“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” ~1 Corinthians 1:18. The gospel is a hard pill to swallow for many or should I say most, it is offensive. Because to accept the Gospel message you must accept the fact you’re not good and not in charge. The Gospel should be preached with power causing conviction and repentance but most times it is changed in such a way to make it more palatable; easier to take and spoken of in such away to keep from offending the majority. The world would have you believe that God is all loving and since God is all loving He would never send someone to Hell. There are two thoughts in the world today that I see as destructive and keep people from ever trusting alone in Jesus Christ for salvation.
1) There are many ways to heaven: I’m not sorry if this offends you, there are not many ways to heaven there is but one. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” ~John 14:6. Jesus was, is, and always will be how we are made right with God. Doing good deeds doesn’t get you into heaven, following the teachings of any and all of the world’s religions can’t get you into heaven, there is one way and that way is in the Man Jesus Christ. Buddhism can’t save you, Mohammad can’t save you, Judaism can’t save you, following Joseph Smith’s teachings in Mormonism can’t save you, the watchtower can’t save you, being a Catholic can’t save you, being a Baptist can’t save you, being a Methodist can’t save, or any other Religion or belief system you can come up with can’t save you. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are” ~Romans 3:22. “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” ~Acts 4:12.
2) I’m a good person: Do you know what God thinks and says about your good deeds? “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” ~Isaiah 64:6. All of our good deeds are like filthy rags to God they are nothing in His sight. Our sin is such an abomination to Him He doesn’t look on your good deeds because He can’t look past what you have done. You say but I’m a good person or at least try to be. Oh yeah! Have you ever told a lie? If you’ve even told one lie doesn’t that make you a liar? Have you ever stolen anything at all insignificant of its value? If you steal doesn’t that make you a thief? Have you used God’s name in vain, you used God’s Holy name in place of a filth word to display disgust? That makes you a blasphemer, you’ve taken the name of the God who gave you life and made it common. Have you ever looked on another person with lust? God is spiritual He sees all of your thoughts as well. Jesus said: “But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in His heart” ~Matthew 5:28. So if you have ever looked at another person with lust that makes you an adulterer. So if you have answered yes to these questions doesn’t that make you a lying thief, an adulterer, and a Blasphemer. Sounds pretty bad and it is, like it or not this is how God sees you. What we have done here is gone through a few of God’s commandments: the 9th, 8th, 3rd, and 7th in that order. James said: “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws” ~James 2:10.
This is the Gospel! You have sinned; you have broken God’s commandments and have sinned directly against your creator God. There is a penalty for sin that penalty is death. The Bible says: no thief or adulterer will enter the Kingdom of God ~1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “all liars-their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” ~Revelation 21:8. Jesus, born of a virgin came and lived a sinless perfect life. He was perfect in the sight of God; perfect in His thoughts, what He said, and how he acted. He gave His life and blood on the cross as payment for your sins, what you must do to receive this is: Repent (turn from sin) and turn to the savior put all of your trust in Jesus Christ death on the cross as payment for your sins. If you do that you will be saved, cleansed from all of your sins and will no longer be under God’s judgment.
Trust in Jesus I hope you will. If you needed to contact me for any reason my email address is: peekmikeb@aol.com
God Bless,
Mike Peek
