God Is Uncreated

Whoa. Can you imagine something that has not been created? You and I were created. The flowers and the trees were also created. Your cute little pup or kitten was created. God created these things for us to enjoy.

But no one or thing created God. God has always been here. He never had a birthday or a starting point. There is nothing bigger than God is. Plus, He has always been in existence.

Think of a point in time. Think of a point in eternity past, like 5 trillion years ago. God was in existence then, not that eternal things are measured in time. God was before that time period. Of course, time is not the same as eternity. Time was created for us, when God created the world.

Whatever point in time that we imagine, in eternity past, God was before that. No matter how far back we could go in our minds, God would still be before that. That’s because He has always been in existence. There was never a time when He did not exist. Not even in eternity past.

New Heart, New Power, New Desires, New Life!

Have you been born again? When a person comes to Christ in repentance and faith, he or she becomes a new creature in Christ. He or she is learning to live a new life in a new way, with a new heart, and the power of God to say ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to righteousness.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

How Good Do You Have To Be?

How good do you have to be in order to go to heaven? Are you that good? Here are some questions you can ask yourself in order to see if you are good enough for heaven. Keep in mind that you would have to have never broken any of the commandments, even as a child, in order to be perfect. Perfection is the requirement for salvation. You will have to have been 100% perfect all of your life.

1. Have you ever told a lie?
2. Have you ever taken something that is not yours?
3. Have you ever been angry with someone?
4. Have you ever not loved someone?
5. Have you ever been a bully?
6. Have you ever had unclean thoughts?
7. Have you ever had an abortion (murder)?
8. Have you ever had sexual relationships outside of marriage?
9. Have you ever wanted something badly, that is not necessary?
10. Have you loved God 24/7 your whole life?
11. Ever cheated in a game or on your income tax?
12. Ever desired something more than desiring God (Idolatry)?
13. Ever boasted (love of self-self-importance instead of God-importance)?
14. Ever been deceitful?
15. Ever schemed evil plans?
16. Ever taken God’s name in vain?
17. Do you keep one day a week to spend paying special attention to God without distractions?
18. Do you like to argue (divisiveness)?
19. Do you play people against each other (manipulation, which is witchcraft)?
20. Have you always respected the authority figures in your life?

As you can see, this list could go on and on. The point is, God is so very holy and perfect, yet, He loves us and wants us to know Him. But we cannot know Him because we are full of our own selfishness and pride. The two main commandments that we have to obey are: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and, love your neighbor as yourself. As you can probably see here, that is impossible to do. Plus, because God is holy, we are in danger of His judgment for our sins. He will judge us for our sins by sending us to a place of torment and pain for eternity. Once a person is in hell, he or she will never be able to get out. Eternity doesn’t end.

But God has a better way. God knows that we cannot be good enough to please Him. He wants us to have a relationship with Him, so He sent His only Son, 2,000 years ago, to die on the Cross for our sins. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve, when He died on the Cross. He was buried in a tomb, but he arose from the dead on the third day. He lived a perfect life while He was on earth, 2,000 years ago. He died in our place. We can only get into heaven on His score.

Many people think they are going to heaven after they die, simply because they know these facts and believe they are true. But, all the demons know the facts also and they know the facts are true, but they will not be in heaven. Why?

It is because the demons do not trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. A person must come to Christ in repentance and faith. He or she must turn away from living the self-centered life they have been living. The person must trust in Jesus’ death on the Cross to pay for his or her sin. The person must turn to God and away from self.

When a person truly comes to Christ, God will give the person a new heart. The new heart will be one that will not be selfish. God will also give the person His Holy Spirit to live in him or her. The Holy Spirit gives the power to not want to sin anymore and helps people with their sinful struggles. The Bible talks about being ‘born again’ which means that the person who comes to Christ is born into God’s family now. The person’s spiritual heart is now alive as his or her spiritual part has been activated.

If you want more information on this, please send me an email at awestruck@bellsouth.net

 

Why Did God Give Us The 10 Commandments?

A lot of people think of God as a tyrant or bully. But why would people think like that? God gave us life and breath, yet we are angry because He has rules or boundaries.

God gives us rules and boundaries to protect us. But He also gives them to us because we are prone to sin and wander. God wants us to be reconciled to Him, but we would rather do our own thing.

