“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all..” (Isaiah 53:6).
This is a biblical declaration of the rebellious nature and state of mankind. We have all fallen. We have all sinned. We have all gone our own separate ways like sheep without a shepherd, We have all been led by Satan, the arch-enemy of our souls. We have all missed the mark and fallen short of God’s glory.
Fallen man needed a Savior who would free him from the bondage of sin and guilt. One who would take away his transgressions and his iniquities in order to bring about peace with God.
By divine inspiration, the prophet Isaiah predicted Jesus Christ would deal with our sins in His death on the Cross (Isaiah 53:4,5). Christ’s death was substitutionary and atoning for lost sinners. The Bible says, “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
It was definitely not God’s intent, purpose, or plan that mankind should continue to remain in this lost, hopeless, and godless condition. Therefore, in love, mercy and grace, God provided the way to restore the lost fellowship man once had with Himself before the “fall,” when sin came into the world. The Bible declares, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
When He bore them on His Cross.
Jesus also paid my indebtedness in full.
And now I’m from sin and guilt set free.
—Geoff Daniels 06/2021
Without exception, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Scripture gives the divine verdict that the entire world is guilty before God; all are under sin. “None is righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).
“None is righteous.” Because God alone is righteous, He demands and approves righteousness. It is on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ that God accepts people. Hence, the Scripture states, Jesus Christ “became to us . . . righteousness.” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Therefore, anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is reckoned righteous by God.
The gospel is the means God uses to reach people with the good news of salvation “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). However, not everyone has or will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Romans 10:16 tells us “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.”
Those who have not obeyed the gospel will not spend eternity in heaven. It certainly is not God’s sovereign will that anyone should spend a lost eternity away from Him. Scripture says God “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). For man to be saved from his sins, he must first come to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6). And no one comes to God except through Jesus Christ. God is willing and able to forgive and pardon a person who confesses and forsakes his or her sin.
Here is one of the most beloved and important passages in the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16,17).
The “so” in God so loved the world means the great extent of God’s love. A love that transcends all human understanding. And because of God’s love, the Lord Jesus gives this glorious invitation, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37).
The timing for a person to trust Jesus Christ as Savior is important. Time respects no one. There is no time like the present. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. And the time is short. The future belongs exclusively to God who is self existent—without beginning or end.
Admit to God that you are a sinner in need of salvation. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9,10). May the Lord help you to do so for His name’s sake. Amen.