Guilty - Substitute - Guiltless

Here's the message of hope called "The Gospel of the Grace of God" in the Scriptures. This is the only cure for your guilty past. Every man's sins weigh him down with Guilt; every sinner must be saved by the Blood of a Substitute; only the imputed Righteousness of a Sinless Man can make a doomed sinner Guiltless. God still saves sinners today - His mercy endureth forever. Sometimes we don’t believe that. We bank our happiness on other things that man has invented or dreamed up. But God Almighty says to us, “I’m better than you think I am, and you’re much worse than you think you are; come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD.” Our friends and family disappoint us. Our own good intentions let us down. Sooner or later our very bodies will give out on us. We must look beyond ourselves and stake everything on Christ Jesus, who alone saves guilty sinners. The Gospel is very good news for bad people like us. How can God love sinners who deserve His wrath?

The greatest miracle of the Gospel is right in the center of it. In Romans 4:5, Paul says that God “justifies the ungodly.” That’s a real problem. When God justifies the ungodly, He upsets the whole moral order of the universe, doesn’t He? Everyone knows that God punishes bad people and rewards good people, right? It’s His job, but the Gospel disagrees.  The Gospel says, “God justifies the ungodly.” What does that mean? It means that God declares guilty people innocent freely. It means God treats bad people as if they were good people. This goes beyond human reason, this takes a divine miracle. It doesn’t matter if you’re a conservative or a liberal person. However you may define virtue and vice, you have a sense of right and wrong – this is called conscience. You form judgments. You expect God to. But how can God justify the ungodly?

God knows all the secrets of our hearts. (Psa 44:21) There is no rest in our bones because of our sin-guilt. Our iniquities have gone over our head, as a heavy burden, they’re too heavy for us. Our sinful wounds stink to us and are corrupt because of our foolishness. We are troubled and bowed down greatly, mourning all the day long, there is no soundness in us, our hearts are sore broken and disquieted. Our hearts pant for forgiveness and our strength to do right fails us. (Psa 38:3-10) Only God's Blood which flowed from Christ's veins can perfectly cleanse a sinner and completely pardon an ungodly soul. Christ Jesus freely gives instant, complete, irreversible eternal life to the sinner that turns from his self-righteousness and trusts Christ's Righteousness. Confess your misery to the Lord of Mercy.

Justification is a good thing God does for sinners. Every one of us is ungodly, and we know it. We’ve all failed to be the people we ought to be. We all regret something we have done in the past. A deep uneasiness about ourselves is why we live in denial. When we discover self-excusing evasion in our politicians, we demand an honest reckoning for their wrongdoing. But do we require the same unsparing justice on ourselves? Cover-up is the self-righteous strategy of every guilty conscience.

 We always try to blame others. A troubled conscience lies behind our finger-pointing and self-justification. We try to reassure ourselves, we try to shift the blame to others. Our problems are always someone else’s fault. Parents blame their children, husbands blame their wives, and so on. We pass the buck because we can’t bear our guilt. We so desperately want for someone to bear our guilt for us. We dump on others without realizing what’s happening in our thoughts. Our real problem is moral guilt before God. Our guilt is intolerable, unbearable. Our guilt feels like a ton of bricks on our heart at times. If we have to answer to God for what we have done, we’ll be condemned and crushed by our human guilt. Guilt is the perilous stuff that weighs upon every human heart.

Every sinner always tried to hide and cover up his sins. We lie about it, we cover it up, we try to run away, we change the subject, we shred the documents, we clear the history on the web browser, we delete the emails, we destroy the evidence, and we get angry and say, "How could you even think I would do something like that?" We are like the little child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, we just smile and hope that mommy won't notice.

Every one of us has wanted a second chance after some failure. Every one of us understands that. We’ve all been trapped in consequences we didn’t intend, but we did set them in motion. Every one of us looks back at something in our past and agonizes, “If only I could relive that moment. If I could only trade in my record for a better one!” Dark is the stain of sin and guilt that we cannot hide, what can avail to wash it away? Look to Calvary's Cross! there is flowing a crimson tide - whiter than snow you may be today. God's grace will pardon and cleanse within - His grace is greater than all our sins. God's mercy exceed our sin and our guilt, look to Calvary now, there where the blood of God was spilt.

Lady Macbeth washed her hands of her part in murder and moaning she said, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” Man tries to medicate his conscience with earthly antidotes for human misery such as entertainment, romance, overwork, and self-achievement. What will make our unbearable guilt go away? Who can bear it for us?

Every one of us needs a Scapegoat. Jesus Christ was willing to be the Scapegoat for all of us sinners. In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ says to us, “I am that willing Scapegoat for your guilt. Up on the Cross, I was crushed under your unbearable sin and guilt. I took all your guilt, because I love guilty sinners. If you’ll trust Me, here’s the deal: All my innocence and purity will be yours, and all your guilt and shame will be Mine forever. Deal or no deal? Will you continue to try and cope with your guilt by your own devices? Trust Me now, and I will wash your sins away with My precious blood and bear your guilt away with My infinite mercy.”