We are autonomous, which basically means we want to live our lives independent of God. When we sin, or break His laws, we know we have done wrong. We know that He will not be pleased, so we end up with guilt and shame. Not only that, but God will have to punish us for our sins and wrongdoings.

Jesus explained that there are two great commandments. One of them is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The other commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. If your love for yourself is small, then your love for your neighbor is small. But human beings don’t have that problem. Human beings do love themselves. But in comparison, we do not love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

If you received a check for $10,000, who would you share it with? Would you split it with your best friend, or would you evenly dole out the money to each or your children? I don’t think any of us would do that, unless it was in a will that was prepared beforehand. I doubt if any of us would share our newly acquired money. Plus, we would justify what we did with it by saying that we are going to invest it or use it toward our college tuitions for our children. There is nothing wrong with that either, but, the point is that it would probably never enter our minds to share it with others, especially those who are trying to pay their bills, yet always coming up short, or to give it to someone we know who is looking for a job, so they can buy an outfit to wear during the interview. I know how selfish I could be if I were to find money!

The 10 Commandments were designed for a couple of reasons, but one of them specifically has to do with today’s topic. God gave us the 10 Commandments so that we would be tutored and guided into understanding that God is completely holy and we are completely sinful. No one can study the 10 Commandments and have the assurance that they have always kept them perfectly. The 10 Commandments show us that we are sinners. We need to know we are sinners before we can be saved from sin. Let’s look at them briefly.

1. You (meaning the Israelites and us) shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make any graven images of God. (Idolatry)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God, in vain. (Using God’s name as a cuss word).
4. You shall keep the Sabbath Day holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not kill (murder – anger can be murder of the heart)
7. You shall not commit adultery. (Stay faithful to one spouse. No lustful eyes allowed – Matt. 5:28)
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness (tell lies).
10.You shall not covet (wanting something so badly)

There are other rules and boundaries in the Bible, but you have to remember that we cannot keep those rules and when we break them, there is punishment. God punishes lawbreakers. God calls them ‘trespassers’.

Occasionally, there will be a yard or property that has a sign saying, ‘No Trespassing’. You are not allowed past the boundary onto the forbidden property. But that is exactly what we do when we sin. We go in territory that we don’t belong in.

Trespassers are lawbreakers. God gives us the boundaries, and we always go past them though. God created this world without flaw, in the beginning, yet, after Adam and Even sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, they were now trespassers. In fact, an angel with a flaming sword protected the Garden of Eden and stood in the front so Adam and Eve could not come back into the Garden.

Now we are all trespassers. But, there is One who holds the ‘pass’, so to speak. We have made a mess of God’s world because of our sin, but God in His mercy provided a cure for us, and a way was made so that we would no longer be trespassers in His land.

Around 2,000 years ago, God in His compassion sent His only Son to earth. His mother, a teenage girl, became pregnant without ever having a relationship with a man! God was the Father of this child who was born. This child grew up and although He spent only 33 years on this planet, the impact of His life has changed the whole course of the world.

This man lived a perfect life, and never, not even one time, broke any of the commandments. Yet, He was on trial for things that He was accused of doing, but in reality, He had not done. He died in our place because we needed an atonement.

An atonement is a covering for sin. Since God has to punish all sin, we always need a covering for our sins when we approach God. From the beginning of time, human beings have sacrificed animals to atone for their sins. When Adam and Eve sinned, they covered themselves with fig leaves, but God took an animal and killed it and they were covered with this animal’s skin instead of the fig leaves.

All the Old Testament Fathers (Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) knew that something had to cover over our sins. During the time of the first Passover, Moses was instructed by God to have all the Israelite families to kill a lamb (one without any blemishes) and to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the door posts in the houses. Any family that did not follow those directions would have a family member die that night when the Death Angel passed over the land. Israel was living in Egypt at that time, and the Egyptian rulers were very mean and defiant toward God. God was very patient with them but they did not repent, so, when the Death Angel came over the land that night, every home in Egypt had someone who died. The wailing was so loud because of the deaths that occurred. But those who put the blood of the lamb on the door posts were protected and did not have anyone die in their homes. God led the Israelites out of Egypt after that so they could go into their own land. This was the first Passover. It is called Passover because the Death Angel passed over the homes with the blood of the lamb on the door posts.

