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THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

God’s message to YOU…

I’m sure that if you were asked the question “do you wish to be in Heaven one day?” the answer would be “yes”. I don’t think that if the same question was asked of a hundred people, there would be even one who would fail to answer yes, if they were being entirely honest.


But what if another question was asked; this time “what are you relying upon to take you there?” No doubt such a question might be met with a variety of answers, or perhaps a shrug of the shoulders.


The issues of eternity, and of heaven and hell do not need to be those that cause us to worry or drift through life hoping for the best at the end. It is possible to know here and now that we have the certainty of a secure eternity in God’s heaven. As always, we must turn to God’s word, the Bible to find out more.


The Bible establishes six key facts in presenting to us God’s salvation that we ALL need, that is, His provision and plan in order for us to prepare for eternity.


Fact 1:- We are ALL sinners.


Romans chapter 3 verse 23 “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

Romans chapter 3 verse 10 “As it is written, there is NONE righteous (sinless), no, not one.


This key fact is something that may not be pleasant to hear or easy to accept. It can sometimes cause people to turn away and reject what the Bible says simply because they were not expecting the Bible (and hence God) to make such a statement about them. However, to accept that we are all sinners and that we have a problem is the first step toward dealing with it, much as in the same way we must first accept we have a problem with our physical health before we can go to a doctor and seek help for that. People always see themselves as “good” and yet the Bible describes us all as sinners. How can this be?


Surely this is because of the difference between what we see as sinful and what God sees as sinful. We, as humans, tend to view only the worst of behaviour or crime as “bad” and those who commit them as “sinners” and worthy of punishment. However God views anything which falls short of His perfect standards as sin, and that includes even what we might dismiss as negligible; the occasion when we tell the small lie or think the hateful thought of someone. Essentially, God views us all the same, with no rank or scale… we are all sinners.


Fact 2:- Our sin causes eternal death and separation from God




Sin is the root of every problem in our world; greed on the part of one person or group causes a lack on the part of others, mankind’s hatred causes countless wars and deaths, lies and deceit are used for fraud and theft.

But sin is also the root of the issues between mankind and God. It brought about death, as our verse above states. If you read the early chapters of Genesis, before the first sin was committed at the fall, there never had been any death. In addition to all this, and more importantly, sin was the reason for the separation between mankind and God which originated at the fall and continues to this day.

Unless we can have our sin dealt with and forgiven, that separation will continue into eternity and we can never experience heaven.


Fact 3:- God does not want to punish sinners forever



Both verses quoted here tell us that although we are all sinners, and although that sin offends God and is contrary to His absolute holiness, He does not want to punish sinners for eternity. He is a God of love and His desire is that we will “repent” of our sin, that is, confess it to Him, ask forgiveness for it and turn away from all the wrong we have done.


The Lord…

is longsuffering toward us, NOT willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to REPENTANCE

Fact 4 :- Our sin can be forgiven… NOW!




The good news of the gospel is that our sin can be forgiven by God. Our first verse above tell us that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this world. He lived for 33 years, performing many miracles, and giving wonderful teaching and lessons, but ultimately He died a sacrificial death and shed His blood at Calvary on a Roman cross. He suffered cruel treatment at the hands of hateful men, but it was what happened during the three hours of darkness that brought about salvation (the forgiveness of sins) for mankind. God veiled the world in a darkness when the sun should have been at its brightest, and poured out His righteous judgement for sin upon His own Son. In other words, Christ bore the punishment for your sin and mine; He took the place and paid the price of all those who believe through faith.

All that is left for mankind to do it to personally believe in Christ as Saviour and depend on that work for their salvation, and confess their sins to God.


Fact 5:- We can’t get to heaven by our own effort




This verse from Ephesians tells us that to be “saved” from the judgement of God upon our sin and to have heaven as our eternal home is the result of God’s grace which comes through faith. It is not through our own efforts or “works”, no matter how well-intentioned they may be. This would include charitable works, living a good life, helping others and even church attendance or involvement. The apostle Paul warns us that it is “not of works” but through a real faith in Christ.

…by GRACE are you saved, through FAITH… it is the gift of GOD

Fact 6:- The time to get right with God is NOW




Many people say they will think about eternity when they are about to die. Yet the wisdom of the Proverb quoted reminds us that we don’t know what may lie ahead of us, even tomorrow. We may not get the opportunity to consider these things and prepare to meet God, as all too often we are reminded that our life can be taken too soon and without warning. This is why the apostle Paul wrote that NOW is the time to prepare by trusting Christ for salvation.


Death, however, is only one circumstance which will end the time of opportunity to be “saved”. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus Christ will return from heaven to the skies to take those who trusted in Him and who belong to Him to heaven. The Bible never guarantees any opportunity to be saved after this great event, but it guarantees the opportunity NOW.


Don’t drift through life hoping for the best, or trying to deserve or work for salvation. The bible calls it a “gift” and as with any gift, you simply need to accept it.

If you would like to know more, or would like a free copy of the Bible, please click below to contact us. We would be delighted to answer any questions.


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