As mere humans, we are engulfed in the vortex of battle between good and evil. Whether we like it, or not, that is the reality within this world that God created.
We must remember – it is God who created us, not we ourselves. We have an obligation, by God, to choose Him, the Good, or be enslaved by Evil. Siding with the gospel of Christ – sets us free. Siding with any other, leaves us under His wrath. In the midst of our struggles to resist the Evil One, we must yield ourselves to Holy God, or be swept away in the maelstrom.
The grace of God was finally revealed to mankind with the birth, sacrifice and resurrection of the promised Messiah. This was the single most anticipated and heralded event in the history of the universe. And here we are, two thousand and …years later – faced with this choice to make: to accede to God’s demands, or to reject God’s offer of amnesty.
Interesting, the definition of “amnesty”: pardon, absolution. The amnesty of God “includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offense.”
Amnesty from the Greek ἀμνηστία amnestia (Amnesty, Wm Chrichton Μεγα Ελληνο-Αγγλικον Λεξικον 1960) is defined as: “A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of persons who are subject to trial but have not yet been convicted.”
It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offense. Amnesty is more and more used to express ‘freedom’ and the time when prisoners can go free. –Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia)) and ((Also interesting is the word “pardon”: Synonyms: forgive, remit
Related Words: justify; accept; free, liberate, release
Idioms: wipe the slate clean
Contrasted Words: amerce, fine, penalize
Antonyms: punish
– 2005 Merriam-Webster
Don’t be a fool. Don’t be fooled. Don’t fool yourself. Don’t let some false religion fool you into following another gospel. This is not a mistake to take lightly. It will affect your life to come. It will be an eternal mistake… rejecting Christ and His gospel. Jesus Himself said,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.“
The gospel of Christ, His simple, straightforward plan for the ages, is a wonderful blend of dynamic power, immense love, divine forces, and human transcendence. This is all laid-out by God in the Bible. ((John 3:16. Also, follow the Roman Road. The “Roman Road” is a series of verses in the book of Romans, where the Apostle Paul shares key truths about salvation in Christ. Follow the Roman Road: Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10-18; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 10:9; Romans 5:1; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39.))
THE God of the universe, creator of all that is, demands perfection. But we have all missed that level of divine holiness. If we are serious in our pursuit of God, it is not difficult to admit our low level of perfection.
The more difficult reality to accept, is God’s justice system. Being judged under God’s system, and being less than what God demands, places us under His condemnation of death. You have already been found guilty. Without God’s declaration of forgiveness – you are already damned. The sentence will be carried-out in the next life.
But God is a merciful Creator, and He has provided a way to be freed from His condemnation. The sacrifice of his only Son was a perfect and acceptable substitute for all mankind to receive his pardon.
Don’t wait. Turn in repentance now to the real God and ask for His wonder-making power to transform you. He will declare you forgiven.
“These things I have written
to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God,
so that you may know
that you have eternal life.”
It is not a difficult process to receive forgiveness from God. There is no austere courthouse, no lawyers involved, and the results are instantaneous. God is a spirit, and He hears our prayers, wherever we may be. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).
There are no requirements about how we come to God in prayer, except that we bow our heart in humbleness and truth, with a sincere desire to know Him. It is not possible to fool God, because He sees into the inner workings of our heart and mind. He knows what we think. He knows what we feel…, so prayer can even be “thinking to Him”, non-verbal.
“Draw near to God,
and He will draw near to you.”
The gospel of Christ is a wonderful blend of dynamic power, immense love, divine forces, and human transcendence.
Let’s look at each of these:
- dynamic power,
- immense love,
- divine forces, and
- human transcendence.
1. DYNAMIC POWER
God exists in perfect harmony, above and beyond any concept we can fathom. From His throne in heaven, where all is exactly as He deems fit to have it, He speaks and His way is followed. All around Him, creatures, universes, dimensions, principalities, powers… were created by His own almighty hand. ((Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 6:12; Romans 8:38.)) There is nothing that is, that was not of Him.
What incredible power of God – to speak forth the creation of the universe around us – all the cosmos. Out of nothing God created mankind. The one and only Creator molded everything according to His grand scheme of things. And He continues to be intimately involved with His creation. He foresees everything before it happens, so nothing is a surprise to Him.
What incredible power of God – to become a man. From His unfathomably lofty domain, God sent His only Son to earth. And God became a man, Jesus. It was no big feat for Him to be born of a virgin. He is all powerful. He created man from within His own mind. How simple, for Him, to be born of a woman, virgin pure. God the Father, Mary the human mother… and in God’s mysterious ways – Jesus was born a baby, fulfilling prophetic promises and predictions from centuries past.
What incredible power of God – to pre-tell in writing (“profecy”), and preserve records for archaeologists to verify His workings. Jesus fulfilled over 360 prophecies written by prophets of God who wrote as inspired by His Spirit. Jesus’ birth and death and resurrection were already spoken of in the Old Testament hundreds of years before He was born: Predictions impossible to foresee and foretell – aside from the dynamic power of God enabling them. That is why I follow Jesus. Read the Old Testament for yourself. I challenge you to.