When Jesus came to earth, around 2,000 years ago, He became the ‘Passover Lamb’. In John 1:29, John the Baptist called Jesus ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. He lived a perfect, sinless life, yet He died because we our sinful and need an atonement for our sins. He also rose again from the grave and is alive today. One day He will return to earth to bring His own with Him, and to judge those who do not know Him and are still in their sins.

We sin whenever we break the commandments. We sin simply by not loving God perfectly. We sin by not loving our neighbors perfectly. (Neighbors are people who we know like friends, family, relatives, co-workers, cashiers, acquaintances, teachers, bosses, in-laws, those in our churches, etc.). We think we love God, but we can tell if we really do by looking at our schedules, check books, friends, activities, etc. Our words betray us and give us the evidence of what we really love and have affections for. What do your actions reveal about your heart and affections?

If we could perfectly love God, we would be able to keep the commandments all the time, without ever faltering. But since we can’t, that is why we need a Savior. That is why we need a covering for our sins. That is what Jesus provides for us today.

Having an atonement for our sins involves much more than just going to heaven after we die. God created each one of us to have a relationship with Him, and He wants us to be reconciled to Him, but we can’t be reconciled until our sin problem is taken care of. Jesus paid the price for our sins. We must respond to God by letting go of our sins and our ‘rights’ to ourselves and our selfishnesses. We also need to turn to God and trust in what Jesus did for us on the Cross. We do not have to find any lambs today to sacrifice for the covering for our sins. Jesus died one time, and that is enough for God to accept as a complete atonement that pays for every person’s sins, for all time. Each person must respond though, or it will do him or her no good. What will your choice be?

What Happens When A Person Comes To Christ

First, we must understand that all of us are born with a sinful heart that doesn’t love God. We are very selfish and we are trapped by our sinful hearts. We are also blinded to the truths that God wants us to know.
Every person must be cleansed from their sins before they can be made right before God. If a person dies in their sin, God will punish him or her for eternity in hell, which would be beyond horrible.
God provided a way for us to be cleansed from our sins, when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth, 2,000 years ago. Jesus lived a perfect life and never sinned. He died a death He did not deserve, but He died the death we deserve for our sins. He died in our place so we can go free.
After He died, He arose from the grave three days later. He also ascended back up to heaven, as was observed by His followers.
Now we can have our sins forgiven. We have to trust in what Jesus did on the Cross in order to pay for our sins. When we turn away from our sins and trust in Jesus as our Savior, He promises to forgive us of all of our sins. But there is so much more that happens.
When a person comes to Christ in repentance and faith, he or she is born into God’s family. People are not God’s children until they repent and place their trust in Christ.
People who belong to Christ belong to the kingdom of God now. They are no longer in the kingdom of Darkness. Instead of being ruled by our sinful hearts, we are now ruled by God, because Jesus is their King.
A person who comes to Christ receives a new heart. This new heart has new desires. The old, selfish heart is still there for now, but the new heart can do what God wants that person to do.
A person who comes to Christ has the power, through God’s Holy Spirit to not have to give into sinful desires. This person can say ‘no’ to sin, whereas before, he or she would indulge the sinful desires. There is no power against sin until the person comes to Christ and is born again.
A person who comes to Christ is empowered to live a holy life now, because he or she has the Holy Spirit indwelling him or her. The power of God is now available for the person to live a holy, Godly life. The Holy Spirit of God does not dwell in people who haven’t come to Christ.
The person who comes to Christ is now, spiritually speaking, clothed in the robes of righteousness. No person is good enough to go to heaven on his own. It’s only through what Jesus did on the Cross that provides the righteousness we need to have to be completely pure in God’s sight.
The person who comes to Christ also has spiritual eyes to see with. He or she can now understand what the Bible is saying. A person who hasn’t come to Christ is spiritually blind. He can’t see the kingdom of God, nor can he or she understand God’s Word. It won’t make sense to him or her.
Many things take place in a person when that person comes to Christ. Jesus is the only way to heaven. No good work on our part will add even an iota to their credit. Jesus made a perfect score and we can only get in on His score, not ours. The only thing we score is payment for our sins. But God gives us salvation freely. It is a gift of God, not something we earn.
For more information, please send an email to: RUgood@mail.com

How It All Happened – The Story of The Gospel

Have you ever wondered why there is so much turmoil in our world? Have you ever thought about tragedies and why they occur? Why are there tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other such things as these? Well, here is going to be a partial answer, but it will have the core of what you need to know and what you can do for yourself as difficulties hit you or your families.

