DISCOVERY OF THE
GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE
Introduction
Hello. My name is
First, I am encouraged when people show an interest in
spiritual matters. I believe many of the problems in Western society stem from
a lack of attention to spiritual matters. I believe that your interest in these
things is critical if we are to reverse the trend of decay we find at present
in our world.
Second, I am also encouraged by the fact that in finding this
information, you are more than likely to have found it though a friend who is
as concerned as I am for your spiritual well being. I encourage you to listen
to your friend and to model your life on them, if you can!
Third, I ask you now to get a piece of paper and a pen so as
to give an honest answer to the two questions I ask at the beginning of my
message. This will be helpful for your future reference. Please pause now to
get that pen and paper.
Last of all, after you answer the following questions, please
take the time to concentrate on the message I give, without interruption. Your
eternal life may depend on it! Thanks very much.
- Please pause to get
the pen and paper you require -
The Beginning Point
I'd like to begin by asking you two questions. The first
question is this:
Have you come to the place in your
spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today that
you have eternal life - that you would be welcomed into heaven?
Write down your answer now....Yes?
No? Maybe? Hope so?
Now you may not have been aware that it is possible to be
sure. Let me tell you that it is! In fact, the Apostle John wrote saying,
"These things I write to you... that you may know that you have eternal
life." He wanted his readers to know for certain that they did in fact
have eternal life.
Assuming you have given your answer to the first question,
let me ask you this second question:
Suppose you were to die today and
you were to meet God and he was to ask you,
"Why should I let you into My
heaven?"
What would you say? Or what do you
think you would say?
I would say this is THE most important question you will ever
face. I'll state it again...
Suppose you were to die today and
you were to meet God and he was to ask you,
"Why should I let you into My
heaven?"
What would you say? Or what do you think
you would say?
In other words, "What do you
think might be the entry requirements for getting into heaven?"
Please pause at this point to answer
the question...
Well, if you are anything like me when I first addressed this
question, you may have answered with something like this:
"Well God, I have lived a
pretty good life…
I haven't intentionally hurt anyone
that I can remember…
I believe I have tried my best…
I've tried to live by the golden
rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
I've tried to live by the ten
commandments…
I’ve often helped people less
fortunate than myself…
I believe that you exist… and that
you are loving… and that you will accept me…
…So, can I please come in...?..??"
In other words, you stand before God on the basis of your own
performance, your own merit, your own character…
If you have written down something like that, I believe I
have THE BEST NEWS you are ever likely to hear. This discovery I've made has
revolutionised my life; it's totally changed my outlook on life; it has become
the most valuable asset I have; it is the thing I treasure most... I'm keen to
tell people about this discovery because I believe that they too will find it
the most valuable thing in their life as well.
My Discovery
The discovery I made was that according to scripture,
according to Jesus himself, according to the Apostles and the church down
through the ages - and UNLIKE MOST EVERYTHING ELSE in life - that HEAVEN or
ETERNAL LIFE is a FREE GIFT. It's not something you work to attain. It's free.
To get it doesn't depend on you being good to deserve it or earn it.
As most people do, I thought I had to earn a place in heaven.
I had to please God and make Him happy - you know - do the right thing in life,
perhaps go to church, help the poor, be a good person, etc, etc... To attain
heaven seemed to depend on me! When I performed well, my expectations were
high; when I did poorly, my expectations were low...
The wage earner has a right to say to his employer, "I've
worked hard all week - where's my
pay?" Often people feel they could, at their death, say to God, “I’ve been
good all my life – where is my place in heaven?” Many people approach church
attendance in the same manner. Hoping to earn a place in heaven they faithfully
attend church in hope that it will add to their credits in life…
The opposing fact that heaven is a free gift is in contrast
with almost everything else in life. For example, to get an educational
certificate of any value you will more than likely need to show up to class,
listen to the teacher, do your homework, complete your assignments on time,
study (at times till late at night) and then perform on the day of the exam
according to the rules of that exam. Perhaps then you will receive your
graduation certificate!
To get ahead in your
career you need to apply yourself at work, pay the price of working long hours
and perhaps do extra study. To get a good house and a good car you need to work
for it. All these things come to us because we work for them.
