Monday, January 2, 2012

The Atonement "Gospel"

In life, you will be faced with a great deal of decisions you must make, but none is as important as your decision as to where your soul will spend eternity. Do you consider yourself to be a good person? The Dictionary defines “good” as being “morally perfect.” Let’s do a little test and see how you fair. How many lies have you told in your life? This includes fibs and "white lies." What do you call someone who lies? A liar. Ever stolen something? The size and value are irrelevant. What do you call someone who steals? A thief. Jesus said, “Whoever looks upon another person, to lust after them, has already committed adultery with them in their heart.” Have you ever looked with lust? By your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart; and we’ve only looked at three of the Ten Commandments. That’s how God sees you: a lying, thieving, adulterer. The Bible says, “All liars, [thieves and adulterers] will have their place in the Lake of Fire.

Nothing is hid from God’s holy eyes. He sees your every thought and He will judge you accordingly. If you were to die today and stand before the Judgment Seat, would you be found innocent or guilty? Listen to your conscience. You know you would be guilty. Do you think you would go to Heaven or Hell? You would go to Hell. You may say to yourself, “But I tell God I am sorry for the things I do.” If you were in court because you just raped and murdered a young girl, no matter how truly sorry you were for your crimes, If the judge was a good judge he could not let you go just because you are sorry. You must be punished. The Bible says, “The soul that sins it shall die” and “The wages of sin is death.” God is infinitely more good and more just than any human judge and all knew you were doing wrong.

God is infinitely holy, infinitely perfect, and infinitely righteous. In order for you to enter Heaven, you must have a holiness, perfection, and righteousness equal to that of God’s. You may say to yourself, “But I go to church; I give to this charity; I do all these good things.” The Bible says, “All our righteous deeds are as a filthy rag.” You have sinned against an infinitely holy God. By good works shall no man be saved. You will spend an eternity in Hell, eternally separated from God and His goodness, suffering in constant reminder of your sins for all eternity. Because of your sin, God’s anger and wrath abides on you.

But, there is good news. Imagine you are standing in front of a judge, guilty of multiple serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. Your apologies and good works cannot erase your crimes; therefore you must be punished. The fine for your crime is $50,000 or imprisonment, but you do not have two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence when someone you do not even know steps in and pays your fine for you! The court accepts the money and declares that you are free to go. The law has been satisfied, your debt has been paid in full, and the stranger's sacrifice was a demonstration of his love for you. That is what God did for you 2000 years ago.

It is not God’s will that you should perish. He is rich with mercy. That is why He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son—God in the flesh—to condemn sin in the flesh by living an absolutely perfect life. Through Jesus Christ, God has provided a way for you to be forgiven. Jesus Christ took the punishment for your sins. The Bible says, “God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The cup Christ prayed three times that God the Father would let pass from Him contained all the wrath, anger, and hatred of Almighty God toward sinners. He bore your sins on His body upon a cross that was meant for you. Jesus Christ laid His life down and died for your sins. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus Christ will provide us with a holiness, perfection, and righteousness that is equal to that of God’s – if we but believe. All you need to do is repent of your sins and turn to God, believing in what Christ accomplished on the cross. To repent is to have a change of mind about sin and about God, and it means to turn from your sins and to turn to God.

You have just heard the Gospel of the Bible. If you do not set your soul right with God, you will be without excuse and you will die in your sins and you will spend an eternity in Hell. If I don’t believe in Mac Trucks and I stand out on the freeway, it will not change reality. You could leave here today and be struck by another car and instantly killed. Then it will be too late. Where will you spend eternity? If this concerns you, you may pray something like this: “Dear God, I know that I am a sinner deserving of eternal punishment for the sin I’ve committed against You. I repent of my sins (name them), turning from them and to You. This day I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour and make Him Lord of my Life. Reveal Yourself in me. Please take away the sins from your servant, forgive me, and grant me your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” Then go home, read your Bible every day and obey what it says. Earnestly seek God and wait for Him to reveal Himself in you.