It all began around 6,000 years ago, or so, when God had created the earth, plants, animals, and people. But before all of this got started, God was there. You see, God never had a beginning point. He doesn’t have a birthday because He was never born. There was never a time or point in eternity past where God did not exist. Can you wrap your head around that?

Besides creating people and animals, the sun, moon, and stars, God had created another type of being. But these beings were not like people, because they were spiritual. They live in the spiritual realm, although they can be in a physical realm and function in many different tasks. Angels were not created in God’s image though, but people were. Angels are beautiful, and very powerful, but they are not as powerful as God is. They are created by God, and they are limited in their power. They serve to worship God and to serve Him in their appointed assignments.

One day, one of these angels named Lucifer, decided he was going to try to be more powerful than God. Because of his rebellion to God, God punished him and he was thrown down to the earth. Lucifer took one-third of the angels with him. Now heaven was minus one-third of the angels, plus Lucifer. Lucifer has other names like ‘Satan’ or as we commonly call him, ‘The devil’. He was now evil and sinister. He has been viciously angry with God ever since then.

On the sixth day of creation, God created land animal, plus He made the first man. This man’s name was ‘Adam’. God made a woman that day and her name was Eve. Adam and Eve were married and lived in a beautiful place that was called, ‘Eden’. After God created different things, he said that they were ‘good’. After God created Adam and Eve, He said that they were ‘very good’. Adam was created in God’s image. There were going to be things in Adam that were going to look like God. God took care of Adam and God would come down and talk with Adam in the cool of the day.

God explained to Adam that they were allowed to eat the fruit from any of the trees in the Garden, except there was one tree they were not allowed to eat from. That tree was called, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God explained that if they were to eat from that tree, they would die. They had a lot of choices of food to eat, so it would seem like that wouldn’t have been a problem, right?

Eve was by herself, and a snake came up to her and started talking to her (I assume that perhaps animals could talk at this point, since she didn’t seem to be taken by surprise). The devil was inside of the snake talking to her. He asked her if God really told her that she couldn’t eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and she told the snake that God said not to do that. Then the devil told her a lie. He said that she wouldn’t die. He also said that she would become like God. What do you think Eve did? She looked at the fruit, and saw that it tasted good. Adam came around and she gave some of the fruit to him and he ate it as well. What do you think God was thinking? Do you think that God was surprised?

God came down and Adam and Eve ran away and hid themselves. God found them and talked to them. He talked to Adam, Eve, and the snake. God was going to punish Adam and Eve and the snake. Now Adam’s work load was going to be very hard because God had cursed the earth (this is why we have sicknesses today and why we die). Eve was going to have a lot of pain in child bearing, and the snake was going to crawl on his belly from now on. There was one special promise though, that God gave to Adam and Eve. God was going to send Someone one day who would crush the devil’s head. God was going to send Someone who would rescue mankind.

From this point on, there was turmoil. There was no more nice, peaceful earth where everything was beautiful, and everyone was filled with love for one another. Now there would be constant strife among men and women. Adam and Eve had two sons; Cain and Abel. Abel understood that he had to bring the right kind of sacrifice to God, which was an animal. The blood of an animal, usually a lamb, would cover over a person’s sins. Before God, whenever a person sinned, they had to have a covering for their sin, which was an animal. Also, this was a picture of what God was going to do for us one day, when He would send that special person to us to redeem us from our sins. Abel’s offering pleased God because he knew that God hated his sin. But Cain just brought vegetables to God. What kind of an offering was that? God was not pleased with Cain’s offering because Cain did not see his need to have his sins covered by the blood of an animal. Cain was angry with God and he killed his brother, Abel, as a result of his anger. As more and more people were born, they married and had children. The children married and had more children. The earth was becoming populated with people! But sadly, these people all had sinful hearts. Most of them hated the God who created them. They wanted to be God. They wanted the power that God had. There were more and more murders and wars. The Bible says that they were inventing ways of evil. God was sorry He had made man on earth. But God had a plan, and His promise of sending a Redeemer one day, would still come to pass.

