Jesus' Cross, Plus Nothing!

                              Jesus' Cross, Plus Nothing!

#Jesus  #theCross
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The grace of God is hard to believe and accept. We've been taught all our lives that to get anything, or get anywhere in this world, you have to work for it, earn it. So God's grace seems too simple, too easy, even incredible. Yet we freely walk on the Creators' ground, breath his air, enjoy the beauties of his creation without earning it, or even saying thank You. Still we wonder, how can God offer us a beautiful wonderful trouble free Heaven and we not do something--not even a little thing--to earn it? Consider answers to the two following questions. And thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

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Why Can't We Add Our Good Deeds to Christ's Cross? 
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1. Jesus said, "It is finished" ( John 19:30). The Lord's work in His death completely paid for all our sins past, present, and future. The Greek word translated finished was used when anyone finished paying off a dept and meant "paid in full". Jesus died before we were born to pay for all our sins. He further confirmed this when he said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believed Him who sent Me has eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John. 5:24). Jesus assured every believer they have eternal life at the moment of belief (not at death), and they can't be condemned no matter what happens. This leaves no possible room for doubt that faith is the only requirement. Salvation is sole faith, sole grace.

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2. Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). This thief admitted he was a sinner and looking to Jesus in faith was given assurance of Paradise. There is no way he could do anything more than believe. He could not get baptized, or do some good deed of any kind. Those who object that it was the dispensation of law and not the church age that came at Pentecost miss the point. Faith as revealed in the one true God saves in every age from righteous Able until today (Hebrews 11). 

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3. The Bible says salvation is God's gift freely received through faith. "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast"  (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must receive salvation as a gift. It is not of our doing, not our good deeds. If we had even the slightest part in it we could brag that God couldn't do it without me doing my part. So as a gift, all credit goes to the giver. The receiver can only reach out his hand in acceptance. Again we read in Titus 3:5, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us".  Further, Romans 4:4-5 says good works are wages not a gift. It's trusting God that justifies the wicked and is counted as righteousness. Romans 6:23 assures us "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." And Romans 11:6 declares that works would cancel grace and no longer be by faith. If righteousness comes through the law (keeping rules), then Christ died in vain (Gal.2:21). Could anything be clearer? Faith in Christ alone saves. But once saved, good works do follow and are rewarded on earth and in Heaven.
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Initial faith in the Savior is what saves us, or makes us right with God. Then we can gain God's perspective and power to perform deeds acceptable to the Lord. Don't be misled by passages that speak of our being rewarded for good deeds--they are fruits of the Christian life, but the foundation is our original faith in Christ (1 Cor. 3:9-14). Further, we must continue to submit to God in faith and patience for the Holy Spirit to direct us to do His good works and not fall away into the error of legalism. We can make up a set of rules but can't live by them--who can even keep New Years resolutions? The Galatians did this and were condemned at the Jerusalem council (Gal. 3:2-5; Acts 15:22-29). If our good deeds were the final say, Jesus could never be our Savior. And, we could never know if we did enough, or did the right things to earn Heaven.
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4. God's apostle Paul declares the gospel by which we are saved, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). If doing something for God other than believing in Christ was necessary, he surely misled everyone not mentioning it.

5. The Bible repeatedly says everyone who believes in Jesus is justified."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts  16:31). Faith and justification occur at the same moment neither prior to the other. Otherwise, someone could have saving faith but not be saved, or be saved without having saving faith. So many Bible passages say whoever believes will be saved (John 1:12; 3:16; 18; 36; 5:24, 40; Acts 13:39; Romans 1:17; 3:22; 36; 4:3, 5; 5:1. Faith is turning to God in Christ while repentance is acknowledging sin is what keeps us from God. If our doing good works is ultimately what saves us, then surely it would never have been omitted in so many passages.
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6.  Peter, like Paul and John, taught faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus alone was what saves sinners.  Peter said Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness"  (1 Pet. 2:24). He said, "Christ also suffered once for sins the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit (1 Pet. 3:18). "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). If salvation ultimately depends upon our good deeds, shouldn't it have been explained to those wanting to be saved? 
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And yes, God has elected all believers. If you have any doubts whether you are elect, just get down on your knees and say: Lord, I'm an unacceptable sinner before You a perfect God, and unfit for Your perfect Heaven. You promised me that if I believe in the Savior as a sinner that I will be saved. Lord, I now trust You to save me, count me righteous in Christ, and guide me through the rest of my life. Thank You, Lord. Woo pie!

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7. Bible gives examples of persons who were saved by faith in Christ alone. To the Ethiopian, Phillip preached Jesus, and when he asked to be baptized, he was told he could if he believed with all his heart in Jesus  (Acts 8:35-37). When the Philippine jailer asked what he must do to be saved, Paul said, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved"(Acts 16:25-34). He believed and later was baptized. The Lord opened Lydia's heart when Paul preached the gospel before she was baptized (Acts 16:14-15). Cornelius was saved receiving the Holy Spirit when he believed, then afterward was baptized (Acts 10:43-47).

