The word of God is an inexhaustible treasure of truth. Selected here are seven that speak to the circumstance and reason for humanity’s existence. These truths directly address how we should live and the consequence of a misspent life.
Continue readingJesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is the way to God; he is the truth of God’s revelation of salvation and the promise of eternal life. There is no other way to God, arriving deemed righteous and uncondemned, than by faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only hope for mankind.
These 18 words have an astounding depth of meaning, weight, and consequences. It would be beneficial for you to consider carefully what this verse means.
13Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The narrow gate is faith in Jesus Christ, and the way is narrow because the word of God constricts it. To believe in Jesus, to establish him as the Lord of your life, and live in submissive obedience to the word of God is the narrow gate and the narrow path to heaven. To enter the wide gate and take the wide path is to come to God however you like or not at all. Wide and easy is the path that caters to desires in this life, tempting with temporal pleasure or conjuring up a savior or religion of imagination that pleases. There is only one way to the Father and eternal life: the narrow way of Jesus Christ. All other paths lead to an eternity in hell. Tragically, most will travel the wide path, and few will find the narrow way.
The best-known verse in the Bible . . .
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
loved the world . . . this was a shocking statement to the Jews. “God so loved the Jews” is what they would expect to hear, but that is not what he said. God loves the world . . . all of us.
he gave his only begotten Son . . . God gave what was most dear to him, his beloved Son, as the ultimate atonement for sin, as a gift and not something deserved. His love for the sinning world was not sentimentality but a love that had tremendous cost.
whosoever believeth in him . . . not the whole world benefits from the gift. It is those who believe, trust and obey; who put their complete faith in; who give their lives to; who rely entirely upon his Son Jesus that will reap the benefit of the grace (unmerited favor) given by God to the unrighteous world.
should not perish, but have everlasting life . . . this speaks to the quality of our eternal existence. To “perish” does not mean annihilation, but ruin, failure to realize God’s purpose, and exclusion from his fellowship. To perish is to endure the wrath of God, which is an eternity in the fire of hell. “Everlasting life” is to avoid God’s wrath because Jesus paid for your sin by his sacrifice on the cross. Through faith in Jesus, you traded hell for heaven and will experience an eternity of joy being in right standing with God.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Jesus did not come to judge, instead, he provided the opportunity for us to accept the gift of salvation. The judgment of the world comes later.
The positive perspective in these verses of salvation by faith in Christ should be joined with the consequence of unbelief that is presented in John 3:36!
36 . . . and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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
Continue reading“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
The good news of Jesus Christ is that he has provided us the means to be reconciled with God and the opportunity to come to know him as our loving father. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we can enjoy peace with God and reap the benefits of being one of his beloved children. Benefits that we enjoy both in this life and the life to come.
Fallen Man
“for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Born spiritually separated from God, we spend our lives pursuing our desires. Things that come to us naturally attest to our adversarial standing with him. Our natural inclination is to sin, transgress against God’s law, and rebel against him. We see this clearly and dramatically in the immorality and depravity in the world. We also see it in our daily lives as we live for our own pleasure and comfort. We prioritize our interests, desires, and love of things in this world ahead of God. Jesus tells us that the most important commandment is: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Read Matthew 22:37-38 Who of us does that or is even capable of doing that?
God’s Judgement
“For the wages of sin is death; . . . “ The first half of Romans 6:23
God’s holy nature demands justice; he cannot condone sin. He is the essence of righteousness, the foundation and source of right and good. He is the stark contrast to what is wrong and evil in the world. Being a just God, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished or forgive without proper atonement. If God were to let any transgression stand, he would be no better than us. The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death, and we all deserve the wrath of God that is coming when we stand before him and face his judgment.
Man’s Attempt to Reconcile
Some don’t see the need to reconcile anything at all with God. They go through their lives without giving this any serious consideration. Many others, who have a notion of God, feel they are in good standing with him if they try to live a good life and be a good person. The presumption is that if you generally treat others well, think good thoughts, and rely on the good things you have done in life, that should be sufficient. Surely a person who has tried to live a good life does not deserve an eternity in the hell of the Bible, right?
The religious man’s instinct has been to do something to make things right with God. In man’s consistent overestimation of the good in himself, he tries to win God’s favor by doing what he believes, or has been told, pleases him. He tries to appease through self-righteous attempts to follow the rules and rituals of religion, living a pious life, or doing good works. But to God, it is futile nonsense.
The truth is, there is nothing anyone can do to earn God’s forgiveness. We are incapable of measuring up to his standard of righteousness. No matter how good you try to be, how good you think you are, you are not good enough. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah tells us that our very best is no better than filthy rags to God. Read Isaiah 64:6
God’s Incomparable Gift
“ . . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The second half of Romans 6:23
If we are incapable of attaining a righteous standing with God, is our fate then sealed to experience God’s judgment and wrath and suffer eternity in hell? Thankfully No! God so loves the people in the world that he provided the means to become righteous in his eyes, be forgiven of our sins, and be reconciled to him. He accomplished this for us by sending his Son, the person Jesus Christ, to live a perfectly obedient, sinless life and then be nailed to the cross to die for our sins. Jesus bore our sin and paid our debt, redeeming (purchasing) us from the penalty and power of sin with his blood on the cross.
