God's ways are contrary to man's ways. Man thinks that for God to save him from his sins, he needs to deserve, earn, and merit God's favor by his own self-efforts. The carnal man naturally thinks that God's salvation is based on his own personal performance and good works. However, God's gospel way is not about human achieving, but about freely receiving. The world's system of success is built on self-effort and diligence. It is all about achieving, doing, and relying on self-efforts. You are driven to "do, do, do," but Biblical Christianity is actually all about "done, done, done."
The 'world' says the more you do, the harder you work, the more hours you put in, the more success you will have. The world says work harder and longer, don't worry about family or church. The world will tell you, "You must 'pay the price,' and they'll say, "No pain, no gain, and there's no such thing as a free lunch." But, in order to be saved from the damning power of your sins, you must receive freely two things from Christ Jesus Himself: His abundant grace and the free gift of His righteousness.
God's blessing of salvation is based entirely on His grace, not your performance. There is 'nothing' you can do to deserve God's forgiveness of sins. Salvation is based solely on 'receiving' Jesus, and trusting HIS works. The only thing that works is trusting Christ's works.
Stop trying to do what is already DONE! Stop doing and simply receive what Jesus has already done perfectly. Many self-righteous sinners kick at the free gospel of God and wilfully reject Christ and continue to depend on their self-efforts to qualify themselves in the sight of a holy God. Remember - Never trust in your own wisdom, intelligence, or qualifications to bring you any of the blessings of God. Going to Heaven is all about Jesus and His finished work.
The Law of God was given from a distance, but the Grace of God came near to man through Jesus Christ. The Law of God is hard, cold, and impersonal. You can have no relationship with two tables of stone. The law is holy, just, and good, but it cannot made you holy, just, and good. The law was given by God to expose our inability to be holy, just, and good. The law was given to bring sinful man to the end of himself, and to help him see his need of a Savior. The law exposes our ungodliness. The law condemns the best sinners, but God's grace can save the worst sinners.
Grace is a Person full of love and mercy. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. God (Jesus) came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died a cruel death on the Cross, paid the full debt of sin with His own life's blood. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came to reconcile sinful man with a holy God. We are made holy and righteous only by Jesus' precious blood once and for all. Once we receive and trust CHRIST HIMSELF, no guilt, condemnation, or the expectation of punishment rests on us any longer. At the Cross of Calvary, the Lamb of God paid the price for sin in full, the justice of God was executed, the wrath of God toward sin was exhausted, the veil of the temple was torn, and the way to God was opened. The debt is paid, stop trying to send in payments to God by your self-efforts. Receive Christ as your eternal payment and He will be your 'title deed' for eternal forgiveness.
The righteousness of God is a free gift, not an earned reward. You must be clothed in God's righteousness to be saved from sin, not your own righteousness, which is self-righteousness. God saves you not because you are good, but because He is so good. Grace is based on God's faithfulness and goodness, not yours. Grace is undeserved favor - Jesus obeyed the law of God perfectly for you, believe in CHRIST alone and you will live eternally with HIM. Grace IS the Gospel. Remember - Grace is a Person - His name is JESUS. You can do nothing to become righteous in the sight of God. Jesus did nothing to become sin. Christ's righteousness is a gift He purchased for you with His life's blood on the Cross. Righteousness before the Lord cannot be earned by a selfish, hell-deserving sinner. Your righteous standing before God can only be received as a free gift. You must stand as a pauper in the heavenly WELFARE line and take a free handout from the pierced hand of God.
The sum and substance of the Gospel lies in one word, Substitution,— Christ standing in the stead of sinners. You deserve to be lost and ruined; the only reason why you should not be damned is this, that Christ was punished in your stead, and there is no need to execute a sentence twice for the same sin. On the other hand, you cannot enter heaven unless you have a perfect righteousness; you can be absolutely certain that you shall never have a perfect righteousness of your own, for you sin every day; but Christ has made perfect righteousness, and He says, “There, take my garment, put it on; you shall stand before God as if you were Christ, and I will stand before God as if I had been the sinner; I will suffer in your stead, and you shall be rewarded for works which you did not do, but which I did for you.”
The whole substance of salvation lies in the thought that Christ has stood in the place of sinner. The prisoner is standing in the dock before the judge, he is about to be taken away to death; he deserves to die, for he has been a great rebel and criminal. But before he is removed, the judge asks whether there is any possible plan whereby the prisoner’s life can be spared. Up rises ONE who is Himself pure and perfect, and has known no sin, and by the allowance of the judge, for that is necessary, the Perfect One steps into the dock, and says, “Consider Me to be the prisoner; pass your sentence on me, and let Me die. Reckon the guilty prisoner to be Myself. I will die for him; I have deserved a reward for what I have done; but instead, reward the sinner as if he had done good, and punish me as if I had committed his sin.” You say, “Such a thing could not occur in an earthly court of law.” No, but it has happened in God’s court of law, in the great court of the Eternal King’s Bench where God is the Judge of all, it has happened. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “The sinner deserves to die; But let Me die in his stead, and let Him be clothed in my righteousness.” This is the GOOD GRACE OF GOD.
You have an awful sin debt, you must pay it, or let Jesus pay it for you. One day if you die in your sins putting off Christ, your sins will be punished forever, and all your deeds will be laid bare before the White Throne Judgment on the great day of Almighty God. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. I beg you friend, look to Christ at once - cease looking to yourself. If you are thirsty, what good does it do you to look down your own throat? What is the good of complaining that you feel too thirsty, or not thirsty enough? Man! rise up and drink. Poor sinner, get away from yourself to Christ, and take Christ into yourself as a man takes water into his body by simply drinking it. Take Christ Himself by faith to be your own Savior, receive Him to be your sole reliance; and you are a saved man on the spot. Call upon Him now for free salvation through His most precious Blood.