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What Good Deeds Do People Want to Add to Jesus' Cross?
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You must live a moral life. Yes, we should live a perfect life, but nobody can or has but Jesus. We loose God's joy, peace, security, heavenly rewards, and are subject to our Father's discipline when we don't. Thank God we don't have to depend on our goodness, but on Christ's righteousness credited to our account. Rather than keeping rules, we need to focus on our love-trust relationship with Him. We're not robots and a God of love won't force us to do what's right. Our sinful tendency, shows us we constantly need to turn to Him who still loves us.

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You must obey God's commandments in the Bible. Yes, but again we can't, and most of us scarcely know what they are. The golden rule of love God and man with all our being will guide us in most cases. It's the love-trust relationship and humble repentance that keeps us in focus with God's will, not keeping rules we imperfect humans can't keep very long.

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You must join a Christian church. Yes, that's important too. We need encouragement from other like believers and they need our support as well. But some places and conditions we can't be with others of like faith to worship together. And some congregations don't believe and teach God's Word. We must be sure that our name is written in God's Lamb Book of Life (Revelation 20:11-15).

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You must be baptized. Yes, but as we've shown above salvation can't be what we do that saves us. Admittedly, there are some passages which have been taken to teach this. But the Bible isn't  contradictory when we understand it correctly. Paul thanked God he baptized only a few as God sent him not to baptize, but to preach the gospel (Cor. 1:17). The church's greatest missionary could hardly say this if baptism was so essential.  Peter taught a good conscience toward God comes only through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21). Water baptism can't achieve that at any age, and can  be best explained as an outward symbol, confession, or testimony of God's inner work of grace similar to the wedding ring on a person's hand.

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Everyone and anyone who trusts Jesus to save them  a sinner will immediately be forgiven, cleansed, adopted as a child of God, and be admitted into God's kingdom, with the righteousness of Christ. The Christian life is to be a positive love-trust relationship with the Lord that results in loving obedience and God's glory. It is not keeping a set of rules in the hope we have done enough to be accepted with God. Christian growth is a process, a step at a time in faith and love. God prosper you in growth. Share this, the opportunity for life everlasting, with others.
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Can God Be Both Loving and Just?

                        Can God Be Both Loving and Just?

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Persons might say God is both loving and just. But when it applies to judgment of the human race some become doubtful and squeamish. They say a God of love means there can be no Hell of punishment. Others say a God of love absolutely demands there be Hell. Which is it? Can we be open minded to honestly think through the issues in light of the Bible's teaching? First, consider some prerequisites to the question. Then, consider some ways and reasons how God is both loving and just. 

Consider Three Prerequisites. 

Who or what is the biblical God?  The Bible says God is Creator and Sustainer of everything--matter, space, time, life--so without Him everything would cease to exist. God then is self-existent, eternal, and depends upon nothing while everything else depends upon Him (Genesis 1:1; Ex. 3:14; Col. 1:17; Rev. 1:8, 17). God made us in His rational, moral, immortal image for relationship (Genesis 1:27). God loves us, knows what's best for us, and wisely works to bring it about. God then is our Life Giver, Owner, Moral Lawgiver, Judge, and Redeemer if we want Him. "In Him we live, and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). His infinite nature and will then is the moral standard for our lives and for which we will one day give account to the resurrected Lord Jesus (Acts 17:30-31).

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Now suppose that there's no Hell and everyone goes to Heaven. Then--does it make any difference what we believe whether we be atheists, idolaters, or anything else? Does it make any difference how we behave--be Mother Teresa's or Hitlers, ministers or murders? Does life have any ultimate meaning if everything is reduced to the same level? Indeed, if we're not the plan of a loving God, and no more than an accident of nature as evolutionists claim, does anything really matter? These are immensely serious issues that influence our lives and should not be ignored or overlooked.

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Does God's Word have authority in a cafeteria style religion? Most persons like eating in a cafeteria because they can select the foods they like and ignore the others. Now if we can accept what we agree with in God's Word and ignore the rest, then what authority does it have? None! But what authority do limited conflicting human opinions and guesses have? None! They only lead to lawless  anarchy, or to a dictator to keep the peace by eliminating those who disagree with him. Wouldn't this in fact make the whole idea of the biblical ethical God irrelevant and the world a terrorist state?
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Yes, God is loving to save sinners and just to send unrepentant rebels to Hell.