When we try to shift blame to one another, we create a mess. But there is redemption and spiritual release from sin’s bondage in God’s blood shed on Calvary’s Cross. God justifies ungodly sinners only through Christ’s FINISHED work on the Cross. God accepts unacceptable sinners. He desires to save undesirable wretches. God honors shameful people, God adopts the beggars and outcasts into His family. God treats fools as princes and harlots as princesses as Jesus steps into our place at the Cross and bears our real moral sin-guilt far away upon Himself. That’s how God our Judge becomes God our Justifier. You need God Himself to forgive you, and only the Lamb of God can bear away a sinner’s guilt. God Almighty wants to glorify His Son by washing your sins away with Christ’s sin-pardoning blood. The only barrier that is keeping you from Christ is when you cling to your guilt by clinging to your human goodness (self-righteousness). This is God’s way of release for guilty people – and there is no other.

Christ Jesus really was a man of sorrows, but they weren’t His own. He didn’t deserve them. They were our sorrows. This is the love of God which passeth knowledge, this is the unspeakable gift of God. Jesus substituted Himself for us at the Cross. God has done what we’d have no right to do – God has shifted all the blame to Jesus Christ for our sins as He died for guilty sinners. God pointed His holy finger at Jesus Christ on the Cross and said, “You must pay for the world’s sin.” God passed the buck to Jesus and laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

This is what the Bible calls imputation, from the Latin verb imputare, which means “to charge (to someone’s account).” Guilt must be paid for; it can’t be swept under the rug. When you are wronged or injured – even in a fender-bender – the aggrieved party demands justice, someone has to answer for it, it’s someone’s fault, either you or the other person. The damage and cost don’t just go away. If it’s going to be put right, someone has to pay the cost. And so it is with God. There is no way He can turn a blind eye to our evil that is damaging to His holiness.

We have all sinned against God’s holy law. God is holy and strictly just; He must punish all sin. How does God confront this problem? How is the damage to Him paid for? Out of infinite love and divine mercy for us, God becomes a Jewish man and charges our infinite sin-debt to Himself, a Sinless Substitute. Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, put Himself in the place of sinners, the unbearable weight of our sin and guilt was charged to His account, He suffered for it, He sank under it, He endured all the wrath of God for us. For God hath made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. This is the love of God.

Hail to the King we love so well, Immanuel, Immanuel (God with us). Death, sin and hell no longer reign, and Satan’s power is burst in twain; Eternal glory to His name. Glory and honor and majesty, wisdom and power be unto HIM, now and forevermore. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, all hail Immanuel! My soul doth magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. Where will ye leave your glory? (Isa 10:3) Leave all your glory at the foot of the Cross of Christ. Paul did - "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Galatians 6:14) ‘Twas there at Calvary the debt was paid, our sins on Jesus were laid; the grace of God was there shown, through Christ the Blessed Son, Who did for human sin atone – HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!

The New Birth

You were born into a very bad family: the family of Adam. You need to make a family switch and change families. You need to be adopted into a new family. This is a crucial change. Your physical ancestor is Adam who was created by God in Genesis 2, but then Adam fell into sin in Genesis 3. You now have Adam and Eve's DNA in you. But Adam's deadly sin nature has also been passed on to you from your parents (Psa 51:5). Your very nature is polluted with the evil of sin. Your relationship to Adam guarantees that your outcome will be eternal death (Romans 5:12; I Cor 15:21-22).

You must Return to God by the way of the Cross. There is no other way on this earth to Heaven. Men have invented whole religions and theories (evolution) to prevent coming to Jesus Christ for free salvation. Human nature would rather try to work its way to heaven and end up going to Hell, than trusting the Man who died for them. Your secret sins are in the light of God's countenance. God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. God knows the secrets of the heart. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel. That's what troubles the sinner's conscience. The only way you can avoid hitting the Judgment and suffering eternal damnation for your sins against your Maker is to trust and receive the Sin-Bearer, Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, the one Person who paid for your sins, so you wouldn't have to pay for them. Evolution is a pipe dream for grown ups, it was dreamed up to give those folks who love sin some fig leaves to hide behind here on earth. If you reject the Way (John 14:6) that God gave you to stay out of Hell, because of your bitter pride, you will wind up in a Lake of Fire.

The first birth also means, as a sinner, your 'spiritual ancestor' is Satan (John 8:44; I John 3:9-10). When Adam yielded to Satan in the Garden of Eden and sinned against God's words, Adam's spirit and soul died, and he became a child of Satan and partook of Satan's evil nature. If you are lost in your sin and without Christ today, you are kin to the devil. Having the devil as a spiritual father means your inevitable outcome is eternal judgment. All those souls in the devil's family, and not in the family of God will share in Satan's final outcome - the lake of fire. What every sinner needs is a NEW BIRTH, a new Father, and a new family. The only way to get a new father is to experience the NEW BIRTH of the Spirit of God. The NEW BIRTH cannot be accomplished by human energy. The best we can do will never suffice. Jesus said, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). When Jesus says "MUST," we had better listen very closely. We must realize and acknowledge that we are sinners to the core, we must receive the work of the Spirit in our hearts. Religious works and experiences can never bring the NEW BIRTH to pass in your soul. Your religion or reformation can never eradicate your sinful nature. Turn from your dead works and selfishness, let the Spirit of God wash you clean with God's blood and give you a NEW NATURE inside. God's family is only entered by the NEW BIRTH (I John 5:1; I Peter 1:3-4; Eph 2:19; Eph 1:11,18).

