Bible Ballistics: BBs #464 There Is Only ONE Way!!!
I have been thinking lately about all the distortions that people have come to believe about the “Gospel” of Jesus. It seems that the “Gospel” for many today has little relationship to the truth of Jesus—the rock of our salvation.
“This is the stone
which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation
in any other:
for there is none other name
under heaven
given among men,
whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12
Jesus is that “name”, and only by His substitutionary, atoning, sacrifice can we receive salvation—eternal life with God, now and forever! Sin is the issue, my friend, not opinion, or popularity, not good deeds or religion, not wealth or culture, it is sin that separates us from God, and only the blood of Jesus can forgive and cleanse from sin! Only HIM!
“Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ……
6 For when we were yet without strength,
in due time Christ died
for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love
toward us,
in that,
while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
9 Much more then,
being now justified
by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath
through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God
by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so,
but we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom we have now received
the atonement.” Romans 5:1 & 6-11
Jesus died in our place because sin made us enemies of God—separating us from HIM— and without Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, we would have no hope of reconciliation to God.
“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities
have separated between you and your God,
and your sins
have hid his face from you,
that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2
But we aren’t hopeless—Jesus has come, lived a sinless life, and died for my/your sin—for all who will repent and receive His sacrifice for sin. But we must recognize our sin as sin. If we have no sin, why would we need a Savior? God wants all to come to salvation–but He has given us the free will to choose—what have you chosen to follow?
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Jesus also told us that we must recognize sin as sin, and if we refuse to see our sin–rename it, justify it, try to rectify it, or just plain deny it—we will be required to pay for our own sin. And it will cost us our lives for eternity, just as Peter proclaimed in our first verse, there is only ONE way—and Jesus is His name.
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3 & 5
Repent means to turn around—to see that I am going the wrong way, and to turn from sin to Jesus. Repentance and faith are flip-sides of the same coin; just turning over a new leaf doesn’t save, and saying we believe without seeing our own sin negates the truth that only the blood of Jesus saves and cleanses us from sin! What Gospel do you believe?
“If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness,
we lie,
and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful
and just
to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:6-9
I’ll simply close with some scriptural truth about Jesus:
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:14
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God
unto salvation
to every one that believeth;
to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith:
as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
“For all have sinned,
and come short
of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
No matter what the world says, Jesus said it all:
“Jesus saith unto him,
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.” John 14:6
Amen!!!
