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Your
answers can be found in the Bible. This ministry is not going to ask you to
repeat a "quicky prayer" and make you think you are saved, and then
go to the next poor soul and do the same thing. If you are serious, REALLY serious
about wanting a change in your life. I have laid out to the best of my ability
the facts regarding Salvation and how to attain it.
Without a doubt, the Bible that God wrote for you
and I and every other person on the face of this earth, is indeed the true and
ever living Words of God! It has been written for a reason! The Ancient of
Days would in no way waste His precious time writing the Bible if it wasn't necessary for you to know these facts. Think of it. The
very God that created Heaven and Earth loves you so much that He put His very thoughts into
a book for you to read! This Word of God is actually a treasure map to
the greatest prize of all time! HEAVEN!
- Matthew 13:45-46, "Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who,
when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had,
and bought it."
Even more is His love displayed when you
understand that this very
same God sent His one and only Son to die the death you and I deserve! He loves us
so much that He does NOT want us to die, for all that commit sin must die for
that sin. Some may think they are without sin, but the truth is
there are NONE righteous, no not one! (Romans 3:10)
You are a sinner, I am a sinner, we are all sinners. Since we are all sinners, we ALL deserve to die because sin is NOT allowed in
Heaven. Revelation 21:27 says, that when it comes to the city of Heaven,
"..there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written
in the Lamb's book of life."
- Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Think of it. If sin was allowed
in Heaven, it wouldn't be Heaven would it? If sin was allowed in Heaven, all
the problems associated with sin would be in Heaven as well. Since the "wages of sin
is death," all that is in Heaven would die as it does on Earth. That
is not Heaven. Heaven is a place of eternal life, no death can reign there.
(1 Corinthians 15:55)
The Bible holds the key. It has
the answers you are now looking for. Still, some will say that the Bible
is impossible to understand. That is a lie from Satan to keep you out of that
Holy book as you will soon see. Be honest with yourself for a moment and ask yourself this simple
question. Do you truly believe the Lord that created
all that is in the Universe was unable to write a book you could understand? Think about how easy
it is to expose those liars that say the Bible is impossible to understand.
They are saying that the Creator that made all that you see on this world with
all it's trees, birds, animals, fish, oceans, lakes, rivers, flowers, insects,
stars, the moon, the sun, the sky, the air you breath, and mankind himself,
would be unable to
write a book that His own children could
understand? Sounds pretty ridiculous now doesn't it? Still, some will LIE and say the Bible is not for the Christian,
especially the unlearned Christian or non-believer. They believe the Bible needs to be TAUGHT
to you by them because they are a "special" breed of human or have
a higher learning.
Yet the Word of God says the Creator is NOT a "respecter of persons"
in Acts chapter 10 verse 34. They are lying to you. Plain and simple! Even a
child can understand that which the Lord has written.
For example. The Roman Catholic
church which has been proven to be the church of Antichrist has MANY statements
regarding the Bible. They seek to tell all that the Bible is impossible to believe.
And because they are considered, "holy men" most people fall for their
lies. Here are just a few documented quotes from this evil church. (The only
reason I share these quotes is to make you aware that these very
same excuses are used by people from all different churches today
because as prophecy predicted they are influenced by Rome.)
- The Bible does not contain all the teaching of
the Christian religion, nor does it formulate all the duties of its
members." (The Faith of Millions, pp. 153-154).
- "Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the
truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin
all the duties which he is obliged to practice." (The Faith of Our Fathers, p.
72)
- "Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the
Bible? No...because the Bible does not have everything God taught." (A
Catechism for Adults, Q. 1, p. 52).
- "...a competent religious guide must be clear and
intelligible to all, so that everyone may fully understand the true meaning of
the instructions it contains. Is the Bible a book intelligible to all? Far from
it; it is full of obscurities and difficulties
not only for the illiterate, but even for the learned." (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 70).
- "We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures
alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith...because they are not of themselves clear and intelligible even in
matters of the highest importance..." (Ibid.,
p. 73).
- "Secondly, the
Bible is not a clear and intelligible guide to all." (The Faith of Millions, p. 152).
- "How can you get the true meaning of the Bible? You
can get it only from God's official
interpreter, the Catholic Church. ' (A
Catechism for Adults, p. 10).
- "The Bible does not pretend to be a formulary of
belief, as in a creed or catechism. There is nowhere in the New Testament
a clear, methodical statement of the
teaching of Christ" (Question Box, p. 66).
