Everyone who is saved is saved solely by the grace of God. (His undeserved love.) >>Ephesians 2:8.

Man has freewill, but so does God! >>Romans 9:11-23.

Man does not have freewill to believe in Jesus unless God the Father draws him. >> John 6:44.

The justice of God is good, (Hell), although painful. >>Job 8:3.

God desires all men to be saved, and yet He says in His Word that most won't be saved. >>1st Timothy 2:4; Matthew 20:16.

Because of Adam's sin, all people are born into sin. >>Romans 5:12.

Unbelieving sinners are judged for the sins they've done, as well as for the great sin of rejecting Christ. >>Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 25:41-43.

The closer we align ourselves to God's will, the more we will understand God's point of view and agree with the fact that by Grace He saves a few people and gives perfect justice to the rest.

The goodness in truly good people is Christ Himself. >>1st Corinthians 1:30.

The externally good acts of unbelievers are ultimately worthless and not God-pleasing as they are done without faith in God. >>Romans 14:23.

Unbelieving sinners will go to Hell no matter how many externally good acts they do. >>Isaiah 64:6; Mark 6:16.

All those in Adam all are sinners. (everyone) >>1st Corinthians 15:22.

All those in Christ are saved. (believers) >>1st Thessalonians 4:16.

All humans are born spiritually dead. >>Ephesians 2:1.

Anything not done out of faith is sin. (So unbelievers can do no good works that emanate from a good spirit, as they have only a dead spirit.) >>Romans 14:23.

The worst sin is pride--that we can get into Heaven without God, (that our "goodness" without God is good enough for God), or that we are our own god. >>1st Timothy 3:6.

God saves us by working through our wills. >>Philippians 2:13.

God is just and gracious, but above all He is sovereign.

Humans do not agonize over the suffering of Satan or the demons.

God is better than we imagine.

Humans are worse than we imagine.

No one is predestined to Hell-- all sinners are damned to Hell because of their sins. >>Ezekiel 18:4.

Only those who are saved through the sovereign grace and will of God will be saved. >>Ephesians 2:8.

God calls us through creation, conscience, and the Gospel, and sometimes through dreams and angels. >>Romans 1:20.

The sovereign God, Who is merciful and just, is in His Heaven, and all is well.

Jesus was sent to suffer and die for the sins of all humans. >>John 3:16.

All who receive Jesus by faith will be saved. >>John 6:47.

The entire world could be saved by tomorrow if everyone believed the Gospel and told everyone they knew, and they believed and told everyone they knew.

I tried to distill all of the elements of the Gospel message into a short but comprehensive statement. Here's what I came up with:

'Jesus the Christ,
Who Is the Only Son of God,
the Messiah,
was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.

He is true God and true man.

Believe that He is God, and that He is your Savior, and you will be immediately and eternally saved forever: "born again."

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life of total love on this earth.

He was crucified on the Cross--He suffered an unimaginably painful and bloody death, in body and soul,
--He died for all of your sins, as your Substitute.

Jesus did every single thing necessary to save you--you can add nothing whatsoever to His finished work of salvation.

He was buried...

He rose again from the dead on the third day.

He lives forever--even right this minute in the room you are now in.

He now forgives you for all of your sins (past, present and future), and saves you from divine justice: everlasting fear, despair, isolation from God and His Holy Spirit, emptiness, and pain: the just punishment of your sins in Hell.

He will deliver you into everlasting love, joy, peace, fellowship, fulfillment, pleasure and happiness in Heaven--the very minute you die.

This salvation in Christ is a free gift of God's love and grace.
You can receive this free gift from God right now by simply believing the message of the Good News of God's forgiveness, which is also known as "the Gospel."'

May God bless you.

>>John 6:47; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 1:13,14."

-C.S.

Last night I was watching an infomercial for NEST animated Bible videos...

During the presentation, the woman presenter actually said that your children will learn the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule with these videos, and that by so doing they will gain eternal life.

Does anything sound wrong about that to you?

It should.