We are used to price tags. There is a saying, "there's
no free lunches around here." We earn almost everything. As a result we
end up believing in God like kids believe in Santa. Remember the old song:
"He see's you when you're
sleeping -
he knows when your awake -
he knows if you've been bad or good
–
so be good for goodness sake!
Oh, you better watch out, you better
not cry,
you better not pout, I'm telling you
why –
‘cause Santa Claus is coming to
town."
Well, like children, we too can think that to get eternal
life (or a place in heaven) we must be good. But the trouble is that if we are
"good" in relative terms and "don't pout", we think, as
kids can (incorrectly), that we can earn our gifts or deserve them due to our
performance! (Please note that any parent on Christmas Eve could list a whole
series of things that their kids have done prior to Christmas that would
disqualify them receiving a gift from Santa!) In fact, children don't earn presents.
If they earned them - they wouldn't be gifts – they would be rewards.
Now the good news of God is that heaven, eternal life, is a
free gift; it's not earned or deserved. It is not a reward for our effort. The
scripture says, "the free gift of God is eternal life." It also says,
"by grace you are saved... not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God."
God's way for us to obtain heaven is different from what you
might expect. In fact God has said of Himself that "as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
higher than your thoughts."
Just suppose I gave you a watch. It's quite valuable, but I
decided to give it to you as a gift because I liked you. Now suppose upon
leaving my home you left $5 on the dining table to pay me for it. By leaving
that money you are turning my gift into something you deserve to possess! It would no longer be a gift,
would it? You have paid for it. Or suppose you took the watch and then came to
my place the next day and mowed my lawns. And the next day you came and weeded
the garden and cleared the gutters out.. just to pay me back. As a result, I'd
be robbed of the joy of giving you a present! In the same way, God wants to
give people the gift of eternal life, but many people try paying for it!
My father has said to me, "You know son, if there has
ever been a person on earth that deserved heaven it's your mother - for she put
up with me for 18 years of marriage." Now honouring your marriage partner
is a great thing, but the truth I've discovered is that no one needs to earn a place in heaven or reach a point where they deserve it, for God wants to give it to
everyone freely - quite apart from their efforts.
I'm sure I can help you see that heaven is a gift and it can
ONLY be this way when you see what the scripture says about mankind.
Mankind
I wonder if you have you ever played archery? Archery was a
sport played a long time ago in
The scripture teaches that mankind is a "sinner."
He misses the target all the time. Is there anyone perfect? Where are the Robin
Hoods in life that hit the bulls-eye every time? You won't find them! The
scripture says that, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God." We all fail to "do the right thing." We sin by not only
DOING things that don't please God but also by SAYING or even THINKING things
that don't please Him! Jesus said that if we just look at a person to lust
after them, we have committed adultery in our heart.
In fact, sin is also FAILING TO DO the things we should do -
the good things we neglect to do. I once read in the Bible about a group of people
and how they would be cast into hell for their sin. This got me thinking about
what terrible things they had done to deserve this. So I looked up the story.
You know what I found out? I found out that they had done nothing! They were
condemned because they failed to help others..."I was hungry and you gave
me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I
needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did
not look after me." These people were probably quite moral and upright in
their society - even respected by others, but they were condemned for what they
did not do!
Some people refuse to admit they are sinners. If you consider
yourself as such, think about this. Jesus had a group of men bring a woman to
Him who was caught in the act of adultery - she was lying in bed with another
man other than her husband and they caught her doing it! (What great detectives
they must have been!) Now their law stated that she should be killed on the
spot. The men asked Jesus what he thought they should do... Jesus said,
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." One by one each of
the men left the scene. They were honest enough to admit to their sinful nature
as well. Let me ask you, would you have rightfully been able to thrown a stone
at this woman?
A common set of keys is enough to point to the fact that
people are sinners! Locks and keys are signs of the necessity for security from
others who can’t control their greed, coveteousness or addictions.
Let’s say that on a good day I ‘sin’ only thirty times. You
know, those moments when I drive at 62km an hour in a 60km zone, or I complain about
a fellow worker who fails to perform their duties or I wished that I had a
better car like my neighbour... I did ten things wrong, I said
ten wrong things or I thought ten bad things … (Note that Psychologists
say that on average, 10,000 thoughts go through the brain each day – so for
this example, I was able to think 9,990 good thoughts! Yeh, right!)
