Often I come across sincere people who believe that God won't punish them for their sins; that somehow He will forgive them because, after all, He is a God of love.
My first response to this is that God is indeed a God of love!
"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)
Arguably the best known verse in the bible. It certainly encapsulates the message of the gospel. But let's have a closer look at it. God so loved the world that He gave! He gave none other than His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave all that He had. Why? So that none need perish. This bit seems sadly ignored by those who think that there is no perishing. What does it mean then to perish? Why will men perish? Who will perish?
Firstly, it is not the idea of perishing in the sense that we understand it, that is to say, to perish or expire in a period of time and then that's that. It means everlasting death, eternal punishment and banishment from the presence of God.
"If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8)
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:44)
The solemn account of the rich man and Lazarus given to Luke16 gives us a unique insight into the place of torment. God's word carefully explains that the rich man also died and was buried and "..in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments..." The gracious Holy Spirit, as always, has chosen His words carefully...he lift up his eyes, present tense and he is still there awaiting judgement! None other than the Lord Himself could give us such a unique insight into hell. He has the keys of death and hell.
Secondly, men will perish because God is Holy and righteous and He must punish sin.
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:" (Habakkuk 1:13)
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20)
But "...God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:17, 18)
Thirdly, everyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will perish. Who then can be saved? Praise God that whosoever, that means anyone who believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. It matters not what our sins are. Trust Him now.
God has provided salvation through the person of His well-beloved son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God has punished His lovely Son when "..He hath made Him to be sin for us...that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In order to come into the good of it, we must believe God, we must accept our place as sinners in the sight of a Holy God, we must repent and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Ask yourself if you could have a situation where God would simply overlook sin or forgive sin on some other ground, other that the Lord's atoning death at the place called Calvary, then the death of the Lord Jesus would be rendered worthless! It simply doesn't make any sense.
To not believe what God says in His word and to reject the Lord Jesus as saviour is to be condemned already. The wrath of a Holy God abideth on you! I implore you to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ before it's forever too late. May God help you. May God save you.
"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)
No comments:
Post a Comment