by James Thomas Lee, Jr. 11/06/96 Copyrighted 1995 by James Thomas Lee, Jr. Copyright Number: TXu 704-227
Chapter 35. Understanding God's Message To Humanity {359 words}
a. Being Constantly Aware of Our Adversary {488 words}
b. Drawing Closer and Closer to the Lord {287 words}
c. Having Access to the Truth {192 words}
d. Step One - Seeing Yourself As Sinful and Undone {386 words}
e. Step Two - Understanding the Penalty for Our Sins {156 words}
f. Step Three - Coming to Jesus {517 words}
g. Many Refuse God's Provision {235 words}
Chapter 35. Understanding God's Message To Humanity {359 words}
As this examination of scientific and theological data is brought to a conclusion, some final remarks are in order. In looking back over my own life, I know that many of my early life problems, plus the failures which I eventually experienced, were caused by more than what I have described as the system around us. I also know that I stumbled because I could not handle some of the pressures that were in my own personal life. Nevertheless, I was still hurt, as many are, by the anti-God propaganda of this system in which we live. My emotional instability and extremist nature had combined to take me too far on the wrong road. However, this system around us, with all its anti-God trappings and its failure to teach people like you and me the truth about our Creator, had played a large role in putting me on that wrong road! Today, many others in our society, just like I had, have also followed that same wayward path which ultimately leads to trouble and destruction.
In our country, even in the world, most young people grow up without ever learning about the Lord. We are a nation which has, for the most part, turned from God. Our moral standards have declined and even now continue to do so. People are confused about the true religion which is only found in the Lord Jesus, and because of that, they dabble in all sorts of false theologies and philosophies. Added to all of these things is the fact that most young people are growing up with poor values and a bad concept of success, education, money, power, and the like. These five problems, which were shared earlier and which have resulted from all of the anti-God training within this system around us, have a single solution, a solution which can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is important for a person to realize, as we consider God's message to humanity, that much confusion already exists at all levels of religious affairs! In this world, many are religious, but many are non-religious! Many are Christian, yet many are non-Christian. Many Christians know Scriptures and have a mature understanding of God's well documented principles, while many other Christians know very little about either the Bible or His principles. Much, maybe even most, of that confusion exists because of the slanted, anti-God instruction of the system around us.
To understand just how bad that confusion really is and to see why it is so bad, one must again consider the master of that system. One must remember the devil and how he works! As was earlier seen in Isaiah 14:12-14 and again in Ezekiel 28:14-17, Satan is described as God's enemy and adversary, which means that he is, by extension, also our enemy and adversary! The two principle devices or weapons in his arsenal, as were presented in Fact 29G-1, are deception and distraction, and he uses each to perfection! The simple fact is that he has deceived many in the past, and he is still in the business of deceiving as much and as many of the populace as he possibly can!
Yet, as Fact 29G-1 also shows, the devil does not stop with deception. It is important to realize that his first objective is to keep others from learning the truth about God. Of course, some will still drift into churches from time to time, occasionally read a few words from the Bible, or maybe even converse with a Christian or two along life's highway. Over time, that person may actually accumulate a few assorted pieces of different spiritual truths. When, or if, that occurs, the devil does not waste any time! He promptly moves into his second mode of operation and uses a technique which has already been called distraction. Again, his motives are clear! He will do whatever he can or whatever it takes to keep an individual off-track and on the wrong subject, especially when it comes to understanding the truth about spiritual matters. The devil does not want anyone to know the truth! This is his number one objective. But for those who do get close, his number two objective is to keep them distracted so that he can prevent them from getting any closer.
If one carefully observes the spiritual aspects of this life, then that individual can observe the devil in and at every level of this existence, as he cleverly uses his two devices to work out his same form of devious, satanic magic over and over again. Because the devil wants to keep all of us from God and because he does work so hard and is so successful, our objective, therefore, must be the opposite of his. We must counter him at every opportunity. We need to draw closer and closer to the Lord. Then, we must strive to serve Him, not at a level of minimum effectiveness but always at our level of maximum effectiveness.
How is that done? How does one sidestep all the traps, all the lies, and all the confusion, and then get to a place of genuine service? There are many different Faiths from which to choose. Yet, one God practically demands that there only be one truth, one Faith! The first objective, therefore, must be to eliminate the false and identify the one true Faith. Merely being religious is not good enough! To put up a good fight against the deceiving, distracting forces of the devil, we must have the real thing, the one and only true God! Otherwise, we are wasting our time!
