September 16, 2006
Newsletter Archives

I have never promoted denominations in this newsletter. The reason is simple: when it comes to salvation, no particular group of Christians has the corner on the market. I have met Christians in many denominations that are truly born again, as well as those who are not – they are just adherents to Christianity.
Furthermore, my primary interest is helping people come to a right relationship with God no matter where they worship on Sunday or Saturday. Accordingly I always take readers to first base. It doesn’t matter if they hit a home run if they don’t touch first base.
The starting point is always the point of tension between God and an individual: his or her personal sins. Because we live in a society that tolerates everything and frowns on very little, it is hard for us to imagine that God even cares about what we do.
The fact is that our sins are an outrage to Him, God is not like us; He is not indifferent to, nor tolerant of wrongdoing. In fact, after giving a list of sins, God speaks to a transgressor and says, “These things you have done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.” Psalm 50:21. God will give us our day in court. And since He knows all our sins, there will be no hope of our pleading “not guilty.”
Hence the basic issue is our sins and how they are settled to God’s satisfaction. To put it another way; we have a debt we owe to God and we need to find out what currency He accepts.
While it is true that not every sin in Moses law received the death penalty, yet this was the divine standard. Hence the only way we can be received into the presence of God is if someone dies in our place. And that is exactly the purpose of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He died so that we might not have to die for our own sins. The apostle Paul stated it simply, “…..Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…..”1 Corinthians 15:3.
Yet there is one condition: we must accept the provision. The Bible states that “….the gift of God is eternal life…”Romans 6:23. But a gift is not a gift until it is taken. It is one thing to know that Jesus died for everybody. But it is not enough. I must see that He died for me.

Russ Nesbit