Some
people, when they hear God's good news simply described, object to it
for that very reason. "There must be more to it," they say. "That's too
simple."
We have to understand two things here. First we must understand the
difference between a thing that is simple to understand and something
that is simple to enjoy.
For example, do you understand all about light? Even the scientists
don't understand light! They still can't decide whether it is a
particle or a wave. But do you have to understand it to enjoy it? No.
Just turn on the light.
Do you have to understand all about digestion to enjoy a good meal or understand electricity so you can use it? Thankfully, no.
So it is with the good news from God. It is very complex to understand.
You will see that if you look at the book of Romans, for example. But
to make it available to everyone, God made the good news as simple as
drinking water or eating food to enjoy (see Psalm 34:8).
The second thing we should understand is the difference between
"simple" and "easy". The way of salvation is simple to grasp but it is
not easy to obey. Because to obey the good news we must first agree
with the bad news.
Here is the good news of God in four sentences from the Bible:
1. "All have sinned" (Romans 3:23). That means that everyone born into
the world has done or thought things that are against God. God has told
us, "Do not steal" and we have taken things that were not ours. He has
told us, "Do not lie" and we have said things that were not true.
He has said, "Do not commit adultery" and Jesus explained what this
meant. If you look at someone to lust after that person, you have
already committed adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:28).
In the same way, Jesus said, If you hate someone, God puts murder down
beside your name. Sin is a fact before it is an act. And we are all
guilty before God in our thoughts. He knows every sin we have ever
committed.
There are many other Bible verses like: "The thought of foolishness is
sin" (Proverbs 24:9). Or "To the one that knows to do good, and does
not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). Yes, we're guilty, alright.
2. "The soul that sins dies" (Ezekiel 18:4). That is the penalty for
sin. To put it another way, our sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2)
who is the source of life. Without him, we're doomed.
In the Bible, death is not the end. Death is separation. That's why we
read: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment" (Heb 9:27). You have noticed that everyone dies, sooner or
later. But when we whisper, "They're gone!" where have they gone?
The Bible says there are only two destinations for people who leave
this earth - heaven or hell. Jesus made it clear that these places
exist (you can read about it in the Bible in Luke 16) and once earth's
choice has been made, there is no changing it in eternity. That's why
your decision now is so very important.
3. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).
Who ever heard such good news! There is a Saviour who has come to
rescue sinners like us. He is the only Saviour. No world religion
offers anything like this. They basically tell you to save yourself
- something the Bible says we cannot do (see Titus 3:5).
But this is the reason Jesus came to planet earth. He came for you and
me. When he died on the cross just outside Jerusalem, God paid for our
sin. Here is what the Bible says: "Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the [satisfaction]
for our sins" (1 John 4:10).
But the real question is: How can we get in on this? How can we be
saved from our sin and be ready to meet God? That brings us to sentence
number four.
4. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts
16:31).
There is no doubt about it. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
what does the verse say will happen? You SHALL be saved. What an
amazing promise!
Jesus not only died; three days later he arose from his grave and was
seen by many witnesses, including some of his enemies like Saul, a man
who killed Jesus' followers. Saul then knew the truth and became a true
follower of the Lord Jesus, too. Afterwards he wrote much of the Bible.
So what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus? It means to put all
your confidence in him, to entrust your whole case to him. It means to
ask him to be your personal Saviour by making full payment for your sin.
Believe that you are the sinner Jesus died to save. Receive him now as your personal Saviour "and you shall be saved."
Then send us an email and tell us about it. If you include your mailing
address, we'll send you some helpful materials that explain how to be a
follower of the Lord Jesus.
Read more articles at GoodNewsNow.info