God came down to this earth in human flesh and suffered and loved you to death on Calvary. To get rid of God, and leave God out of everything, is the enmity of a lost man's heart. God was made man, and suffered in human form to take away human guilt, and now whosoever will come and rest in what Christ has done shall be saved. The Lamb of God laid down His sinless life for sinners. The imminent peril is to be without Christ Jesus Himself in life and death. If you are neglecting Jesus Christ, there's must be something or someone you don't want to give up. Simply trust the Incarnate God who bled for sinners on Calvary. Jesus is my Friend, He knows much better than I do, I go to Him for help, I draw on HIS resources, for I have none. JESUS - No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy.
Reliance upon God Incarnate suffering in my place. *I Timothy 3:16* Trust Jesus simply, rely on Him implicitly. If you laugh at the Cross, you will lose your soul. Stop trying to dodge the main issue - the salvation of your soul through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Give the Cross the proper place and emphasis in your thoughts. If you think you can go to Heaven by any other way but the Cross, you are a perishing soul. The Cross is God's way of pardoning and justifying sinful men. The door to Heaven swings on the hinges of Calvary. The Substitution of the Lamb of God for the sinner. God in human flesh shedding His Precious Blood to atone for the sins of all men. In the Cross of Christ I glory. The way of salvation is so simple - no works, merits, or preparations are required, but simply trusting to Jesus - that is all. Believe in Jesus, not yourself. Rely upon the Lamb of God, depend upon the finished work of Calvary.
If you reject Christ, you are under the spell of the Devil; if you neglect Him, you are bewitched by your own sins. Jesus took your place, and died on your account. Trust Jesus alone, that is the meaning of the New Testament word - Believe. Rely upon His merits and blood alone. Cast yourself down at Jesus' feet. The way to be saved is to come to Jesus. To come to Jesus means to pray to Him, seek Him, trust in Him. Come to Jesus first. *Matthew 6:33* Renounce every evil way, seek to please Him who redeems you by His blood. Look to Jesus' Blood to take your guilt away. Confide in Jesus, and in Him alone. If you ever get Faith, Christ must give it to you by His words. Look to God's mercy and grace, the Incarnate God, the Finished Work of Christ, His merits and blood. Look to the Incarnate God upon the Cross, the Substitute atoning for human guilt. If you are not related to the Cross in the right way, you will never be related to God in the right way. Never treat the Cross lightly. Stick to the eternal verities of the Holy Scriptures, and don't let this world bother or discourage you. Jesus is the Almighty God. *Revelation 1:8*
The Cross represents a sinless Sacrifice which fully satisfied the justice and wrath of God, and which delivers the rebel sinner. There is eternal virtue in Jesus' blood, virtue enough to give you victory over your sins. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, that means you too. Atheists think they are big shots and smarty pants, but they'll wind up weeping, wailing, and gnashing their teeth in Hell Fire forever and ever. The God who created the heaven and the earth became a man and died for your sins. *John 1:3* God incarnated Himself that He might bear the punishment that our sins deserved, and the wrath we should have borne, He took upon Himself the sins we committed and the guilt we incurred. This is the mystery of mysteries - God was manifest in the flesh as a Jewish man. This mystery confounds the carnal mind that is wise in its own conceits.
Now, soul-saving faith rests upon Christ Himself. Faith, first of all, rests upon Christ as God Incarnate. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem's manger; God was made flesh and dwelt among us. *John 1:14* Faith sees Christ in His sinless life. He is perfect, in perfect obedience. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Christ kept the Law for me. Faith looks to Christ's Righteousness for covering from the wrath to come. Faith looks to Christ as offering up Himself upon the tree as the Substitute for sinners. God made flesh, bleeding, dying in agonies and death throes unutterable, He was obedient even unto death. The wounds and blood wash away my sin. In His Blood there is enough power to avert the anger of God, and enough Righteousness to cover my soul from head to foot, and win for me the smile of Infinite Justice. Faith follows hard after Jesus. Jesus lives, Jesus saves, Jesus is coming again, says Faith.
God is completely satisfied with Christ's substitutionary work. Faith does not build on human merit. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Faith looks altogether beyond self and out of self to Christ Himself. Christ Jesus alone is the object of true Faith's confidence. Believe that Christ's perfect Righteousness is enough for you. The nature of Faith is "with the heart." Saving Faith must be sincere. Faith first goes directly to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself for mercy, forgiveness, and redemption. Faith deals immediately with the Lord God, just as a frightened, helpless child runs directly to its mother when he is in danger.
Jesus is the God who saves sinners. He is worthy of all our praises. Broken lives and wounded souls are made anew at the Cross. Jesus' presence takes away all our fears. Your immediate need is for God's presence and blessing; you need God to visit your soul in mercy. As long as you think you can partly save yourself, you're lost. As long as you think Salvation depends upon anything you can do, you're still dead in your sins. Come unto Jesus, and take His rest and security. There is salvation in no other name but JESUS. Give up your tiring struggle to save yourself, quit all your efforts to fix yourself up and making yourself presentable to God. Stop dabbling with religion, humble yourself, and Come on to Jesus. In my hand no price I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling! You have no claim on God, mercy only comes through what Jesus has done.
God took upon Himself human flesh as a helpless Jewish baby in Bethlehem's manger. Every sin was laid on Jesus, the wrath of God was satisfied at the Cross. God is just and in His justice He cannot ignore our sins. Your sins have to be punished, someone has to pay for them. In Christ alone my hope is found. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can take away your guilt and fear of death. You've had many other notions, but now come along to the Cross, and take Jesus to be your light and life. You've had many other confidences, forsake them all and believe on Jesus, for He is worthy of your utmost confidence. Faith is the relinquishment of all trust in self, once for all, and the trusting in Jesus' blood and merits forever. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, mind, and checkbook.
The Holy Father is the Root, the Lord Jesus is the Plant, and the Holy Ghost is the Fruit and Fragrance. Believe in Jesus once for all. Stop hesitating and procrastinating. Right here and now believe on the Crucified Creator. Get rid of your self-righteousness, just lay your guilty soul down at Jesus' pierced feet. Human nature trusts in its own goodness, honesty, good deeds, giving, religiousness, charity, prayers. But you must trust to Jesus, God Incarnate, supremely and completely. Reject all other confidences, and with all your heart lean on Jesus with all your weight, leave all your sin burden with Him. Repose all your concerns for time and Eternity in Jesus' wounded hands.