“But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.” Romans 5:8-9
Faith in Jesus saves us from God’s wrath and provides us the means to become what we were meant to be, his beloved sons and daughters. The depth of God’s love for us, paying such a costly price for those who are by nature his adversaries, is hard to grasp. But the clearer you understand the essence of your sin, the more you realize how profound and precious this gift is. This understanding, magnified as you come to know the Lord and understand what he did for you, produces deep, humble thankfulness for an underserved pardon. By his grace, unmerited and undeserved favor, God offers this gift to deliver us all from the condemnation we deserve and instead provide redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and an eternity in heaven with him.
Acceptance
“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.” Romans 10:9
God’s gift of salvation is available to all who choose to receive it. To accept this gift is easy, but the decision must be rooted in what you believe in your heart. This is to understand you live in sin and ask God to forgive you. Believe that Jesus Christ is his Son, who died on the cross for your sin and was raised from the dead three days later. Change the direction of your life (this is to repent) and trust, follow and obey Jesus Christ for the rest of your days on Earth. Accept his gift of salvation to save your soul and live forever with all the benefits of a beloved child of the God of all creation. Ask him to fill your heart with his presence and guide you, direct you, and sanctify you. Do this in prayer, from conviction in your heart, and you will be saved.
Know that this is not a magic chant or an act of religious emotion; instead, it is an act of faith, believing God’s word. The result of that faith is justification, being made righteous in God’s sight. This is the beginning of a new life for you. God gives you a clean slate, everything is forgiven, and you are now reconciled to God forever. Now seek him in his word, in congregations of true believers, in prayer, and you will find him. Read Matthew 7:7-8
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:1-2
My intent was to present the critically important message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Here is a beautiful one-verse summary of the point from the book of John:
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” John 3:36
I hope God will use this work to entice you to come and see because there are many more wonderful things to know!
The time we spend on Earth is relatively brief. Read James 4:14 The person we become and the choices we make now will determine the quality of our lives for eternity. Now is the time when we have the opportunity to accept God’s gift. But if you die, or if Christ returns as he has promised, before you come to your senses, it will be too late. Jesus tells us this is the unfortunate path that most will choose:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19
Evangelism is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, with the hope that the Holy Spirit will compel our audience to repent and trust in him. Our evangelistic work is made credible by a holy life (when we are salt) or discredited when we are no different than those who pursue the shiny things of the world. To execute effective evangelism is not difficult since God carries the load, but man can complicate the effort with unwise philosophies, techniques, or programs. The instinct of some is to confront the lost and hit them over the head with a heavy bible while telling them that failure to repent means an eternity in the fire of hell. The gospel of Jesus delivered with condescending; pious judgment seldom yields the desired result.
What follows are the elements that produce effective evangelism. These concepts are from scripture, experience, and from the excellent example of bold and effective evangelism in my brother-in-law, Jim. A towering Christian, he has done great good for the kingdom of God and is a man to imitate.
The Power for Salvation is in the Word of God.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16-17
To those with a hard heart, wise in the world but dead to the spirit, the word of God is nonsense. Read I Corinthians 1:18 But to those who are drawn, receptive and contrite, the word holds the divine power to do what man cannot do for himself. That is to be accredited with righteousness in the eyes of God and be saved from his condemnation and wrath, by trust and faith in his son Jesus Christ. Therefore, use the word when proclaiming the gospel of Christ, because in the scriptures lives the power of God.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
To do this, obviously, you should know what is in the bible. Yet another reason, perhaps the best reason, to live in the word. Godly character joined with a command of the scriptures will produce an effective and formidable evangelist. How blessed is he who gives God an awesome resource to reach the lost!
The message is simple and elusively profound. I love the “Romans Road to Salvation” from Paul’s masterpiece of the Christian faith to present the salient points of the gospel:
The message is that simple. The truth of the gospel is further distilled to its essence in the best know verse in the bible:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
I think it is important that John 3:16 also be understood in the context of the last verse of the chapter. You should know that the choices you make have consequences.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36
Use scripture to convey the message. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings salvation, so make the case and then leave it to God. The instinct to apply pressure is not beneficial and most often drives people away. My feeling is that scriptures applied in the brotherly love of relationship is most effective but pray for opportunity and follow the prodding of the Holy Spirit.
Deliver the Message of Salvation like a Christian.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 1 Peter 3:15
Be alert and ready to take advantage of the opportunity to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ. When the door is opened (and pray that it is), give that message holding tight to the elements of Christian character. This verse in Peter is in response to those who persecute. To answer “the reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” is to answer with gentleness and respect. If we are to engage those who are hostile with kindness, we should then certainly do the same for those with whom we are at peace. When presenting the message, strive to embody and present the fruit of the spirit! Read Galatians 5:22 Avoid the attitudes that repel – judgment, condescension, threat, pious superiority, disingenuous, flippant, etc. Know that if you offend them, you will lose them. Read I Corinthians 9:19-23 Do not strive to demonstrate your zeal for the faith, do nothing to serve a religious ego. Your objective is to say, “come and see”, not “stay away!” So, deliver the message in sincere love and hope, and let God do with it what he will.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
There is none righteous, no, not one. Read Romans 3:10 Every man is guilty before God and under condemnation. All men need salvation, no one will make it to heaven without redemption by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works let any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
There is nothing that man can do to earn salvation, it is a gift from God. Good works during your life do not bring salvation, only faith in Jesus Christ does that. We are saved for good works, not by good works. Read Galatians 2:16
The only thing you can do to be saved is to believe there is nothing you can do to be saved other than cast yourself on the mercy of God.
John 3:36 