But let’s suppose you are a very good person, perhaps
a saint even. Perhaps you only sin three times a day! Why, you're ten times
better than me! But how many sins would you have in a year? If you count them
up it is over a thousand! And how many sins would you have if you lived to be 70
years old? Well over 70,000! Can you see how bad a condition we are in – even
you – the near perfect saint!
I tell you what, if I was in charge of an old people's
retirement village and was conducting an interview with you as to whether you
were of sufficient character to qualify for residence status, I would think
twice about letting you in if I knew you had 70,000 misdemeanours against
you!!!
Someone has well said that "a clear conscience is a
result of a poor memory."
And let me ask you what you think the pass mark for obtaining
heaven is? You know, how good do we need to be to get in? Is 51% the pass mark?
Perhaps 65%? Maybe 70%? 90%? ... Well, the pass mark to get into heaven is
100%. Yes, Jesus said that we should "be perfect." The standard that
God has set is perfection - 100%. Yep, all you need to get into heaven is to
live a perfect life!
Yet when we look at mankind, we see that we have all failed.
The whole class has failed! No one can make the grade or reach the pass mark
because no one is perfect!
Now there are a great number of good things in people - don't
get me wrong. People are infinitely valuable. But the mixture of bad within us
has ruined our chances of making the first grade team! Let me illustrate this.
Suppose I was to invite you to my place for a meal. I decided to cook you an
omelette. As I stirred the eggs for the omelette in the bowl I decided to make
it larger for your rather large appetite and therefore cracked another egg into
the bowl. Unfortunately it was a rotten egg and it smelled awful! Just imagined
if I decided that it didn't matter about the rotten egg and I stirred it into
the mixture anyway, cooked it and served it up to you to eat... how would you feel?
Well that's exactly how God feels when we serve up our life
to him! Although there are plenty of good things in us, the bad things coming
from our evil hearts have destroyed our chances of access to God based on our
own merits.
Our attempts to deal with this problem of sin can be
illustrated this way. Suppose you were to go to the doctor with red spots over
your body and he diagnosed "measles." Imagine he then tried to cure
you by putting band-aids over all the spots! You would say, "Hold on, the
spots are only the symptoms - the real disease is within me, in the blood
stream!" So it is with sin. When we do, say or think wrong things, or fail
to do the right thing, these are only the symptoms of sin - the real problem is
that "from within, out of the heart" comes evil. In our hearts we are
in rebellion against God (actively or passively) and doing a few good things
(applying a few band-aids) does not solve our problem.
In the Book of Proverbs you find this saying, "There is
a way that seems right to a man, but its way leads to death." This is true
for people when they attempt to find their own way to heaven through good
efforts of their own.
At the beginning of this presentation, I asked you to write
down an answer you might give to God when He supposedly would ask you,
"Why should I let you in to My heaven?" What did you write down? Do
you remember my suggestions?
Now given the fact that we are all sinners and that the pass
mark is 100%, can you see now why it is impossible for a person to attain
heaven through saying:
"I've tried my best.
I've tried to live by the golden
rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
I've tried to live by the ten
commandments and help people...??"
Can you see that each phrase of this answer begins with the
pronoun "I" and everything is depending on how the person performs -
not on the receipt of a gift? I hope you can. If you can't see this, I'd
encourage you go back over the beginning of this message until you do.
This truth, that the attaining of eternal life must be
through the receipt of a gift, comes into sharper focus when we look at what
the Bible says about God.
God
The God of the Bible is well known by this generation of
people in Western society as "loving." The Scripture itself says that
"God is love." This has been preached widely - and rightly so.
As love is part of God's character, He therefore does not
want to punish us. He does not want to send anyone to hell... He does not want
to bring great judgements down upon mankind... God is love... He is wanting to
be merciful... He is like a parent who does all he or she can so that their
child is not punished. But this is not the complete story!!!
The same Bible that speaks of God as loving, (and by the way,
the only Holy Book that so describes Him so), long before it made the statement
"God is love," said God is holy, righteous and just. As a
consequence, God can't just overlook sin and ignore its presence in our life.
God's character leads to the statement, "I will not let the guilty go
unpunished." God, to be God, must be just. His character demands it. God
is not only loving, He is also just. He does not want to punish us, but He must
punish sin.
