fold.  Listen to His voice and follow Him.  He declares for you to repent and trust in Him alone for your salvation, and when you do, He promises you abundant life (John 10:10).  The world loves its own, and they hate the Lord Jesus Christ and His sheep, but the Good Shepherd is calling you out from among them.  He did not die for the world, but He did die for you.  God stepped down from His throne in heaven that you would be reconciled to Himself through the blood of Jesus Christ, that you would receive the riches of His mercy and grace and reign with Him forever! 

Listen to the voice of your Shepherd as He calls you forth from among the spiritually dead.  Forsake everything that has kept you from the Lord.  Leave the crowd behind, lay down your pride, and never look back.  If you desire to know who Jesus really is, if you feel the draw of the Holy Spirit, if you want to know exactly what Christ did and why He did it for His sheep, then please read about The Suffering Servant.  If you have any questions about anything, I offer you the same as I offered Jon in the comment section of this post. 

One of God's lost sheep is out there somewhere, perhaps amongst the readers of Confessions of a Former Conservative.  If that is you, come to Christ.  Come to the Lamb and be healed.  Come to the King and receive the reward of your inheritance.  Come to Lord of the Harvest, and live!

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. - Revelation 22:17

Oh little sheep, fix your eyes on the cross: 

Rebellion or Reconciliation?

By Justin Edwards

Find out who you really are. Voddie Baucham gives us the questions and the answers to:

1. Who am I
2. Why am I here
3. What is wrong with the world
4. How can what is wrong, be made right.

Will you continue to rebel, or have you been or will you be reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ?

Jesus: Holy and Righteous God of Love and Wrath - Part 4

By Justin Edwards

Last week I posted the first three parts of this series that outlined some of the attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only true God.  In Part 1 it was shown that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament; that He is unchanging; that He is the Alpha and the Omega; and that He is a God of love, mercy, and grace.  Part 2 outlined that Jesus is a holy and righteous God; and Part 3 showed that He is a just judge who will pour out His wrath on those who have rebelled against Him (those who reject the Gospel or live a lifestyle contrary to it).  Yet, for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, there is Good News!

Despite His terrible and just wrath against the wicked - all born into this world who have a sinful nature - the Lord Jesus Christ is rich in mercy.  He has provided a way out for sinners to escape the wrath to come.  If you have a penitent heart for having sinned against God, pay attention to what the Bible says about the Savior.

The Suffering Servant

The prophet Isaiah gives the most detailed account of just how much Christ suffered for His people.  From a human perspective, yes, it was the Jews who murdered Jesus, and it was the Romans who washed their hands of this crime, but ultimately, it was not they who crushed the Son of God.  It was His own Father who crushed Jesus.  God killed His own Son, and it pleased Him to do so.  Why?  Because this was God's plan all along - to redeem a people for Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:14).  Let's turn our focus to Christ's sufferings in Isaiah 53:1-12, which was written over 700 years before the 1st coming of Christ:

Who has believed what he has heard from us?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Listen to C.J. Mahaney portray the account of Christ's sufferings from the 2007 Resolved Conference message titled The Suffering Servant.

The Redemptive Savior

Why did Christ come?  He most certainly did not come to give you your "best life now", nor did He come to merely give us an example for which to live by. Scripture tells us He came to shed His blood, without which there can be no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22):

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21

Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. - Romans 4:25

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, - 1 Corinthians 15:3

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:28

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Love of God

Why did Christ have to die?  As shown above, the shedding of blood is necessary to atone for sin.  There is no other way.  Why is this the case?  The only answer I have is it is the infinite wisdom of God that decreed it necessary, and our thoughts are not God's thoughts, neither are our ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8).  If He said it is good and necessary, then it must be good and necessary and I accept that by faith.  But what was the motivation behind it all?  The Good News is based on love:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. - 1 John 3:16

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10:11

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:9-10

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:6-8

Ironically enough, Love epitomized is the most hated person in the world.

