59. SALVATION FOR THE WICKED

Recently, I heard on the local news, that a man, who I once worked with was in need of financial assistance for some medical woes he was having. He was getting down in age and had been ailing for some time but apparently, a good deal of money was now needed, perhaps to perform some kind of surgical intervention.

I looked at the man on television, quite frail, as he made an appeal for assistance. I could see that time was taking its toll and I was reminded, more than ever, that he needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

At his age, he had probably heard the gospel on countless occasions before and probably shrugged it off in his pride, taking comfort in his so-called ‘good works’ and thinking so well of himself, that he assumes he is destined for heaven.

I thought back on the incredible pain that this man had caused me in the two years that I had worked at a particular place, where he was at the helm of the organisation and how much he had hated me, for standing for what was right, while there. He had caused me to cry much but I thought to myself, if he could get the gospel and humble himself before the Lord and be saved, then all the pain that I went through since I met him, would have been worth it.

In fact, when I saw it announced some months back that he had collected some national award, I had prepared a package with two of my Articles bearing the gospel, one referring to medical ailments and Jesus Christ being the best Physician. I had intended to mail them to his residential address anonymously, which I happened to know because of the nature of the work I had done under him, for two years. However, I never got around to doing it and the package remained in my room in its envelope and in a black plastic bag, for several months.

When I heard the news announcement last night and saw him, as a very well known and public figure, appealing to the nation for funds, I remembered the package sitting in my room and knew that the Lord wanted me to send this man, who Jesus died for, the gospel.

What Peter said to the crippled man in Acts 3:6 came to mind: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

I would not send him funds, although he saw this as his most pressing need, due to his medical plight. I would send him the good news of salvation, which was available to him, free of charge, in this life. This was his most pressing need. He was spiritually ill and destined to a lost eternity in hell, unless circumvented by him believing on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and repenting of his sins.

It is my hope that God would do a work in his heart, though so wicked and that he would humble himself from all of his pride and receive Jesus Christ as Lord, into his life.

Resolving to send the mail off the next Monday (the news story featured on Friday night and items can’t be posted on the weekend), something came to mind and so I wrote:

Never think that you are too wicked, done too much wrong, made too many mistakes and sinned too much, to become part of God’s family. If the gospel of Jesus Christ is not for wicked men and women, then who else? The Lord is mighty to save and if you come to Jesus by faith, BELIEVING IN YOUR HEART the truth, that he, the Son of God, rose from the dead and CONFESSING WITH YOUR MOUTH the truth that he is Lord, you will be saved. God will accept you into his family, though your sins be as red as scarlet and your past deeds as black as soot.

The Word of God says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

It matters not who you are therefore, celebrity, politician, prostitute or criminal. No matter the width of your sins, God’s grace is wider. Romans 5:20-21 states, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Salvation of your soul from eternal damnation is therefore available, no matter how wicked you have been and how many people you have hurt, how far you’ve gone or the extent of your evil deeds.

God’s Word declares:

• “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

Even if you don’t consider yourself as wicked but as a really good or decent person because of all the good things you have done, salvation is available to you too. You need it as equally as the greatest sinner because God has already declared in Isaiah 64:6, that, “…we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”

This means that he regards none of us as righteous and has pronounced the best of us, as failures and deserving of his punishment for sin. As a thrice holy God in whom there is no sin, he has told us, that he has found none worthy, none good enough, none as having reached his standard of perfection, none but Jesus Christ his Son, that is.

Jesus, the Son of God and God the Son, the one who created the earth and you and me, lived a sinless life when he took on the form of a human being and came to this earth many years ago. This means that he never did anything wrong. He was completely pure and was perfectly righteous. God therefore accepts him and any person that he (Jesus) forgives of his or her sins and covers in his perfectly righteous blood, which was shed for the sins of the entire world.

