The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Plain and Simple
The real answer to how to get the Heaven is not found in some religious system or by man’s self-righteousness, but in the pages of the Holy Bible. God has declared that “there is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10), “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Are you really a sinner? Let’s find out. God’s Word teaches that sin is a very serious matter, and for sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4). The law spoken of here is God’s law, the Ten Commandments. So let’s take a look at a few of them to see if you’ve kept them, or, if you are indeed a sinner. Now this will be a bit uncomfortable for you. It’s not pretty, but it is necessary so we can see ourselves the way God sees us.
Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? Isn’t it true that one lie makes you a liar?
Have you ever stolen anything? Be honest, you just admitted to being a liar. So what does that make you?
Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Think about that, taking the name of the God who gave you life, your family, and your health and using it the way you would use a 4-letter word.
If you answered honestly you are a lying thief, and a blasphemer. So when God judges us by His standard, will you be innocent or guilty? Will you go to heaven or hell?
The Bible says;
…all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8)
No thief can enter into the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
God will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain (Exodus 20:7)
Maybe you think: God is good, so He’ll just forgive me since I’m really sorry. Think about a court of law for a moment. You are a judge presiding over a case. There is a murderer before you, all the evidence of his guilt is there. But he tells you: “I’m really sorry, please forgive me and let me go”. If you are a good judge can you let him go? No, not if you are a good judge. You know justice must be served and the fine must be paid before he can go free. Because God is good, by nature he must punish all sin. All murderers, rapists, adulterers, thieves, and liars. If He didn’t He wouldn’t be good would He?
Now God knows all your thoughts, and all yours secret sins, and on judgment day all your sins will be brought into the courtroom as evidence of your guilt.
So what can you do about your sin problem? Can you clean up your life, “repent of all your sins”, or do good works and hope that in the end your good works will outweigh your bad works? NO! Salvation does not come to those who work for it, but to those who cease from their own works, placing their trust exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5 makes that point abundantly clear: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Let’s go back to the courtroom. You’re guilty of serious crimes and they are about to take you away. Just then someone you’ve never met before steps into the courtroom and says, “Judge if your willing I’ll take his place” The judge says yes I’m willing then sets you free. What would you do? Will you turn back to the judge and say no thanks; I’ll just do my time? Or will you turn to the person who is willing to take your place and say thank you?
That is what God did for you. He sent His only Son to pay the price for your sin.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
The issue is not what you can do for God, but what God has done for you. “But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “He hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).
You have no righteousness of your own. To have eternal life you must have the righteousness of God-which is made available to you as a gift from God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sin free life. Then He died on the cross to pay for the sins we committed against God. The fine that we owe. He was the perfect sacrifice for all sin. Yours and mine. Then He rose from the dead and defeated death so we could all have everlasting life.
It’s this simple. You broke the Law, but Jesus paid your fine.
None of us is good enough to get to heaven on our own. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). What then is your responsibility? God has given you a free will to either accept or reject what He has done for you. To have God’s righteousness, you must believe that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried; and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3,4).
We must trust in Jesus the way you would trust a parachute. Do you just believe in the parachute then jump out of the plane? No! You put it on and cling tightly to it trusting that it will save you from sure death.
Your personal responsibility to believe the gospel should be as we read of in Ephesians: “In Whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
At this very moment you have the personal responsibility of making a decision. If you are convinced by God’s Word, you can be saved right now: Simply make the decision in your heart to trust completely and exclusively in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as the total payment to God for your sins.
The moment you do, God will forgive all your sins, give you His life and save you from spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
The choice is now up to you……
If you have never been “born-again”, pray and ask God to forgive your sins, and make you a new creature in Christ. He will. He promised that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved(Romans 10:13). You have His promise. If you don’t know what to say, read Psalm 51 to get an idea what a sinful man says to a holy God. Then read your bible everyday, and do what it says. Find a good Bible believing-Bible preaching church and get busy telling others about how Jesus paid your fine. God will always be with you.
If you’re already are a Christian, What on earth are you doing for heavens sake? Anything? Or are you like a Dr. with a cure for cancer and all you can think about is studying more to have a better understanding of the cure. But you never tell one person how to be cured! Shame on you! Get busy telling people about Jesus. Blow the dust off your Bible, read it, and do what it says. Every second, two people die; don’t let them die without warning them of the judgment. Do something for God. There is a war going on. If your not gonna shoot at least carry bullets.