In no way am I attempting to sell you on something tangible here. What I am trying to do, is to truly and sincerely share with you the (good) news of a lifetime! What kind of friend (or human) would I be if I did not tell you about something that completely changed my life and could dramatically change the trajectory of your life as well!
Please allow me…
Have you ever wondered if this present life really is all there is to it? Or… if there’s something beyond this life?
Friend, as I share the good news with you, I ask that you keep an open mind. With that said, I will not be sharing any thing mystical in nature, but rather simply the loving truth.
The truth is heaven and earth, and you and I were created by God; the only living and true God. He is holy; perfect and set apart. In his presence, sin cannot be. What is sin? It is simply the breaking of God’s law. Truly, it is most challenging to fully grasp the idea of God’s holiness because it is an idea so glorious; that it’s beyond our comprehension.
According to the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, God (our Heavenly Father) created the first man and woman: Adam and Eve, (Genesis 1:27). He placed them in a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden. They were surrounded by fruit bearing trees from which they could freely eat. As our Heavenly Father, He gave them one command; not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).
Well, they disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree. What was the big deal? God knew that when they had eaten the fruit, that they’d surely die, (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve had just committed the first sin. Remember the holiness of God I shared with you earlier? Now, God has to put the sin out from Him; and so Adam and Eve were no longer welcome to live in the Garden of Eden. Instead he gave them a new home. The only difference is, now they have been cut off from the sweet fellowship they once had with their Heavenly Father.
Will they ever be able to be with their Heavenly Father again? Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Another thing you need to know about God is that He is righteous and just. He will do what is right and just.
How can this be reconciled? The only way that this can be fixed is through death; the Bible tells us. But wait, the Father loves Adam and Eve (and YOU) and every other sinner, no matter the things you’ve thought, said, and done. It is His nature; He is a God of love.
What does this mean? Well, this means that without a saviour we would go to the place of eternal death; remember? This place is called Hell. A place of pain, suffering, sorrow, and torment; that never relents. A place of eternally dying.
Friend, I want to lovingly let you know that if you are not right with God at the moment your life here on earth ends; you will go to Hell. I do not say this lightly or easily. It may sound extreme and it is. It is scarier than anything you could possibly imagine you’d face in this life.
I am genuinely concerned for your salvation, my friend. If you come across my blog, please know, that I would not want you to leave here if you are not saved and right with God. And friend, this is the truth I wanted to share with you!
So who/or what will be the propitiation for our sin? Propitiation is a word that means; something that satisfies a requirement. The requirement is death. What could satisfy or appease God?
I have good news.
Romans 6:23 says that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Did you get that right? The gift of God is eternal life, but only through one Name.
“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
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God..perfect, sinless, blameless…precious lamb of God. Friend, He has taken YOUR place and has already bore the punishment for your sin when he went to Calvary and was nailed to the cross, and drank the cup of the wrath of God…to be the propitiation for YOUR sin.
Jesus died for YOU and I; for the sin of the world, and they buried him in a tomb in which no man had lain before, (Luke 23:53). Three days later, He rose from the dead. When the women who had mourned the loss of their Lord Jesus, they went back to the tomb and were met by an angel who exhorted them, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6.
Hallelujah! He has been resurrected! Jesus defeated sin and death at the cross. Death could not hold Jesus down. He has ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and there He reigns! God received Jesus’ death as the propitiation for our sin! In fact, just before Jesus breathed His last (earthly) breath He said, “it is finished!” Ah…this is good news!
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:55, 57
So I what do I do now?? I believe and I want to be saved…I want to have eternal life after this present life. I want be with a loving Heavenly Father whoso graciously and mercifully took my sin upon himself. I don’t want to go to hell. How can I be made right with God??
Friend, I have good news.
Remember how we talked earlier, that the gift of God is eternal life? Well, friend, all you have to do is to simply receive this precious gift; receive through faith and believe what the Bible has said. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8. Believe it in every fiber of your being and be so convinced of it, and dedicate your life to God.
You must know that, while you may have a very lovely side, because we are all sinners and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), there is nothing we can do on our own to appease or satisfy the wrath of God. Nothing. It is only through one Name, Jesus Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6.
The Bible says in Acts 2:21 that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And, “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. This is good news!!
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
Simply put my friend, if you believe that you are a sinner, and that God sent Jesus; His only begotten Son to die for your sin, and that He was buried, and later resurrected; then make a confession to God! How do I do that? Friend, God is your Heavenly Father. All you need to do is to go to the Lord in prayer, and share with Him what is on your heart, your new convictions, and that you want to be saved. The good news is that there is no training or degree required to have a relationship with your Heavenly Father!
Have you ever wronged someone and had to go back to them and make it right by acknowledging what you had done, and asked for forgiveness, maybe you even made a promise to or an agreement with them. This is the same idea when you make a confession and profession of faith to God. The good news here is that with God; he holds no grudges and freely offers forgiveness. Remember He is holy? He is perfect! He is loving and ALWAYS good!!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
I remember exactly where I was and all the details of the day that my life changed. I just so happened to be reading my Bible in Matthew Chapter 13. I remember reading about the harvest, and separating the wheat from the tare. The single greatest conviction came upon me as I became aware that I was not right with God and that I would go to Hell. This was in the evening after I had put my children to bed and I wept and bawled my eyes before the Lord. I knew I was the tare that would be burned and so I cried out to God and asked Him to save me from my sin. It felt as if time stood still that evening. I remember just wanting to be safe in the arms of my Heavenly Father.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Then came the change. I mean, my whole life did a 180 degree turn. And friends, I want you to know that this did not happen instantaneously; but rather was a gradual work of sanctification in my life by the Holy Spirit of God. People began recognizing the change. It isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but at least I know where I going someday and now I never have to walk this life alone again. Because I have the Holy Spirit with me, to help me through this life. And then you’ll get to the point when you have peace and joy when the world says that you should worry and be fearful.
One of my favorite hymns is “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus.” I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.
Friend, if you have secured your salvation of eternal life as a result of reading this; would you please share with us in the comments? The Bible talks about the joy in heaven as even such as one sinner repents (which means turns away from their old life and turns towards to Jesus), (Luke 15:7). Let us rejoice with you and pray for you! If this is you, the good news is that you have made the single most important decision of your life. You have chosen life eternal!
For my fellow friends, would you please help me to get the good news out? Would you share this on your social media platforms, share on Pinterest, share with people in your life who may have never heard the good news.
I’ll see you next week!
Your sister in Christ,
Sarah Renae
SOOOOOO GOOD!! 😭😭😭
The BEST news!