photo #3902426

Terror At 37,000 FeetImagine you are in a commercial airliner cruising along at 37,000 feet. Everything is going smoothly while you nibble on your complementary peanuts, and then suddenly you hear a loud THUD and immediately the plane's nose dives downward, heading toward the ground at a tremendous speed. Most of the passengers are in panic and all hope of survival soon seems lost. Then in the midst of all the fear and turmoil a person shouts from the rear of the plane, "IF YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN, ASK JESUS INTO YOUR HEART!...BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, RIGHT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!...HAVE FAITH IN JESUS AND LET HIS GRACE WORK IN YOUR HEART SO YOU CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!...ACCEPT HIM NOW!"Has this undoubtedly well-intentioned person said anything to help anyone receive the eternal life that is in Jesus Christ? Did they give enough information for a person to be "saved"? If you think so, let me say it as mildly as I can. You have been misled by the modern "gospel."The missing component in our little scenario above is nothing is said about sin. Nothing is said about how mankind is separated from God because of sin. Nothing is even said about people acknowledging they are sinners and in need of a Savior. Even the thief on the cross, knowing death was near, faced and acknowledged his sinful state before Christ promised him life (Luke 23:41-43). The first axiom of the gospel is "Christ died for our sins..." (1Cor 15:3). Until one faces his sins for what they are and understands how they have separated him from God, true belief in Christ is not possible. Christ came to earth and suffered a horrible death to save SINNERS, not to rescue people who are indifferent about their sins or who won't even acknowledge their existence. Consider these passages,He "came into the world to save sinners..." (1Ti 1:15) "Christ died for our sins..." (1Cor 15:3)"Who gave himself for our sins... (Gal 1:4)"...in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (Rom 5:6)"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." x 3! (Mat 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32)"while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body..." (1Pe 2:24)"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins..." (Rev 1:5)"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;" (1Jo 3:5)"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (Joh 1:29)etc.Now, show me ONE VERSE that says Jesus Christ came and died just so people could go to heaven. In today's "modern gospel" sin and the condition of the sinner is an afterthought, a little detail that may be mentioned in passing, but in the gospel of the Bible it is a key element that must be addressed. Again, the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ's coming and of the gospel IS TO DEAL WITH YOUR SINS! Going to heaven is simply a natural result of having one's sins redeemed. Sin, Sins, and the Sinner is the key problem with humanity from God's perspective and before He will save anyone in any age He requires every person to face those sins in repentance. Sin cost the God of Heaven the very best He had, and He will save no one who will not "come to [Him in] repentance" (2Pet 3:9), and before one can effectively repent towards God, he must see his sins for what they are.When John the Baptist started his ministry, what did he preach? "Repent..." (Mat 3:2). When the Lord started His ministry what did He preach? "Repent..." (Mat 4:17). When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost what did he preach? "Repent..." (Act 2:38), and when the apostle Paul came along guess what he preached? "God...commandeth all men every where to repent" (Act 17:30). The call for all people to repent transcends dispensations. It is a universal requirement of all sinners in every age. Before the law Job repented (Job 42:6, Job did not say to the Lord "I change my mind...," he said, "I abhor myself and REPENT in dust and ashes"! Know the difference!). During the Law the Lord commanded all to repent (Eze 14:6, 18:30; etc.). In this present Age all still must repent of their "impenitent heart" (Act 17:30, Rom 2:4-5); and in the future people are condemned because they failed to repent (Rev 16:9-11, etc.). So all should be clear. Any "gospel" that does not compel a person to acknowledge he is a sinner and admit that his sins have separated him from God is no gospel at all. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and until a person sees himself as such (through the conviction of his conscience, wooing of the Holy Spirit, and power of the gospel) and then in repentance turns to God for help, he has no hope. But once he is facing the cross AS A NEEDY SINNER, all it takes is simple faith in Christ to receive a "well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14) into his very soul. Repentance is not a work of righteousness that merits a person anything. It is simply a change of attitude where one acknowledges what the Bible says about him is true and then with a humble and remorseful heart turns toward God and Christ for help. It's like the prodigal son who humbly and remorsefully return home to his father. Did his repentance earn him any acceptance or forgiveness before his daddy? Not at all. His father could have justly shunned and sent him away. What his repentance did was get him back before his father's face so his daddy could do what he would with him. The son was at his mercy. We know how the story ends, and we have a promise from God of what he will do when we come before him as repentant sinners seeking redemption in Christ. To paraphrase another, "God gives grace to the repentant not because a repentant person in any way deserves grace, but because He is a gracious God." What makes the gospel the gospel? It is when both its negative and positive elements are fully revealed:"Christ died for our sins...the just for the unjust...while we were yet sinners...Who his own self bare our sins in his own body...And that he was buried...and rose again the third day...Whom God hath raised up...whereof we all are witnesses...Who was raised again for our justification...That whosoever believeth in him should not perish...whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die...Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God...Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"!Now, that's gospel!