The reason why the Bible cannot be tolerated is because it treats "man" as a fallen, depraved, degenerate, sinful rebel whom his Creator will not accept on the grounds of his "humanity"- his FIRST birth. In the Bible, the Lord God of Heaven and Earth demands a SECOND birth. All humanists, atheists, evolutionists, and pragmatists believe that "man" ("mankind") is the "measure of all things."

The lost world thinks that MAN is the ABSOLUTE supreme authority when it comes to ethical and moral standards, conduct, motives, goal setting, progress, and knowledge-just as he "is"- without any New Birth. In short, this is why all eight major "religions" (Catholicism, Protestantism, Greek Orthodox, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Judaism) emphasize man's ability to get to "Heaven" or "Paradise" or "Samadhi" or "Nirvana" or "Prajna" or the "Happy Hunting Ground" or "Valhalla" or etc., blah, blah, blah) by self-effort with no "new birth" required. If you die without the NEW BIRTH, you will bust hell wide open. "Religion" has always been the shortest shortcut any sinner could take to get to Hell; the road to the lake of fire is "paved with good intentions" (positive thinking about yourself) the whole way (Matt. 7:22; Prov. 14:12; Rom. 10:1-6; Ecc. 7:20; Psa. 39:5; Isa. 64:6).

"Religion" is a set of WORKS that sinners do to make themselves feel comfortable when they have a bad conscience (see Gen. 3:10). The Bible defines it as "the FIG LEAF factor" (Gen. 3:7; Matt. 21:19). Religions will teach that you can EARN immortality by WORKING your head off serving their church or temple, and being a good little boy or girl, good enough to EARN eternal life, so you can reject Christ and His FREE GIFT of salvation (Romans 5:15,18; 6:23). All religions lead to the same place - the eternal lake of fire. That is why there are so many religions and why so many people follow them instead of 'scriptural truth.' "Religion is the quickest way to HELL on which you can travel. It is an 10-lane paved slick highway, 'fully-lit' at night, and marked all the way without one curve, bump, or stop sign on it.

All the world religions are different so they can give a self-righteous sinner something 'special' which he can hold over the head of someone else, they appreciate their own 'belief.' By studying your religion, you raise your own self-esteem because you convince yourself that YOUR religion is better than theirs, and THIS gives you self-confidence, this self-confidence is satanic and will end up damning you. Every man has a conscience (Romans 2:15) with or without "religion," and every man has defiled his conscience or disobeyed it a number of times (Tit. 1:15; Rom. 9:1; Acts 9:5; 1 Tim. 4:2). When a man defiles his conscience, he then invents a set of "beliefs" and "teachings" by which he professes to live; he may or may not live up to them, according to how big a liar or hypocrite he is. Ridiculous religious beliefs are a dime a dozen, new ones come out every month.

Religions such as Catholicism, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventism, Taoism, Humanism, Greek Orthodox, Islam, Atheism, Buddhism, Christian Scientists, Baha'i, Church of Christ, Hinduism, Judaism, Charismatics, Shintoism, Agnostics, Protestants, Scientology, and Mormonism all have the same thing in common: they are all working their way to heaven in some way or fashion - they are just all different paths to the Lake of Fire that Satan has drawn out for self-righteous sinners that love themselves and reject Christ Jesus. All religious folks that trust in themselves and their religion do end up at the same place - The Lake of Fire. All religions are based on guilty consciences and self-righteousness no matter what 'beliefs' or 'teachings' they invent (I feel guilty, so I better go do better).

The purpose of all world religions and higher education is to destroy belief in 'absolute truth.' They will try to teach you this, all truths are 'relative,' and you are your own final authority, in other words, believe in yourself, you are God (Genesis 3:5). Man's sinful nature always tries to sidestep, duck, and dodge the truth of scripture, he loves 'relative' truths, he will avoid finding 'THE TRUTH' at any cost. Their alibi for sidestepping the truth is always "love" and "concern for others" or "being sensitive to others" or "a willingness to reach out and touch others" or "a meaningful exchange of ideas" or "doing good to your fellow man" or "making the world a better place to live in," "improving relations" or "building bridges" instead of "fences." They say, "Don't rock the boat, just believe whatever you think is right, just don't upset anyone. Let's get everyone to love each other at the expense of the absolute truth of scripture." But remember, Jesus Christ IS 'absolute truth' (See John 14:6). Modern man cannot tolerate truth; he must have his own opinions, delusion, deceit, equivocation, and counterfeit religion in order to carry out his purpose driven life in a seek for hope and change.

