Dear Reader,
Please take a few minutes and read this. It may change your life forever.
Our lives are not an accident!
We, along with all creation, were created by God to live with and for Him.
This creation, the entire universe, what we can see, hear and touch… and beyond, to what we cannot see or hear or touch, was created by God and for God. And God Himself called it “very good”.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31
God made Adam, the first man and his wife Eve to live and walk in His creation and have fellowship with God and worship Him. But the first man and the first woman sinned, and caused an eternal separation from God that has been passed down throughout all generations since. Before this time there was no sin and death. But this one rebellious act by man brought death and sin into the whole world.
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 1:1-19
“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
Man’s condition worsened as generation upon generation turned from the Lord and chose the temporary pleasures of sin over the glory of walking with and serving the living God. It reached a peak to when finally, just one man and his family were delivered from the judgment of God upon sin by the great flood.
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:5-8
All men died during the flood except for Noah and his family. The people of the world as we see them today are all descendants of them.
Many hundreds of years passed. During these years God continually worked to bring man back into a right relationship with Him. God’s plan would not be easy, and would take many generations to accomplish… but it would be done.
Approximately 1500 B.C., God raised up a man named Moses to deliver God’s chosen people, the Hebrew or Jewish people, from under the hand of bondage and slavery in Egypt. (They were chosen, not because they were different or better than anyone else, but because through the lineage of this people, the Saviour, Jesus Christ would come into this world.)
Through Moses, God delivered His Law unto the people of the world. Prior to this, only man’s own consciousness of God made him aware of right and wrong, but through the Law, God made it very clear what His definition of sin was and wasn’t. This law, beginning with the 10 commandments and followed by the statutes, ordinances and judgments of God was given to both Jew and Gentile (anyone who is not a Jew). The Ten Commandments are as follows:
1. “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
5. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
6. “Thou shalt not kill.”
7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
8. “Thou shalt not steal.”
9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
(All References above taken from Exodus 20:1-17 )
This law proved, beyond any shadow of doubt, that all men are sinners… for we are all guilty of breaking these commands on numerous occasions throughout our lives.
The penalty for breaking even one of God’s laws, even just one time is eternal death and separation from God in a lake of fire which was originally created as a place of judgment for the devil – Satan, also known as Lucifer (the “serpent” of Genesis 3 which we read earlier) and his angels.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
“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…” Romans 6:23a
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12-15
In that law, God showed how a sacrifice was required for the cleansing of sin in one’s life. He instituted a temporary sacrificial system whereby animals would be slain for the sins of the people. This sacrifice proved and demonstrated in quite graphic detail the ugliness and wickedness of sin.
God himself took no pleasure in the sacrifices, but he did desire obedience from those who believed in Him.
There was a problem though… these animal sacrifices could not take the sin of mankind away… they could only cover the sin, or hide it, so to speak. Since these sacrifices were imperfect, there was not a true redemption… mankind was doomed to an eternity of never being back in a fully restored relationship with God.
But there was still hope! There is always hope with God. He knew that His law was perfect and that no one could live perfectly and follow the whole of His law. He knew we couldn’t deliver ourselves from the penalty of sin. He also knew that the blood of bulls and goats was not sufficient, but that there must be a PERFECT sacrifice. This perfect sacrifice would once and for all provide a payment for sin and would be the Saviour of all men.
That Saviour came in the form of a little child, God’s very own Son, delivered by the Virgin Mary in a little town of Bethlehem over two thousand years ago in fulfillment of numerous prophesies.
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
This child, Jesus Christ, who was both 100% man and 100% God, grew. Throughout His life He was tempted in all things just like we are, yet He never sinned, for He was perfect and holy and righteous… He was (and still is) God!
During the last three years of His life on earth, He preached the unimaginable and indescribable goodness and love of God, the judgment of God upon sin, the holiness of God, the incredible glory of God, and the true doctrine of God. And then He also preached and taught that He would have to die as that perfect sacrifice. His disciples (followers) did not really understand this at first. But Jesus taught them the necessity of a perfect sacrifice and why it must come to pass.
At the end of His three years of ministry, Jesus was arrested and charged by religious zealots with all sorts of “crimes” which He did not commit (save one – the “crime” of claiming Himself to be the Son of God).