There was one man who found favor with God, along with his family. His name was Noah. God told Noah to build a large boat that would house many animals along with his family. God was going to send a rain storm that was going to flood the whole world. Whoever would be in this large boat would be safe when the waters started to rise. If they weren’t in this large boat, they would drown. No one was impressed as they watched Noah build the Ark. They still continued to do horrible things to each other. They didn’t want to repent and go on the Ark. They hated God. They wanted to be God, but it wasn’t happening for them.

When Noah was finished building this huge Ark, designated animals went on board. Then Noah and his family went inside. Then God closed the door. It was too late for anyone else to get in. Nobody else wanted to go in anyway. They were happy in their wickedness and didn’t want to leave that behind. The rain started, and continued, and continued. Never was there a storm like this one. Everyone died except those who were in the Ark. Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives were all spared. All the animals on the Ark were spared too. It took a long time for the rain to stop and the water to subside, but when it was safe, everyone got out. It was like starting over again, only with eight people and lots of animals!

Noah and his family settled in the land. God had given the sign of a rainbow, indicating that He was not going to destroy the earth with a flood again. But the next time He destroys the earth, it’s going to be with fire. Do you think people were going to be happy now? As more and more people were born, and grew up and married and had their own children, guess what happened? People were still wicked! Why did this happen? It happens because wickedness is in all of our hearts. It happened after Eve listened to the devil and disobeyed God. From that point on, every boy and girl that would be born, would have a selfish, wicked heart. But God was faithful and would keep His promise of one day sending a Redeemer.

Over the span of the time of the Old Testament, we see people being evil and running away from God. We see God coming down and trying to reach the hearts of people. God gave instructions to people to sacrifice a lamb to cover or atone for their sins. God wants people to see how bad sin really is. God does not sin. He cannot have fellowship with any being that sins. That leaves a big problem for us though. If God is holy and pure, how can we be forgiven of our sins?

Throughout the Bible, we learn about sin. We learn about it by reading about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and his family, along with those who lived on earth at that time. We see the sins of the Kings of Israel (and their wives). We see the sins of the Pagan lands that the Israelites were supposed to drive out. We see the struggles of people sins in the book of Psalms. We even see the sins of the Prophets, at times. We are a mess!

About 400 years after the Old Testament activities were done, something was starting to happen. God was silent for 400 years and now we see God at work again. A man named Zechariah had Temple duty, but this time, an angel spoke to him. The angel had a message from God. It was a message telling him that his wife was going to have a baby boy! But this baby boy was going to be the forerunner of the Messiah who was going to come. Not only did this happen, but a young woman named Mary also saw an angel. The angel told her that she was going to have a baby boy as well. Her baby boy was going to change the world. Could this really be the one who God promised to send to Adam and Eve? How exciting this was going to be for these people! But there was a problem. Mary wasn’t married, so how could she have a baby? God took care of the problem and this baby didn’t need a father that was a human being, for God Himself was the Father! Mary did get married to a man named Joseph during this time.

Zechariah’s wife had her baby boy, and some months later, Mary had her baby boy. These boys were cousins too. When the boys grew up and were men, Zechariah’s son, who was called ‘John the Baptist’ lived in the desert land by Judea. Mary’s boy was named Jesus, because that name means ‘Savior’. One day, John the Baptist saw Jesus at a distance, and pointed Him out. He said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ Why was John calling his cousin a Lamb? Remember back in the Old Testament days, when people sinned, they would sacrifice a lamb, and take the blood from the lamb, to cover over their sins? John was telling the people that Jesus was going to be the Lamb who would shed His blood on the cross, to cover over our sins. But not only does Jesus blood cover over our sins. It washes our sins away forever. The blood of a lamb can only cover our sins, but Jesus blood takes away our sins. We do not have to kill a lamb now, when we sin. Every time we sin, something has to die because of that sin. When Jesus died on the cross, God the Father took all of our sins, and placed them on His Son, and had His Son take the punishment for all of our sins. He died a terrible death because our sin killed Him. But three days later, He was alive and arose from the dead! He is alive today and has gone back to heaven. But He is coming back to earth, one day. He will judge those who are still in their sins, those who do not have their sins covered or washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They will be punished forever in hell. They will be tormented and they will be paying for their own sins for all eternity.