Your GREATEST NEED in this temporal life is to get out of your old family (Adam/Satan) and be 'born again' into a new family (Jesus Christ/God) through the NEW BIRTH. You need to switch families as soon as possible. Christ Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, left His majestic throne in Heaven, so free, so infinite His grace, He emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race (See Romans 5:8-9; 8:3; II Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13). Jesus Christ bore our infected sinful nature, our rotten sins, in His own body on the tree, so that we could freely be given His sinless nature (righteousness) freely by faith in His precious blood. The NEW BIRTH comes through the simple gaze of faith at the Bleeding Lamb of God on Calvary's tree (John 3:14-16). You can't work up this faith - it is a gift of God - not of works, lest any man should boast. Don't look at your faith - look to Christ, He will give you faith and repentance freely. Believe in Christ alone, looking only to the Cross. Give up your dependence on yourself, your cleverness, your self-improvement, your plans of doing better or becoming religious - just look to Christ and receive the NEW BIRTH and everlasting life. The 'good life' is eternal life, and a life that God approves of, that's the GOOD LIFE.

The Great King

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich (II Corinthians 8:9).

You've sinned against God; you know you have, your own conscience condemns you. You've wandered far away from God and wasted many precious years. Years you've spent in vanity and pride caring not the Lord Jesus Christ was Crucified. God is holy and just, and your sin deserves the justice and wrath of God. You’ve rejected Christ, lied, and lusted. God sees your thought life at all times; and your thoughts of foolishness are sin. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Your sins deserve the death penalty – eternal death in Hell. All have sinned; the soul that sinneth, it shall die; the wages of sin is death; but Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Christ died for the ungodly.

But now God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that God hath raised Him from the dead, even Jesus Christ. Ye must be born again; this is what really matters. There's no race of man on earth that has an advantage with God, no one has an edge, no one can pull strings with God, for all have sinned. You have no advantage over anyone else of gaining entrance to Heaven. Every man needs the Savior. The Gospel is not for those who think they live a good life, or those who have an upstanding reputation, or those who are chaste in the eyes of man. You don't do good works to get into Heaven and be accepted by God. Getting into heaven is not a matter of what you've done, it is a matter of what Christ has done. You can't be saved by being good because you're a sinner, and you can't be un-saved by being bad. Spiritual safety comes by becoming personally and properly related to Christ Himself through the New Birth (John 3:7). Salvation is not found in your blood-line; Salvation is found only in Christ's sinless blood Atonement.

You’re a sinner under the wrath of God condemned to an everlasting Hell. Your good works are no good, you cannot save yourself. But GOD became a Man 2,000 years ago; His name was Jesus Christ. He who was rich became poor, that ye through His poverty might be made rich. The King of glory left His throne to save you. Jesus humbled Himself and became last, very last, and died naked on a cross, so you could be saved from the filth of your sin. Christ Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, was crucified and bled for your sins. Christ became SIN and bore all the penalty of God's wrath, and paid the penalty of Hell for you personally.

If you are weary and worn, if your soul is sick and your heart is sore, if you are tired of wandering in the black night of sin: Remember - it's still God's blood that saves from the love of sin here in time, and the lake of fire in Eternity. Some depend on the works they do, and some count on their religion to get them through, but only the Precious Blood of God's Lamb can save your immortal soul from the lake of fire. Free forgiveness and divine mercy is what you need. Only the King of Kings Himself can grant you eternal life freely - go directly to Him. Run from sin, flee from the wrath of God, drop your good works, cling only to the Cross, hide in the wounds of the Bleeding Lamb, He was crucified for you. Only the King eternal can freely pardon a lost sinner like you.

The Lamb of God was slain by cruel sinners and the ransom for sin has been paid. Your sins made Jesus bleed that day. On Calvary's Cross all the sins of the world, including yours, were laid on Jesus' soul. Christ Jesus wrought free salvation for you. There is a free sin pardon for all and a perfect salvation available to you only if you will come with simple childlike faith in the sin-cleansing blood of the Crucified One. His Blood is more than enough to wash the sin out of your soul. There is no other solution for your sin problem.

You must come to Jesus Christ, and trust *only* in His sinless obedience, precious blood, and resurrection. He will freely pardon and redeem you by His grace. Salvation is as simple as a beggar coming to a King and crying out for something he desperately needs, doesn’t have, and can’t earn. Plead with the gracious crucified and risen King, and ask Him to freely forgive your sins; plead for His mercy through His Precious Blood. Come to God, cry out to Him, and God will reach down and save you by His Free Grace and Dying Love. Trust His dying love, believe His precious promises. Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely. Whosoever believeth in Him hath everlasting life. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved. Trust in the Precious Blood of Christ today.

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A King met a beggar on a lonely road one day.

A strange occurrence took place as you will see.

