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The Inconvenient Truth

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 HCSB)

Friends, here’s the only inconvenient truth that matters: our sinful nature has condemned and sentenced us to eternal death in hell, but God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to rescue and offer eternal life to everyone who believes in Him.  This is a free gift from God! God, through the Apostle Paul, said:

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—  not from works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).”

Here’s what this passage says:

  1. “For you are saved…” – Saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9).  God is 100% love and 100% just. 
  2. “by grace through faith…” –  Faith is the vehicle by which we reach God’s unmerited favor (grace) towards us. 
  3. “and this is not from yourselves;” – Our sinful nature impedes us from being able to do anything to buy, or earn, our salvation from God’s wrath.
  4. “it is God’s gift…” – Salvation is God’s gift given to us, freely, out of a heart of love.
  5. “not from works,” – Salvation cannot be bought, or earned by our “good works” because there is nothing good about us. (Romans 3:23).
  6. “so that no one can boast.” – God took away the responsibility of our salvation from us and put it on Jesus’ shoulders.  This was meant to keep us powerless and humble, totally dependent on upon Him and His love for us.  Also, boastfulness and pride are sin, which God does not accept.

These facts are inconvenient to those whose desire is to enslave prospective believers by adding “works” to their faith for their salvation.  But here’s something for us to think about; if there was a way for us to save our own selves from God’s wrath, how cruel and unloving would God have to be for Him to punish His own Son, so severely, in order to forgive people who hate Him so intensely?

Here are the facts about salvation as simple as it can be said:

  1. Jesus reigned in heaven with God the Father
  2. Jesus left His kingdom to come to earth and become a servant
  3. Jesus served us by dying on a cross in order to suffer the full measure of God’s wrath, so we wouldn’t have to
  4. Jesus was buried, and after three days in the tomb,
  5. Jesus rose again from the dead in order to give us eternal life in heaven
  6. All we have to do is believe in what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection to receive eternal life.

Jesus Himself said:

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God (John 3:16-18).”

What Jesus has done for us is sufficient. there’s nothing else to be done.

In Christ’s love,

Phil Covone