But Jesus will come back for His own people, as well. He will separate those who are His, from those who don’t know Him. Those who know Him will spend eternity with God. There are many houses in heaven, and Jesus says He is preparing them for His people. So, the choice is ours. Will we choose to be followers of Jesus Christ, and live our lives for His glory, or, will we choose to stay selfish, and spend eternity in the Lake of Fire? We have to respond to God by turning away from our sins, turning to God, and trusting in what Jesus did for us on the cross. There is no other way to be saved from our sins. Jesus is the promised Redeemer who God promised Adam and Eve that He was going to send. If you think you are good enough to go to heaven, there is a post that has the Good Person Test on it. You can also go to www.thegoodtest.net and take the Good Person Test. Remember, if you break one commandment, you have broken all of them. And even if you just break one commandment, just one time in your life, God will still have to punish you in hell, even for just one violation!

The angels that sinned can never be forgiven of their sins. God did not provide a lamb for them. They will have to be punished eternally, with no chance of being forgiven. Thank God that we can be forgiven of our sins. No person is too sinful for God to forgive. Jesus’ blood is powerful enough to cleanse even the filthiest of sinners, if they repent and want to be forgiven.

If you have any questions about this, please contact me at RUgood@mail.com

Are You Good Enough To Go To Heaven?

Are you good enough for Heaven? How good do you have to be? Go to http://www.thegoodtest.net and take the test to see! How good does a person have to be to go to Heaven? Are you that good? Here is a quick test to see if you are good enough. You can score yourself and it is simple. You either pass it or you don’t. Anything less than a 100% means you didn’t pass! It’s that easy!

Good Person Test

• Have you ever told a lie?                                                                   Yes   /   no
• Have you ever murdered anyone?                                                      Yes   /   no
• Have you ever taken something that isn’t yours?                                 Yes   /   no
• Have you ever used God’s name in vain?                                           Yes   /   no
• Have you ever disobeyed your parents?                                             Yes   /   no
• Have you ever not loved God with everything you have?                      Yes   /   no
• Is there anything you love more than God (toys, cars, friends)?             Yes   /   no
• Can you think of a time when you did not think about God?                  Yes   /   no
• Have you ever been angry with someone?                                           Yes   /   no
• Have you ever talked about someone behind his or her back?              Yes   /   no
• Have you ever committed adultery?                                                    Yes   /   no
• Have you ever had an abortion?                                                          Yes   /   no
• Have you ever cheated in a game?                                                      Yes   /   no
• Have you ever wanted something so much, but it wasn’t God?             Yes   /   no
• Have you ever hated someone?                                                           Yes   /   no

This is a short list of things people do that are sins. You may be a person who has only said yes to 2 or 3 different choices here. Or, you might not even remember doing some of these things. If you answered ‘yes’ to even just 1 of these things listed, then you are not a good person, according to God’s word, the Bible. Even if you managed to live a life where the only bad thing you did in this life, was to tell a lie, then, according to the Bible, you would have to be punished forever for that one lie. The reason for that is, God is holy. That means He is perfect, and He cannot be around sin, ever. Not only that, but He has to punish sin. Every sin that a person commits will have to be punished. The punishment doesn’t end. It will last forever. Sin will be punished in a place called, ‘hell’ where the devil and his angels will go for there punishment as well. It will be a place of torment and there isn’t any way out once a person is there.

How does a person escape this terrible possibility, if everyone has sinned? Are you ready for ‘Good News’? God knew about this problem, all along. God promised Adam and Eve (the first people He created) that He would send someone who would defeat sin, one day. In the mean time, Adam and Eve, their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and all their descendants after them, would provide a sacrifice to atone for their sins. The sacrifice would cover their sins until God provided the final, and most effective sacrifice for all people. That happened 2,000 years ago when God sent His Son Jesus, to earth. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. But He died the death of a criminal  even though He didn’t do anything wrong. He died in our place, for us. God put all of our sins on Jesus, as He was on the cross. He died a terrible death, and was buried in a tomb. Three days later, He arose from the dead. Then He rose back to heaven, where He is now. He will come back one day, and all people will be judged. It is called the Judgment Day and it will be terrible for people who aren’t saved from their sins. You can turn to God, right now. Jesus died for your sins, and you can turn away from sin, which is called ‘repentance’ and turn to God. You can trust in Jesus as your Savior from sin. God promises to cleanse you from sin if you repent and turn to Him. He will give you power to not want to sin also. Will you come to Him, and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior? You can do that right now. If you have any questions about this, you can post a comment, or you can send an email to RUgood@mail.com   

 

Where Will You Be?

