1. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.
2. He was buried.
3. He rose again on the 3rd Day according to the Scriptures.
You might be asking, what does that have to do with anything? Why is it important?
From the time Adam and Eve first disobeyed God, sin required something to have to die. An animal was usually killed to cover over sins (animal blood itself could not take away sins, but the animal's blood would cover sin).
The animal was normally a lamb. Today we do not kill lambs to cover over our sins. But a sacrifice is still required. Why? For the same reason. Something has to die for our sin. Our sin requires death from someone or something. If our sin is not covered, we will die for our sins. Sin affected us physically, and spiritually. We are spiritually dead in our sins.
Two thousand years ago, Someone did die for our sins. This person never sinned or did anything wrong. This person did not have to die for His sins, because He didn't have any. But we needed someone to die in our place, so our sins could not only be covered, but God says He will remove our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He also says that even though our sins are as scarlet, they will be made white as snow**.
When Jesus was walking on this earth, John the Baptist pointed Him out and called Him, 'The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" *** . Jesus died for our sins. All of our sins were placed upon Him when He was dying on a rugged Cross. He died a terrible death so we would have the opportunity to turn to Him and be set free from the penalty and power of sin.
For three hours, darkness covered the whole earth. Just before He died, some of the last words Jesus said were, "It is finished" meaning that the sacrifice that was necessary to pay for our sins was now accomplished. A heavy curtain was torn in two, which separated the Holy of Holies from the people. Because God's presence was in this place, no one could go in there, except a priest to bring an offering before God. Now the way to God was made open to people, because of Jesus' death on the Cross. Now, every sin we have ever committed or will commit has been placed upon Jesus and will be taken away from us if we repent and turn to God.
It is not enough to know all this, as important as this is. We must individually act upon it and respond to it, or it will do us no good.
We respond to it by turning away from selfishness and living for ourselves, and we turn to God in repentance and faith in what Jesus did on the Cross for us. We do not have to sacrifice lambs today in order for our sins to be covered, but we do have to turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.
Here are two lies people believe in today, concerning the Gospel. Please take notice for many will argue about the need to turn to God in repentance and faith.
Two lies:
1. God is all-loving and will not send people to hell.
2. I am a good person, and will go to heaven when I die because I am not bad.
First of all, God is love. His love is so great that He sent His Son to earth to pay for our sins. That is the greatest manifestation of love that exists. But He did this because He must punish sin. Either your sin will be punished by spending eternity in hell, or, by Jesus death on the Cross. God does not spare the world of punishment for sin.
The Bible is clear that no one is good. No human being is good enough to go to heaven. Only Jesus lived a perfect life with never sinning. Even if we only committed one sin in our lives, it would be serious enough for God to punish it. But we sin continually because our fabric is made up of a sinful heart and nature. Only God can give us the power to say 'no' to sin, and 'yes' to righteousness.
God is merciful to us and does not want anyone to go to hell. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Have I ever told a lie?
2. Have I ever taken something that doesn't belong to me?
3. Have I ever looked with lustful intent on someone whom I am not married to?
4. Have I ever taken God's name in vain?
5. Have I ever loved something more than I loved God?
6. Have I ever wanted something more than I wanted God?
7. Do I let God have complete control over my life, or do I want to be my own boss and call the shots?
8. Have I ever hated anyone?
9. Have I ever been angry with someone because they didn't do what I wanted them to do?
10. Have I ever told others something untrue or stretched about someone else?
11. Have I always honored my father and mother, or my guardians?
12. Who am I living for; God or myself?
13. Have I ever had an abortion?
14. Have I ever had a sexual relationship outside of marriage?
15. Is God precious to me, and do I talk about Him and show my love for Him in the things I say and by the way I live out my life?
There are many more questions we can ask ourselves to see if we really are without sin, but this is a start.
Here is the url to a video that deals with the two lies people believe. It is a worthwhile video to watch.
Two Of The Scariest Lies On Earth Right Now
* 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
** Isaiah 1:18
*** John 1:29
Any questions or comments are welcome. Also, please send an email for more information on the Gospel if interested. Send to: awestruck@bellsouth.net