To many, finding the one true Faith might seem impossible, but fortunately, it is not. The devil has a fair amount of power, but he is not all-powerful. Satan can do a lot, but he cannot keep that heart which is hungry for the truth from learning about God. The Lord will allow a person to believe a lie, if that person has the heart to do so. But He will also reveal the truth to all who want it, and especially to those who are willing to seek after it. This principle was stated in Observation 16E-1 and is also clearly taught in Matthew 7:7-8. The writer of Luke's Gospel even indicated in Luke 19:10 that Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. Thus, the teaching in this matter is not difficult to understand. For those who really want to know the truth about Him, the Lord will always provide a way! His desire is for everyone to know the truth about Him, and even then, it is almost always His desire well before any of us ever desire it for ourselves!
To really know and understand the truth about God and about the one true Faith, one must begin by having the proper desires and motives. The Lord will always honor the right kind of heart and attitude. After that, a person needs to recognize his or her position before God. In Romans 3:23, the Bible teaches that everyone is a sinner. Before God, we have all fallen short and are lacking. Therefore, the first step toward closing the sin gap with God and toward finding the one true Faith is to see yourself as the Lord sees you - sinful and undone! We are all sinners. To deny that is to deny the very truth of God's Word. To accept it, though, is the first step toward really closing the sin gap with Him. See Table 16 for the three steps for closing the sin gap with the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 16. Three Steps for Closing the Sin Gap With the Lord
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondly, because all who are born of Adam are sinners, then all who are born of Adam are also in a lost state of separation from the Lord. Romans 6:23 says that the penalty for our sins is death, both physical death and spiritual death. When one dies to this life, that person dies and becomes separated from the things of this world. This first death is the physical death. If that same person has left this world and is not prepared to meet God, that is he or she has not closed the sin gap between themselves and Him, then the second death or the spiritual death, which is discussed in Revelations 21:7-8, becomes their eternal fate. This separation results in being forever separated from the One who made us.
According to God's Word, there will not be another opportunity after the first death for an individual to close their sin gap with the Lord. A person's separated condition at that point becomes an everlasting condition. Therefore, the second step toward closing the sin gap with God and to laying claim to the one and only true Faith is to realize that sin and being a sinner carries a very real, very lasting, and very devastating penalty. Because of that, we need to correct the sin problem in a quick, expedient fashion so that we can avoid even the possibility of this eternal separation from God.
Having confronted our undone condition and seeing the penalty for that condition, the next step toward the truth and toward closing that gap is to see the true identity of Jesus Christ. To do that, one must recognize Christ's dual role as both sacrifice and Saviour. No one would argue that Jesus was a great man. No one would question His work as a great Healer, great Teacher, or great Example. He really was all of those, but fulfilling those tasks was not His true reason for being birthed into this life.
As can be seen from John 3:16, Romans 5:6-8, and many other Bible passages, Jesus came to earth to offer Himself on our behalf so that by His death He could make a way for us back to God. In proclaiming that truth, the Apostle John quoted Jesus by writing that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus then told the crowds, as is recorded in John 14:6, that no one would be able to come to their Heavenly Father except through Him. Those words express the whole truth as well as anyone can. An individual may try whatever he or she wishes - being a good person, doing good works, being generous, or whatever! But that person will never close the sin gap with God, except through Jesus. Jesus is the Way. He is the only Way!
What must a person do to close the gap which exists with God? What must a person do to overcome the deception and distraction techniques of the devil? Complicated questions, perhaps, but questions which still need to be answered. Conveniently, both are satisfied by a single answer, the same which is shared in John 3:16. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so that you may have life! The devil works very hard to prevent people from ever seeing that simple truth. He causes the intelligent to scoff at a God Whom they cannot see. He causes the worldly-minded to become overly absorbed by the things of this world, and he even causes the would-be good person to be confused by all the different religions and denominations of the world. I agree that one can easily become weary trying to sort through all the various beliefs and theological issues. But by faith, one faith in God, the same faith in Jesus Christ, His Son and our Saviour, each of us can close the sin gap with God, find the one true Faith, and have true and lasting peace forevermore.
Unfortunately, some people do not like the idea of being dependent on Christ. They would rather try to close the sin gap for themselves. Some or many others would simply like to deny that a gap even exists or simply decide to ignore it and hope for the best. However, neither of these strategies are consistent with God's way, and in the long run, they will not work! Once again, Christ is the Answer! He is the only Answer! Through Him, we can be made clean. Through Him, we can be set free. And through Him, we can have eternal life with God. But we must believe, and we must receive!
Short of forcing our wills, God has done all that He can. Even more, He has done all that He is going to do. The rest is now up to us. In the course of an individual's life, the devil throws many obstacles before that life. It is often difficult to separate the true from the false and the right from the wrong, but based on all of the evidence which has been presented in this text, it should be clear that Christianity is the only true Faith. It is the only Faith that matters. Even more than that, none of the other faiths of this world can offer to their followers what Christians have in Jesus, the Christ.
Chapter 36. Important Christian Principles To Live By
Send email to: tlee6040@aol.com