 "When I see thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars, which thou hast established; What is man...." (Psalms 8:3)
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Eternal Life, the Gift of God "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal. "For God has not sent his Son into the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him. "He that believes on him is not judged: but he that believes not has been already judged, because he has not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) |
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Getting to Heaven
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What Will You Do
When The End Comes? Fresh Blessing From an Old Scripture No Neutral Ground, by C. A. Coates What is Saving Faith? If I express an interest in the things of the Lord after an evangelistic service a counselor may ask me if I “believe” Christ died for me, and that He rose again from the dead? Receiving an affirmative answer, the counselor may then “assure” me that I am now eternally saved. But if I do not fully realize that by my natural birth I am completely lost for eternity, and there has been no actual turning to God from sin on my part, and no personal commitment to the living Lord Jesus Christ, I may have a false “assurance” of having been saved! In addition, it is not my intellectual faith that saves me. I can become "convinced" of all the "facts" related to the blessed work of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, but still remain lost. After all, true saving faith is totally the gift of God, and has nothing to do with any "human understanding" of the gospel, nor does it depend on any moral works that I might perform. God given “saving faith” becomes evident only when it moves me to fully realize that I am totally marked by sin (Rom. 3:23), and that I am under the Divine sentence of death (Rom. 6:23). It moves me to repent of sin (Acts 17:31-32). Repentance means I abhor my sin and consciously turn to God from sin. True faith also moves me to fully accept that there is nothing I can do in my own power to get right with God. Church membership, giving to charity, my own good works, water baptism, observing all the rituals of a religious organization, and even my human faith, etc., do not pave the way to heaven. And salvation from sin is not achieved by signing a "decision card" or praying a "formula prayer." So what is left? God is a God of mercy. I must cast my whole self upon God, and rely completely on His mercy, and His provision for sinners. This provision for sinners is the Lord Jesus Himself. This Jesus is the only one who can take away sins. He, (the Lord Jesus), and only He “. . . is able also to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Heb. 7:25). God alone is the originator of, author of, and giver of eternal life to those who believe on or “toward” (not merely about) the Lord Jesus. It is absolutely impossible for anyone to seek God unless the Father draws that person to His Son (John 6:44). This is why “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” is an actual evidence that I, an undeserving sinner, have a vital link with God and am one of His children. But, a true child of God has been bought with a price (1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Cor. 6:19-20), and thus becomes a bondservant. As a slave of Christ I must commit myself to Christ as my Savior and as the Lord of my life. While none of us could ever live a perfect life, if you or I simply believe the facts about the Lord Jesus, without repentance and commitment to Him, this is not “Saving Faith.” A true Christian bows to Him as both Savior and Lord.
If you are concerned about your personal relationship with your 'Maker,' and wish to discuss this with someone, you are invited to contact us by clicking the following email link: Contact Thy Testimonies We will do our best to help. Your inquiry will be held in strict confidence, and no one will telephone or visit you. And no one will try to 'recruit' you into any religious group or organization. |