Jesus the Only Way

You have no doubt heard that Christ said in John 14:6,

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Whether you have heard it once or a thousand times, it remains true.  You must go through Jesus Christ by faith in order to receive eternal life.  There is no life found in Buddha, Allah, Mother Earth, New Age philosophy, the Catholic jesus, the Mormon jesus, the liberal jesus, the social justice jesus, or any other jesus who is not the Narrow Way Jesus.  This is what He says, 

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Matthew 7:13-14

Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. - Luke 13:24

Only those with contrite hearts will enter the kingdom of God as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:10,

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

If you want Life and to escape God's wrath, this is what Jesus says to you:

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. - John 6:35

Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. - John 4:13-14

I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? - John 11:25-26

Do you want this Bread and Water?  Do you want Life?

Jesus Is Worthy

The Son of God is worthy for you to come to Him.  

He was crushed by His own Father to demonstrate His love toward sinners.  Are you a sinner?  

God killed His own Son, who willingly laid His life down for His sheep.  Are you one of His sheep?  

Jesus refrained from saving Himself so that He could save and heal the sick.  Are you sick from the disease of sin?  

Beaten, cursed, afflicted, bruised, scorned, mocked, tormented, and brutalized - is He not worthy of your worship, praise, devotion, allegiance, love, and surrender? 

A perfect man, the only one to ever grace this earth, became sin so His Father could punish Him as our substitute.  He bore the iniquities of His children.  Are you one of His children?  Is He not worthy for you to come home?  To receive your inheritance?

The angels know He is worthy and sing,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! - Revelation 5:12

The saints exalt Him by singing,

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. - Revelation 4:11

The glorified creatures of heaven proclaim, 

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!...Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” - Revelation 7:10-12

Is the Lord Jesus Christ not worthy of you to join the heavenly choir?

Purchased to Be Set Free

Jesus tells us in John 8:34-36

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Dear friend, do you want to be set free?  Do you want to know and have true freedom?  Freedom from the bondage of your sin, freedom from the god of this world, freedom from your enslavement to your flesh, freedom from the love of the world and the things of this world?  Do you want this freedom?  This is why Christ purchased His people with His own blood - to set them free!  He bought us to set us free!

Jesus, a holy and righteous God of love and wrath, will set His people free.  If you are of His people, and you are weary from the chains, cry out to Christ to be set free.  Don't wait any longer, today is the day of salvation.  To illustrate this point, that Christ bought us to set us free, listen to Paris Reidhead below.  Truly, when our freedom is purchased by One so worthy, we will want nothing more than to be His slave.

Won't you be a slave to Christ?  That is the Good News, dear friend.  The freedom is yours for the taking - become a slave to the worthy and glorious risen King.  Yield your life to Christ, and be free. 

Salvation - Ian Thomas

By Justin Edwards

"Salvation involves the reoccupation by God of a guilty sinner in such a way that Jesus Christ has the unchallenged, absolute, perpetual right to dictate the terms whereby that individual henceforth will run his life." - Ian Thomas

Lunchtime Evangelism

By Justin Edwards

A couple of weeks ago I was thinking about the blessed opportunity of a local brother who is able to open-air preach in Uptown Charlotte every Friday on his lunch break.  Uptown is a very busy, pedestrian-friendly city center populated with corporate businesses, shops, and restaurants, thus giving this brother potentially hundreds of people to hear the proclamation of the Gospel each week.  As I thought about his personal ministry, I began to wish I was able to do such a thing – and then it hit me after a few moments – I DO have such an opportunity to engage the lost during my lunch break!  I immediately rejoiced and thanked God for revealing to me another avenue for which I can share the Gospel with a dying world.

My workplace happens to be along a busy bus route that services local public health, social services, and a chemical dependency center.  Any time I pass these bus stops, there’s anywhere from a handful to 1 or 2 dozen of people, so there’s usually always someone there to engage.  Since last week, I’ve been able to get out there 4 or 5 times, spending anywhere from 10 to 35 minutes during my lunch break.

The challenging part about this type of witnessing is that you have a limited amount of time to share the Gospel with the buses coming every 20 minutes.  I’ve realized I need to sharpen my delivery of the Gospel as I ran out of time on a couple of occasions, so this is going to bless me in that regard. When time allows, it’s wonderful to be able to share deeper truths with people, but oftentimes we must be concise and keep the focus on the essentials of the Gospel.

