WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR GOD TO ACCEPT SOMEONE?
THE SHORT ANSWER
God is Holy.
This means that He is set apart from all that is evil, because He is infinitely pure. How do you compare to God?
“There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2 (NASB)We are Sinful.
This means that we miss the mark of being holy like God, because we are born with sinful hearts. What is the punishment for your sin?
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NKJV)We Deserve Punishment.
This means that our sinfulness has separated us from this holy God. We deserve to spend eternity separated from Him in the Lake of Fire after we die. How can this be changed?
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV)Jesus Took our Punishment.
This means that Jesus is the Son of God, who came to earth, being fully God and fully man. He never sinned, but He died on the cross in our place. He was buried and rose again. How can God accept you?
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)We Must Repent and Believe.
This means that we must turn from whatever is keeping us from trusting in Jesus. What is your response to Him?
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
John 3:36 (KJV)
THE LONG ANSWER
GOD IS HOLY
God is holy (Isaiah 6:3 NASB), which means that no one is like Him (1 Samuel 2:2 NKJV). God is infinite in all His attributes and ways which sets Him apart from all things common, unclean, and evil. He is unique and beautiful (1 John 1:5 KJV). No one loves like God (Micah 7:18 ESV). He is righteous (Psalm 145:17 NASB). No one is righteous like God (Psalm 5:4-5 NKJV). He is perfect (Matthew 5:48 KJV).
If God is holy and perfect, then how good do you think we would have to be in order for God to accept us?
GOD CREATED US
God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26 ESV) so that we would glorify Him eternally (Isaiah 43:7 NASB). Eternal life is to know God the Father and His Son personally, better forever in this life and the next (John 17:3 NKJV). We must be as holy as God is to be in a right standing with Him (1 Peter 1:16 KJV).
How do you compare to God?
WE ARE SINFUL
No one is holy like God because of our sin (Romans 3:10-12 ESV). Sin is when we fall short of God’s holiness (Romans 3:23 NASB). We miss the mark of being holy like God, because we are born with hearts opposed to God. We sin when we break God’s law (1 John 3:4 NKJV). Sin is when we don’t love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:35-40 KJV). The first human, Adam, rebelled against God, and now sin has been passed upon all humans (Romans 5:12 ESV).
What do you think the punishment is for breaking God’s law?
WE OWE DEATH
The Bible says that we owe death for our sin (Ezekiel 18:4 NASB). Because our sinfulness renders us undeserving of being in God’s presence, we are separated from Him at birth and destined to spend eternity apart from Him in the Lake of Fire. That means your sin separates you from God right now (Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV). You owe eternal death for your sin (Romans 6:23 KJV). If you die separated from God (Ephesians 2:12-13 ESV), then you will spend eternity separated from God in a real place called the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8 NASB). The penalty for our sin is eternal destruction away from the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9 NKJV).
If you owe death for your sin, then what do you think you can do to change that?
We cannot pray our sins away (1 Peter 3:12 KJV). Turning from our sin will not make God accept us (Jeremiah 13:23 ESV). Doing more good than bad will not bring us back to God (Isaiah 64:6 NASB). Our sins have turned God’s face away from us (Isaiah 59:1-2 NKJV).
If you can’t pray enough, be good enough, or be religious enough for God to forgive you, then what can you do to know Him?
JESUS TOOK OUR PUNISHMENT
When we couldn’t get to God, He came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV). He is the Son of God who came to earth, being fully God and fully man (Philippians 2:5-10 ESV). Jesus is God in a human body (John 8:24 NASB). He perfectly obeyed God the Father for us (John 17:4 NKJV). He never sinned (1 John 3:5 KJV). Jesus placed our sins upon Himself (1 Peter 2:24 ESV; 1 Peter 3:18 NASB) on the cross (Colossians 1:20 NKJV) as He shed His blood (Leviticus 17:11 KJV; Ephesians 1:7 ESV; Hebrews 9:22 NASB) and was willingly separated from God the Father for us (Matthew 27:46 NKJV; Isaiah 53:4-6 KJV). God the Father treated His Son, Jesus, as if He committed all our sins, even though the Christ never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). He died the death that we owe (Romans 5:6-10 NASB). The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NKJV) so that if you believe on Him (Romans 10:8-13 KJV), then the Father will accept you as if you lived the perfect life His Son lived (Romans 4:5 ESV). Jesus is the only way for anyone to be accepted by the Father (John 14:6 NASB). You can trade your sins (Acts 17:30-31 NKJV) for His perfect life and know Him personally right now (John 10:15 KJV). It is not that we loved God but that He loved us (1 John 4:10 ESV).
What must you do to accept His payment for your sin?
WE MUST REPENT AND BELIEVE
You must turn from your sins (Acts 26:18 NASB) and whatever else is keeping you from trusting Christ (Acts 26:20 NKJV), believing that Who Jesus is and what He did is enough for God the Father to accept you forever (John 3:16-21 KJV). God can forgive you completely through Christ’s sacrifice (John 5:24 ESV). Believe that God’s anger toward you was poured out on Jesus so that you can have God’s love forever (Romans 8:1 NASB). Otherwise, His wrath is hanging over your head and one day you will be separated from Him forever in the Lake of Fire (John 3:36 NKJV). God in His mercy can withhold your eternal death penalty if you believe on His Son apart from your righteous works (Titus 3:4-8 KJV). If you don’t believe that what Jesus did is enough, then you are saying that God lied when He promised to give eternal life to those who believe (1 John 5:10-13 ESV). God in His grace can save your soul through faith and not as a result of works (Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB). We must repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15 NKJV).
What will you do with what Jesus did for you?
Bible References
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