- The dynamic power of God pre-told us of His coming as a man.
- He pre-told us of the type of death His Son would die.
- He pre-told us of His incredible resurrection from the dead.
And that resurrection was witnessed by over 500 people who saw and interacted with Him, as recorded in the Bible. This pre-telling convinces me of the veracity of the Bible, and the truth of the gospel of Jesus the Christ. All that “pre-telling” could not have just happened. It required God.
And those “sacred writings” continue to help us to live for God.
“the sacred writings
which are able to give you
the wisdom that leads to
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”
2 Timothy 3:15
What incredible power of God – to be able to orchestrate the history of man. He chose the year in time for the birth of Jesus. He placed Jesus into the precise segment of history which was a prime time to optimize the spreading of the gospel.
Look at the history. Look at the evidence. It demands a verdict. (( a) Evidence that Demands a Verdict: Historical Evidence for the Christian Faith. Jan 1, 1972. by Josh McDowell. b) The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict: Evidence I & II Fully Updated in One Volume To Answer The Questions Challenging…. Nov 23, 1999. by Josh McDowell. c) The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Case for … Series). Dec 24, 2013. by Lee Strobel.))
Look, and believe it. God put it all down in writing. He wants to convince us that He has had a plan, from the very beginning of time. He Himself is carrying-out this plan of His, and He wants us to join Him and become a part of His future plan.
2. IMMENSE LOVE
God created you, and He created me and everyone else – because He wanted us to love Him, and follow Him in obedience and truth. He created us out of the deep, deep depths of His love. ((John 3:16 : Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 2; Thess 2:16; 1 John 4:10; Rev 1:5))
“For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life.”
The biggest evidence of God’s great love for us, is the sending of His Son to be a man, to suffer, and to die on the cross – all of which was done to make it possible for God to forgive us and accept us into His Kingdom. For without the unblemished sacrifice of Christ, there would have been only damnation awaiting us all. Salvation in Christ removes that damnation from us. (Romans 8:1)
What incredible love of God – to purposely leave His perfect domain and put Himself in harm’s way, to submit Himself to scorn and hanging on a cross… all because He wants to save us. How amazing is that!
That kind of love inspires me. I want to love those around me, as He loves. I want to treat people I come in contact with, as He treats people. I still am not really consistent, but His love impels me to love others.
3. DIVINE FORCES
All throughout the history of the earth, and before its creation, and on into our today – a battle rages between the forces of good and evil. There is good, and there is evil. God will eventually intervene with strength – and win, but we are in a phase of history where God is leaving us each with a choice to make: Choose Him or Choose Evil.
I am amazed that anyone would choose evil. It is a loosing position. God will eventually win – and He is not evil. God is good. Choose good, before it is too late!
There is coming a day where all things will be “wrapped-up” and put right by God. It will not be a good day for evil. It will not be a good day for anyone who failed to become reconciled to God through Christ. Only condemnation awaits those. Where do you stand?
The New Testament speaks of forces at work in heavenly realms, both good and evil.
For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers,
nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 8:38-39
The angels of God and the fallen angels of Satan (“demons”) are mentioned throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. They are real created beings. Satan is real (the most powerful fallen angel). But they are all subject to almighty God.
God manifests His great power in many ways. The divine forces of God are varied.
- Often He causes His will to be accomplished through His faithful angels.
- Jesus Himself created all that is.
- Through His simple spoken word – the worlds were created.
- From His breath – life was breathed into Adam and he became alive.
- He raises up kings onto their thrones, and He takes them down.
- Today God lives and moves on earth through His Holy Spirit.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is kept viable by divine forces orchestrated by almighty God. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s promise that if I (I, you, we) turn to Him in repentance and follow Him in obedience, I will be transformed into His new creation, and in that moment in time – I am saved forever from any condemnation. Salvation comes through repentance and turning to Christ. Once saved there exists nothing that “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
4. HUMAN TRANSCENDENCE
Transcendent: 1 a: exceeding usual limits: SURPASSING; b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience; c: in Kantian philosophy: being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge. 2 : being beyond comprehension. 3 : transcending the universe or material existence.
© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
The promise of salvation in Jesus Christ, is a promise of human transcendence. When a mere human being, lost in sin, turns in repentance to Jesus for forgiveness, acknowledging Christ as God and Savior – God transforms him/her into a brand new creature, way beyond the ordinary life.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come.
– 2 Corinthians 5:17
This transcendence happens only as one truly repents and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. From that moment on – nothing is the same. “He is a new creature.” “Old things passed away.” “New things have come.”
Sinners under God’s just condemnation can have eternal absolution through the incredible grace of God, in Christ.
“Therefore there is
now
no
condemnation
for those who are
in Christ Jesus.”
–Romans 8:1
Don’t look to religion. Don’t look to Mohammed and Allah, Buddah, Confucius and Confucianism, or any other gods, sects, or belief systems. Don’t even look to “Christianity”. Look to Jesus. He is the way. He alone is the One true God. Jesus Himself said,
“I am the way,
and the truth,
and the life;
no one
comes to the Father
but through Me.”
– John 14:6
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