- "The very nature of the Bible ought to prove to any
thinking man the impossibility of its being
the one safe method to find out what the Savior taught." (Ibid., p. 67).
- "Again it has ever been practically impossible for
men, generally, to find out Christ from the
Bible only." (Question Box, p. 70).
- "...The Bible nowhere implies that it is the only source of faith." (Ibid., p. 77).
- "The Bible was not
intended to be a textbook of Christian religion." (Catholic Facts, p. 50).
Does the Word of God address
the lies of Rome? YES IT DOES! See here what the Bible says. It actually proves the
Roman prelates are lying about your God.
- The Bible has recorded all
necessary things which Jesus did.
Acts
1:1-2, "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy
Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:"
- Scripture does
contain the certainty of
Christ's actions and teachings!
Luke
1:3-4, "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus, That thou mightest know the
certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."
- The Scriptures declare they can
teach us to believe in the name of Jesus.
John 20:30-31, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name."
- Scriptures bluntly proclaim it does
have
the instructions to salvation!
2 Timothy
3:15, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which
are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus."
- The commands of the Lord are found
in His Word.
1 Corinthians 14:37,
"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord."
- The proper conduct is emphasized
within the Word.
1 Timothy 3:14-15, "These
things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest
to behave thyself in the house of God, which
is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
- Every good work is brought forth in
His Word.
2 Timothy 3:15-16, "And that
from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee
wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:"
- The knowledge of the Word is our
protection against sin.
1 John 2:1, "My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And
if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"
- And yes we CAN have assurance of
eternal life!
1 John 5:13, "These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God."
- The Scriptures ARE the standard by
which Bible teachers are tested.
Acts
17:11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were
so."
- The Scriptures also declare the
standard by which we cannot go beyond.
1
Corinthians 4:6, "And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to
myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye
might learn in us not to think of men above that which is
written, that no one of you be puffed up for
one against another."
- We also receive blessings by merely
reading His Word.
Revelation 1:3,
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep
those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
- For joy that is complete, look to
the Word!
1 John 1:3-4, "That which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full."
- Most important, the Word is in fact
the standard of judgment.
Revelation
20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works."
So... you ask, how do I get saved?
Many are asking this same question today as
did the multitude on the day of Pentecost after they were convicted of sin by
the sermons preached that day.
They cried out; "What shall we do?" Peter answered
and declared; "Repent" (Acts 2:37-38.)
Repentance is a MUST! If you do
not repent, your sins will never
be forgiven, and then you must die for them since you won't trust Christ to
pay the penalty of death for you.. Proverbs 29:1 says, "He,
that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and
that without remedy."
If you keep ignoring the Lord, you will eventually
die in the flames of hell and be
dead forever. You need to get serious about this because you can
die today. No one knows for sure when they shall die. So
I ask... are you POSITIVE you will not die in a car crash? Are you positive
you will not have a heart
attack? Slip and hit your head? Get hit by a stray bullet? Get bit by a mosquito
that has a deadly disease? Are you 100% positive you WILL wake up tomorrow
morning? Now be honest with yourself. It's your life we're talking about here.
You can die just as suddenly and unexpectedly as many have died
before.
- Luke 13:2-5, "And Jesus answering said
unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans,
because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom
the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Luke relates that Jesus spoke of some Galilaeans that
died very suddenly back then. Everyone thought at that time that they were great sinners because of their sudden
deaths. This was a common belief among the people back then that if disease
or sudden tragedy came upon someone they were guilty of some great
sin. However, Jesus
said that we should be more mindful of our own
lives, because we can die just as suddenly as did they! Therefore… we need to
repent NOW! Today is the day of salvation!
How often do we hear of strange accidents, earthquakes, or
plane crashes where large numbers of people die suddenly in
one day? Do
you suppose they KNEW they would die that day? Do you suppose that before they
left their house they decided to ask their wife or husband or mom or dad for
their best clothes to be laid out for them because today is the day they shall die? NONE OF US can say
we won’t die today in a sudden accident! Absolutely none of us know that for sure. Life
is fragile! So why chance it!? With a reality check like that, some do finally
come to the realization that salvation is NOT only for the
old and sick like they always thought. Everyday fact of life is that many young people die daily. You are a sinner, and you do need a Saviour!
Sinners are destined to die if they have no one that will take
their place in death for them. If they have no Saviour, then they
must be the ones that die instead.
It is written...