After meeting a professing Christian and encouraging her for about 10 minutes yesterday, the bus arrived and I was able to hand out 10 or so more tracts to those waiting to get on the bus. I proceeded across the street on the way back to my truck when I saw 3 men waiting for the outbound bus.  I looked at my watch and saw that I had a few minutes left before I had to get back to work.  I handed a tract to each one and told them the back of the tract contained the “trillion dollar question.”  Anthony began reading the tract on the spot, reading it intensely in fact.  I really didn’t know what to say as he was concentrating, then all of a sudden he cracked a slight smile and said, “man, I think I was fine until I got there” – he was referring to adultery in the heart, the sin of lust.

As God would have it, for the next 20 minutes I was able to share the best news that Anthony had ever heard.  We talked about the Law of God and the fact we have all sinned against Him, and we all deserve the just punishment in hell.  When I explained to Him the sacrifice of Christ and the beauty of the Savior to redeem a people for Himself, he was taken aback as he had never heard it explained like that before.  It was apparent Anthony could feel the weight of his sin and the bloody price paid for sinners as he wiped tears from his eyes several times during our conversation.

I pleaded with Anthony that if he hears the voice of the Son of God speaking through me and the Word of God, if God had given him ears to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd to repent and follow Him, then don’t wait any longer.  Today is the day of salvation, and the Lord of glory is worthy to be served, loved, obeyed, worshiped, and praised with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  This Jesus who is coming back in flaming fire to take vengeance upon those who disobey the Gospel of Christ, who will show no mercy to those who refuse to bow down to Him today, is offering mercy to sinners now!  I told Anthony if he believed everything I was saying as truth, and he wants to be set free from the bondage of his sin, putting on the yoke of Christ to learn from Him, then just cry out to Him calling upon the name of the Lord to save him from his sins.  I told him he doesn’t need to repeat a prayer or go to the alter of a church, he just needs to get alone with God and be reconciled to him.

Then Anthony said,

I think I just did that.

I said,

what do you mean?

He responded,

I didn’t cry out loud, I just cried out inside – in my heart.

“Hallelujah” burst from my lips in near unbelief, it was incredible.

To see the sovereign work of God in a man is indescribable if what had just happened was genuine.  As the bus came over the hill, I gave Anthony my card and explained to him the resources found on airō.  I told him I’d love to get up with him and talk more about this, and he was eager to send me his email address.  Anthony explained to me he knew everything in his past had driven him to this point in time to speak with me, and I told him I expected to hear from him.  I gave him a Gospel of John and also pointed him to 1st John, and he was on his way.

As you might imagine, I rejoiced the whole way back to work.  I was so thrilled by this Divine appointment that I got out of my truck with the keys still in the ignition and the engine running.  I can’t say in absolute terms that Anthony was born again yesterday, but if what I witnessed was indeed the manifestation of sovereign grace, I trust God will finish the work He started in Anthony regardless of whether he follows up with me.

This is just one amazing story of Grace working through me to touch the life of another potential sheep of the Good Shepherd.  By taking a few minutes out of my day to reach out to others, God has blessed me richly through the proclamation of the Gospel during my day.  I want to ask you to consider how you might be able to do the same during your day.

What kind of opportunities might you have throughout the day that you’ve never considered before? Are you also along a transit route?  Are you near a shopping center or other type of pedestrian-friendly area?  Can you take half of your lunch break to go out and hand a few tracts to people?  Who is just right outside your door that you’ve never engaged?  If you have this opportunity, won’t you consider getting out of your comfort zone, stepping out on faith to see what God will do?

Let’s hear about it!

Originally posted at The Speak:Truth Project

Go!

By Justin Edwards

"If you allow the impartation of Jesus Christ to overtake you, suddenly it all works.  Because it's Him imitating Himself, and He's very good at being God."

Incredible video on the strength we find in Christ to do HIS work:

>

The Tale of a Good Person

A few weeks ago the Eternal Life page was completed at The Speak:Truth Project and I decided to include it here on airō's Eternal Life page as well.  It is also posted below for your convenience:

The Tale of a Good Person

John would be considered a model American citizen. As a 42 year old  paramedic, he was in the business of saving lives and received various  awards for his stellar character and work ethic including Paramedic of  the Year, Rookie Medic of the Year, Community Service Award, Mentor of  the Year, and the Above and Beyond Award. He was a loving husband and a  father of 3 boys, who were fortunate to have a dad so involved in their  education and extra-curricular activities. John served at the homeless  shelter once per month and volunteered his time at the free medical  clinic several times a year. He was loved by many and anyone he came in  contact with would have considered him to be a good person. John would  have considered himself to be a good person for it’s the very thing he  was striven to be.