Where will you be, 20 years from now? How about 50 years from now? Where will you be 200 years from now? Or, how about 5000 years? 20,000 years? In 20,000 years from now, you will be somewhere. You will be in one of two places, according to the Bible.

The Bible tells us that our days are numbered. A person may be born and live only a few days. A person could be born and live to be over 100! We just don’t know when our last day on earth will be.

According to the Bible, every person has an appointment with death. In Hebrews 9:27, it tells us that after we die, we face Judgment. This is serious.

Because God is holy, no sin will ever be allowed in His presence. When we die, our sins will be with us, unless we have them removed. But what is sin, and how do we deal with it?

Sin is breaking God’s law. It is a violation against Him. We are all born with a sinful heart, because of the sin of the first two people God created. When God finished His creation, He declared it to be ‘good’. God had a relationship with Adam in the Garden. He told Adam that Adam and Eve could eat any fruit from any  tree in the Garden. But they were not allowed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. One day, the devil tempted Eve to eat from this forbidden tree, and she chose to listen to the devil, even though she knew what God told them about the tree. She broke God’s law and Adam joined her in her disobedience. They were both punished. The devil was punished. The earth was now under a curse. But God promised to send Someone, someday, to redeem Adam and Eve and their offspring.

Now the world was ugly with sin. Adam and Eve’s children were sinning. Their grandchildren were sinning. Their great grandchildren were sinners. Was there ever going to be any hope? The sin of Adam and Eve has reached all the way to our generation of people and will continue until the end of the world. After Adam and Eve sinned, God killed animals and clothed them with animal skins.

From the time of Adam and Eve, and throughout History, God instructed people to offer animal sacrifices. The lamb was used in particular, to cover over sin (see the Passover story in Exodus 12). But God did something spectacular. Probably around 4,000 years from the time of Adam and Eve, God provided the Ultimate Sacrifice to be made for people’s sins. No longer would people have to offer lambs to atone for their sins. The Lamb of God had come to earth to provide the sacrifice needed for us.

2,000 years ago, God came to earth! He was going to be the sacrifice! God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived in Nazareth, to live a perfect life. He was the only person who never sinned! He was the only person who could qualify to pay for our sins, because He had no sin of His own. One day, God’s Son, was in court, not because He did anything wrong, but because something had to die for sin. He was falsely accused of terrible things He did not do. Then He died a terrible, horrible death, but it was because of the sins of mankind. As He was dying, God put all of our sins on Jesus. It was a horrific experience, but it had to happen if we were to be able to be free from our sins. After Jesus died this horrible death, in our place, He was placed in a tomb and the tomb was sealed and guarded. But three days later, He arose from the dead! And He is alive today, and will come back to earth to gather His people and judge the world.

Is your sin atoned for? If so, you will have Robes of Righteousness to wear before a holy God. If not, you will have nothing to cover yourself with, but your sins. Every person will either die in their sins, or they will die with their sins atoned for. Have you repented (turned away from) of your sins and trusted in Christ? You can turn to God right now. You do not have to live for yourself any longer. When a person comes to Christ, God gives them a new heart. It is a heart that will love God. Our selfish hearts do not love God. We can only love ourselves and the things that make us happy (and keep us selfish!). When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we are born into God’s family. You can talk to God and tell Him that you want to turn away from your sins and trust in Jesus as your Savior. If you have any questions on this, please send an email to: RUgood@mail.com, or send a comment in the comment box.

So, where will you be in 20,000 years from now? Either you will be worshiping God in Heaven, or you will be paying for your sins in hell. It is up to you. God will not force you to respond to Him. But He promises to save you if you come to Him. Please consider this before it is too late.

If Good and Bad People Are Sent to Hell, Then Who Goes to Heaven?

Jesus taught the people around him a story about a rich man who was very selfish, and a poor man who suffered much and didn’t receive help and care from those who were able to provide.

Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores,

²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that you in thy lifetime received good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.

²⁷ Then he said, I pray to you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house:

²⁸ For I have five brothers; that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹ Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. 

