Posted on Sun, Dec 13, 2009
Dear reader, Stop and think! Is it difficult to look, if one can see? No, but many seeing Israelites died of serpent bites in the wilderness because they refused to simply look at the bronze serpent and live. Similarly, today, God says: “If you confess with your mouth (that), "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” but, sadly, many will miss heaven “and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever”6, in hell because they have refused to, simply, confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead to be saved.
No one is exempt from sin. And no one with sin will go to heaven. Unless our sins are covered by God’s righteousness, we will not be admitted to heaven by any other means. Billions, or trillions more of our entire righteous acts - no matter what they are, or to whom they have been or are still being rendered – will or can meet God’s requirement of righteousness. Thus, we cannot be accepted into God’s holy heaven for our good deeds.
God says: “All of us have become … unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”1. “God who cannot lie” 2, says: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us.”‘3.
We are saved from sins when they are covered by Jesus Christ in his righteousness. And ONLY Jesus Christ can save us. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 3(a).
God says: “All of us have become … unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”1. “God who cannot lie” 2, says: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us.”‘3.
We are saved from sins when they are covered by Jesus Christ in his righteousness. And ONLY Jesus Christ can save us. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 3(a).
To be saved from sins and have them covered by Jesus Christ is simple. “If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.4. To illustrate that being saved from sin is easy, Jesus Christ referred us to the wilderness experience in the Old Testament when a great number of Israelites died of serpent bites. To be healed, God requested Moses to construct a bronze serpent and raised it on a pole. Those bitten by serpents that looked on the bronze serpent received instant healing. Jesus said: “So the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him should have eternal life.”5.
Dear reader, Stop and think! Is it difficult to look, if one can see? No, but many seeing Israelites died of serpent bites in the wilderness because they refused to simply look at the bronze serpent and live. Similarly, today, God says: “If you confess with your mouth (that), "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Sadly, many will miss heaven “and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever”6 in hell because they have refused to simply confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead to be saved.
By dying on the cross, Jesus Christ received the punishment for our sins. So, for Jesus Christ’s sake and righteousness, and not our merits or good deeds, when we confess with our mouths, that “Jesus is Lord," and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, God, instantly, honors our faith in him, forgives our sins and covers all our sins in Jesus Christ. Thus, he readies us for our mansion in heaven – his dwelling place.
This is the blissful feeling that the Apostle Paul had when while in prison, he wrote to his fellow saints in Philippi “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” 7. Again, Paul affirmed our salvation in Jesus Christ alone when he wrote: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 8. So, we are, fully, justified by God, because of Jesus’ death. God cannot lie; our salvation is that simple.
This is the blissful feeling that the Apostle Paul had when while in prison, he wrote to his fellow saints in Philippi “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” 7. Again, Paul affirmed our salvation in Jesus Christ alone when he wrote: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 8. So, we are, fully, justified by God, because of Jesus’ death. God cannot lie; our salvation is that simple.
David was joyously thrilled with this understanding when being led by the Holy Spirit, he stated in Psalms 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” This blessedness is also vividly echoed and expressed by Eliza E. Hewitt in her song:
When the pearly gates are opened
To a sinner “saved by grace,”
When thro’ everlasting mercy,
I behold my Savior’s face,
When I enter in the mansions
Of the city bright and fair,
I shall have a royal welcome,
For I’ll be no stranger there.
To a sinner “saved by grace,”
When thro’ everlasting mercy,
I behold my Savior’s face,
When I enter in the mansions
Of the city bright and fair,
I shall have a royal welcome,
For I’ll be no stranger there.
1. 1. Isaiah 64:6, 2. Titus 1:2 3. Titus 3:5, 3(a) Acts 4:12 4. Romans 10:9, 5. John 3:14 Revelation 20:10, 7. Philippians 1:21 8. 2 Corinthians 5:21 6.
Other references
Discussion:
If heaven is the dwelling place of a holy God, who on earth will go there?
Dick Adams (anon)
· 13 years, 9 months ago
We wanted to let you know that the Cyber Hymnal™ has a new URL: http://www.hymntime.com/tch. Your Web site links to the Cyber Hymnal™ from http://www.christdisciples.org/n/if_heaven_is_the_dwelling_place_of_a_holy_god_who_on_earth_will_.html. Sadly, the old cyberhymnal.org domain name is now controlled by an illegal pirate site in Panama which stole much of our content. Please spread the word about our move! God bless... Dick Adams
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