To be washed in the perfectly righteous and cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, so that we can be accepted by God and inherit eternal life, we must come to Jesus Christ his Son, by faith. He himself said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Romans 3:21-26, in speaking of the willingness of God to accept and justify any person who, by faith, believes on Jesus, the perfectly righteous one, says:

• “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

God therefore offers a free gift to mankind, of cleansing from sin and salvation, through his Son Jesus Christ. We are all in need of this cleansing, as we are all sinners. God does not see big sinners and small sinners but sinners. There is nothing that we can do in our own strength to appease his wrath over our sin and to atone for the judgment that we all deserve. However, God is willing to excuse or pass-over us when judging the world of sin and sending sinners to hell, if we believe on his Son Jesus Christ and ask him by faith, to come into our hearts and save us. Once we believe on him and confess him as Lord, repenting of all of our sins (whatever they may be), Jesus forgives us, washes us, cleanses us, covers us, accepts us into God’s royal family and we become children of God.

This is good news! For, no matter who you are or what you have done, God has opened the door wide through Jesus Christ his Son, saying, whosoever will, may come.

John 3:16-18 states:

• ^“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Acts 17:30-31, tells us of what’s to come in this world’s future, which will affect all of us, as, when God is ready to bring this world to an end, he intends to raise up every human being who has once lived but died, to face judgment. This is a serious matter. It says of God that he “…now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

The man that he has ordained is Jesus Christ and God has given us assurance that he was raised from the dead, in the Bible. We can therefore believe God’s testimony, which is true or foolishly fail to believe it, therefore alleging that God is a liar, to our detriment and ultimate destruction.

Of God’s impeccable character, to always speak the truth, his Word, the Bible, states:

• “God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

• “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18)

• Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:1-2)

• “…let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4)

The choice is therefore ours, as it has been to the countless generations of people that went before: To remain in our wickedness and sins, take pride in our own sense of goodness and go to hell when we die or when this world comes to an end OR to get forgiveness for our sins while still alive, by coming to Jesus in humility, being sorry for the things that we have done which displeased God and asking Jesus who we confess as Lord, to come into our hearts, to save and to cleanse us, of all of our sins.

If you get rid of your pride, humble yourself and acknowledge the truth, that you are a sinner, in need of God’s forgiveness AND you believe the Word of God that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of the true and living God, that he has power to save you from your sins and that, although he was killed by wicked men, him being Lord over all, he rose from the dead, just as the Bible says he did and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven AND if you believe that he is Lord and want him to save from your sins and eternal punishment in hell, then pray NOW to the Lord Jesus from your heart, saying the following words:

Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God and that although you died, you rose from the dead because you are Lord over death and Lord over all. I admit that I am a sinner and therefore, I can do nothing in my own strength to reach God’s perfect standard. I confess with my mouth that you are truly Lord and I ask that you would forgive me for all the things that I have done wrong in my life and save me from all of my sins. Cleanse me of all of my filthy stains, wash me in your perfectly righteous blood and please accept me into your family. Thank you Lord for honouring your Word and saving me, Amen.

If you truly believe that Jesus is alive after having died and you said the prayer above confessing that he is Lord and meaning every word, then you have Jesus’ assurance, that he has forgiven you, cleansed you and saved you. He has stated in God’s Word, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

He turns away no one, rejects no one and discriminates against no one. He is in the business of redeeming people, meaning taking them and making them over anew. He did it for Saul in the Bible, who was renamed Paul. He was a very wicked man, who was responsible for the deaths of many people. Yet, he had an encounter with Jesus, got saved and cleansed and brought into God’s divine family. He did it for the Samaritan lady who was considered a great sinner by reason of her heritage and by the immoral life that she had been living. She had had five husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband. After she met Jesus at a well though, she left her waterpot, went back into the village and told everyone, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29).

God loves you with an everlasting love and, as happened with Saul and the Samaritan lady, the angels in heaven are rejoicing because of the decision you made, to come to Jesus Christ by faith. The Word of God states, “…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

(Written on 7th October, 2023)