YOU ARE A SINNER:
- Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God."
We all have sin in our hearts. We were born under
the power of sin's control. We all need to admit we are sinners. NO ONE
is special here. ALL of us are guilty! The apostles were sinners, all the men
of God mentioned in Scripture were sinners, even Mary the mother
of Jesus proclaimed she needed a Saviour. (See Luke 1:47) The rich, the poor, the kings, the queens,
the young the old, the fat, the skinny, the sick, the healthy, all of us are in the same place when it comes to SIN. And ALL of us are slated
for death because…
OUR SINS HAVE SIGNED OUR DEATH
WARRANT:
- Romans 6:23a "...The wages of sin is
death..."
Sin has an ending. It results in death.
When Heaven starts, eternal life begins for those residents of Heaven. No person
with sin will be allowed into Heaven. For if they were allowed,
then that which Christ did on Calvary would have been a waste of
time. And if sinners are allowed in Heaven, then death must reside
their too, and then Heaven would no longer be "eternal"
now would it?
Speaking of Heaven the Bible says...
- Revelation 21:27, "And
there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
All that
go to their graves sinners, will NOT be allowed in Heaven because Heaven is
not for those things that must die, and Heaven is not for those things that
defile. Heaven is for those that must live. Sin begets DEATH, and
death is not allowed in
Heaven.
We all face physical death already, which is in
fact a result of sin in the world now. Truth is, before Adam and Eve sinned,
not even the leaves on the trees died. There was no death at that time anywhere! No sin
= no death. Adam and Eve were eternal human beings in a perfect place. All the
flowers were perfect in their
eternal youth and Adam and Even would never age as long as they stayed loyal
to God. The birds and animals, including man had no signs of death or
aging upon them at all because they never sinned. The grass was perfectly new, in fact every aspect of
life as we know it was eternally youthful without the slightest signs of death
or aging on any of it! Eden was a perfect reflection of Heaven itself. That is UNTIL SIN entered into the picture.
- Genesis 2:17, "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."
Directly after Adam and Eve
disobeyed God and took of the tree He specifically said not to touch, they sinned. At that
very moment death entered into a controlling power by the permission they gave it to be
in their lives. They chose sin, over the Father's protecting love. At
that moment, Adam and Eve contracted a fatal disease that ALL of us now have.
It's called... AGING! The very day they ate of that tree they started to die.
It was as certain as life and death today.
Death is now everywhere. Trees die, birds die, flowers
die, all the animals and even man himself dies every single day on this planet
because of SIN. But
that's not the worst of it. What can be worse you ask? Is there
something sin has to offer that is worse than all this? Yes! Worse than physical death is spiritual
death that alienates us from God, and THAT will last for all eternity. You need
to completely understand that you deserve death for your sin. THAT is something
none of us can get around. Your sin has already separated
you from a God that cannot stand together with sin and sinners. He represents LIFE,
and sin represents DEATH.
When it comes to eternity, opposites do NOT attract!
But, we worship a merciful God. He has created
a way for us to get around this fatal problem. You truly need to focus and understand
something very important now. The Lord has blessed you with a way out of this mess. Plus, also
understand there is nothing YOU can do to get out of it because you ARE guilty
of sin and can't explain any of the sins away. You have to trust the Lord 100%
now, He's your only hope. It's as if you're walking in front of
a speeding train and the only one that can save you from certain
death is Jesus Christ. The only way to get out of eternal death is by the mercy of the very
God
that created you. His mercy is in fact a GIFT!
SALVATION IS A GIFT:
- Romans 6:23b "...the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! He
knew we couldn't do anything to gain it, so He GAVE it to us! We
can't even earn this gift. However, we must at least reach out and receive it if we want
what it has to offer. That being, ETERNAL LIFE.
UNDERSTAND IT IS A "GIFT":
Let me ask you this... Have you ever PAID
someone for a gift they gave you? Have you ever had to WORK for a gift? Of course
not! It wouldn't be a GIFT if you had to work or pay for it right? Salvation
is a gift mainly because the Father knows there is nothing we can say or do
that would be enough to pay for eternal life in His Kingdom. Our sins have separated
us very far from Him. No matter how good you think you are, no matter how much you try
not to sin, Isaiah 64,6 bluntly
states that, "...all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags... "
Even if we tried, we have nothing but filthy rags at best to offer the Father
in Heaven as payment for Salvation. The wonderful truth about this is.. HE KNOWS THIS! So, because He is such a
loving Father He
chooses to GIVE it to you, if you simply do one thing.