The beggar fell upon his knees and cried,

"O King, please pardon me, I am unworthy in Thy presence to be."

Then the King looked at the beggar,

And He said, “Friend, you've been set free,

your sins are all forgiven,

and now you're born in Royalty.”

Then the King and the beggar walked off arm in arm, you see,

That King was JESUS, and the beggar was me.

He who was so rich became so poor,

that a beggar rich might be (II Cor 5:21).

The Son of God became the Son of man;

That sinners called the sons of man,

the sons of God might be.

I can't explain it, God's wondrous saving plan.

Do you know the GREAT KING who died for you? Only His Free Grace and Dying Love can save your sinful soul today. You need a free royal pardon by God's Blood. Every sinner must be saved by Blood, that is, God's Blood that flowed from Christ Jesus' veins on Calvary's Cross.

I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the heathen.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid the full price for all my sins on Calvary's Cross. I am so thankful Jesus saved my soul from the love and power and penalty of my sins. I know I'm going to heaven now, won't you come and go with me. I'm so sinful and no good, nevertheless Jesus' precious blood alone has bought my FREE ticket into New Jerusalem. I am a sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my All in All. He is my God, my King, my Friend, and my Savior - Christ Jesus is Everything! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hallelujah to the King - I'm so glad He came by this poor beggar's way one day!

Redeemed

"Redeemed" in the Scriptures, means to be set free, to be bought back, or to be ransomed. Christ's innocent blood, sacrificed for sinners, bought us back from the slavery of sin and the tyranny of Satan. "By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12).

But redeemed from what and from where? From the slavery to sin, and from the love of sin. Jesus taught, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34). Thankfully, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Galatians 3:13). Jesus bought us with a price, with His own life's blood - He ransomed us from Satan's market place, which could be called "the slave market of sin." He ransomed us, He redeemed us from the horrors of slavery to sin by His sinless death on Calvary's Cross. Jesus is the only Atoner of human sin.

"Redeemed" also means, "to ransom in full." Jesus has paid the full penalty for human sin! Nothing more needs to be paid or done! Indeed, "It is finished" (John 19:30), He said this as He died on Calvary. In Him, and in Him alone, "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by God's grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

Some fruits of Christ's Redemption from the slavery of sin:

* A reversal of habits, attitudes, and appetites. Attitudes toward God and the Bible are miraculously reversed by the power of the Holy Ghost.

* A prayer life starts. He just doesn't say prayers, he has a prayer life. True worship is on the inside of a person. There is a constant automatic turning to God for help when things come up.

* There is a sincere desire to tell others about the saving power of the person and blood of Jesus Christ. There is an active concern for lost people. If a man is truly born again, he's going to want to open his mouth and say 'something' about Jesus Christ. He cannot keep his salvation from sin and hell to himself.

* A thirst for teaching and preaching of the word of God. Saved sinners want to be preached at, they want to be taught from the word of God. They thirst for truth and righteousness, and love to be under plain, straight preaching, that preaches up Christ, and preaches down sin.

* The witness of the Spirit as to the assurance of salvation, and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

* True convictions about what the Bible says, a love for the exceeding great and precious promises of God's word.

* There will be some degree of repentance, the turning from sin, there will be a desire to repent and please God in private and public. There is a turning from sin somewhere or an intense desire to turn from things that don't please God, even if he can't do it.

* There is a fear of God and a fear of sin. A Christian may sin, but he won't rush into it without some consideration. He will never be proud of his sin anymore. He'll struggle and fight with his sins the rest of his life, but he won't glory in them and do them openly for everyone to see like he used to when he was lost. Sin now grieves his heart, because he senses that his sin grieves the heart of God.

The Real Skinny

The Gospel is not good advice to men, but it is good news about the Lord Jesus Christ becoming Sin on the Cross and suffering the wrath of God, so that sinners just like you can become perfectly righteous in God's sight by placing their simple faith in His shed blood. The Gospel is not a commandment to do anything, but it is a declaration of what God has done for sinners in the person of His Son. The Gospel of Christ is not a demand, it is a free offer to hopeless and helpless sinners. Human nature wants to be accepted and popular with man, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is unattractive and offensive to the carnal mind of the natural man.

Human nature has the wild idea that no particular religion is exclusively true, but that all religions are equally true, and that there are many paths that lead to God in the end, each of them is just as good as another. But the Bible says in John 14:6, that Jesus is THE WAY, not a way. Unbelief in Jesus Christ is a great insult to God. Every sinner must trust the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved from sin. The complete sinfulness of man, the eternality of Hell, the exclusivity of salvation in Christ alone, the absolute certainty of future Judgment, the necessity of repentance and of personal private and public purity in the true believer upsets the carnal mind.

