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The Good News of Salvation by Faith in Jesus

In our day the human condition sometimes seems hopeless. This is not without reason. Because of our wrong and sinful choices, we have shattered our relationships with each other. Lies, sexual immorality, violence, gossip and the list goes on. Sin hurts, offends and builds walls between people. In a similar but larger way, our sins offend God and separate us from Him. Because God is the perfect Judge, “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18). ” The seeming hopelessness lies in the fact that we are all guilty of sin, we will all be righteously judged by God and should therefore be rightly sentenced to eternal death, “for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). ”

That is not God’s desire. God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).” Because of His love for us, God provided one way for us to be forgiven for offending Him. Jesus Christ is that one Way. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” This is our Living Hope. Jesus Christ, who is God Himself, came down to earth and lived a perfect life without any sin. Since death is the punishment for sin, Jesus did not have to die, yet He chose to die. He chose to take the death sentence that we deserved for breaking God’s Law. They spat on Him, beat Him and nailed His body to a cross. He suffered and died… in our place. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead proving that our death sentence had been completely paid and that He had defeated death. Because of Jesus, we can be forgiven of our sins. We have Hope.

In order to be forgiven of our sin we must do as Jesus said in Mark 1:15. He said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News!” God demands that we repent. This means turning away from sin and instead strive to know and please God. We can know God by reading His Word, the Bible, and we please God by obeying it. Secondly, God demands that we understand and believe the “Good News” that there is hope of being at peace with God because of Jesus’ death in our place. This is our Living Hope: Jesus paid for our sins with His life. Therefore, we can repent and turn to Him for forgiveness. We can have freedom from the control of sin in this life and freedom from the consequences of sin when we die. It is available only through faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Israel Insights











After spending several days in Israel I have come to love the land that God chose for carrying out his plan of redemption. There’s such a diverse terrain that in one day you can travel from salty seas to freshwater lakes and from dry, desolate desert to forested hillsides. One unique feature of Israel’s terrain are the wadis (pronounced “wod-ees”). They are four-story ravines with cliffs on either side and if you’re lucky, there is freshwater running down the middle. Greg and I hiked two such wadis called En-Gedi and Yeh-Yuddia. En-Gedi is a luscious green wadi with many waterfalls and pools, as well as caves carved into the surrounding cliffs. It’s also the place where David hid from Saul…I can see why he chose this location!

Visiting the towns where Jesus spent most of his public ministry along the Sea of Galilee was also an amazing experience. Most of them are in ruins now (Capernaum, Bethasaida, and Chorazin) but it’s still inspiring to be there.

Jerusalem was also exciting even though it’s the total opposite of the Galilean area. In Jerusalem, life is busy and fast-paced (much like Los Angeles). There are cars everywhere, so many that people park on the sidewalks, and the sound of a honking horn is a common occurrence. The food is awesome…fresh baked bread, swarma, falafal, and tasty cappuccinos. Don’t try to buy anything on the Sabbath (Saturday) because all the shops are closed. Greg and I drove up and the down the streets last Saturday looking for lunch and nothing was open!

There are so many other things to mention which I look forward to sharing with you when I return. Shaloam! (“peace” in Hebrew).
-Melissa