Please consider the following..

We all spend a great amount of time, effort and money to care for our earthly needs. However, few seem concerned about their eternal well-being. Should we be? Long ago the Lord Jesus Christ asked, "what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"(Mark 8:36-37). Do you believe you have the answers to these questions? Do you know where you will spend eternity?

Please take a few moments right now to seriously consider what God wants us to know about life now and hereafter.

The inspired words from God, the Bible, clearly state what we must understand and what we must believe if we are to be brought back into a right relationship with our Him our Creator. It really does not matter what our opinions might be, but it makes all the difference in the world what Almighty God our Creator has said.

WE FACE A SERIOUS PROBLEM...
The first thing the Bible reveals to us is our natural standing before God. We are "by nature the children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), and "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). We have proven time and time again that we are sinners by our nature and actions. There are no exceptions in any race or any culture in the history of the world: "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). In other words we all fall short of the standard that our Creator demands of us. We stand before our Holy Eternal Creator - stained and corrupted.

Consider the consequences if, at this very moment, you should die in this condition. The Bible removes all uncertainty concerning what lies beyond the grave: "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The outcome of this judgment is also revealed. Until our sin is cleansed by God Himself, there is no possible way we as corrupted men and women can enter the glorious presence of the Eternal Creator who is Holy. Revelation 21:27 states: "There shall in no wise enter into it [heaven] any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." No one can enter the presence of the Lord unless the defilement of sin has been erased.

The next vitally important question that must be asked is, "If one dies without dealing with their sin, then where will he spend eternity?"

Revelation 20:15 provides the answer: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Hell is a place of everlasting and literal torment. This eternal existence in the lake of fire is "the second death" and is the just penalty for sin - "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). All who die in their sins face the reality of eternal separation from the Creator into a place of suffering - the wages after a life of sin.

WHAT WE CANNOT DO...
Since God's Word plainly declares that we are ALL sinners and, therefore, justly barred from God's presence in Heaven and bound instead for Hell (a place of dark torment far removed from God's presence for all eternity), the following question is of preeminent importance: "What can we do, what must we do?"

People may give you many different answers in response to these incredibly vital questions. Many feel their sin can be erased by living a good life, or "turning over a new leaf" and trying to do better. Others see themselves as "just as good as the next person" and believe their good will outweigh their bad in the end. Still others sincerely believe that by joining a church or going through religious ceremonies that their corruption of sin will be paid taken care of.

But the Bible, the words from God are very definite concerning the error of such reasonings, and the utter futility of any self-effort to remedy our sinful condition. It is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).

Actually, we have no righteousness of our own, nor could we do any good work that would help to accomplish our salvation. The Bible says, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [our good works] are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). We can make our lives appear more respectable by honest effort, holy resolve and loving activities, but inwardly our nature itself has not been cleansed in the perfect way that God demands because of His Holy nature. We may conceal our sins, but we cannot wash them away by our deeds and actions. Good works, religious ceremonies and pious intentions can never cancel our sin and make us pure before God's presence, they can only make us appear good outwardly among other men.

WHAT GOD HAS DONE...
What, then, must we do to be saved and changed from our nature's sinful condition? Since the Bible plainly teaches that we can do nothing to truly clean ourselves from sin and its penalty, then how can we be made acceptable before God? Once again, the answer is found in God's words to us, the Bible. We find: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). When we were without strength, completely unable to do anything to attain our own salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ - God the Son - died to redeem us from our state of sin. He died in our place when He gave His life for us on the cross.

God knew we were utterly helpless in our sinful state - bound sinners, and in accordance with His grace, He blessed mankind with a way to be changed. He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become a man and live in this world, and to suffer and die to shed His perfect blood as the full payment for our sins. In so doing, Jesus Christ paid the price to redeem us from an eternity separated from Him.

Why did He do this? Why would God Himself through Jesus give so much for us? Romans 5:8 has the answer: "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So we were not worthy of His loving gift of salvation, but He still granted it to us even though we did not deserve it. This is called grace.

As Jesus Christ hung on Calvary's cross, He was not dying for His own sins, for He was the sinless "Lamb" of God as it were being sacrificed for our sin. He died in our place and bore the penalty for sin so that God's Holy nature could redeem us perfectly.

The Bible says "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6).

"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25).