For this He was unjustly sentenced to die by death on a cross. It was during this time, that God laid on Him the sins of all mankind. Every sin that everybody has ever committed for all eternity past, present and future was placed upon Jesus at that moment as He hung on that cross to die.
He did not have to do this, for He was still 100% God. The Holy Bible makes it perfectly clear that He could have called 12 legions of angels (Matthew 26:53) to come and destroy the world for what the creator of heaven and earth was suffering at the very hands of His creation!
But He did not. He chose to suffer and die for you and for me! It was not because He thought we were good. On the contrary, He knew that in and of ourselves, we had nothing good to offer God.
The best we had to offer God was equated to the slimy, puss filled rags which were wrapped around a leper’s sores. (Isaiah 64:6).
He died for us, as that perfect sacrifice for our sins, simply because HE LOVED US!
“…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. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 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 5:7b-12 KJV
“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:17-19
The King of all creation was laid in a tomb.
But Jesus did not stay in that tomb. The grave could not hold Him. Even the power of death has no authority over the God of the universe. Three days after His death, Jesus arose from the dead! The sacrifice was completed, Satan had lost, death and the grave were swallowed up in VICTORY!
The Gospel of Jesus Christ (“Good News”) is this:
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we too can have this same gift of having our sins washed away so that we can spend an eternity with Him in paradise! Jesus has freely offered it to all people everywhere! Your greatest sin pales in comparison to the power of Christ’s blood to wash it away!
God originally created us to walk with Him, to have fellowship with Him, to worship Him in paradise.
He has paved a way for that to once again be available to us.
Our sins separated us from God. But Christ’s blood has removed the penalty of sin upon our life. We do not need to do anything to receive it… only repent (turn away from) our sins and believe on Him.
We are not saved from death and hell because of anything we do. Christ did all of the work.
Baptism by water does not save us… Confirmation does not save us… Praying does not save us… Going to church does not save us…Good works do not save us. The God who created the heavens and the earth does not, nor ever will, need your help in order to remove your sins. He just asks that you freely believe on His Son, Jesus Christ, as eternal King, God, and Saviour and start living for Him! That is it! It is really quite simple.
“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10
Are you tired of the sin in your life and truly desire a new life in Christ? Are you ready to repent (turn away from and forsake) your sins and trust in the Lord Jesus be king and Lord of your life? Then there is no better time than now, for the Bible, God’s Word, says that there is no better time than now!
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
If you sincerely believe that Jesus Christ is Creator, God, and Lord of all and desire to repent (turn away from) your sins and love and serve the one who loved you so much that He died for you, then talk to God from your heart and confess your sins directly to Him in a simple prayer, such as the following:
Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ.
I know and admit that I am a sinner for I have violated Your laws and broken Your commandments.
I now choose to repent of my sins and trust in You for forgiveness and new life.
Please forgive me.
I believe You bore the wrath of God in my place because I have broken Your laws;
That You died for my sins and rose from the dead three days later.
Please come into my life, save me from the wrath which I deserve.
I have counted the cost of following You and humbly submit to Your will.
For I now believe in You… You alone are Lord and God.
I want to love and serve You faithfully for the rest of my life.
I want to proclaim to those around me that Jesus is Lord of all!
I want to live my life worthy of the holy name of Jesus!
Thank You for hearing my plea and saving me.
Amen.
(A word of caution here: Do not just read these words. The recitation of this example prayer will do you no good. This is just an example of how to talk to God. What you must do is this: You must trust in Jesus and be willing to repent and serve Him. When you truly do this, God will save you! Then go forth and proclaim Him to others. Read His Word, the Bible, and do the things that it says. Find a good Bible believing church and attend the services faithfully. And Pray! The Lord wants you to call out to Him in prayer and seek His face.)
“But Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.“ John 4:14
If you do truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please contact us and let us know. We want to rejoice with you in what God has done in your life and help you to grow spiritually. If you have any questions about God’s plan of salvation and the free gift He is offering please feel free to ask. No matter who you are or what you have done in the past, Jesus loves you and wants you to come to Him and receive the free gift of His wonderful salvation.
You do matter! More than you will ever know!