In the Bible, the modern 21st century man is a total failure (Romans 3:10-23); and on top of that, he is spiritually dead in his sins (Ephesians 2:1-5); he is born wrong (John 3:3-5), and is headed for wrath and the Lake of Fire (Ephesians 2:2-3; Romans 1:18,32). Not one worldly religion pictures "man" in that fashion. The Law came "by Moses" (John 1:17), and it is 80% negative. The Gospel Message is 75% negative: Christ died for SINS - negative; He was Buried - negative; but He ROSE from the dead - positive. Mankind is 100% negative. Human nature says, "Be positive, we can do it, believe in yourself, you have to earn the right to enter heaven, you can be what you want to be, do your best, hope for the best, never mind that Bible, ignore those fanatical Christians." The natural man is a positive-thinking "do-gooder" who thinks he can be good enough to earn eternal life, without trusting Christ's Righteousness. Man-made religions deceive self-righteous men into thinking they can work their way to salvation by human effort. There is no such thing as a second chance. Christ died for guilty sinners, trust only in His finished work. The wicked know not at what they stumble.

Let me be crystal clear, you are sinful and have broken God's laws and merited His eternal wrath and the flames of hell forever. You must seek forgiveness contritely at the feet of Jesus Christ, you are in danger and under condemnation and the wrath of God, your only way of escape is through simple faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ. You must be reconciled to God before you quit breathing or you will surely be condemned to Hell Fire. Search the Scriptures, believe the words of Jesus, trust only in His sinless finished work for lost sinners. No merits of your can ever with the favor of God. You are a undeserving, hell-deserving on your very best day. You are a careless soul living in sin willingly and knowingly. Ye must be born again and given a new nature within that loves God. You are in need of a Savior. You look well to your back account, but you neglect your immortal soul. The Gospel is a message of divine bleeding love from the Son of God Himself. God was manifest in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. A loving, condescending, self-sacrificing, sinless, dying, risen Savior. God now command all men everywhere to repent. You are invited and bidden to come to Christ today. You have to intentionally exert yourself to reject Christ.

Atheists are great sinners, but Jesus is *the* Great Savior. Jesus willingly bore the sinner's penalty on the Cross. He died in your place, so you can go free. Your sin was punished upon HIM. The Great Sin-Bearer stood in the sinner's place, and suffered and fully satisfied divine justice in your place. He was wounded for your transgressions against the divine law. Now any sinner can be saved by grace through faith alone, without works. Come on to Jesus now, desire to know Him, think about Him, read about Him, seek Him, believe Him, trust Him. Unmerited mercy and unexpected grace and undeserved love is found at the foot of the Cross. Everything is in Christ, therefore you cannot bring anything to Him. Human nature wants to be something or do something to merit eternal life. You must be nothing, and let Jesus be everything.

God had to become a man with Blood (I Timothy 3:16; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 2:14) to save sinful man. Jesus Christ was a real Jewish man who was virgin born in Bethlehem, He grew up in Nazareth, He had the same anatomy as you do, but His blood was God's blood. God became a human being, Jesus of Nazareth, He lived a sinless life, and at the end He was betrayed and falsely condemned to die, He bore the sins of every man in His own body, and suffered in your place. He took the punishment for every one of your sins. Christ died for you so you could be saved from God's divine justice on Judgment Day. Think about your sins, listen to your conscience, hear the Gospel, repent of your sins, trust in Christ's Blood Atonement to pay for your sins. He rose from the dead, defeated death, and now He is alive forever more. Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. He was born under and kept the Law perfectly and lived a absolutely sinless life. Jesus was without sin and never knew sin. No one on the earth has ever kept the commandments of God perfectly but the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus satisfied divine justice for all the lawbreaking of sinful mankind. Jesus died in agony and blood, so that you might not die for all Eternity in the Lake of Fire. You must be regenerated (born again) from above by the power of Holy Ghost.

Only the Law of God and Spirit of God can help you sense your sin, your inability, your guilt, your danger, and your unworthiness. The carnal mind hates the very mention of Jesus Christ and His free Gospel that saves sinners from the wrath to come. The worst evidence of your enmity to God is that you do not like God's way of salvation, you refuse to have heaven on God's free terms through simple faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Christ is All. You are so at war with God that you would rather go to hell forever rather than be saved God's way. That is what it all boils down to.

Your need of the Savior can only be revealed to you by the work of the Spirit. Your greatest need is Christ's free mercy and complete forgiveness of sins. The divine Law of God in Exodus 20 shows you your sin. You are a lawbreaker through and through - the Bible calls you a *sinner*. You worship yourself, and pride yourself in how good a person you are. Proud rebels wind up in hell. Your very best actions are nothing but whitewashed sins. All that you can ever do is destitute of true excellence, because you begin by neglecting Jesus Christ and by making God a liar. He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

Submit and surrender to Christ. Trust your soul with Christ Himself. Salvation is everything for nothing: pardon free, Christ free, heaven free. The Gospel message is "All for nothing", all freely given, real pardon for real sin, abiding and everlasting pardon. The Cross gives priceless blessings without price: Free pardon, free justification, perfect cleansing, complete salvation. Priceless gifts are bestowed upon the guilty and unworthy. God will only freely forgive all your sin debt for the sake of Jesus Christ. Human nature can never please God. The more afraid of yourself you are the better. By nature, sinners are lost, ruined and condemned. Your greatest sin is trusting in your own righteousness and refusing to accept the righteousness of God - Jesus Christ Himself.

