Are you a sinner?

Do you find this question confronting? If so, why do you find it confronting? Perhaps it is because you don't want to be labelled a sinner. Perhaps you consider that you lead a good life, stay out of trouble and try to do good to others. Or perhaps you instinctively feel deep down that you may be held accountable for your sins. You are not alone; people generally don't like the thought of being classified as a sinner.

 Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word sin as:

1a. Transgression of God's known will or any principle or law regarded as embodying this.

1b. The condition of estrangement from God arising from such transgression.

2. Any serious offence, as against a religious or moral principle.

3. Any offence against a principle or standard.

 We know when we do wrong! Our conscience convicts us that we are doing wrong. Romans 3:23 tells us, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  This is an interesting situation because we all have sinned. We have all sinned - all of us! Nobody can point the finger at anybody else; because we are all under the same condemnation.

 What is the outcome of this predicament? Let's see what Romans 6:23 tells us about the situation. "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The penalty for sinning is death! Death came into the world when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. They eventually died as a result of their sins - otherwise they would still be alive on Planet Earth today! Adam passed on his sinful nature down through his offspring; right down until the present day. Why do people die? It is the penalty for sinning.

 Try as you may you can't get around the fact that you are a sinner. However God has not left us in a hopeless situation. What did Romans 6:23 inform us? "...the gift of God is eternal life."

 Let's look at some verses in John chapter 3.

"(16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

(17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

(18) He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

 In Romans 6:23 we learned that Jesus Christ is God and that He gives us the gift of eternal life. In John chapter 3 we find out that Jesus Christ the Son of God was sent by the Triune God to save people in this world we live in. If you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you are no longer condemned as a sinner; but you now have the gift of eternal life.

 Are you a sinner in need of a Saviour? The Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour. 1 Timothy 1:15 reveals "...that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." Trust in Him, believe that He can save you and He will save you.

 What if I choose not to believe that I am a sinner and that I don't need any salvation? Let's see what Hebrews 9:27 tells us. "...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment"

 Revelation  20:11-15  gives us a very clear picture of what happens to a person who dies still in their sins.

 "(11) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

(13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

(14)Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

 I'm sure that the Lake of Fire is not the place that you want to spend eternity in. You don't have to, if you choose the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

 

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Day In The Life Of Three Criminals

The three criminals woke up that morning knowing they were about to be crucified by the Roman army for their evil deeds. They had been sentenced to die by crucifixion. Each of the three men will have a different outcome due to their direct link to a fourth man also sentenced to die by crucifixion.

It is a day that forever is set as the pivotal point in time. It is the day that the Christian world remembers each year as Good Friday. It is the day when Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, the Son of God was crucified on a Roman cross, by Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor.

Luke 23:13-25

"(13) Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
(14) said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him;
(15) no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.
(16) I will therefore chastise Him and release Him"
(17) (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).
(18) And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas"--
(19) who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.
(20) Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.
(21) But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"
(22) Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."

(23) But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.
(24) So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.
(25) And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will."

Barabbas who was to be executed as a rebellion leader and murderer is released because Jesus of Nazareth takes his place. The cross intended for Barabbas now becomes the cross of Jesus of Nazareth. One of the criminals is set free!

Luke 23:32-33

"(32) There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.
(33) And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left."

From the gospel records we can see that the two thieves had been caught and sentence had been passed on them – death by crucifixion. They were already hanging, crucified on their crosses. There was no possible way of escape for either of them. The end result of crucifixion was a slow, tortuous, agonising death.

The rulers of the Jews and the watching crowd reviled Jesus of Nazareth saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” (Luke 23:35).

Matthew 27:44, “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him...”

This verse in Matthew’s gospel reveals that both thieves also reviled Him. But, something happened to one of the thieves because he changed his mind.

Let’s look at Luke 23:39-43,

“(39) Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’

(40) But the other answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?’

(41) ‘And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’

(42)Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’

(43) And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’.”

One thief, angry and bitter that he had been caught and was now paying the price of his wicked ways, lashes out verbally at Jesus of Nazareth. The other thief has reconsidered his own position and realises that the man on the centre cross is indeed the Christ, the true Messiah, and the rightful King of the Jews. He rebukes the reviling thief and turns to Jesus and asks Him to remember him when He comes to reign. His reward is, “today, you will be with Me in Paradise.”