During his last service as a paramedic, John was responding to a  multi-car pileup on a major interstate when a drunk driver swerved and  hit him from behind. He died instantly at the scene.

Sadly, John is in hell now. Why? Because he thought he was a good person. He thought he was good enough to go to heaven.

This is the mindset of most professing Christians in America today.  Many believe they are Christians by birthright, are Christians because  they have a good relationship with “the church”, or because they are  good people, especially compared to the likes of Adolph Hitler or  Charles Manson. In John’s case, he believed in God (as most Americans  do) and thought his heart for his community and devotion to his family  would earn him the right to go to heaven. But the one thing John never  came to grips with was his sin, especially his pride in thinking he was  good enough to go to heaven.

The Law of God

The Bible tells us that we were born into sin (Psalm 51:5) and there  is no one righteous (Romans 3:10). Righteousness simply means  perfection. Perfect in every way, including behavior, attribute,  attitude, and word. It is God’s standard that He requires of every human  in order for them to go to heaven. In other words, we must be perfect  (Matthew 5:20).

Although in the eyes of men John would be considered a good person,  and rightfully so, he was not perfect. We know this from Scripture,  specifically according to the perfect standard for which God judges  righteousness. These are known as the 10 Commandments found in Exodus  20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, and God uses these to reveal our sin  (Romans 3:19-20). By going through these eternal laws of God, we can  easily see how none of us have hit the mark of perfection:

1. You shall have no other gods before me  – if you have ever worshiped a god other than the one true God, then  you have worshiped a false god and are guilty of breaking the 1st  commandment.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol  – if you have ever crafted a god to worship, you are guilty of breaking  the 2nd commandment. Furthermore, if you have created a god in your own  image to cater to your lifestyle, you have broken this commandment.  Most Americans are worshiping an idol god whom they have crafted in  their minds.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God  – this is known as blasphemy or using the name of the Lord in vain. We  are to treat the name of God with reverence. Any time we use His holy  name to express frustration, anger, flippancy, or disgust, we break this  commandment. This includes “omg”, etc.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy  – if you have not perfectly set aside a day of rest and worship unto  the Lord each week all the days of your life, then you are guilty of  breaking this commandment.
5. Honor your father and your mother – if you have not perfectly honored your mother and father, then you are guilty of breaking the 5th commandment.
6. You shall not murder  – perhaps you have never committed premeditated murder, but Jesus said  in Matthew 5:21-22 that if you so much as call anyone a fool, then you  have already committed murder in your heart. This includes hatred,  unjust anger, or cursing someone. If you’ve done this one time, then you  have broken the 6th commandment.
7. You shall not commit adultery  – it does not take an unfaithful act of cheating on one’s spouse to be  considered adultery. Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28 that if you lust in  your mind then you have committed adultery in your heart. This means any  premarital intimate or  sexual encounter you have had, any look at soft or hard pornography,  any sexual thought toward any person at all in person, by watching  movies, listening to music, or reading books, magazines, or online  material makes you guilty of breaking the 7th commandment.
8. You shall not steal  – that pencil you stole in elementary school, the pack of gum from your  childhood friend, cheating on a test, illegally downloading music from  the internet, petty theft, shoplifting, or grand larceny – it’s all  theft. If you have stolen anything regardless of its value, then you  have broken the 8th commandment.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor – in other words, you shall not lie.  There is no such thing as a “white lie”. If you have ever told a  “non-truth”, stretched the truth, or given a false statement to anyone  for any reason, then you have broken the 9th commandment.
10. You shall not covet  – have you ever desired something that was not yours? Have you ever  said, “man, I wish I had that”, or “I wish I had him or her”? This shows  a lack of appreciation for the things you do have, and these wrong  desires could lead to other sins including murder, adultery, or theft.  If you have ever coveted material possessions or people, then you are  guilty of breaking the 10th commandment.