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1. Nations, communities, peoples everywhere jail thieves, rapists, murders, and the like to save society. God must do the same to prevent such persons from destroying Heaven (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 21:27). Sentimentalists who object to Hell make God less just than sensible judges. They encourage crime and human suffering. And they don't want such criminals living next to them which means they are hypocrites. Justice is really love shown society and even to uncorrectable  criminals who often harm each other in prison and must be kept in solitary confinement.
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2. Only a perfect God is worthy of our trust, love, and worship. Tribal gods, an evolving process god, a universal force, or any finite god cannot be a loving Creator. Such a god may not know our condition, can't be everywhere, have wisdom of what's best, have power to help, or even care. The biblical God is not just infinite in love, but also in knowledge, wisdom, power, goodness, and is everywhere present to help. But we must be in a love-trust relationship with Him that issues in our obedience and in His glory. He is God, not any other, His say is ultimate and final.
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3. God's love is shown in great patience, blessings, and warnings. Everything good we have and enjoy is given us as He made a good world (Genesis 1). Our selfish desires is what brings sin and corruption into the world. God's nature is very patient to forgive all who turn to Him not wanting any to perish (Matt. 23:37; 2 Pet. 3:9). But, God drowned the wicked world that Noah warned for 120 years building the ark. God miraculously fed, clothed, and protected Israel's journey in the desert 40 years that faithful obedience could have been only 11 days. They continuously grumbled in unbelief.  He destroyed 23,000 complaining rebels of Israel who would be forgiven if they would only look at a snake on a pole. Like any good parent, God's warnings are expressions of His love to prevent our harm (Hebrews 12:7-11). We are to trust Him to work all things for our good and His purpose, but in His time and way (Romans 8:28).
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Some say the OT God was wrathful while the Jesus God of the NT is loving--they don't know their Bible. They need to read the plagues God sends in Revelation 6-18 which almost wipes out the human race (Matt. 24:21-22). For example, those who reject God will one day call on the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (Rev. 6:16). Some persons simply love evil, despise God and will not have Him reign over them though given many chances (Luke 19:14). But Jesus will reign on the earth with an iron scepter for a thousand years as is promised (Rev. 19:15; 20).  God's love or God's wrath--it's reality our choice.
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4. Not God, but we ourselves decide our destiny. God loves us sinners, but love doesn't force obedience--it's a contradiction that robs our freedom and destroys our dignity in God's image. A loving God patiently allows us our own way and many opportunities to turn to Him. We have a conscience, laws, and we know what hurts us as a human being hurts other human beings just like us. Not doing what we know to be right, or neglecting to do it increases our guilt and shame.
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We all sin or do wrong in different ways to different degrees no matter how hard we try to be and do what we believe to be right. Moreover, how much good is good enough? We can never know, nor erase our sins that separate us from God and Heaven (Isa.59:2). Further still, persons who hate God and His right ways would still despise them if forced into Heaven. The sufferings of sinners in Hell is actually self-induced by their choices or lifestyle on earth. Only those who love God can sing His praises.
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Now here is something seldom preached and many sincere Bible believers fail to understand. Whether we go to Heaven or to Hell, in a real sense we reap what we sow--it's simply the principle of justice (Galatians 6:7). So while all the redeemed go to the same Heaven, they enjoy it to different degrees even as some of God's people now love and enjoy Him more than others. Life long servants of God will be greater rewarded than someone who trusted Jesus on their death bed. Also, those punished in Hell too suffer to different degrees of guilt, shame, contempt, despair, etc. Liars won't feel as bad as serial killers. Check it all out so you can be sure. See evil self punishments (Matt. 10:15; 11:22-24; Luke 12:47-48; Heb. 10:29). Good service rewards (Matt. 5:12, 29-30; 29-30; & crowns Rev. 2:10; 1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4). Words used as "greater reward or punishment." plainly show different degrees. No one will be able to accuse God of being unjust or unloving.
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5. Clear headed persons admit they're imperfect. I've talked with persons who said they deserved Heaven, and who told me a list of their good deeds, and the bad things they didn't do including some things they think church people shouldn't do. But if asked, they usually will admit they aren't perfect. Now if they know what imperfection is, then don't they have an idea what perfection is? Of course they don't realize what God's Word says and they make up their own ethic. But only God and His Heaven are perfect. Good, even very good, isn't good enough! Even one bad thought makes us imperfect before God and unfit for His perfect Heaven. No, we can't remove the sinful stains on our soul--only Jesus the Savior and Lord can remove them.
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6. We can't earn Heaven, and must come to God and His Heaven on His terms. Heaven cannot be earned by our good deeds--as rebellious sinners we have none (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible makes it crystal clear that Jesus' death on the cross in our place to pay for our sins is our only or exclusive way to be saved (John. 3:18; 8;24; 10:1, 9; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John. 5:11-12). God makes Himself known gradually to persons everywhere willing to heed His invitations. He invites us through His Holy Spirit, creation, conscience, His Word, prophets, and gives us assurance by Christ' resurrection (Acts 17:30-31). Before Christ's cross persons were saved by believing in the one true God as stated in Hebrews 11:6 and shown by the list of persons in that chapter. So the unwilling are without excuse (Romans 1; 2; John 3:19-21; 7:17).
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7. God's infinite justice and love met at the cross. A God perfectly holy and just cannot excuse our sinful ways. But a God perfect in love provided a way for all who are willing to be saved. The greatest evil was Jesus' crucifixion and the greatest love was His voluntarily bearing the physically pain, but more so His spiritual separation from His Father bearing our sin. God saves us only by trusting in Jesus our Savior. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
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Jesus hung naked before the jeering crowds, dying as a cursed criminal, beaten, bloody, swollen almost beyond recognition. It was humanities worst evil, but God's greatest display of love. He died voluntary for sinners, you and me. You are invited now to trust Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Guide forever? Will U say, I trust You Lord Jesus to cleanse me and make me Your child?  U will understand it all  better once U submit to the Lord and Savior.
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