God is just. Fair. Balanced. Good. He has established a justice system. Since He is God the Father, Creator of all that is, it is He who will decide our fate.
But, He does not think like you and I think. Makes sense – if you realize He is Creator God – and we are merely His created beings.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:verse 1
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…. – verses 26-28
If we try to fit Creator God into our mold, well, that is called “making an idol” after your own specifications. That just is not real! We cannot “contain” God in a box – put Him in our mold and make Him what we want God to be. Many peoples have been trying this, making idols, since the dawn of time. Idols never work. Never have. Never will. They are dead on arrival! They are false gods. (Revelation 9:20)
So, let’s look at the real God and His very real system of justice. Let’s look at this from within what His book tells us. These are the parts of God’s system:
Creation: He created all, and it all was perfect and complete. His objective: a people who would freely seek Him, freely love Him, loyally follow Him.
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 2:verse 7
History of Man: Our history throughout time is Exhibit One, by God. He is establishing, showing us – that no matter what He Himself does for us, we His creatures will fail. Fail horribly and without excuse. Starting with a perfect Garden of Eden setting with Adam and Eve in perfect bliss – and down through the centuries to us here in this “modern day” – God is exhibiting the need for a Savior, no matter our circumstances.
Condemnation: The first man sinned. And so it went, and so it is now: We all have a burden of sinfulness before a Holy God.
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
Jesus saves: Christ alone is able to pay the penalty within God’s Justice System. There is no other way. We cannot make it to His Kingdom on our own. Sin required the death of a perfect substitute. No other grace, no other religion, no other faith, no other philosophy, no other act, no other efforts of our own. Christ alone can save – because He died on our behalf, thus fulfilling the requirements of God’s Justice System.
16 “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. – John 3:16
12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:verse 9
Without the sacrifice of Christ, we are all lost forever, forever condemned. But Christ chose to become a human man, offered His perfect life as a perfect sacrifice, and died, taking our penalty for us, but then he arose from the dead – thus fulfilling God’s required punishment for sin for all time.
Repentance: Without repentance there is no forgiveness by God. Unless we repent and accept Christ as Lord – we remain under condemnation in God’s Court of Justice.
Works and Faith: We cannot earn our way into God’s graces. Sin is unforgivable – except through the gift of salvation in Christ. As did the thief on the cross next to Jesus, we must genuinely confess our sin and acknowledge Christ as God.
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [f]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [g]resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [h]disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” –Romans 10:verses 9-13
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. – James 2:verses 24-26
Freedom from sin: All of us can enter into the Kingdom of God – freely, through Jesus, as His redeemed child. God will forgive anyone who comes to Him on His terms. No sin – no problem! Got sin – big problem! It’s all about a holy God and His system.
When we turn to Christ in repentance, He Himself declares us forgiven, forever clean in the sight of the Judge of the Universe. In that moment in time – we become His children. As we follow Him, we will sin more on this earth, but His grace covers His children. We are declared forgiven by the saving grace of God.
Grace: There is no greater grace than that of God’s grace upon His creation — through His Son, Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:verses 8-9
20…who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
– Romans 9:verses 20-21
Acceptance: God totally accepts us – when we accept Him. Wow – to be received by God! To be accepted – no matter my past, no matter the weight of sins I have committed, no matter what I’ve been. No matter whatever the evil I have fallen for, He will accept me on That Day, if I accept Him.
His salvation is not automatic. I must act on His offer. The Bible teaches us that we each must individually accept God’s offer of forgiveness. We must: acknowledge our sinfulness, acknowledge Christ as our Redeemer God, choose to deny all other gods, and follow Him alone.
THAT is the Gospel of Christ as shared for all to receive – in His Word, the Bible. We can receive Christ, and live forever in the joys of God’s Kingdom, or we can reject Christ, and remain in our sin, forever damned. Jesus saved me. How about you? It’s your choice. Your decision.
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[*This article is based on: Oh what a day that will be! ]
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