Jesus' Salvation offer
From the dawn of history, humanity has had an unquenchable thirst for God. Although Marx claimed there was no God, he agreed that man's thirst for a God was such, that in his view, man needed to invent 'God'. In my 33 years as a Minister of the Gospel, people have always experienced in any bereavement situation a sentiment that says, surely there is something more after one's earthly life.
The Old Testament from the very first verse assumes God. "In the beginning God ….." Genesis 1 verse 1. The Old Testament story is the unfolding relationship between God and His creation, from harmony to brokenness.
Sin broke the relationship between God and man/woman. Satan suggested that God's Word was untrustworthy and as a result, men and women placed trust elsewhere and so were thrust out of the Garden that God had created for them. From that point, there was struggle and disharmony.
Sin is one of the critical words in the Scriptures. Sin, as seen above, is rebellion against God. It is rebellion against His holiness. It is rebellion against all that He offers.
Here lies the great unseen battles - between God and Satan, man against man, and man's internal battle between sin and righteousness.
Every one of us has that 'unseen voice' within our heart that is in constant conversation. This is the Holy Spirit, speaking into our lives. He certainly speaks to our conscience.
This 'inner unseen' conversation takes many forms.
For example, when you hit a hole in one on the golf course, that conversation rejoices in such a brilliant golf shot. On the other hand, when one sins, that conversation takes on a different form. We hear in our inner being that a wrong has been committed. Everyone regardless of culture or race has this 'conversation' in common.
But God had a plan to redeem man from sin, and as sin broke the relationship, it needs to be annulled. In the Old Testament the blood of an innocent lamb was shed to wipe away sin.
God's ultimate plan was to become sin – that's right – it's a terrible concept. God Himself came to earth as a man, Jesus Christ (The Messiah), and took the sin of everyone upon Himself. His blood that was shed, once for all. That is why Jesus exclaimed on the Cross, 'It is finished'.
The Cross is therefore the centre piece of Christian theology.
Christ, (Himself sinless), died for our sin.
God the Son, gave Himself for us.
When we believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us.
Although believers still sin and fail, now there is confidence that through Christ's death on the Cross we now have 'two' very super joys and this is good news!
An astonishing freedom fills our hearts that Christ has died for our sin.
And, conviction in the Lord Jesus Christ, saving us by His death on the Cross, the resurrection is our guarantee of eternal life.
Statement: It is conditional. It is, in the end, an offer.
In every culture and race there are those people who say, 'Yes please, I choose God's Biblical Salvation plan."
The vast majority, say, "No, I'm in control of my life, I have no need for God, or, I have a different belief, and I don't want to be involved in this".
In my next Letter I'll discuss the nature and implication of these choices.