I saw something posted yesterday and it just struck me how easy it is to be led to lies. I am not sure what scripture is used to come to this conclusion but it is things like this that water down the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People could use scripture like Psalms 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”, Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” These three scriptures could lead a person to believe there is no consequence to how a person lives their life and that God will just make all of the stupid selfish, prideful, lustful, hateful, and greedy things sinful people do just go away and that is that.
There is no forgiveness of sin if the need to be forgiven is not understood. There is no forgiveness without seeing the need to confess, repent, and believe. Scripture does say this about God’s love; John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Romans 3:23-26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
In our situations God will open our heart to Jesus Christ, Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” but we are to take the action of opening that door and believing in Jesus. If there is no intentional heart deep choice to open the door, submit to, serve, honor, glorify, follow, and obey Jesus Christ then there is no forgiveness, no redemption, no salvation. Our culture of tolerance has opened up a watered-down gospel that removes confession, remorse, repentance, belief, and faith. Our culture seems to like to present partial truths and clings to them without want or desire to truly searching for the whole truth. Make it quick and easy and let me go on to the next thing that will occupy my time for what I want to do.
