There is a hymn that was released by Stuart Hamblin in 1949 that has the line, “Someone slipped and fell; was that someone you?” Any time I hear that song with that line, my answer has to be “Yes, Lord.” Once I finally called out for Jesus to truly be my Savior about 35 years ago, it took on a new meaning. Yes, I am a sinner, as Romans 3:23 says we all are, but now I have a pathway to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10, just as all believers have. (ESV – any emphasis mine)
First point here: this does not give me or anyone else a license to just keep on sinning without regard to any consequences. God will forgive us, as He promised He would, but as a loving Father, we are still subject to discipline as He sees fit (Hebrews 12:6-11). One point made in these verses: if we never receive discipline, it could be that we do not have a true relationship with Jesus. Romans 10:9-13 gives the remedy for that in simple, easy-to-understand steps to our true Salvation.
The song line above is from the hymn, “It Is No Secret What God Can Do.” After having truly put my faith and trust in My Savior, I have witnessed His grace and mercy and love many times. Up to that one moment, I believed God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were real but never considered a “relationship” with our Precious Trinity as a necessity. As is the case with so many people today, I believed that just because I believed this, I automatically had a place in Heaven. After all, I was a “good person.”
Then one verse from James 2 jumped off the page at me; verse 19, “You believe that God is One, you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder.” Satan and the fallen angels or demons do not have what all humans have, and that is a pathway to forgiveness. They had been in the presence of the Lord God Jehovah, and after Satan fell due to super pride, there were a number of the Heavenly Host that followed him. The lake of fire, or hell, has been created for them (Matthew 25:41).
Even though the actual lake of fire is not occupied at the present time, all who are bound for there that have died are in a state of pre-punishment as described in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. The antichrist and false prophet will be the first to occupy hell, found in Revelation 19:20. They will be followed 1,000 years later by Satan, and then all from the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:10-15).
The Great White Throne will be the most terrifying event ever for all who will be in that long line. All who were out of the will of God before Calvary and all who never received and accepted Jesus from Calvary to the end of the Millennial Reign will be there. They will find out just what their eternal punishment will be, and there will be no pardons, forgiveness, or mercy shown to them. It should be noted that no one who is a part of the Shepherd’s flock will be anywhere near that line.
Right now, the unforgivable sin is to take your last breath on this earth without ever having called out to Jesus for forgiveness and to have Him as your eternal Savior. During the tribulation, taking the mark of the beast will be another unforgivable sin. Other than these, there is no sin you cannot be forgiven for.
False prophets are putting out Satan’s lies that there are many ways to Heaven, and we all worship the same god. There are those who say Jesus was a good prophet but was not the Son of God. They claim the Bible is just a book of myths and stories, but nothing real.
Jesus gave us an absolute truth statement in John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” To dispute this statement is to call God a liar, and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) There are several other verses in the Bible that back this statement, such as Romans 8:1; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Another is Acts 4:12; “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Thinking back, it is with “Precious Memories” that I can look on the occasion that the Holy Spirit put it on my mind and in my heart that I was hell-bound if there were no changes. There were some prayer warriors that faithfully prayed to the Father to let me know the path that I was on and to have me truly consider calling on our Savior to change my eternal destiny. Please know that the Father never forced me in any way, but I had images come to mind of what kind of eternity I was headed for. With this in mind, I pray daily for any of our loved ones who may need the same measure of awareness to be given to them.
Anyway, from that moment on, it has become a habit for me to read from God’s word every day. Even after these years, I still find passages that enlighten my mind. Though I am not real proud of my lifestyle before having Jesus as my Savior, I totally look forward to when we can leave this sin-filled earth to be with Him in a new body and a new mindset, forever.
To be able to reunite with loved ones that were in Christ and be with them through all eternity is almost overwhelming to conceive. To meet people from Biblical days and heroes of the faith from all past history is just about beyond comprehension. Nothing on this earth is worth even one second of our eternal time, except that while we are here, we try to pass on the love of our Father to others.
There is a hymn written by J.B.F. Wright (2/21/1877 – 10/13/1959) called “Precious Memories.” The song was written during a period of time when the author was experiencing some grief over the loss of loved ones, especially for the loss of his 3-year-old son. Released in 1923, numerous artists have recorded this hymn.
1.) Precious Memories, unseen angels, sent from somewhere to my soul. How they linger, ever near me, and the secret past unfold.
Ref.) Precious Memories, how they linger, how they ever flood my soul. In the stillness of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold.
2.) Precious father, loving mother, fly across the lonely years. And old home scenes of my childhood in fond memory appear.
3.) As I travel on life’s pathway, know not what the years may hold. As I ponder, hope grows fonder; Precious Memories flood my soul.
Ever since the first sin in the Garden of Eden, this world has had some bad times for many people. However, we have the promise from God’s Holy Word that this earth is “temporary,” and a beautiful land beyond description waits for us. All who receive and accept Jesus as their Savior will have eternity with Him.
It’s hard to imagine that the Creator of this world loves us so much that He would send a part of Himself to this sin-filled world to offer eternal life to all who will accept His gift. The closer we get to the end of this present age, it is becoming obvious just how valuable this gift is. We are witnessing all the events given by Jesus and others that tell us we are close to being called up to meet Him in the air. For the unsaved, these are fearful and perilous times. For the saved, while not pleasant, it is inspiring that we may leave here at any moment (Luke 21:28).
Do not put off calling on Jesus to be your Savior. He will force no one to accept Him but will refuse no one who calls out to be saved. As stated earlier, no one who is still breathing has committed any sin so great that they cannot be forgiven. To have this opportunity and not receive and accept the Savior is tragic beyond description, and also unnecessary.
Please consider Romans 10:9-13 and decide today where you want to spend forever. Even before the time of Jesus, people knew that someday they would have a home in paradise. As Joshua said in chapter 24:15 (paraphrased), “Me and my family will serve the Lord.”
Come, Lord Jesus – Hear Our Cry!
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