John thought the 10 commandments were a good moral code to live by.  Especially in his adult years, he tried to live with the utmost  integrity and did his best to never lie to anyone. He certainly did not  steal or hate anyone, and remained faithful to his wife during their 20  years of marriage. But John did not consider his secret thought life to  be a big deal. He assumed it was normal to admire pretty women in  bikinis, whether it was at the beach or on the grocery store magazine  rack. And although he was somewhat rebellious as a teenager and  dishonored his parents, he had incredible respect for them now.

John thought his outward actions of being a model citizen and family  guy would be his ticket to heaven. He thought God would approve of his  “goodness” and the scales would tip in his favor to give him access to  the streets of gold. But what John did not see in himself was that his  heart was deceitful and desperately wicked above all things (Jeremiah  17:9). His heart deceived him and he never knew the God of the Bible –  the One and Only True, Holy, Righteous, and Just God of all creation. He  was thus guilty of breaking the first two commandments.

The Problem of Sin

In James 2:10, we see that anyone who attempts to live by the law is  guilty of breaking every law when they break one law. To make matters  worse, any time we don’t do what we should, we are guilty of sinning  (James 4:17). And that’s our problem – sin. Sin is the breaking of the  Law of God, whether we do so willfully or unintentionally. If we sin  once in our entire lives, we are considered lawbreakers (1 John 3:4).

The penalty for breaking the Law of God one time is death (Romans  3:23). In fact, it was one single sin that made all of creation fall  when Adam chose to disobey God in the Garden  of Eden (Genesis 3). It is sin, therefore, that has separated us from a  right fellowship with God, and it is sin that has condemned us to an  eternal hell (John 3:18).

From the moment we were conceived, all of mankind was condemned,  including yourself. Each of us deserve the justice of a Holy God for  having failed to meet His perfect standard of good. If left to receive  the punishment for our crimes, God would be just to send every person to  everlasting hellfire. The consequence for our sin would be conscious  torment forever and ever because of Who we have offended (Matthew 25:41,  Revelation 14:9-11, Revelation 20:10-15, Revelation 19:14-16, 2  Thessalonians 2:8-10, Matthew 5:29-30, Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:48).

There Is Good News

But God is rich in mercy! His eternal plan before He created the  universe was to send His one and only Son to be the propitiation  (satisfaction) for sin’s punishment (1 John 4:10; 1 Peter 1:20-21). Over  2,000 years ago, a virgin Jewish teenager named Mary gave birth to the  Son of God (Luke 1-2). Jesus was 100% man and 100% God (John 1:1-18).  After walking a life of perfect obedience to His Father, Jesus of  Nazareth went up to a trash heap called Calvary to lay His life down for  His sheep (John 10:11).

No other sacrifice could appease God’s wrath against mankind. It  required the blood of an innocent, perfect sacrifice to be a substitute  for the sins of man (Hebrews 9). As the unblemished Lamb of God, Jesus  actually became sin and was punished by His own Father (2 Corinthians  5:21; Isaiah 53:3-6). God’s furious wrath poured out on His own Son as  if Jesus was sin personified. This atoning sacrifice has now made a way  for you to be forgiven of your sins. And why did He do this?

Love:

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. – 1 John 4:9-10

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

To fulfill God’s promise to Himself to raise His Son from the dead,  after Christ had paid for our sins in full, God resurrected Him unto  life! (Matthew 28:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus now reigns in heaven  at the right hand of His Father (Hebrews 12:2), and is waiting to come  back again to establish His Kingdom on earth (Revelation 19:11-16;  20:4-6).

That is the good news, dear friend. Jesus Christ paid a debt He did  not owe because you have a debt you cannot pay. There is nothing that  you can do to add to the work that Christ has already done. That is why  He said,

It is finished. – John 19:30

If you try to be justified by your good deeds as John the Paramedic  did, you will surely experience the same judgment as John in the lake of  fire for all eternity (Galatians 3:11, 5:3-4).

