The first fact that you
need to realize in life is that you are a natural-born
sinner, a natural transgressor against God:
"For all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23.
"As it is written,
there is none righteous, no, not one."
Romans 3:10.
"Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me." Psalm 51:5.
Most people have the false
idea that we all LEARN to be sinners as we
grow older and are influenced by evil, but this
isn't true. God's word declares that we are all
sinners by nature. We are all transgressors
against God.
You are
Going to Die!
Death isn't a very popular
subject, but it is certainly a very REAL subject.
Sooner or later, your heart will beat for the
last time, your loved ones will mourn over your
passing, and your body will be laid to rest in a
grave. It's a fact of life. People die, and the
Bible tells us WHY:
"Wherefore, as by
one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that
all have sinned." Romans 5:12.
"For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.
Why do people die? People
die because people are SINNERS. Do you remember
the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden?
It wasn't until AFTER they had sinned that they
were subject unto death. God told them in Genesis
2:17 that they would "die" when they
ate of the forbidden fruit. Before man had sinned,
he was ABOVE death, not subject unto it. Today,
however, we are all sinners, because we have all
inherited our sin nature from Adam. We must all
die, just as Adam died (Genesis 5:5).
You will
be Judged!
God is the All-powerful
Creator, the Supreme Commander of the Universe.
He is in complete control of all people, places,
and things, so no one should think it
unreasonable that God intends to judge all men.
We must all give account to our Maker.
"For God shall
bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
Ecclesiastes 12:14.
"And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment." Hebrews 9:27.
It may be a terrifying
thought, but it is still the truth: YOU will
stand before God and you will be judged by Him.
Every sin that you have ever committed will be
revealed--EVERY SECRET SIN! You may have managed
to hide many things from your fellow man, but you
have hid NOTHING from God. He knows all things,
and He will hold you accountable. You WILL be
judged.
You can't Save
Yourself!
When God judges this world,
millions upon millions of people are going to be
absolutely SHOCKED to find out that NO ONE--ABSOLUTELY
NO ONE--was able to earn their way into Heaven.
People have the false idea that they'll be
permitted to enter Heaven as long as they "do
more good works than bad." The word of God
tells us just the opposite:
"For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.
"But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness." Romans 4:5.
"But we are all as
an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and
our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Isaiah 64:6.
The "good works"
that you do are only good in YOUR eyes. In God's
sight, you are a hopeless sinner, and your works
are totally unacceptable. If you are counting on
your own righteousness to save you, then you are
setting yourself up for a very big disappointment.
"For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believeth."
Romans 10:3-4.
The Bible clearly states
that we are all cursed with sin, and that we are
all totally incapable of earning our salvation by
our own righteousness. Friend, unless your SINS
are removed, God will NOT accept you. You are
hopeless.
Your ONLY
hope is the Lord Jesus Christ!
When you are
ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and
dying sinner and that your "good works"
are unacceptable to God, then you can begin to
see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this
world to lay down His sinless life for YOU--to pay for your sins, because
you couldn't. Jesus is your only hope for
salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Saviour
can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no
other way.
"Jesus saith unto him,
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father but by me." John 14:6.
"Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved." Acts 4:12.
The Lord Jesus Christ has
come and PAID for your sins by shedding His own
Blood on Calvary. By receiving Him as your
Saviour, you can be WASHED from all your sins in
His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts
20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19). Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-9:
"But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him."
Jesus PAID your
way to Heaven for you! By receiving Him as your
Saviour, you will be receiving God's ONLY means
of Salvation for you. Are you willing to forsake
YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as
your Saviour, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation? Romans 10:13 says,
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9 says,
"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."
Are you willing to forsake your own
righteousness, and ask Jesus Christ to save you?
Why not pray right now and ask the Lord to come
into your heart and cleanse you from all sin. He
will save you just as He promised. That's a fact.
Why not receive Him today?
Copyright
© 1994 James L. Melton
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