Gift Offer
This
gift offer is the absolute best gift anyone could ever be offered.
Have you ever been offered a great gift and decided not to accept it?
Not many people would refuse but, unfortunately, that is exactly what
many people do with this gift offer -- they turn it down. How about
you? What will you do?
The best gifts are ones with a personal touch and God has prepared
just such a gift for each and everyone. One of the best known verses
in the Bible sums up nicely the Gift that God has made available to
anyone willing to receive it.
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
The
fact that God loves us and offers us the gift of eternal life is nice
but why is the offer even necessary? Why don't we already have eternal
life if God loves us? And what does it mean to "believe" in his one
and only Son -- Jesus Christ?
Mankind's Problem
The
short answer to our problem is that we are all sinners. In thought,
word, and deed we have all committed acts that God says are wrong. We
don't have to go far through the Ten Commandments to find one that we
have broken. How about "You shall not steal" or "You shall not bear
false witness" (also known as lying)? Clearly everyone fails to keep
just these two commandments without even considering the other eight.
The Bible tells us plainly in Romans 3:23
that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Since God is
holy (perfectly good) and we are not, this results in a separation
between God and us.
This separation
between God and people because of sin has not always been the case.
Mankind was originally created in the image of God, both male and
female. This means that God placed in us His attributes including His
perfect holiness -- we were not sinners in the beginning. However,
being created in God's image also means that we were created to be
moral beings. Everyone has the ability to choose to love or hate, obey
or disobey, forgive or seek revenge, and the list goes on. This is
essential because loving or obeying someone means nothing if you don't
have the ability to choose NOT to love or obey them. Love or obedience
without a choice is not love or obedience at all. God built the
ability to choose into us and mankind chose to disobey God and, by
doing so, we chose to become the sinners we are today.
We
live in a world that is clearly broke. There is pain, suffering, and
death -- all as a direct result of mankind's choice to disobey God.
God's Solution
God
in His holiness has many attributes that He perfectly expresses in
everything He does. Included in those attributes are God's perfect
justice and His perfect love. Based on God's justice, we stand
condemned because we are sinners. We find in Romans 6:23
that the wages (or payment) for sin is death. On the other hand, how
can a loving God condemn us to an eternity in Hell separated from
Himself? God's solution - satisfies both His justice and love for us.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
God
stepped out of Heaven in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ and took
our penalty (death) upon Himself because of His love for us. Why did
God have to do this Himself through His Son, Jesus? No one else
qualifies to die in our place. Our substitute needed to be perfect;
otherwise our substitute would be a sinner under the same condemnation
we are facing.
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
And what proof is there that Jesus was the perfect substitute? After He was crucified on the cross, He rose from the dead.
For
what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that
He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, I Corinthians 15:3,4
One
of the greatest proofs of Jesus' resurrection is the fact that most of
His disciples died defending their faith in Jesus. Would you be
willing to die for something you knew was a lie? Because of Christ's
death for our sins and His resurrection, it is now possible for our
relationship to God to be restored through the forgiveness of our sins.
All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. Acts 10:43
So
God has satisfied both His justice (Christ's death for our sins) and
His love by giving us a second chance to spend eternity with Him.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
So now we see God's gift offer -- forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ!
Your Response
How can forgiveness of sins and eternal life be yours? The first thing to understand is that you can never
deserve or earn forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life -- our
own efforts can only earn us condemnation and death because of our
sins. The answer to receiving forgiveness of sins is found above in Acts 10:43 and in the following verses:
For
it is by grace (God's undeserved favor)* you have been saved, through
faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by
works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
Gifts
are not earned, they are either received or rejected. Forgiveness of
sins and eternal life is available to you only by placing your faith
(believing) in the finished work of Jesus Christ -- His death and
resurrection which He completed on your behalf. Salvation (forgiveness
of sins and eternal life) is only through God's grace through faith alone - not by good things we do.
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved... Acts 16:31
"Believe
in the Lord Jesus," sounds simple? It is simple and, yet, also
difficult. A faith that saves is more than just having knowledge
about Jesus Christ. Faith that involves only knowledge can even be
found in demons in James 2:19.
This Bible verse tells us that even demons have a form of belief but
their belief only makes them shudder; it doesn't save them. What is
the difference between genuine faith and false faith?
Genuine
faith requires repentance. Repentance first involves an understanding
of our bankrupt, sinful condition and the awful cost of our sins to God
-- sending His one and only Son to die in our place. Do you have a
genuine grief over your sin and its terrible cost? If so, that leads
to a desire to turn from sin and turn to God seeking His mercy and
forgiveness that is only available through Jesus Christ. Jesus tells
us in these verses that repentance is necessary:
Do
you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other
Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you no, but, unless
you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:2,3
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10
We also read in the book of Acts:
Repent
therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19
Do
you think you're basically a pretty good person and this repentance
business is only for seriously bad sinners? In the end, the only
opinion that will matter concerning how good you are is God's opinion.
This
is why believing is simple and yet difficult. It is simple in the
sense that Christ has done the work for us and difficult because of our
sinful pride. No one likes to admit they are wrong and seek
forgiveness especially when it involves the very essence of who we
are. By our very nature we are sinners who desperately need
forgiveness.
Genuine faith
involves repenting (turning from sin to God); it involves the mind,
emotions, and will as we place our faith (belief) in Jesus Christ --
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." Acts 16:31
Now
the decision is yours, God is offering a gift of forgiveness of sins
and eternal life. Will you accept or reject the God's gift offer?
Think carefully! You will never make a more important decision in your
life. Speaking of life, we have no idea whether we will be alive
tomorrow, next week, or two minutes from now. This life is our only
chance to accept God's offer. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27
that it is appointed for everyone to die once and after this comes
judgment. "Not guilty" is a verdict we can all live with -- forever in
the presence of God!
Ready to place your
faith in Christ? If so, here is a short prayer for you to follow.
Please understand saying a prayer doesn't save you, Jesus Christ saves
you. Telling God what we are doing is of far more benefit to us than
God. God knows your heart and, if your faith is genuine, your sins are
forgiven before you say the first word of this prayer:
"Dear
God, I know I'm a sinner. I know my sin deserves to be punished. I
believe Christ died for me and rose from the grave. I trust Jesus
Christ alone as my Savior. Thank you for the forgiveness and
everlasting life I now have. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Did
you place your faith in Christ? If so, welcome to the family of God!
The angels in Heaven are rejoicing over you right now (Luke 15:10) -- a party in your honor as a new child of God. John 1:12
says, "But as many as received Him (Jesus),* to them He gave the right
to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name..,"
What
do you do now? Tell someone about your decision. Start reading the Bible, praying, and attending
a local church. All these will help you to begin growing spiritually
-- getting to know God better. If we can be of assistance in any of
these areas please let us know!