"Mercy there was great and grace was free; pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burden soul found liberty" from the song, At Calvary.
Why was everyone not saved was the thought that lingered in my mind after I was saved? How is it that so many will miss heaven? I knew it was not God's intention for anyone to miss spending eternity with Him. In the many months, I had struggled with how to be saved, I had come to that conclusion. And His desire for all to be saved is clearly stated in the Bible, 1Ti 2:4 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." Could it be that those who miss heaven never heard the Word of Life? Did preachers and teachers fail in delivering the gospel? Did the unsaved choose not to hear? I believe the answer is yes to all the questions.
So what is the message that needs to be heard: 1 Jn 1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" 1Jn 1:2 "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"
Christ and Eternal Life are the same
This then is the message that Eternal life has been given to us. "...eternal life which was with the Father was manifested unto us. John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Eternal life and Christ are synonymous. It was in God's plan from the beginning to gives us eternal life. Tit 1:2 "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"
that eternal life, which was with the In salvation, every person experiences the same blessing; the blessing of knowing you are saved, forgiven and at peace with God. You are reconciled (near) to God and you know that. It is not by our merit but by His grace. It is our sin and iniquity that separated us from God, therefore we have no righteousness on which to approach God. John said Christ had been made known to us. "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you Father, and was manifested unto us;)"
The Holy Spirit makes known to us our need of Salvation
When the convicting power of God touches our consciences, the eyes of our understanding are open to see our condition before God. It is a frightening experience to find you are a sinner before God with no way to come near to Him. It is the knowledge, you have sinned that blocks you at every turn. If you could promise God, that you would never sin again and just suppose you could keep that promise; you still are separated from God. How do you bridge the gap between you and God? And what about the sins already committed? You soon learn in every attempt to justify yourself there is no peace between you and God. The answers generated in our mind do not bring the light of the Gospel of Christ into our souls/spirit. It is a very humbling experience to find we have no good thing which would commend us to God. It is then from the depths of our souls we say, I have sinned and I have sinned against God.
So well do I remember being convicted of my unsaved condition. As I sat in Taylor Springs Baptist Church, the words of the preacher flew like a dart and pierced my spirit. He said, "see yourself as God sees you"; "see yourself a sinner". Up till then, I had never seen myself as God sees me, a sinner.
Eternal Separation from God in the Lake of Fire is a real place
Rev 20:14 " And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
Without Christ, you face the second Rev 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. this is the second death." Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. While helping my Dad clean off some pasture land, I came face to face with the reality of hell. In trying to burn limbs, brush and green pine, we had a rather larger and roaring fire. While placing a limb of green pine on the fire, I saw the limb as me and the fire as hell. I threw the limb on the fire and went into the woods. Sitting down against a hickory tree I began talking to the LORD. The only words in my mind were "LORD what am I going to do?" The LORD can bring you to the end of yourself and leave you with no way to go but to Him.death,
On a Sunday afternoon, shortly thereafter, I went to Mom and Dad's house. Dad knew of my struggle and we had talked and prayed many times together. I asked if he would pray with me. So we knelt in the living room and I remember the words that I spoke that day to Christ: "LORD, I am going to die and go to hell. And I know of no reason for You to have mercy on me. I have sinned and deserve hell. But I don't want to spend eternity in hell, please have mercy on me".
I left and went home and the only thing that had changed was the calm in my soul. I was no longer at war with God. I had admitted my sin and my lost condition.
At the Cross, God is in Christ bringing you near to Him
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them......"
1Pe 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed." When I got home and began to read from John Chapter three (3), I understood for the first time in my life that Christ had saved me more than two thousand years ago. On the cross, He took my sin in His own body.
He was not asking me to do anything but to believe on Him. Isa 53:6 "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. " It was on the Cross He gave His life for me, that I could live with Him. 2Co 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." In taking my place, He suffered for me, paying my debt of sin. He was sent by the Father, as the Lamb of God, to accomplish the work of redemption for all mankind. And this He did for on the cross, He said, "It is finished". Joh_19:30 "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
What Must I do to be saved?
It was God who ordained that the way of salvation is by the way of the Cross. Rom_8:32 " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Jesus said, Joh 6:47 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." God has included you in Christ, as the Lamb of God, "...that taketh away the sin of the world..." His death. 1Co 1:30 "But of him(God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"
eternal life, which was with the Salvation is God's plan conceived by Him long before the World began, Tit 1:2 " In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" It was promised when as yet no one was there. Faithful to His promise of salvation (the Gift of Eternal life) He gave it to us. 1 John 1:1-2 " That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that Father, and was manifested unto us;)" Christ brought us Eternal life!
Salvation is God's plan and He has given it to us through His Son and His death on the Cross. Where He suffered the judgment of God for our sin. When He cried, "...My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me". It was then He was made sin by taking our sin. And God saw His payment and was satisfied and Jesus cried "It is Finished". Nothing has been left for you to do - God has done it all by giving of His Son.
And since it has been done then why not believe it. Why not believe it is for you.
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