Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.(Isaiah 55:6-7)
It does not matter where you are in life. It does not matter what you have done. No matter how bad you think you have been, or know that you have been, God is able and willing to forgive you, wipe out your sin and, turn you life around. All you have to do is turn to Him, ask for forgiveness, and trust Him. Repent. Be willing for Him to change you. Be willing to turn from your sin. Trust him to do it.
You may wonder why God would be willing to do such a thing for mankind. Here is just one of many promises from the bible…
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.(John 3:16)
The first reason for his great kindness is that loves us. But God is holy and just so, He can not just overlook our sin. If God is to be a just judge then sin has to be punished. If hearing that makes you feel a little, or, a lot uncomfortable it should. It means you are in a place where you are able to receive God’s mercy.
As I said, God can not just overlook our sin. Because of His holiness sin has to punished. So how can he forgive us and satisfy His holiness? Jesus! Jesus is God’s son. He was willing to come to here to save humanity. Not only for humanity’s sake, but, for His Father’s. The sinless Son of God was here to die. It was not a sad tragedy that Jesus was crucified. He came here for that purpose. The price for man’s sin is death. Jesus came to pay that price. By dying Jesus paid a price that we could not pay. By dying Jesus satisfied God’s holiness and righteous judgment upon sin. In fact it pleased God to punish Him in our place.
He (Jesus) was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8: He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9: And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:7-10)
Jesus rose from the dead after 3 days, justified. He has justified those of us who believe in Him. God the Father is justified in forgiving our sin because Jesus has paid the price for all people. However, this is not automatic. God paid such a high price for you and me because He desires to have a relationship with us. Can you have a successful marriage without a relationship? At some point two people have to meet. They begin to get to know one another. Before you know it they are engaged then are married and have intimate knowledge of one another. This is what the Lord desires with us. It is not enough to go to church ever now an then. In the end He must know you and you must know him. I leave you with a parable Jesus told concerning what will happen at the time of His return.
Matthew 7:21-22
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
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