ASK FOR IT:
- Matthew 21:22, "And all things, whatsoever
ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
- Acts 2:21, "And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
When Jesus died on the cross He paid your penalty
for sins you committed. The "wages" of sin = DEATH! Jesus paid that price so YOU wouldn't
have to die for the sins you committed. He died in your place! That's the gift!
All He requires
is that you believe He did that for you and ask Him to count His death as payment
for yours.
All you need to do is ASK.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21, "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."
Fact is, Jesus paid the price for all sin. And when He took all the sins
of the world on Himself on that cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and
death as well! We are bought with a price, and that price was HIS
LIFE!
- 1 Corinthians 6:20, "For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's."
The only condition is that we believe in Him
and what He has done for us. Understanding as well that we are now joined with Him,
and that He is the controlling factor in our life from this day forward. And we gladly and gratefully
allow Him to guide us to righteousness, because He truly loved us and gave Himself for us!
GIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE LORD:
His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is
your only hope to have forgiveness and a change for the better in life. His love bought you out of being
a slave to sin. His love bought you out of eternal damnation. His love is what saves you
from the fires of hell. Not religion, or church membership.
or good works.
The Lord loves you, and reaches to you where you are right now!
- Romans 10:13 "Whoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved!"
The word, "whoever" truly means WHOEVER
calls upon the name of Jesus WILL BE SAVED! The Lord is not a respecter of persons.
It doesn't matter what stage in life you hold, YOU NEED HIM. Call out to the Father in
the name of Jesus right now. Please.
- Romans 10:9-10, "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 (resulting in) righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto (resulting in) salvation."
You know that God is knocking on your heart
door right now don't you? If He wasn't, why are you still reading this page?
You would have stopped along time ago if you "didn't believe" any
of this. So why not ask Him to come into your heart RIGHT NOW? And before you
think your sins are far too evil to be forgiven think again. Sin is sin to the
Lord. Whether you are a liar or a murderer it makes no difference. Sin is sin.
And don't think the Lord has never heard sins like yours. At present there are
over 6 billion sinners on this planet. And that's just THIS generation! Plus
keep in mind, He KNOWS you committed them anyway! It's not like your going to
surprise Him with anything you say. So confess those sins and get it over with! Start your new life
today with Jesus Christ as Lord!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new."
Again... It's by
no accident that you are reading the Truth laid out on this page my friend. The
Father is proving His love to you this day. Right now! His Word is TRUTH in its highest
form.
Jesus said,
- Revelation 3:20a "Behold, I stand
at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him…”
Is Jesus knocking on your heart's door right
now? Believe in Him. Let
Him in your life. Ask Him to come in to your heart by faith, and
ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to show you His love for you in your
life. Ask Him for the peace He has promised in His
Word and you WILL have it! God will help you. He truly loves you that
much. Aren't you hungry to know the truth? It's there
for you to receive it 100% free of charge. It's TRULY that easy!
So many people are searching to fill the void in
their lives and it is right their on their bookshelves the whole time. It is
called the living Word for a reason. Truth has a powerful effect
on people that truly want it. Open that Bible today and let Him speak to you. Let Him love
you. Let Him give you the peace of Himself within your heart. Aren't you sick
and tired of the hassles? The paranoia? The problems that seem hopeless? The
sadness? Hasn't all these problems in life gotten old yet? Don't you crave peace in your heart
that you know Christians have? READ what He
has written for your heart in His Word! And while you are reading, allow for the Lord to
direct you to salvation.
- REPENT of your way of sinfulness.
- REALIZE that you are a sinner.
- RECEIVE Jesus as your Savior.
To repent is to change your mind, which will change your
heart, agreeing with God that He is right. That He is who He says He is, and
that we are what He says we are; sinners, deserving of hell, in need of our
Saviour.
Believe with all your heart that Jesus is Lord
God, and humble yourself before Him. Admit you are a sinner standing
naked before a God that sees all the way to the most secret regions of your heart. You
cannot hide a thing from him. Even if you lie to Him, or yourself, He knows
that too! You
must truly realize how absolutely hopeless your condition is. Jesus is truly
your only hope.
Finally you must receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
You
must understand and believe what it is He actually did for you on the cross
2000 years ago. He
paid in full for all your sins with His very life. There is nothing you or any
person can do to merit your salvation. It is God's gift to
you! His only begotten Son
If you truly understand
now and believe that Jesus is the only way you
can be saved from eternal damnation...