Many people think that when they die, they will be able to
ask for God's mercy. They hope that God will forgive them for what they have
done wrong based on their request to do so. Actually, this is presumption. This
is asking for mercy when quite clearly it can't be given at that point! I can illustrate this.
Suppose I robbed a bank of $10,000. I was caught soon after
the offence. I appeared in court and pleaded guilty after seeing film of myself
performing the deed. Suppose at this point I approached the judge with tears in
my eyes and said thus, "I'm sorry that I've done this deed. I promise that
I will never do it again. Look, here is the money back. I give you my gun as
well. I've apologised to the teller. Can you please let me off?" Do you
think the judge could (or should) let me off? Well, if he did, there wouldn't
be a safe bank in the country! Everyone would be out to try their luck. After
all, there would be no penalty in trying! If the judge did let me off, he more
than likely would lose his job once it became public knowledge...
But suppose the judge by some coincidence was an old friend
of my family who looked after me as a child and was very fond of me - my old
"Uncle Harry"... Suppose He loved me a great deal. Could He let me
off then?
No. The judge's job is to be just and fair considering all
parties to a crime. As much as "Uncle Harry" might love me, he is
required to fulfil his obligation to society by handing out a sentence
according to the law of the land.
This clearly presents the spiritual problem mankind has. We
might like to get to heaven... We might do a lot of good things on earth
throughout our lifetime... We might expect to get a fair hearing from God on
the day of judgement... But when we honestly consider our sinfulness and also
consider the standards set by God along with His perfect holiness... this begs
the question: How can I, a sinful person, approach this awesome God? There appears here a recipe for impending
disaster for us all!
It is important for you to see this problem. Many people
don't. The message of the Bible is meaningless without an appreciation of this
problem - that mankind, in spite of his great achievements in history, in spite
of his worthiness as a being on earth, is doomed for destruction at the hands
of a just God who must punish sin…
Let’s go back to the story of the near perfect person
who only sins three times a day… Imagine them facing God with 70,000 sins! Just
consider this: On a simple human level, if I was in charge of an old people's
retirement village and I was conducting an interview with you towards the end
of your life trying to ascertain whether you were of sufficient character to
qualify for residence status, I might think twice about letting you in, if I
knew you had 70,000 misdemeanours against you!!! But what of God who knows our
most intimate thoughts, looking for people to populate a new heaven and new
earth with Him? Who is worthy?
The Problem Solved in Christ
But because of God's great love for us, this problem was
solved for us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Many people don't understand about Jesus because they don't
understand their need for Jesus. Many people hear about the "answer"
to life's problems but don't quite know what the question or problem is! I
heard of a sign placed on a footbridge over a main road that said, ‘Jesus is
the Answer!’ I am sure most people drove past asking, “He is the answer… to
what?” The question is, "How can people have access to a holy and
righteous God, when they are so very sinful?" The answer? Via Jesus! Let’s
look at who Jesus is and what he did.
Who Is Jesus?
Jesus is both God and man in the one person. He is known as
the infinite God-Man. The scripture speaks of Jesus as "the Word" and
says that, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and
the Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.."
You've heard of the term "doubting Thomas" haven't
you? Well that phrase come from a story in the scripture where the Apostle
Thomas told his fellow Apostles he would not believe that Jesus was alive after
His crucifixion unless he saw and felt the nail imprints on His hands. When
Jesus did in fact appear to Thomas later that week, we have his words to Jesus
recorded in the gospel of John, "My Lord and my God!" Thomas knew
that Jesus was God as well as a man. This explains His perfect performance on
our behalf.
What did Jesus Do?
Jesus came to earth with this express purpose of God: to die on the cross and rise from the dead
(as spoken of by the prophets 100's of years before) so as to pay the penalty for the sins of the world and to purchase a
place in heaven for us which he offers to each individual as a free gift.
To illustrate this let me suggest you pick up a large book
and place it in one of your hands. Imagine the book being a record of the sins
that I have committed throughout my life up to this point. (It will have to be
a thick one!) Now imagine that I am the hand that holds up the book and that
either the sun or a light in the room is God. What do you notice? The book (my
sin) has separated me from God. The record book of sin has cut me off from
access to God.
