WHAT IF GOD’S OFFER WERE NOT BASED ON FAITH ALONE? – “…that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I’d like you to picture with me three very common scenarios today: • Picture with me all those trying to get to God through GOOD WORKS today— People who are SINCERE—WORKING, TRYING and DYING. Even though Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” • Picture people everywhere trying to earn salvation by obeying God’s Laws… All in an effort to please God; to make themselves a little more worthy of God; hoping to get to God by their goodness and righteous living. This, in spite of what God said about our goodness and good life in Isaiah 64:6 where we read, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” • Picture people in a vain effort to get to heaven through religion,… Trusting in a certain church or denomination or faith group; or trusting in certain religious rites such as baptism, or confession or communion. All this in spite of Titus 3:5, which says “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” • But now picture this final scenario, which may surprise you… A dying thief on one of the three crosses of Calvary. On the cross in the middle is Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb of God dying for the sins of everyone, including the two thieves there with Jesus, one on each side of Him. One of them mocked Jesus, but the other said to Jesus in faith, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) Now wait just a minute!—How DARE him say such a thing! Why, he had lived his whole life in sin! Jesus was on the cross UNJUSTLY, because He never once in His whole life committed a single sin, much less a felony worthy of death. But this thief—he was just the vulgar riffraff of society, a common thief, and apparently one who was incorrigible because the cross was not the punishment imposed for common thievery. As a rule, only thieves who were repeat offenders, who were deemed incorrigible or irredeemable were punished by crucifixion. This was a thief, a sinner, a man of dishonesty, fraud, deception and vice. It’s doubtful that he ever lived a good life, consistently tried to obey the commandments of God, or do good deeds for the poor. He had never taken communion, been baptized or been confirmed. I doubt if he ever tithed or did any other righteous acts. How dare such a one as he approach the holy Son of God and ask Him to remember HIM when He got to heaven. But look at what Jesus said to him: “…Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) The dying thief was given the promise of eternal life with Jesus on the basis of only one thing—FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST who paid his sin penalty in his place.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 10:10:41 +0000
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