Post by Sheila on Mar 3, 2024 10:42:55 GMT -5
The main focus of Christianity is spreading the Gospel. This is the story of God's love for everyone and the way he has provided for everyone to be gathered into his family. But what does it all mean?
Sin enters the world:
In the book of Genesis, the formation of the world and all within it are recounted in the story of creation. On the sixth day, God created man and woman. They were perfect in every way and lived in complete fellowship with God. They were free to do whatever they chose with the exception of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the penalty of doing so was death (2:16). Then Satan entered the picture and tempted Eve to eat of the fruit (3:1-6) who in turn gave some to Adam who also ate the fruit (3:6). God meted out the punishments, the worst being death (3:14-19). From this time forward, sin was a part of every human being's life. Perfection and righteousness were lost.
Man's attempts to appease God:
Throughout the Old Testament, the various laws and regulations established by God are related. Men, women, and children were to obey each and every one. However, it can be seen that no one was ever able to perfectly accomplish this goal. Even those who we are told were viewed as righteous in God's sight broke the commandments from time to time. In order to show their knowledge of their sins, they offered up animal sacrifices to God and he accepted these offerings. Yet these sacrifices had to be offered often because the people couldn't obey every law and sinned in one way or another almost every day.
No one is perfect:
This fact can be found throughout the Bible where we can read about what people did or said. Romans 3:9-19 summarizes the facts. "Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin" (verse 9). "There is no one righteous, not even one" (verse 10). Verses 19 and 20 tell us that "the whole world is accountable to God" and "no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by works of the law".
God's plan:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Because Jesus was the only person to live a life of perfection, he would fulfill every law and be the perfect sacrifice that would appease God for all time. As John the Baptist related, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them" (John 3:36).
How to accept the gift of salvation:
No one can earn salvation. No matter how many good deeds they do, it's not a matter of the number of good deeds being greater than the number of sins committed. You can't buy salvation with any amount of money given to charities or other acts of kindness. God offers up salvation as gift of his grace and mercy. All a person must do to accept it is to understand what he is offering and accept it with a firm belief and with sincerity of mind and heart. "If you declare with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Romans 10 also relates the guarantee of salvation. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (verse 13).
Prayer of salvation:
Many people will lay out the plan of salvation and then add a prayer to be said. There is no formulaic prayer that can be said. To simply repeat words on a page does not mean the person praying understands what they're saying or that they are doing so in a sincere manner. Yes, a prayer should be said. It's a way for God to know what is in a person's heart and mind. Talk to him in your own words and tell him you know why you need to be saved and that you understand both the means of salvation and what it means to be saved. Afterward, read the Bible and a live a life that truly reflects the fact that you have been saved.
* All quotes are from the New International Version of the Bible
Sin enters the world:
In the book of Genesis, the formation of the world and all within it are recounted in the story of creation. On the sixth day, God created man and woman. They were perfect in every way and lived in complete fellowship with God. They were free to do whatever they chose with the exception of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the penalty of doing so was death (2:16). Then Satan entered the picture and tempted Eve to eat of the fruit (3:1-6) who in turn gave some to Adam who also ate the fruit (3:6). God meted out the punishments, the worst being death (3:14-19). From this time forward, sin was a part of every human being's life. Perfection and righteousness were lost.
Man's attempts to appease God:
Throughout the Old Testament, the various laws and regulations established by God are related. Men, women, and children were to obey each and every one. However, it can be seen that no one was ever able to perfectly accomplish this goal. Even those who we are told were viewed as righteous in God's sight broke the commandments from time to time. In order to show their knowledge of their sins, they offered up animal sacrifices to God and he accepted these offerings. Yet these sacrifices had to be offered often because the people couldn't obey every law and sinned in one way or another almost every day.
No one is perfect:
This fact can be found throughout the Bible where we can read about what people did or said. Romans 3:9-19 summarizes the facts. "Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin" (verse 9). "There is no one righteous, not even one" (verse 10). Verses 19 and 20 tell us that "the whole world is accountable to God" and "no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by works of the law".
God's plan:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Because Jesus was the only person to live a life of perfection, he would fulfill every law and be the perfect sacrifice that would appease God for all time. As John the Baptist related, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them" (John 3:36).
How to accept the gift of salvation:
No one can earn salvation. No matter how many good deeds they do, it's not a matter of the number of good deeds being greater than the number of sins committed. You can't buy salvation with any amount of money given to charities or other acts of kindness. God offers up salvation as gift of his grace and mercy. All a person must do to accept it is to understand what he is offering and accept it with a firm belief and with sincerity of mind and heart. "If you declare with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Romans 10 also relates the guarantee of salvation. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (verse 13).
Prayer of salvation:
Many people will lay out the plan of salvation and then add a prayer to be said. There is no formulaic prayer that can be said. To simply repeat words on a page does not mean the person praying understands what they're saying or that they are doing so in a sincere manner. Yes, a prayer should be said. It's a way for God to know what is in a person's heart and mind. Talk to him in your own words and tell him you know why you need to be saved and that you understand both the means of salvation and what it means to be saved. Afterward, read the Bible and a live a life that truly reflects the fact that you have been saved.
* All quotes are from the New International Version of the Bible
Copyright ©2024 by Sheila Rae Myers