There are many verses in the Bible that help us to realise that we can have complete confidence in our eternal life. Probably the most famous is John 3:16, where Jesus himself says:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
I’ve long found the very next verse (John 3:17) equally interesting & encouraging, it reads:
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
So there Jesus is telling us why he came into the world, to SAVE the world, i.e. the people of the world.
How does that work?
If we believe in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) then we will be saved from the sure & certain eternal punishment for our wrong-doings (sin), which comes on the Day of God’s Judgement - an unavoidable day that is to come for us all.
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” This is actually a very hopeful message, because it shows JUST HOW committed God the Father is, through the actions of God the Son (on the cross) to save the world. The way TO BE saved is completely open. Nothing is stopping you from being saved right now - wow!
But the Good News gets even better! In the first part of John 3:18 Jesus says:
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” So if you’re worried about the coming, completely unavoidable judgement of God, where ALL OUR SECRET SINS & WRONG-DOINGS will be laid bare for all to see... YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE! Because accepting Jesus as your own Lord & Saviour (becoming a Christian) means that John 3:18 comes into play FOR YOU: “There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST ANYONE who believes in him.” Christians will not face judgement, because the blood of Jesus on the cross wipes away all our sins - & God makes a promise never to keep a record of our wrong-doings [1] & [2] - how FANTASTIC is that!
Why don’t people want to become Christians?
If we do not accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, then obviously the judgement of God remains upon us, as John 3:18 goes on to prove:
“But anyone who does not believe in him [Jesus] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this FACT: God’s light came into the world [that is Jesus came], but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”
You have the reason why people will not accept Jesus as Saviour of their lives right there: “All who do evil hate the light [that is, Jesus] and REFUSE to go near it FOR FEAR THEIR SINS WILL BE EXPOSED.” But guess what guys? Your sins WILL be exposed, for all to see, UNLESS you take option A & become a Christian! That’s just the way it is.
As we just read: “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” All people have been given a conscience, a moral compass, & that is one way that God helps us to know for ourselves what is right & what is wrong. We KNOW, inside our own minds, if our actions & intentions are right or wrong. So we have no excuse for choosing to do wrong. God didn’t want us to be in doubt about that.
Walking into the light.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to people who CHOOSE to remain in darkness & continually choose to run their own life into the eternal fiery pits of hell...
“21 But those who DO WHAT IS RIGHT [become Christians] come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
I hadn’t noticed that last bit before, “... so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Jesus points out here that it is FANTASTIC to come to the light for our own sake; to be saved from our own sins; to come to close friendship with God (who lives in the light). But Jesus is also pointing out in the verse that there is purpose & a by-product of “coming into the light”, & it is that OTHER PEOPLE can see that we are “doing what God wants.” In other words, people can have an example to follow. They can see people being saved (becoming Christians) & going on in a positive, encouraging, life-affirming way. This “step towards the light” is called obedience elsewhere in the Bible. People who are obedient walk into the light, & get all the benefits of the light - and there are MANY!
Bible References
John 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 [Jesus said] “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
[1]
Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)
[God says] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
[2]
Psalm 103:10-13 (NLT)
“10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him*
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 HE HAS REMOVED OUR SINS AS FAR FROM US
AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him*.”
* "Fear” refers to reverence; worshipful acknowledgement of the awesomeness of God. Not as in fearful running away from God!
Showing posts with label eternal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eternal. Show all posts
Friday, 8 November 2013
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
The War & eternal decision-making
Listening to Lord of the Rings soundtracks. Found my mind thinking of the eternal struggle we are all in. These are my thoughts:
1) To Christians who know we are in a battle: a spiritual war, for the lives & eternal souls of all people: keep fighting on, don't loose heart. Our general, Jesus the Christ, is pleased with your efforts. Fight on, don’t give up, no matter what we are facing.
2) To Christians who have forgotten that we are in a war with a bitter, determined, foul-playing villainous, evil enemy of our souls: wake up. Hear the Lord's battle cry. Strengthen your weak knees. Put on the full armour of God. Call other Christians to attention. Don't lower your guard for a second. The days ahead may be the darkest we have ever lived through, but take heart, Jesus has overcome the devil & the world. Our nation’s economy, our weather, our society, the very fabric of our world may be collapsing around us. But in the end Jesus’ reign will come to earth in totality. Don’t loose your faith or your hope.
