In 1988, about two weeks before our timber company
went belly up, I dreamed that the phone rang and a man's voice said, “Jill,
build your faith. You’re going to need it.” So I started studying the Bible
like I was preparing for finals – in a way, I guess I was preparing for life’s
final test. Three very important
truths that I’ve learned over the years are:
TRUTH #1 – Every
person born physically is DEAD spiritually.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
“The wages of sin is
DEATH…” (Rom. 6:23a)
“You were DEAD in your
trespasses and sin.” (Eph. 2:1)
“For as in Adam all
DIE…” (1 Cor. 15:22a)
TRUTH #2 – A DEAD man
can’t help himself. SomeOne has to make a DEAD person ALIVE.
“Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
caused us to be BORN AGAIN to a LIVING
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the DEAD…If you
address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work,
conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that
you were not redeemed [made ALIVE] with perishable things like silver or
gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter
1:3,17-19)
“For while we were
still helpless [DEAD], at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans
5:6)
“Therefore we are
buried with Jesus by baptism into DEATH; so that as Christ was raised up from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of LIFE!” (Romans 6:4)
“Let it be known to
all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ… there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which
we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10,12)
TRUTH #3 – Only those ALIVE in intimate relationship
with Jesus will enter heaven – His Kingdom - where Jesus Christ is the JUDGE of
the LIVING and the DEAD.
“I solemnly charge you
in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the
dead, and by His appearing and His Kingdom: preach the Word…For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled,
they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own
desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to
myths. (2 Tim. 4:1-4)
Jesus said, “Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me
on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name
cast our demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me.” (Matt.
7:21-23)
“I am amazed that you
are so quickly deserting God who called you by the grace of Christ, for a
different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are
disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an
angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we preached
to you, he is accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-8)
“Now I make known to
you, the gospel… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and
that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to
Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He
appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time.” (1 Cor. 15:1,3-5)
“If you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be
disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same
Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, for ‘Whoever
will call on the name of the Lord [Jesus] will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9-13)
Jesus isn’t one way to heaven; the Bible teaches from Genesis to Revelation
that Jesus Christ truly is the ONLY way to
eternal LIFE. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I
am the way, and the truth, and the LIFE; no one comes to the Father but through
Me.” Therefore, Jesus is the Son of
God, the Christ, the Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world OR He was a liar.
Beloved, who do you say Jesus is?
