It is absolutely necessary to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior, and put Him on the throne of our lives.
Too often, we make the mistake of explaining the way of salvation but stop without inviting the person to receive Christ and His teaching into his or her life.
After reading Romans 3:23, which says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Someone may say that’s not true, I am not a sinner. I have not committed murder. I have committed no crime. To show this person his mistake, you will need to explain the difference between sin and sins.
What is the difference ?
Sin is the basic disease of turning away from God. Sins are the symptoms of this disease.
Separation from God isn’t the only sad result of sin. See Romans 1:18, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. See also Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Someone may say, I suppose I’ve sinned like everybody else, but God is a God of love so He’s sure to forgive me. You would need to explain to this person that as well as being a God of love, God is perfect in all His attributes, so His perfect love must be seen in relation to His attributes, so His perfect love must be seen in relation to His perfect justice. (1) God as a perfect judge, simply cannot condone sin, so inevitably our sin results in our being separated from God. Read Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (2) Being under the wrath of God, see Romans 1:18,The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (3) Being condemned to death–Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Himself, in the person of our Lord Jesus, came to bear the punishment for our sin in His own body on the cross of Calvary. The judge Himself did this so that He might legally justify, or put right, us sinners yet remain just Himself. See Romans 3 : 26, He did so to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
As perfect God and perfect man Jesus is able to lead us back to God. His death on the cross for us bridges the chasm of sin which separates us from God.
It is not enough merely to believe this intellectually, you must personally repent of your sin, and accept Christ’s gift of salvation teaching by faith and receiving Him in your own life as Savior and King.
Nicodemus is like many of us. He tries to live in the right way. He is a student of God’s word.
In some ways he is more advanced than we are, for he is a famous teacher. He is blessed with a high position over the people of God. He thinks of himself as a person who is not too bad. He is a family man. He is a good citizen of his nation. He keeps the law of God. Yet he needs Jesus Christ teaching to take him to the Kingdom of God.
May you be given the grace in Jesus name.
Too often, we make the mistake of explaining the way of salvation but stop without inviting the person to receive Christ and His teaching into his or her life.
After reading Romans 3:23, which says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Someone may say that’s not true, I am not a sinner. I have not committed murder. I have committed no crime. To show this person his mistake, you will need to explain the difference between sin and sins.
What is the difference ?
Sin is the basic disease of turning away from God. Sins are the symptoms of this disease.
Separation from God isn’t the only sad result of sin. See Romans 1:18, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. See also Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Someone may say, I suppose I’ve sinned like everybody else, but God is a God of love so He’s sure to forgive me. You would need to explain to this person that as well as being a God of love, God is perfect in all His attributes, so His perfect love must be seen in relation to His attributes, so His perfect love must be seen in relation to His perfect justice. (1) God as a perfect judge, simply cannot condone sin, so inevitably our sin results in our being separated from God. Read Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. (2) Being under the wrath of God, see Romans 1:18,The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (3) Being condemned to death–Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Himself, in the person of our Lord Jesus, came to bear the punishment for our sin in His own body on the cross of Calvary. The judge Himself did this so that He might legally justify, or put right, us sinners yet remain just Himself. See Romans 3 : 26, He did so to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
As perfect God and perfect man Jesus is able to lead us back to God. His death on the cross for us bridges the chasm of sin which separates us from God.
It is not enough merely to believe this intellectually, you must personally repent of your sin, and accept Christ’s gift of salvation teaching by faith and receiving Him in your own life as Savior and King.
Nicodemus is like many of us. He tries to live in the right way. He is a student of God’s word.
In some ways he is more advanced than we are, for he is a famous teacher. He is blessed with a high position over the people of God. He thinks of himself as a person who is not too bad. He is a family man. He is a good citizen of his nation. He keeps the law of God. Yet he needs Jesus Christ teaching to take him to the Kingdom of God.
May you be given the grace in Jesus name.
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