The penalty for sin had to be paid, and God the Father placed our sin upon the bruised and bleeding body of His beloved Son. The full weight and penalty for sin - our sin - fell upon the crucified Lord of Glory. He was our sin-bearer, our substitute. God loved us while we were yet sinners and sent His beloved Son to die in our place. This is the gift of Eternal life that God offers us. Only in a perfect sacrifice of Himself could God save us perfectly. This is the way that God choose as a way of cleansing and salvation for those who would accept the free gift offered by Jesus.

When Jesus Christ cried out from the cross, "It is finished," He had indeed finished or completed, through His death, an all-sufficient offering for sin - a perfect salvation. We cannot add to it nor do any good work to deserve what God has provided full and free through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. God has done it all. We must simply believe what He did and accept what He did for ourselves personally.

GOD'S GIFT TO US...
The Bible is very clear concerning what we must do in order to receive the gift of salvation God has provided by His grace. We must personally accept it, or His gift will profit us absolutely nothing.

Only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed on Calvary's cross has the power to cleanse us from our sinful state and to restore us to a pure state so that we can enter into the presence of God to be with Him for all eternity.

Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. It is His sacrificial death on the cross that provides salvation for anyone who will trust in Him as the true Savior. When we genuinely believe and accept that the Lord Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again bodily from the tomb, and that all this was done to provide a perfect salvation to redeem us from our corrupt sinful nature, then we have received full forgiveness of our sins and the gift of everlasting life.

Please take note of these promises from God's Word which describe the present and future standing of one who trusts Christ as Savior:

"To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission [forgiveness] of sins" (Acts 10:43). This is how the sin problem is resolved. When one believes on Christ, his sin is forgiven and the cleansed sinner is made acceptable before God; he is no longer guilty - he has been justified.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power [authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand" (Romans 5:1-2).

"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).

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).

AN IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY...
The moment we are brought by God to believe (and believing is nothing more nor less than trusting and taking God at His Word), we receive forgiveness of sins as God seals His gift to us through the Holy Spirit giving us the knoledge of the gift of eternal life. Therefore, after being brought by God into His salvation we can then stand before God complete and perfect through Christ's righteousness.

Do not be deceived by the widespread belief that no one can be absolutely certain as to whether or not he has truly been "saved" or "born-again." God says we can know, and this is because God's salvation is based upon the the already finished work of Christ on the cross. The believer is told in 1 John 5:11-13 that he can know for certain that he has passed from death unto life and that his sins have been forever forgiven:

"And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God (Jesus)."

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).

Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior right now? If so, then trust Him, and Him alone. Trust Him with your whole being, everything within you."That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him [the Lord Jesus Christ] from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

Believe what God's words in the Bible say concerning the following facts:

1) We all need a Savior to redeem us from our corrupt sinful nature
2) We are totally unable to do anything to make ourselves truly pure before God.
3) God has provided a full and eternal salvation through the death, burial and the resurrection of His dear Son Jesus.
4) Accept this gift to you from God to save you, and trust in God through Jesus forever.

Along with this simple invitation, however, please keep in mind the incredible seriousness of the condition of all who disregard God's invitation to receive His free gift of salvation. The apostle Paul preached to all the unsaved "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). This speaks of the condition that exists between God and all who are without Christ - a change toward God is desperately needed. There must be a conviction brought about by the Holy Spirit of the fact that an all-Holy God has been offended by our corrupt natures of sin. All who reject His Son are at this very moment alienated from Him. No matter how religious or how good someone may seem to be outwardly to us, if he has not yet received Jesus Christ, then he is utterly lost in sin. The Bible states without equivocation:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

All who turn to God from their sinful ways and false confidences and instead believe in simple, childlike faith what the Bible says concerning these imperative truths will have, at this moment, everlasting life. Upon believing this Gospel (good news), our sins are washed away by God Himself through Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and we are made into a child of God through our faith in Jesus (being born again). Accept the blessed promises of the Word of God as your own and rely upon the Author of those promises to keep you both now and for all eternity. Receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

" And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

I would urge you to get a Bible for yourself (preferably the KJV or New KJV version), study it deeply and with paitence over much time. While you study and seek to understand more about the Lord, pray and ask the Lord to guide you into learning more about Him one day at a time. If you have any questions about the Bible, please email me any time.

May the Lord bless you.
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