One criminal went to Hell still in his sins, to await the Great White Throne judgement. The other criminal went to Paradise to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. The third criminal Barabbas, even though he was set free, was still in his sins. There is no record in the Scriptures of him repenting of his sins; therefore at the end of his life Hell would be his destination.

Three criminals - three different outcomes! How does your life compare? What outcome will be yours? The repenting thief had the very best outcome. Will you?

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

Don't be deceived!

I guess most people would know what it is to be deceived; to be misled or lied to. That's what deception does, it is nothing more than a trap to ensnare you; or in other words to believe that an untruth is the truth, thus ensnaring you.

 

Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word deceive as:

1. To mislead by deliberate misrepresentation, or lies

2. To delude (oneself)

3. To be unfaithful to (one's sexual partner)

4. To disappoint.

In Paul's epistle to the Galatians, in Galatians 6:7 we read these words, "do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."  Point 2 above seems to hit the nail on the head. Don't delude yourself! God is not mocked! Even if a man mocks God he is only deluding himself. Every sin has a consequence!

In verse 7 we are then pointed to the principle of sowing and reaping. "...for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." If we sow bad things in our lives then we cannot expect to reap good things in return. If we sow wheat then we cannot expect to harvest a cotton crop. If we live an ungodly, sinful life then we cannot expect to end up in heaven at the end of our days.

Another great delusion is people believing that they can get into heaven on their own merits. If that was the case there would have been no need for Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God to die on a Roman cross for your sins and mine.

Don't delude yourself! Romans 3:10-12 states,

"(10) As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one;

(11) There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.

(12) They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one'."

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death..." 

These verses in Romans indicate a bleak future if you die in your sins. Thankfully, the rest of Romans 6:23 tells us, "... but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Ephesians 2:8, 9 informs us, "(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast."

NB: We are saved through faith - not by our works! God is not going to have anyone boasting in His presence that they got into heaven through their own personal efforts.

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, believe in your own heart that He will save you; and He will give you the assurance of sins forgiven and the wonderful gift of eternal life. Then you will know that your home is in heaven.

So don't be deceived by the lies of the Devil. John 8:44 the Lord Jesus Christ tells us concerning the Devil, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

Let me make this quite clear, Satan the Devil does not want you to be saved from your sins; he wants you to worship him instead of the true and living God. He does not mind if you try to get into heaven by your own works for he knows you will fail and die in your sins. Salvation takes place this side of the grave; once you die it is too late!

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.] 

 

The debt is paid!

Intrigued? What is the debt that has been paid? What relevance does it have to me? Most people incur debts along life's way. It is a great relief when those debts are finally paid out.

We have all accumulated debts to God. The more we sin the more debt we accumulate. These debts cannot be paid by monetary means. These debts cannot be worked off by our blood, sweat and tears.

How then can the debt be paid? How can God be paid out? If you and I can't do it; how is it possible?

Maybe some of you are thinking, 'I don't believe in God, therefore how can I incur a debt to a God I don't believe in?' Let's look at what the Bible has to say. Ezekiel 18:4 tells us, "Behold, all souls are Mine: the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die."

Dying is the result of sinning! What is man's greatest fear? Surely it is the fear of dying! Now we know why we die. So how can we get right with God? I have this great debt which I cannot pay and I cannot work it off. Thankfully, God has provided the answer through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let's look at Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Would you like to exchange your debt of sin for eternal life? Would you like to get rid of your debt of sin forever? Let me be quite blunt about this matter. If you die in your sins - you will go to Hell. You will stand before God at the Great White Throne of judgement. You will be judged in your sins and you will be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second, eternal death. There is no pardon or reprieve - it is an eternal sentence!

The obvious alternative to any thinking person "is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." When Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross at Calvary all those years ago He paid the price of our sins. 1 Peter 2:24 informs us "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed."

Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins; so that you and I can have eternal life. This is the gift of God to us. However, the gift only becomes yours if you reach out and take it for yourself. By doing this you exchange your debt of sin for a new life in Christ. Please note, what the apostle Peter tells us in verse 24 that this new life is a life of righteousness. We have been bought with a great price and we now belong to God.

Is your debt of sin paid? Mine is! The end of my life's journey is Heaven - not Hell. What will be the end of your life's journey?

 

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]