You Must Repent and Believe

If you have yet to be made alive by the grace of God, then you are  still dead in your sins (Ephesians 2:1, 5) and the wrath of God hangs  over your head (Colossians 3:6; Ephesians 2:3). Yet, out of the infinite  mercy of God for His children, He has paved the way for His sheep to  receive eternal life – through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ  alone! God has called all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). God is  calling you to repent. He is calling you to turn away from the sin that  separates you from His holiness. He is calling you to turn from  your idols, to turn from the control of your life, to turn from serving  yourself, and to turn toward Him to receive His gift of grace through  faith. This type of faith is a repentant faith where you must give up on  yourself and your sinful lifestyle to trust in God to save you from His  wrath and the enslavement to your sin.

That is what you are – a slave. You are either a slave to your sin or  you are a slave to the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:16-18;  John 8:34), but you cannot be a slave to both (Matthew 6:24). Neither  can you love God and love the world and the things of this world (1 John  2:15). The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your  mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised  Him from the dead, you will be saved. You must call upon the name of the  Lord (Romans 10:13), but this is not mere lip service, dear friend.

It will cost you everything (Luke 14:33). Jesus has called His sheep  to deny themselves, pick up their crosses daily, and follow Him (Luke  9:23). He has called His sheep to forsake all for Him, and to value Him  and love Him more than their family, their friends, and even their own  lives (Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 10:37-39). Jesus has called you to lay  down your life for Him, to count it as nothing, and when you do by the  grace of God, He promises you eternal life!

The Promise of Eternal Life

This is what Jesus said of those who recognize their sins against God  and desperate need of a Savior. These are people who feel conviction  and sorrow, a godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10), for breaking God’s Law  and being the very reason for the crucifixion of the Son of God. If that  is you, He is speaking these words to you, dear friend:

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. – John 6:35

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

Whoever drinks of the water that  I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him  will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting  life. – John 4:14

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. – John 17:3

Enter by the narrow gate. For  the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and  those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is  hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – Matthew  7:13-14    

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one. – John 10:27-30

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John 3:3

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me  I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son  and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up  at the last day. – John 6:37-40

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

I am the resurrection and the  life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and  everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe  this? – John 11:25-26

Do  you believe this, dear friend? Are you weary? Are you looking for rest  for your soul? Is the weight of your sin bearing down on you? Do you  feel the Spirit of God drawing you into His embrace? It does not matter  what you have done or who you have done it with, God has called you to  repent from your sins and throw yourself before the cross of the Lord  Jesus Christ. If you are one of His sheep, listen to the voice of the  Good Shepherd and follow Him. You must be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ so that God can declare you not guilty  of your crimes against Him. If you have been born again, then cry out  to God, turn away from the things that are separating you from Him,  trust that He is your Savior, and yield yourself to the Lordship of  Christ! Knowing this of Jesus:

there is salvation  in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men  by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

If God has poured out His grace upon you (1 Peter 1:3) according to  the riches of His mercy (Ephesians 2:4-5; John 1:12-13), this is what He  promises:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:11-12

He removes the sins from His children as if they never sinned and  sees them only as righteous, holy, and without blemish because they have  been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ. The most marvelous thing  about this is you don’t have to wait for eternal life, and it may be  yours today – instantly!

New Life in Christ

Now friend, think on these things. Diligently seek after God in faith  and He will reward you (Hebrews 11:6). If you have believed on the Son  of God and trusted in Him alone as your Lord and your  Savior, He has planted His seed in you to empower you to hunger and  thirst for the things of God (1 John 3:9) that you should no longer walk  in darkness (1 John 1:5-10). Begin reading your Bible and obey what you  read. Spend time with God in prayer every day so that you will walk in  the Spirit and be prepared for whatever comes in your path. Surround  yourself with mature Christians so they can instruct you and encourage  you. Find a solid, Bible-believing church so you can be shepherded in  the faith, and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy  Spirit. Be submissive to the work of the Holy Spirit so

…by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which isyour reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:1-2

We’d like to hear from you if the amazing grace of God has set you  free from the bondage of your sin (John 8:36) and saved you from the  fury of His wrath (Romans 2:5). If you have any questions about anything  you have read or are struggling in the assurance of your salvation,  please do not hesitate to contact us through our Contact page. You might also find our Resources page to be beneficial to you.

May our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be glorified in your life today and the life to come…Soli Deo Gloria!

We were buried  therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ  was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk  in newness of life. – Romans 6:4