For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Let's face it: we're not as lovable as we'd like for people to think. I know very well what's in me, and trust me, it's not a pretty picture. I also know what's in you (though maybe not in as much detail), and that's not a picture I'd want to frame and put on the wall either. I hope that doesn't give the impression that I'm trying to insult anyone, because I'm not. It's simply a fact of human nature that the Bible confirms. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
I certainly hope that you've seen yourself in that light at least once in your life. No one can be saved without seeing their sin for what it is and realizing their need of the Saviour. If you have seen yourself in that light though, it probably causes you to wonder the same thing I have: if I'm so bad, how can God love me?
There is a part of me that disgusts me, as it well should. Though the Lord saved my soul over a quarter of a century ago, my flesh wasn't included in that deal, and it still loves to sin as much as it ever did. That's not something for any of us to be proud of. I fact, we should all be repulsed by the way our flesh wants to go through life. So, if our sin is disgusting to us, how must it appear to a holy, righteous God?
Well, quite frankly, it disgusts Him more than it does us. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that in God's eyes, our sin makes us worthy of death. Fortunately for us, God is a God of mercy. That mercy is something for us to rejoice over. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." But that creates another question: how can God's mercy and righteousness coexist?
That certainly seems to be a paradox, but there is a solution, and it's all about the cross. The very first prophecy of the cross was made by God Himself, spoken to Satan, immediately after the fall. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
On the day that Adam and Eve sinned, God looked through time and saw a cross. When Cain killed Abel, God looked through time and saw a cross. When Moses killed the Egyptian, God looked through time and saw a cross. When David sinned with Bathsheba, God looked through time and saw a cross. And every time you and I sin, God looks back in time and sees that cross. When Jesus hung on that cross and shed His blood, He allowed the righteousness of God and the mercy of God to meet.
That said, while God did all of the work, there's still something you and I have to do. We have to accept that offer. We have to turn to God for forgiveness of our sins. The people mentioned above weren't saved simply because Jesus died. They had to accept His gift, and there's reason to believe that one of them did not. We never see any evidence of Cain's repentance, meaning he is likely in Hell today.
Don't join Cain. God loves you, and He has proven it. He has done what was necessary to make His mercy available to you. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, why not do so today? I have, and I can rest with the assurance that when God looks at me, He doesn't see my sin. Instead, God sees a cross.
John 3:16
Let's face it: we're not as lovable as we'd like for people to think. I know very well what's in me, and trust me, it's not a pretty picture. I also know what's in you (though maybe not in as much detail), and that's not a picture I'd want to frame and put on the wall either. I hope that doesn't give the impression that I'm trying to insult anyone, because I'm not. It's simply a fact of human nature that the Bible confirms. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
I certainly hope that you've seen yourself in that light at least once in your life. No one can be saved without seeing their sin for what it is and realizing their need of the Saviour. If you have seen yourself in that light though, it probably causes you to wonder the same thing I have: if I'm so bad, how can God love me?
There is a part of me that disgusts me, as it well should. Though the Lord saved my soul over a quarter of a century ago, my flesh wasn't included in that deal, and it still loves to sin as much as it ever did. That's not something for any of us to be proud of. I fact, we should all be repulsed by the way our flesh wants to go through life. So, if our sin is disgusting to us, how must it appear to a holy, righteous God?
Well, quite frankly, it disgusts Him more than it does us. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that in God's eyes, our sin makes us worthy of death. Fortunately for us, God is a God of mercy. That mercy is something for us to rejoice over. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." But that creates another question: how can God's mercy and righteousness coexist?
That certainly seems to be a paradox, but there is a solution, and it's all about the cross. The very first prophecy of the cross was made by God Himself, spoken to Satan, immediately after the fall. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
On the day that Adam and Eve sinned, God looked through time and saw a cross. When Cain killed Abel, God looked through time and saw a cross. When Moses killed the Egyptian, God looked through time and saw a cross. When David sinned with Bathsheba, God looked through time and saw a cross. And every time you and I sin, God looks back in time and sees that cross. When Jesus hung on that cross and shed His blood, He allowed the righteousness of God and the mercy of God to meet.
That said, while God did all of the work, there's still something you and I have to do. We have to accept that offer. We have to turn to God for forgiveness of our sins. The people mentioned above weren't saved simply because Jesus died. They had to accept His gift, and there's reason to believe that one of them did not. We never see any evidence of Cain's repentance, meaning he is likely in Hell today.
Don't join Cain. God loves you, and He has proven it. He has done what was necessary to make His mercy available to you. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, why not do so today? I have, and I can rest with the assurance that when God looks at me, He doesn't see my sin. Instead, God sees a cross.
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