You've probably heard of the Three R's of Education - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Many Americans spend their whole life and most of their money trying to learn about the Three R's of Education, but many of them miss the most Important Three R's: The Three Great R's of Salvation - Ruin, Regeneration, and Redemption. Education without Salvation leads to Damnation. These Three R's of Scriptural Salvation contain the epitome of the Gospel. There are three third chapters in Scripture which deal with the Three R's. The third chapter of Genesis reveals the reality of Ruin; the third chapter of John sets forth the truth of Regeneration; and the third chapter of Romans teaches Redemption. You need to carefully read and prayerful plead for divine illumination from the Spirit of God when reading all three of these chapters: Genesis 3 (Ruin), John 3 (Regeneration), and Romans 3 (Redemption). Until you truly understand these three chapters, the rest of the Bible will do you no good.
The first great R is *Ruin* - Every man is absolutely bad, he chooses evil rather than good. He is a ruined and undone sinner, wholly ruined, hopelessly, helplessly, eternally ruined because of his sins against his Maker! We were all ruined by the fall; we were all lost when Adam sinned. We are all ruined throughly by our own transgressions, we are all ruined by our own evil hearts, and our own wicked wills; and we all shall be ruined unless divine Grace saves us. The Holy Spirit must move in your life or you will remain in your lost, sinful state. Men will not seek free Salvation from Christ until they sense and feel their ruined condition within - this is the miracle working of the Holy Ghost in a lost sinner's heart and mind. By your own striving and doing, you cannot make yourself fit for the kingdom of God.
The second great R is *Regeneration* - Every man is vile and filthy inwardly. He needs a radical transformation inwardly; he must be regenerated by the Spirit of God (John 3:7). By the Spirit of God alone can a sinner be wholly made a new creature in Christ! If you are to be pardoned, you must be regenerated; for no man can partake of Christ's Redemption (Colossians 1:14) unless he is regenerated by the power of the Precious Blood and the Holy Ghost. Let a man be as good as he pleases; let him try to serve God as he imagines, as much as he likes, but unless he is regenerated, and has a new heart given him, a new birth from the Holy Ghost, he will remain in the first R, that is Ruin. The Holy Ghost creates us anew with a desire for purity and holiness. Ye must be born again internally by the power of the Holy Ghost, born anew inwardly from above.
The third great R is *Redemption* - Every man must be redeemed (delivered, ransomed, rescued, freed from slavery and damnation of sin), redeemed by Precious Blood from all his sins, not by works of righteousness, not by deeds of the law, not by human goodness or merit, but by the Precious Blood and merits of Christ Jesus Himself! Redeemed means to be rescued, ransomed, set free from the penalty of sin and and the desire to sin. We are ransomed by the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot; we are rescued by His power; we are ransomed by His merits; we are redeemed by Christ's strength. Jesus bore my sins in His own body on the tree, He took my place, so I can be freely forgiven. Fix your faith solely in the atoning blood of God manifest in the flesh. *I Peter 1:19; I Timothy 3:16* The only Remedy for Ruin is Regeneration from the Holy Ghost, and Redemption from Christ's atoning blood that was shed for sinners on Calvary's Cross. Go to God in secret now, and plead for His mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!
