So… Can’t God Just Give Me Eternal Life As I Am?
In the book of Isaiah, God says, “Come and Let Us Reason Together.”…. So let’s do that.
This passage (Isaiah 1:18) deals with God’s indication that the sins of people can be made clean.
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together,’ says 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.”
In part, we will discuss that concept and the reasons why sins MUST be done away with.
First, this very abbreviated overview of the Biblical record:
While the Old Testament was written to the Jewish peoples, it is important to understand that the Lord had the entirety of the scriptures (including the New Testament) written, knowing that all His creation would still be reading it even up to the present time. Therefore, all the scriptures have application and give direction to every individual who would ever live.
Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures. As God had determined, He died, rose again from the dead (proving that He is who He says He is), and then ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. This is all recorded in the 4 Gospel (Good News) accounts and the book of Acts.
From that time (Pentecost; the dispensation of the Holy Spirit recorded in the book of Acts (Ch 2:1-3) until the present day), salvation for mankind has been under Grace in place of the Law established under Moses; however, the Law has NOT been removed or abrogated. It is there to convict us of sin.
We will discuss this Grace further along in this article.
First, let me make clear that we must face up to some unpleasant truths in order to understand the reason for repentance to be an absolute condition. Let me further make clear that these realities apply to this author just as much as anyone else. As far as sin is concerned, God views everyone the exact same way.
In order to answer this question about repentance, it will require us to be completely honest with ourselves without trying to make excuses for our behavior.
No matter what race, color, creed, country of origin, belief system, male, female, etc., all of us have a nature that causes us to sin. There’s that word, sin. Yep, we all do it, have done it, or will do it. It is simply the way we are. God has given us the freedom to choose NOT to sin, but we all do anyway. God’s word puts it this way: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“For every living soul belongs to me, the father, as well as the son – both alike, belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
Now let’s consider the world we currently live in.
To do this effectively, I think we can just examine one day’s worth of news or even one day of what we see happening around us.
Maybe, while we are at it, we need to take a moment to stand in front of the mirror. There we will see a sinner staring back at us.
These verses from the book of Romans (Ch 1:29-32) may put these things in perspective:
{Humans are described as} “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
Or perhaps this description in Second Timothy 3:1-5:
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.”
Consider for a moment the Ten Commandments that God gave through Moses (which still apply to everyone today). Grab a Bible. They can be found in the book of Exodus (Ch 20:1-17).
In the book of James (Ch 2:10), James says this: “Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” This means you only need be guilty of breaking just one of the ten, and you are judged guilty of breaking the whole law. Ever stolen? Ever lied? Ever used God’s name as a curse word or even casually like the popular sin of saying ‘OMG’? I think you get the picture.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
1 John 1:8 tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
Hard things these are to read, realize, and apply to ourselves, yet, in the modern-day lexicon – “it is what it is.” No amount of evasive maneuvers will get us relief from the truth.
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, was executed on a Roman cross to pay the penalty not only for all the crimes and sins described above but for all the sins of mankind that would ever be committed. He made this sacrifice willingly and to pay the penalty described in Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
How serious does God regard sin? It had to be paid for in blood and by death, and Jesus paid it.
Grace is unmerited favor, and as unrepentant sinners, we do not merit any mercy at all. Unrepentance is a refusal to change our ways and to continue to defy, ignore, or even hate God.
Repentance, however, is to change direction, change our ways, and turn toward God and His mercy under His terms.
It can be emotional, but it is not emotion. It is a conscious decision.
And as long as you are still breathing, it is not too late to do it.
And what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance
- Confession of sins
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross
- To acknowledge that you are unable to pay that debt
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
If you do these things and genuinely mean it, then the promise written by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before the birth of Jesus can be yours. You only need to ask God for it.
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together,’ says 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.”
You can be saved from the consequences of your sins by the Grace of Jesus Christ just as He promised.
Psalm 103:11-12 tells us what God has promised to do for the repentant sinner:
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Now I will come to the crux of this article.
God’s word tells us that sin is like yeast. If it is put in bread dough, in time it works its way in until it is absorbed throughout. If ANY sin at all were allowed to enter into Heaven in ANY form, even Heaven would eventually become the ruin that this world has become. God will not permit that.
After living in this sin-filled world, who would want to start that whole, hopeless process over again?
So… repentance becomes necessary so the following scripture will be fulfilled.
“And he {Jesus} that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And he said unto me, ‘Write: for these words are true and faithful'” (Revelation 21:5).
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
I pray that you will open that door. If you do, a whole new world of hopefulness will be born in you.
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com