Now Jesus, while He lived on the earth did not sin. You can
illustrate Him with your other hand. Raise it up next to the hand representing
me. As He did not ever sin He had bold access to God throughout His life on earth
and He had no "record book of sin" separating him from God. Peter the
Apostle proclaimed that Jesus' death was the "predetermined plan of
God." When Jesus died on the cross He agreed to allow God to place our
sins upon Him. In other words, Jesus was happy to take our place of separation,
to take upon Himself our sin. If you shift the "record book of sin"
from the one hand to the other this gives you the picture. He took upon Himself
the sin of the world and was separated from God the Father on our behalf. He
took our sins away.
The consequence of this work of Christ is that our hand is
now free to receive the gift of eternal life. We can have the same bold access
to God that Jesus had while on Earth. We can become free of sin by allowing
this plan of God to be put into practice in our own lives.
The last word of Jesus as He died was a greek word
"tetelestai." It is a commercial term meaning, "the debt is
paid" or "paid in full." So when Jesus died He proclaimed that
His death was the full payment required by God for our sins. His perfect life
was offered as the "ransom" or purchase price for ours.
There is an acrostic that illustrates this truth. The word
GRACE describes what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The word speaks
of God's unmerited favour and power
towards us. The word can also be split up to explain the meaning of the word in
this way:
"G"
= God's
"R"
= Riches
"A"
= At
"C"
= Christ's
"E"
= Expense
Christ came to solve our problem of sin and the pending
judgement at the hands of a just God. In His life and death Jesus paid the
penalty for our sin and purchased a place in heaven which he offers as a free
gift. And this gift is received by faith.
The Key
Faith is the key to heaven. It is the only key that opens the
gate of heaven to mankind.
Now I have a set of keys in my pocket, but only one of them
will open the front door of my house. In the same way many people are hoping
that their "key" of a "good life," etc. will open the gates
of heaven to them when in fact there is only one key that will open them - that
is the key of faith. I might try to open the front door of my house with
another key and muster all the sincerity I can in doing so, but it will not
make a difference. People can approach heaven with great sincerity but without
the key of faith they are doomed!
Let me describe faith.
Faith is not merely intellectual assent although that is its
starting point. What I mean by intellectual assent is "an acknowledgment
that the facts about Christ are true." I suppose you believe that Captain
Cook landed in
The scripture says of people that have intellectual assent,
"You believe in one God? You do well, even the demons believe - and
tremble." In other words, there is more to saving faith than intellectual
assent. The demons have this assent, but surely they are not going to
heaven!
And the faith I am talking about is not merely temporal faith
or "here and now faith" although this is a further step along the
line. What I mean by temporal faith is that which involves God moving in time
and space for the moment to help in crisis or need. Now God in His mercy does move on our behalf to help us.
Perhaps you have seen Him intervene on your behalf in the past. But eternal
life is obtained through more than a passing request.
Suppose you are in a plane and the engines fail and the plane
started to nose dive. Temporal faith is what is expressed by the passengers who
scream out, "God save us!" But if the plane lands safely, most of
them kiss the ground and acknowledge God in thanks, but live a life unchanged
otherwise.
I remember my father said to me once that when my mother was
sick in hospital and I was a small child that needed a mother that "We got
religion - we believed." When people are desperate, they believe! Now
there is nothing wrong with this, but it must be remembered that this is only
the starting point. Many people believe that Captain Cook existed, but they
would not expect him to do anything for them today! The faith I'm speaking
about involves an understanding that Christ is alive today and can do something
now but even more than this!
Saving faith involves intellectual assent to the facts about Christ
and an expectation that He can do something for you here and now, but it is
more.
Saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.
Let me illustrate what I mean by this.
Saving faith can be illustrated through an event in the life
of a famous French acrobat, Charles Blondin. Charles organised a publicity
stunt in 1859 where he strung up a 330m long line 50m above
Many people hope to cross the river of death and gain a place
in heaven by their own efforts - by clinging to the rope themselves and putting
their best foot forward they hope to get in. They'll climb across with their
bare hands if they have to! They refuse to trust Jesus to carry them into
heaven, they are unwilling to get into the wheelbarrow for a free trip that he
offers them.
People must stop trusting themselves and start to trust in
Jesus. People must get out of the "Saviour" business and allow Jesus
to rescue them!
A man once asked the Apostle Paul how he could be rescued
from sin. Paul said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be
saved." What he meant was, move from trusting yourself to trusting
Jesus.