That woman just preached a false Gospel.

In Galatians 1:6-9 the apostle Paul TWICE damns to Hell anyone who preaches a false gospel.

We don't go to Heaven by trying to obey the 10 Commandments and the Golden Rule. Hello!

We go to Heaven by believing what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Jesus said that if someone misleads children that a heavy stone should be tied around their neck and they should be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Sounds like Jesus had strong feelings on the subject.

The Ten Commandments and/or The Golden Rule are NOT the Gospel.

Duh.

Everyone believes in something...

But what do we believe about the Afterlife?

Maybe you have heard of the torments of Hell and you are afraid that you may be on your way There...

Maybe you are asking how you can know for sure that you will go to Heaven when you die...

God's answer is very simple: Jesus.

*Jesus Christ is true God.

*He came to Earth to live a perfect, holy and sinless life of total love as a human being.

*The Perfect Man.

*He bled, suffered and died for all of your sinful and evil thoughts, words and deeds (past, present and future), on the Cross of Calvary--in place of you, as your Substitute.

*He was buried.

*He rose from the dead on the third day.

God's FREE GIFT to you is that His Son did all this for you and me, who deserve eternal punishment for our sins...

You can be saved right now by simply believing this Good News about Jesus.

Do you believe this Good News?

If you believe this Good News from God, then you are saved forever-- right now. You are forgiven of all your sins, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit forever, you have everlasting life, and you are guaranteed to go to Heaven the minute you die. >> 1st Corinthians 15:1-4; John 6:47; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

Do you believe?

When it comes to believing in Jesus, people seem to want something that is emotional and that relies on the natural energy of the soul to assert itself in active trusting.

But people are NOT SAVED by feelings, commitments, or by following the moral teachings of Jesus.

The Lord Jesus, when speaking of faith, constantly used phrases like: 'Do you believe THAT: "I am He"'?

That's a question about a proposition.

Do you believe THAT: Jesus is the Christ?

That's asking if you believe a proposition to be true.

The Bible uses these exact phrasings.

We believe THAT Jesus died and rose again.

"Who do you say THAT I am?"

I say THAT you are the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Do you believe THAT He died on the cross for your sins?

All of these are propositions or answers to questions about propositions.

Try substituting "rely" "depend" or "trust" for believe, and you will see that the context means exactly this: do you believe THAT this proposition is true?

To whom shall we go? We know THAT you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The Gospel is a proposition. Do you account it to be true (BELIEVE IT), or not?

~Believing is not "knowing some facts about the Christian faith," but *accounting those facts to be true*. ~

Beliefs, while not emotional themselves, have the power to change our view of reality, change our emotions, and change our actions.

(Also, says the Bible, those who *believe in Jesus* are immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit. He is the Source of our growth, our sanctification and fellowship relationship with Jesus under grace.)

Faith, in the case of the Gospel, is believing THAT something in the past happened, and THAT that event has an effect on your eternal destiny: the Son of God died for all your sins on a cross and rose from the dead on the third day.

Account it to be true for one moment, and you will be saved forever, forgiven of all your sins--past, present and future--, you will have everlasting life immediately, and you will be guaranteed entrance into Heaven.

Account it to be false your whole life, never coming to faith, and you will be tormented forever for your sins and evil thoughts, words and deeds in the eternal fire.

"Rely," "depend" and "trust" are not quite the right words to use:

(Rely, depend, trust) THAT it is true, and you will be saved.

(Rely, depend, trust) THAT it is false, and you will be damned.

You either believe the Gospel or you do not. There are no half-measures, and there are no degrees of believing. You either believe that the Gospel is true or you believe that it is false. (Saying "I don't know," or not believing part of it defaults into the fact that you don't believe.)

The Gospel is:
Jesus is true God and true man. He died on the cross for all of your sins. He rose from the dead on the third day.

You either believe this and are saved forever according to the Scriptures, or you do not believe it and therefore will be damned unless you believe it at some time in the future before you die. Amen.

Amen?