3) To people who do not believe: in Jesus, the devil, the unseen worlds, or who are blissfully unaware of the intense spiritual battles raging in the heavenly realms... may God help you to see with new spiritual eyes. Re-consider your position. Re-consider your assumptions about this world.
All that we think of as being here to stay & permanent (money, power, health, government, nations, science, the universe) isn't eternal. All that we see, hear & touch in the physical world is temporary, it will pass away.
Recognise that which is truly eternal: Jesus the Christ. Even the battle of good & evil will one day come to an end, on the Great Day of Judgement. When that day comes, no matter what you have believed was “true”, we will all be "called to account". We will find that even if we didn't believe in Jesus, the devil, eternal judgement, heaven or hell, or anything which we couldn’t see or touch, was actually true.
On the final day of history, we will all be split into 1 of only 2 groups: those who have believed in Jesus the Christ & asked him to become Lord of our lives, & those who have not believed. The former will go to be with Jesus their Lord for ever. The latter will go where they (not God) have decided to go: away from Jesus the Lord of heaven... separation from all that is good, light, right & holy... separation for ever; eternal darkness & hopelessness. Yes, it is not Jesus who will decide your eternal fate... it is YOU. What you decided was “true” whilst you lived physically on earth will become the reality you continue to live out for the rest of eternity. Heaven & Hell is as “real” as this physical world we live in. More so, in fact, because they are eternal places, whereas this world, & all physical things will actually disappear & be destroyed following the Day of Judgement.
4) Now is the time to decide where you want your eternal, ever-lasting soul to live after your physical death. The decision is yours & yours alone. I urge you to re-consider your fate. Whilst you have breath you have choice. As soon as the breath of life leaves you, your decision-making comes to an end. Why risk your eternal soul... why not decide for yourself, right now, to accept the free gift of eternal life & ask Jesus the Christ into your life? All it takes is that one little decision & your eternal future is entirely secure. The devil will no longer have any legal claim on you & your life (as he does now) much to his annoyance! New life awaits you... just a decision away. And the benefits of that eternal life begin as soon as you make that decision too! Why wait?
5) One final point: we are held to account for our own lives. We ALL make a decision about what we believe, even those people we say they are agnostic, or atheists. They too have a belief: it’s a decision not to believe... which is still a belief! There is no escaping the fact that God holds us to account about what we have CHOSEN to believe.
You may believe that not making a choice at all is the answer... that this way you don’t have to make a choice! But we are not given an absence of choice, as a choice! We have to choose one way or the other... there are no abstentions in our “voting” for where we spend eternity!
You may choose not to believe in religion, all that eternal stuff, you may choose to believe in evolution, science, post-modern thinking, self-help, philosophy, the goodness of man, etc. Even if you choose not to believe in Jesus, the devil, religion, eternity... that won’t make a blind bit of difference when the end of your life comes. You will still face the day of judgement, no matter what you currently believe to the contrary.
Therefore, the ONLY choice we actually all have is this: what do we decide is true about Jesus the Christ, the maker of heaven & earth? You can ONLY decide to be for, or against Jesus. Those are the ONLY 2 positions that we all can hold.
A Christian is someone who has decided to believe that what the Bible says is true; that they will believe in Jesus, even though they haven’t seen him. They have confessed their personal sin & confessed that Jesus is Lord. That’s what makes them into a Christian. It’s simple, really.
The ONLY other position is the decision NOT to believe in Jesus. ANY other world view, philosophy, religion, belief system, or thought process that does not hold Jesus the Christ at the centre is not Christianity. And remember, there is no middle ground, or abstention from this vote. To believe that you don’t have to “vote” is yet another lie of the Devil. You DO have to vote, we all do. The choice, & the consequence of that choice is all yours.
So the final, inescapable question is: Do you choose to believe in Jesus the Christ, or not?
Send me a message if decide to become a Christian. I’d love to hear from you, & to pray for you.
1) To Christians who know we are in a battle: a spiritual war, for the lives & eternal souls of all people: keep fighting on, don't loose heart. Our general, Jesus the Christ, is pleased with your efforts. Fight on, don’t give up, no matter what we are facing.
