We tend to call the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the “things of first importance”.  And there is no doubt that they are.  For in them is revealed the plan, purpose, and way of God to provide an opportunity for us to be together with Him.  Many see God as the benevolent God of love and mercy and it is true that He is.  However, within the perfections of God’s nature resides the characteristic of justness.  God is a moral being.  He commands that those created in His image, that’s us (Genesis 1:26), act accordingly.  We haven’t done that; all of us have broken His Law.  “For all have sinned”, the Bible tells us, “and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Sin.  That’s our problem.  A simple definition?  Sin is the things we think, say, and do that God says we shouldn’t think, say, or do.  The Lord wrote His Law on stone at Mt. Sinai, symbolic of the unchangeableness of His decree.  He also placed them in the heart of each person.  All of us have a God-given moral center; we know right from wrong.  And we have freely chosen to do wrong.  All of us have lied, lusted, stolen (cheated), and desired that our neighbors good fortune be ours instead.  And in committing these sins we have left ourselves open to stand before the Lord and be judged by Him for breaking His Law. 

God’s verdict because of our sin?  Guilty.  The sentence?  Spending eternity in hell; a place of punishment where you will be separated from the Lord and all His blessings forever.  Hell is a place without reprieve.  Hell is a place where hopelessness reigns.

Yet hope is real and can be yours because mercy is available.  Where can we find God’s mercy for our siin?  Look to the cross where Jesus died!  This is where you will truly see the love and mercy of God!  God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins!  “In this is love,” the Bible says, “not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”  (1 John 4:10).  In love, Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for your sin and mine.  In His death on the cross, we find the judgment on and punishment for sin that makes God’s forgiveness and mercy available to us.  Jesus’ resurrection from the grave is God’s sign to us that Jesus died for your sin and not anything that He had done.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

God’s mercy, rather than His judgment can be yours, because Jesus Christ died for you!  You have the opportunity to have your sins forgiven by the Lord and receive His gift of eternal life.  How can you do this?  Turn to the Lord (repent), seeking His forgiveness for your sin even as you ask Jesus, the One who died for you, to be your Lord, the One in charge of your life.  If you do this with true heart commitment, God has promised to hear you, forgive, and save you from His judgment on your sin, granting you eternal life in heaven in its place.  “For all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”! (Romans 10:13)

What will you do with the truth(s) you have just read?  Will you turn to the Lord and receive His gifts of forgiveness and eternal life by receiving Jesus as your Lord?  Or will you continue to reject the mercy God offers through Jesus and remain guilty, awaiting judgment?  The choice is yours. 

If you prayed the prayer above or if you have questions about what you have read, please contact us.

dennis@callofgrace.org