Saving faith is the hand of a beggar reaching out to receive
the gift of a King. It is acknowledging your need and knowing where to go to
for the help.
Our Motive of Gratitude
Please note that the consequence of receiving by faith this
"free ride" or "free gift of eternal life" is a motive of
gratitude. The most powerful (and purest) reason a person should attend church
or serve God in any fashion is in gratitude for their gift of eternal life. We
are not to serve God to earn His favour. We don’t try to "get God into a
good mood" so He gives us what we need. No! God is already in a good mood!
He has done everything He can for us so that we might have a place in heaven
with Him! Gratitude is a ‘grace attitude.’
Clarification
At this point let me ask you the question, "Does all
this make sense to you? Considering what I've said, that "heaven is a free
gift; that people are sinners, that God although loving, must punish sin; that
God solved our problem in the person of Jesus Christ; that the key to obtaining
His offer of eternal life is faith alone".... are you willing to "get
into the wheelbarrow" so to speak and trust Christ? Are you convinced
beyond a shadow of a doubt that these things are true and that apart from the
grace offered to you in Christ that God would be just to send you to hell for
breaking His laws? If you are totally convinced, then you are a candidate for eternal
life!
Let me ask you plainly: Would you like to receive the gift of
eternal life?
If you do, let me clarify what I mean by "receiving the
gift of eternal life."
First, it means transferring your trust from yourself to
Christ. This means "getting out of the saviour business" so to speak.
Instead of trusting your best efforts as qualification to enter heaven you must
trust Christ as your means of entry. Instead of trying to save yourself you
must trust Christ to do this for you.
Second, it means ‘receiving’ the resurrected and living
Christ. Unlike every other religious leader who has died and been buried,
Christ died and was buried, BUT ON THE THIRD DAY ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD. He
is alive and as the Scripture says, "He who has the Son has the life, He
who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."
To have a new person move into a home would have great
implications for any household. When you receive eternal life you receive the
person Jesus Christ. Receiving Him makes a radical difference. You may need to
ponder this for a time and count the cost of receiving Christ. The Holy Spirit
is Jesus so to receive the Spirit is to receive Him.
Third, it means Jesus comes to you as your Saviour. This
means he comes to rescue you from the grip of sin which is like a strong rip or
current of the ocean that will consume your life and lead you to certain death.
He wants to rescue you. You must call out for Him to do so! He has promised to
respond to your cry for help.
Fourth, it means Jesus comes as your Lord. This is to say
that He who created the heavens and the earth, He who created mankind from the
dust, He who spoke the whole universe into being - He comes as the rightful
owner of your life and soul. He will have no less than this. He is not just any
person, He is God Almighty! This idea of personal Lordship can be illustrated
in a simple way. Driving instructors take students out in their cars and allow
the student to sit in the driver's seat and control the vehicle. As a safety
measure they have fitted a second brake and clutch pedal to the passenger side
of the front seat where they sit. This is similar to having Christ as your
Lord. Christ allows you the freedom of personal control over your own life but as
Lord has the right to overrule you with His good will (and your best interest)
in mind. Another way to express this is to say that Jesus as redeemer acts like
a lifesaver at the beach, but after rescuing your life from drowning, he then
owns you! He saves you and purchases you at the same time!
Finally, to receive eternal life requires that you repent.
Faith and repentance are inseparable. If you believe (i.e. are convinced) that
you have no hope outside of Christ to attain a right place before God, you will
turn from self righteousness, change your way of thinking, and turn from evil
practices (even a "practice" of religion). It is natural to feel
sorrow for all that you've done apart from God. Out of gratitude for His offer
of eternal life, nothing is too great to give up. In thanks to God, there is a
willingness to forsake everything to be Christ's student. This is repentance.
So,
if you seek grace,
if you know you are
unable to interact and meet with God on the basis of your own merits,
if you recognise the
fearful holiness and righteousness of God (together with his love),
if you see that
Christ, ( the infinite God-man), through his work on the cross, is the solution
given to you and to the world,
if you want to turn
from trusting yourself or things other than Jesus Christ alone…
then you are a
candidate to join the family of God!
Why not pray and seek
him for forgiveness and redemption?
Prayer of Commitment
If you really would like to receive the gift of eternal life,
do this by contacting me on paul@rnc.org.au