What were the commandments that the rich man broke? God was not the most important thing to him. This rich man loved himself more than God. The great command tells us to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. We are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This man did not love Lazarus. He was well able to feed him and give him clothing and medical care. The rich man used his own money on his luxuries. He himself was well fed. He was so short-sighted that he didn’t see Lazarus who needed attention. He could have easily shared what he had with Lazarus, but he didn’t. 

  We know that bad people will be in hell, but good people will be there too. The reason is simple. Both good people and bad people have sinful hearts. It’s just that it is easier to see the sin in a person’s life if he or she is bad. But if a person has some good qualities, he or she still has sin in the heart. 

   Sin is breaking the Commandments. God must punish all sin in hell forever. Like the story above, once a person is in hell, he will never be able to get out. In just the same way, once a person is in heaven, he or she will never have to worry about being in hell. There is no way to get from one place to the other. 

  You might be asking, if good people and bad people both go to hell, how would anyone ever be able to go to heaven? There is only one person who has ever lived that has actually been truly ‘good’. The Bible tells us that Jesus never sinned. Not even one time. Every person born on this earth, except for Jesus, has sinned. We sin by being selfish. We sin by ignoring God. We sin by being angry. We sin when we lie or cheat. We sin when we hate someone. We sin when we slander. We sin when we are proud. We sin when we think we are more important than someone else. If we die in our sins, we will be punished forever.

   The word Gospel means ‘good news’. The reason it is good news is because God made a way for us to escape the punishment for our sins. 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life, and to show people what God was like. He did the most tremendous thing ever done. He took the place for us, and died for our sins. He took all the punishment for your sins and my sins. After He died, he was buried in a tomb. Three days later, He arose from the dead. He instructed His followers for several weeks, then he ascended up into heaven. He will come back to earth one day, and will gather all the people who know Him and are cleansed from their sins. You can be cleansed from your sins too. The blood He shed on the Cross can wash your sins away. You can be ready to meet God because of what Jesus did for you. Your response needs to be one of repentance, or turning away from your self-centered life, and trusting in what Jesus did for you on the Cross. You can turn to God right now. You can pray to Him and ask Him to cleanse you from all your unrighteousness. Would you like to be cleansed from your sins? God will give you a new heart that will be able to love Him and other people. You don’t have to be like the rich man in the story above. You can love God and other people because of the power of the Gospel in your life. You can talk to God and tell Him something like this; God in Heaven, I realize my sin is evil in Your eyes. Please forgive me of my sin. Please cleanse my heart from sin. Give me a new heart and a new desire to live my life for your glory. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me on the Cross. I trust in you to save me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, and a heart that will love You and other people. I want to have a healthy, growing relationship with you and want to know You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

    Please let me know if you are responding to God and turning to Him. Send an email to RUgood@mail.com

Only Sinners Can Be Saved

From the book of Luke, chapter 7

  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to the meal.

   And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table to eat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

   And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what kind of woman this is that is touching him: for she is a sinner.

 And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, Master, say on. 

 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

   And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

   Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And He said to him, You have rightly judged.

   And He turned to the woman, and said to Simon,Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, you gave me no water for my feet: but she washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

 You gave me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.

My head with oil you did not anoint: but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment.

 Wherefore I tell you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

And He said to her, your sins are forgiven.

 And those who sat with Him to eat began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?

 And He said to the woman, your faith hath saved you; go in peace.

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Are you a Sinner or a Righteous Person? Here’s how you can tell: Have you always kept the 10 Commandments perfectly 24/7 all your life? If not, you are a Sinner. Here’s the Good News; Only Sinners can be saved. People who are righteous cannot be saved. Jesus died for Sinners, so that went they repent of their sin and turn to God and trust in what Jesus did for them on the Cross 2000 years ago, they can be saved. Only a saved person can go to heaven. So, if you are a righteous person and have never broken the Commandments (or you think you haven’t) that would be bad news, wouldn’t it? Only Sinners go to heaven. Only Sinners can receive a new heart from God. Only Sinners can be delivered and set free from their sins. Only Sinners can have a relationship with God. Sin doesn’t bring us to God. God has to punish sin in hell for eternity. But Jesus died for Sinners only. He came to call Sinners to repentance. Repentance is a gift from God to Sinners. Repentance makes it so Sinners can be set free from sin. So, do you want to be saved from sin? Repent and trust in Jesus. If you have more questions on this look at: www.thegospelconversation.blogspot.com   or send an email to: RUgood@mail.com  I will be glad to help you.