- Romans 4:21
And being fully persuaded that,
what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Then pray in your own words and ask Jesus to come into your heart
and save you, RIGHT NOW!
- Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved
- Romans 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Please, put into your own words a prayer that will
tell the Lord that you are genuinely sorry for your sins, and that you
understand what Jesus did for you when He died on the cross 2000 years
ago. Then all that's left is to let Him know you accept, believe, and receive Jesus, as
YOUR Lord and Saviour at this time.
I earnestly pray that you have received Jesus as Lord of
your life at this time.
By the way... For those of you reading that
think your sin is too embarrassing to confess, or you're too ashamed
to speak of your sins. Think about it this way. The Lord already
knows you committed the sins. He SAW you do it. The
embarrassing part is in the past. So why not confess the sin and
be cleansed from it? It's a lot quicker to confess it then
commit it anyway.
- 1 John 1:9, "If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Not only does He forgive us of the
sin, He cleanses us from the act of doing it! What a loving God!!
If you have accepted Christ as Lord
and Savior. Then I say WELCOME to the eternal family of the Living God. If you
need some encouraging words for the days ahead, READ HIS WORD! You faith needs
to grow now, and "...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Not
only does your faith need to grow so as to better understand your
God, but now that you have left Satan's side and have chosen Christ
as Lord, Satan
will then try to draw you back to your old sinful desires in many ways. See this page for a collection of Bible facts that should help you combat
the coming attacks Satan WILL send to get you back. You will see words of encouragement from the Word of God
that are perfectly designed to give you hope during all the crud the devil sends
your way. And one last thing. No matter what happens, no matter what the devil
tries to tempt you with, no matter how small or how big, you CAN handle it! For
it is also written...
- 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
That means, if the devil want's to tempt you
in a certain manner, he must FIRST get permission from the Father. If the temptation
is too strong, the devil is NOT allowed to use it on you! If it is not too strong,
the Lord allows it to not only prove the devil is lying about you, but to test
your faith as He tested Adam and Even in Eden. Obedience is
the key! But FIRST, before the temptation is allowed at all, the
devil must still allow for an easy way to get out of it at
the same time!
So no matter what the problem, trial, tribulation,
or temptation the devil is using on you. Remember three things...
- It is something you CAN overcome! The Father
KNOWS you can. He never would have allowed it if you couldn't handle it.
- Whatever it is, it WILL help your faith
grow when you deny your flesh this temptation. For with trial also comes
victory over whatever crud you still have in your life. And at the same
time it makes you realize where your week areas still are.
- Most important... You can NOT catch Lord off guard. No matter
how rough the trial is, the Lord KNEW it was coming well in advance, and He KNEW it would
help you grow stronger, and He KNEW you could handle it. In other words
He NEVER abandons you! For it is also written...
Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Know Jesus… Know Peace!
No Jesus… No Peace!
As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy
Spirit, you have seen something of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its
woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You feel that sin has separated you
from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil. The more you struggle to
escape, the more you realize your helplessness. Your motives are impure; your
heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and
sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God,
likeness to Him--what can you do to obtain it? It is peace that you
need--Heaven's forgiveness and peace and love in the soul. Money cannot buy it,
intellect cannot procure it, wisdom cannot attain to it; you can never hope, by
your own efforts, to secure it. But God offers it to you as a gift, "without
money and without price." Isaiah 55:1. It is yours if you will but reach out
your hand and grasp it. The Lord says, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool." Isaiah 1:18. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you." Ezekiel 36:26. You have confessed your sins, and in
heart put them away. You have resolved to give yourself to God. Now go to Him,
and ask that He will wash away your sins and give you a new heart. Then believe
that He does this because He has promised. This is the lesson which Jesus taught
while He was on earth, that the gift which God promises us, we must believe we
do receive, and it is ours. Jesus healed the people of their diseases when they
had faith in His power; He helped them in the things which they could see, thus
inspiring them with confidence in Him concerning things which they could not
see--leading them to believe in His power to forgive sins. This He plainly
stated in the healing of the man sick with palsy: "That ye may know that the Son
of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the
palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." Matthew 9:6. So also
John the evangelist says, speaking of the miracles of Christ, "These are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and
that believing ye might have life through His name." John 20:31. From
the simple Bible account of how Jesus healed the sick, we may learn something
about how to believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins. Let us turn to the
story of the paralytic at Bethesda. The poor sufferer was helpless; he had not
used his limbs for thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus bade him, "Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk." The sick man might have said, "Lord, if Thou wilt make me whole,
I will obey Thy word." But, no, he believed Christ's word, believed that he was
made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk.