2) To Christians who have forgotten that we are in a war with a bitter, determined, foul-playing villainous, evil enemy of our souls: wake up. Hear the Lord's battle cry. Strengthen your weak knees. Put on the full armour of God. Call other Christians to attention. Don't lower your guard for a second. The days ahead may be the darkest we have ever lived through, but take heart, Jesus has overcome the devil & the world. Our nation’s economy, our weather, our society, the very fabric of our world may be collapsing around us. But in the end Jesus’ reign will come to earth in totality. Don’t loose your faith or your hope.
3) To people who do not believe: in Jesus, the devil, the unseen worlds, or who are blissfully unaware of the intense spiritual battles raging in the heavenly realms... may God help you to see with new spiritual eyes. Re-consider your position. Re-consider your assumptions about this world.
All that we think of as being here to stay & permanent (money, power, health, government, nations, science, the universe) isn't eternal. All that we see, hear & touch in the physical world is temporary, it will pass away.
Recognise that which is truly eternal: Jesus the Christ. Even the battle of good & evil will one day come to an end, on the Great Day of Judgement. When that day comes, no matter what you have believed was “true”, we will all be "called to account". We will find that even if we didn't believe in Jesus, the devil, eternal judgement, heaven or hell, or anything which we couldn’t see or touch, was actually true.
On the final day of history, we will all be split into 1 of only 2 groups: those who have believed in Jesus the Christ & asked him to become Lord of our lives, & those who have not believed. The former will go to be with Jesus their Lord for ever. The latter will go where they (not God) have decided to go: away from Jesus the Lord of heaven... separation from all that is good, light, right & holy... separation for ever; eternal darkness & hopelessness. Yes, it is not Jesus who will decide your eternal fate... it is YOU. What you decided was “true” whilst you lived physically on earth will become the reality you continue to live out for the rest of eternity. Heaven & Hell is as “real” as this physical world we live in. More so, in fact, because they are eternal places, whereas this world, & all physical things will actually disappear & be destroyed following the Day of Judgement.
4) Now is the time to decide where you want your eternal, ever-lasting soul to live after your physical death. The decision is yours & yours alone. I urge you to re-consider your fate. Whilst you have breath you have choice. As soon as the breath of life leaves you, your decision-making comes to an end. Why risk your eternal soul... why not decide for yourself, right now, to accept the free gift of eternal life & ask Jesus the Christ into your life? All it takes is that one little decision & your eternal future is entirely secure. The devil will no longer have any legal claim on you & your life (as he does now) much to his annoyance! New life awaits you... just a decision away. And the benefits of that eternal life begin as soon as you make that decision too! Why wait?
5) One final point: we are held to account for our own lives. We ALL make a decision about what we believe, even those people we say they are agnostic, or atheists. They too have a belief: it’s a decision not to believe... which is still a belief! There is no escaping the fact that God holds us to account about what we have CHOSEN to believe.
You may believe that not making a choice at all is the answer... that this way you don’t have to make a choice! But we are not given an absence of choice, as a choice! We have to choose one way or the other... there are no abstentions in our “voting” for where we spend eternity!
You may choose not to believe in religion, all that eternal stuff, you may choose to believe in evolution, science, post-modern thinking, self-help, philosophy, the goodness of man, etc. Even if you choose not to believe in Jesus, the devil, religion, eternity... that won’t make a blind bit of difference when the end of your life comes. You will still face the day of judgement, no matter what you currently believe to the contrary.
Therefore, the ONLY choice we actually all have is this: what do we decide is true about Jesus the Christ, the maker of heaven & earth? You can ONLY decide to be for, or against Jesus. Those are the ONLY 2 positions that we all can hold.
A Christian is someone who has decided to believe that what the Bible says is true; that they will believe in Jesus, even though they haven’t seen him. They have confessed their personal sin & confessed that Jesus is Lord. That’s what makes them into a Christian. It’s simple, really.
The ONLY other position is the decision NOT to believe in Jesus. ANY other world view, philosophy, religion, belief system, or thought process that does not hold Jesus the Christ at the centre is not Christianity. And remember, there is no middle ground, or abstention from this vote. To believe that you don’t have to “vote” is yet another lie of the Devil. You DO have to vote, we all do. The choice, & the consequence of that choice is all yours.
So the final, inescapable question is: Do you choose to believe in Jesus the Christ, or not?
Send me a message if decide to become a Christian. I’d love to hear from you, & to pray for you.
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