11 1/2 Minutes Part 4

Friday, February 26, 2010
11 1/2 Minutes Part 4

Below is Part 4 of "Can you spend 11and a half minutes thinking about Eternity?" (write to pastorbaron@cfl.rr.com for the entire electronic booklet to pass on to others.)

Part 4

God is holy and righteous and no matter how much He loves us, our crimes against God’s law must be answered for, and the penalty must be paid.

For the wages [i.e., penalty] of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

Do you now see what you need to be saved from? ______

Do you now see why you need to be saved? ______

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:20)

No one is ever going to be “justified” or found in right standing with God on judgment day because of their obedience to the law. In fact, the law shows us just how horribly sinful we really are!

The ‘gospel’, or ‘good news’, of Jesus Christ is that God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners (law breakers) Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). He paid the penalty for our sin, and this is called ‘redemption’. Because the life of our flesh is in the blood, God’s righteousness required that the payment of our sin be the sacrificed blood of a perfect sin offering, and that perfect sin offering was Jesus Christ. That is why He is called the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29). John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Christ has done His part in dying for you as your sin offering, and offering you the gift of salvation from the penalty and power of sin. Christ is offering you a right standing with God. The legal term for this is “justified”. (If it will help you, you can think of being justified, as meaning “just as if you never sinned”.)

What is Christ able to offer you since He died on the cross for you? _______________

For the wages [penalty] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

The question now is whether you are willing to do your part.

Just believing what the Bible says is not enough. James 2:19 tells us the demons believe, and they tremble!

"Repent, [confess and turn from your sin]

and let every one of you be baptized [immersed in water]

in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; [ask Christ to forgive you]

and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (salvation and eternal life!).” (Act 2:38)

Are you willing to repent of your sins? ________

Are you willing to call on Jesus Christ to save you? ________

Are you willing to publicly confess Christ as your Lord and Savior in the waters of baptism (i.e., immersion)? ________
(1 Peter 3:21 says that it isn’t the water that saves us, but it is the answer of a good conscience towards God)

If so, then go!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.