The divine Law condemns you for your sins against your Maker. Your vile desires, impure passions, selfish lusts, the wicked appetites of your evil nature, your natural instincts that demand indulgence have the mastery over you. God sees and hears all of your thoughts daily and is recording them. Your carnal mind continually rebels against God. You must acknowledge your guilt, and submit to Christ's perfect righteousness, and receive the person of Christ into your inmost being to save your soul from the eternal wrath of God (Romans 10:3; John 1:12; John 3:36). Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; Christ died for the ungodly; whosoever shall call upon His name shall be saved; except ye repent, ye shall die in your sins and perish forever; and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.

You are under a curse called sin and you are powerless to save yourself from it by your own doings. The Law exposes your sin and shows you up for what you really are within and without. You are imprisoned by your own sins and only Christ can redeem and free you from them. You must come to despair of yourself, for you currently trusting in yourself, and not in Christ. It is a great danger to trust in yourself. All earthly religion teach that the gifts of God can be earned or merited by human effort. Give up all boasting, you must receive God's divine charity at the foot of the Cross, not give to a worldly charity. Your sins have only merited eternal misery. Free forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus Christ is the way out of hell.

Earthly religion is nothing but a slavish commitment to man-made rules and regulations that self-righteous man tries his best to obey, but it can never satisfy your sinful soul. You are a dreadful person and in a grave predicament without Christ. You cannot make yourself good enough to satisfy a holy God. No one would ever look for God in the flesh in a manger or on a Cross dying between two thieves. That's why God did what He did, He is waiting for you to humble yourself and admit your need of His Son. Without Christ you can do nothing, and you are worse than nothing. The divine Law of God takes the lid off of your human dignity and shows you how filthy you really are underneath, that no one else knows about. Within you are rebellious, guilty, and helpless and in desperate need of a sinless crucified and risen Savior. Without trusting in Christ, the Incarnate Truth (John 14:6), your whole life is a lie, your religion is useless, your hope is a delusion, your doings are an insult to God, your peace is presumption, and your inevitable end will be despair and doom. Simple, humble reliance upon Christ's doing and dying saves the soul. Delay is your greatest danger. Come now, be wise, repent and submit to Christ's precious blood and perfect righteousness, bow down at the feet Jesus Christ in prayer, call upon His name, ask *HIM* for His complete and eternal forgiveness of sins.

Hear Instruction

Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul. The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment. Every one of us shall give account of himself to God. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed. For yet a little while, and wicked shall not be. The day of the LORD is great and very terrible. When God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. Prepare to meet thy God. There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For the LORD cometh to judge the earth. God shall judge the world with righteousness and His truth. When God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. They shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images. Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

The day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand. But destruction shall be to the worker of iniquity. Of a truth, God is no respecter of persons. For our God is a consuming fire. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And the hope of unjust men perisheth. The wicked shall be turned into hell. But the way of the ungodly shall perish. But sin is a reproach to any people. God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing. But know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. What shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel? But the end of all things is at hand. But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, and where is he? And God repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, God will repay him to his face. But ye have set at nought all My counsel. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee. God will punish the wicked for their iniquity. The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

God was manifest in the flesh. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. No man cometh unto the Father, but by Jesus Christ. The LORD hath made known His salvation. If any man thirst, let him come unto Jesus Christ, and drink. And him that cometh unto Jesus Christ, He will in no wise cast out. Come unto Jesus Christ, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ye must be born again. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? O taste and see that the LORD is good. What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? That they should believe on Him, that is, on Christ Jesus. Whosoever believeth in Christ Jesus shall receive the remission of sins. Justified by the faith of Christ, and not by works. But he that believeth not is condemned already.He that believeth on Jesus Christ is not condemned. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But Christ Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved.

How can ye escape the damnation of hell? Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. For there is one God, and one Mediator between and God and men, the man Christ Jesus. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? For the Son of man is come to save that which is lost. Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. But safety is of the Lord. Our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? He is not here: for He is risen. For by grace are ye saved through faith, it is the gift of God. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. It is better to trust in the LORD than in man. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And when I see My Son's Blood, I will pass over you. Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Christ Himself. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. But he that believeth not shall be damned. Every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD. For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven.

For God's eyes are upon all your ways. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and good. Turn unto the LORD your God, He is gracious and merciful. Turn ye again now every one from his evil way. But the wicked will God destroy. For the fashion of this world passeth away. Return unto the LORD, for He will abundantly pardon. If thou return unto the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. Ye should turn from vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.

He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Fear Him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways. And God's mercy is on them that fear Him. Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him. He that feareth God shall come forth of them all. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil. Surely God's salvation is nigh them that fear Him.

Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God? Whoso despiseth the word of God shall be destroyed. But the word which God has spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD. For the LORD reveals Himself by the word of the LORD. For ye have perverted the words of the living God. The entrance of Thy words giveth light. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. They which lead thee cause thee to err. Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures. The law of the LORD is perfect. Let God be true, but every man a liar.

The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted. But the way of the transgressors is hard. And be sure your sin will find you out. Fools make a mock at sin. Hear the word of the Lord: There is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, these three are one. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. As I live, saith the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me. But the path of the just is as the shining light. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil. We should not trust in ourselves, but in God. Shewing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. Whoso hearkeneth unto Christ shall dwell safely. For the love of money is the root of all evil. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts: consider your ways. Ponder the path of thy feet. Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein. Forsake the foolish, and live. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Incline your ear, and come unto Christ Jesus. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. Take heed that no man deceive you. Keep thy heart with all diligence. But seek ye first the kingdom of God. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live. Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. For it is time to seek the Lord. But it is good for me to draw near to God. Take fast hold of instruction. But he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD.

Woe unto them which justify the wicked for reward. If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. But fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. A fool hath no delight in understanding. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul. Woe unto them, that call evil good, and good evil. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Now be ye not stiffnecked, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and serve Him.

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Remember, now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. For in God, we live, and move, and have our being. For the coming the LORD draweth nigh. In such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. God is faithful and just forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I have made the earth, and created man upon it.The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. The heavens declare the glory of God. And whoso trusteth in the LORD happy is he. God is a very present help in trouble. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

The Great Sin-Eraser

Man invents fictions from his vain imagination such as evolution, and he hates the facts of Holy Scripture. Your daily false words, impure thoughts, and crooked judgments all condemn you. Your inner nature is inclined to evil. No one ever had to teach you to lie or mislead someone. You have a natural tendency to try and appear to be what you are not. The tendency to sin is with you each hour. You can never attain to the divine requirements of God's Law. By nature, you are fascinated with the forbidden. The desire to steal or lie or lust is awakened by the divine prohibition to do so. There is in you a bias toward the vile and unclean. Someone with power beyond your own must keep your evil desires in check. You can never satisfy the divine and righteous demands of the Law. You have neglected and rejected Christ repeatedly. You think lustful thoughts, you hate and despise others inwardly, you try to cheat others out of what you owe them (IRS, employer, family, God). The atheist deceives himself, he puts out his own eyes, blinds his understanding, and defiles his conscience till he has become his own dupe. Falsehood has saturated the atheist's inward nature. You must come to God as you actually are, and ask Him to deal with you, in Christ Jesus, according to your actual sinful condition. The atheist's idea of having no sin is a satanic delusion - you are altogether deceived.

Every man by nature tries to open his mouth and justify himself, and say the best things he can for himself, but it is the object of God’s Law to shut every man’s mouth; and when you come to that sober condition of your sinfulness, only then is there hope for you. When you have nothing to say for yourself, then the Lord Jesus Christ will open His mouth and plead for your guilty soul in the courts of God.

All the Divine Law can ever do is show you your sin. The Law is the divine mirror of Perfect Holiness, and looking into it you can see your deadly spots of sin; but you cannot wash away anything with a mirror. If you want to be cleansed from your sin stains, you must go somewhere else. The object of the Law of God is not to cleanse us, but to show us how much we need cleansing; to reveal our deadly disease, not to provide a remedy for it. The Law leads and points us straight to the Cross cleansing and healing. You must go to the pure fountain of Christ's Precious Blood for perfect cleansing and free forgiveness.

You have so sinned that you can never become righteous through the law or your own efforts; but now there is a true way of righteousness, the way of the Righteousness of God; and God’s Righteousness is much better than the best human righteousness can ever be conceived to be. There is a heavenly Righteousness which comes to us by faith in Jesus Christ, not by doing, but by simply believing in His works, not ours, a perfect Righteousness which Christ finished is freely bestowed upon all sinners that believe on HIM alone. It is not of him who works for salvation, but of him who believes on Christ's works; not of him who merits, but of him who trusts Christ's merits.

Science can never take away your sins. Darwinism is a lie through and through. The Great Sin-Eraser, Jesus Christ, is the only Person who can erase your sins from God's record book in heaven. You must go directly to Jesus Christ the Great Mediator for the free forgiveness of all your sins (past, present, and future). If you say you have no sin, you are a liar for sure, and the truth is not in you. Your human sin must be either atoned for by the Precious Blood of the Savior, or be recompensed upon you for all Eternity in the Lake of Fire. Only the true pardon of sin brings true gratitude, and true gratitude brings true purity, and true purity bring true peace to the heart. The only fitness for Christ's saving grace is your actual need of it. You are unquestionably sinful, and there is nothing in yourself to commend you to God's Mercy. Forsake your self-righteousness, turn from your sinful thoughts and ways - Look only to Jesus Christ now, and He will erase your sins with His Atoning Blood. Trust only His wounds, rely simply upon His Blood, fix all your confidence in His stripes.