Every effort of man is toward measuring up to God’s standard. Unfortunately such effort runs short of the glory of God. The word of God says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3: 23. Whoever you may be and whatever type of religious group you may belong to, it is only in Jesus Christ that you can escape from the grip of death. He died for all mankind. Those in Asia, America, Europe, Africa, the small or the great, the rich or the poor, woman or man, sinners or the righteous, Christians or non- Christian.
Jesus was born amidst many religions. He did not come to a vacuum world. He met religious leaders who turned the worship centers to a place to seek self-interest. Those are places to extort money and misleading people who are desperate for solutions. Not only that they were bragging of traditions of the fathers. They depended on the patriarch’s righteousness taken God for granted. Apostle Paul wrote about them in Romans 10: 1-4, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” Religion has failed to deliver from consequences of sin.
All religions are the same; the difference between Christianity and other religions is Jesus Christ who came in our image to carry all our sins and died for us all. This is sacrificial love, unconditional love, redemptive love that no one must miss. No matter how bad is your life Christ died for you. He died for harlots, drunkards, herbalists, pastors, evangelists, prophets alhajis alhajas cultists, area boys and area girls. “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 7, 8.
There is danger in rejecting this offer. The penalty is death. There are three kinds of death mentioned in the Bible as a result of sin. Turn your Bible to 1Samuel 14: 14, “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.” Read also, Hebrews 9: 27. This is a general death meant for the physical body. Every human being will experience this kind of death no matter how spiritual, young or old. It could come to anyone. May the Lord bless us with long life in Jesus name.
Second category of death is found in Revelation 21: 12- 14, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” This death is reserved for those who refused to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Those who remain in their sins till general death takes their life will partake in this category of death. This is a horrible place for anyone to be. In order not to be there God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for you.
The third type of death is found in 1Timothy 5: 6. “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” Those who could not control their desires but go all the way to satisfy carnal appetite are partakers in this death. Such person may be going around drinking, loathing public funds, committing immorality, going to clubs and pursuing worldly materials. All of these in this category are walking dead. The Bible declares in 1 John 2: 15- 17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
There is hope for you. God loves the whole world that He will not want anyone to perish. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3: 9. This is a great opportunity for us to return to our Creator. When He first created us, He did so in His own image. However, we messed up with that image though rebellion against the will of God. He provided a way out by coming in our own image. He bore all our sins and unrighteousness. He was nailed to the cross on Friday but on Sunday morning He rose again. He died for all and rose again for all. He is alive for all that all may be saved.
All we need to do is to turn to him and accept him as our Lord and Saviour. As we do this we will never remain the same in Jesus name.
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