He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made
whole. In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past
sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to
do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your
sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do
this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,--believe
that you are forgiven and cleansed,--God supplies the fact; you are made whole,
just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he
was healed. It is so if you believe it. Do not wait to feel that you
are made whole, but say, "I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but
because God has promised." Jesus says, "What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24.
There is a condition to this promise--that we pray according to the will of God.
But it is the will of God to cleanse us from sin, to make us His children, and
to enable us to live a holy life. So we may ask for these blessings, and believe
that we receive them, and thank God that we have received them. It is our
privilege to go to Jesus and be cleansed, and to stand before the law without
shame or remorse. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans
8:1. Henceforth you are not your own; you are bought with a price. "Ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold;... but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1
Peter 1:18, 19. Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has
begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of
God, and He loves you as He loves His Son. Now that you have given
yourself to Jesus, do not draw back, do not take yourself away from Him, but day
by day say, "I am Christ's; I have given myself to Him;" and ask Him to give you
His Spirit and keep you by His grace. As it is by giving yourself to God, and
believing Him, that you become His child, so you are to live in Him. The apostle
says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him."
Colossians 2:6. Some seem to feel that they must be on probation, and
must prove to the Lord that they are reformed, before they can claim His
blessing. But they may claim the blessing of God even now. They must have His
grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot resist
evil. Jesus loves to have us come to Him just as we are, sinful, helpless,
dependent. We may come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and
fall at His feet in penitence. It is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His
love and to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all impurity. Here
is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally,
individually. They do not take God at His word. It is the privilege of all who
comply with the conditions to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended
for every sin. Put away the suspicion that God's promises are not meant for you.
They are for every repentant transgressor. Strength and grace have been provided
through Christ to be brought by ministering angels to every believing soul. None
are so sinful that they cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in
Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip them of their garments stained
and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white robes of righteousness; He
bids them live and not die. God does not deal with us as finite men
deal with one another. His thoughts are thoughts of mercy, love, and tenderest
compassion. He says, "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." "I have blotted out, as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins." Isaiah 55:7;
44:22. "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the
Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Ezekiel 18:32. Satan is ready
to steal away the blessed assurances of God. He desires to take every glimmer of
hope and every ray of light from the soul; but you must not permit him to do
this. Do not give ear to the tempter, but say, "Jesus has died that I might
live. He loves me, and wills not that I should perish. I have a compassionate
heavenly Father; and although I have abused His love, though the blessings He
has given me have been squandered, I will arise, and go to my Father, and say,
'I have sinned against heaven, and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be
called Thy son: make me as one of Thy hired servants.'" The parable tells you
how the wanderer will be received: "When he was yet a great way off, his father
saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
Luke 15:18-20. But even this parable, tender and touching as it is,
comes short of expressing the infinite compassion of the heavenly Father. The
Lord declares by His prophet, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3. While the
sinner is yet far from the Father's house, wasting his substance in a strange
country, the Father's heart is yearning over him; and every longing awakened in
the soul to return to God is but the tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing,
entreating, drawing the wanderer to his Father's heart of love. With
the rich promises of the Bible before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you
believe that when the poor sinner longs to return, longs to forsake his sins,
the Lord sternly withholds him from coming to His feet in repentance? Away with
such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul more than to entertain such a
conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He loves the sinner, and He
gave Himself in the person of Christ, that all who would might be saved and have
eternal blessedness in the kingdom of glory. What stronger or more tender
language could have been employed than He has chosen in which to express His
love toward us? He declares, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she
should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet
will I not forget thee." Isaiah 49:15. Look up, you that are doubting
and trembling;for Jesus lives to make intercession for us. Thank God for the
gift of His dear Son and pray that He may not have died for you in vain. The
Spirit invites you today. Come with your whole heart to Jesus, and you may claim
His blessing. As you read the promises, remember they are the
expression of unutterable love and pity. The great heart of Infinite Love is
drawn toward the sinner with boundless compassion. "We have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Ephesians 1:7. Yes, only believe that God
is your helper. He wants to restore His moral image in man. As you draw near to
Him with confession and repentance, He will draw near to you with mercy and
forgiveness.
-a concerned child of
God
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