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RIGHTEOUS
OR JUST GOOD?
A
frequent response to the Gospel is, I’m a good Catholic, Baptist, Jew, etc., but one I’ve never heard is, “I’m a righteous
Catholic, etc.
Why
do those claiming to be good, balk at calling themselves righteous?
It is because the imagined goodness relates to
religion, but righteousness has to do with the claims of God Who says,
“There is none righteous, no, not one” Ro 3:10.
To
be righteous one must be guiltless before God, and the first step is to realize that
obedience to religion may make you good in men’s eyes, but it can’t make
you righteousness before God Who requires righteousness of all who would enter
heaven. Then believe that Christ has
died in your place for your sins, and that in response to that faith, God imputes
Christ’s righteousness to you, thus saving you from hell, and fitting you for
heaven.
Are
you righteous through faith in Christ as your Savior, or just religiously good?
Remember, God says that only born-again men are righteous and going to heaven.
All others are going to hell.
To
learn more about God’s way of salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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YOUR
MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION
A
cook and butler of the late F.W. Woolworth liked one of his china sets - plain white
with a blue border and gold rim - and used it frequently, handling it casually -
until the day they learned that the outer rim was solid gold!
This
illustrates truth relative to your soul. With
no idea of its worth, you’ve probably treated it as carelessly as did
F.W. Woolworth’s cook and butler his valuable china.
God says your soul is priceless, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mk 8:36.
How dramatically the attitude changes when one learns the worth of his soul!
It led the Philippian jailer to fall on his knees and cry, “What must I do
to be saved?” Ac 16:39.
Have
you learned the worth of your soul? Have
you saved it from hell, and fitted it for heaven by being “born again” through
faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior? Jn 3:3,7.
To
learn more about God’s way of salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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BEHIND
THE FUNERAL PARLOR
Behind
the casket, the flowers, the eulogies, lies a very different unseen, but equally real
world where the deceased continues to exist. Scripture
describes that world, but few bother to read. Here
briefly is what it says. If the deceased
was a “born again” believer (Jn 3:3,7), his soul is in heaven awaiting the
resurrection of life (Jn 5:29); if not, his soul is in hell awaiting the resurrection
of damnation. These are Christ’s
words, not mine.
Have
you been born again? One day, perhaps
sooner than you think, you will be the deceased.
What if you die before you’ve had that essential new birth?
For
more information about God’s salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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AFTER
105 YEARS
On
Oct 9, 1996, the oldest person to do so became a U.S. citizen at age 105, prompting
the question, Why? What does it matter
at her age? What does matter is whether
she has citizenship in heaven (Php 3:20), for all who lack that citizenship must
enter hell, and she can’t have much time left on earth.
You however may have less time left than she.
God warns, “Now is the accepted time” 2 Co 6:2.
Tomorrow may be too late.
To
secure that imperative citizenship, admit that you’re a sinner, believe that (1)
Christ loved you enough to die in your place for your sins (2) in response to that
faith God will pardon your sin and receive you into heaven, Jn 3:3,7.
To
learn more about God’s salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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YOU’LL
EXIST FOR EVER
...
in heaven or hell, but it’s here on earth that you must choose heaven, for all are
born on the road to hell, Christ Himself warning, “Ye must be born again.... Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” Jn 3:3,7.
How, when, and where were you born again?
You don’t know? Uncertainty is
its own answer. You’re going to hell,
and before tomorrow may be there, for, “Thou knowest not what a day may bring
forth” Pr 27:1, hence God’s warning, “Now is the accepted time” 2 Co
6:2. Tomorrow may be too late.
To
be born again admit that you’re a sinner without righteousness; believe that Christ
loved you enough to die in your place for your sins, and that in response to that
faith God will pardon your sin and receive you into heaven.
To
learn more about God’s salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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YOUR
FIRST STEP TO HEAVEN
...
is to admit that you’re a sinner without a shred of righteousness, refusal to take
that step keeping you on the road to hell, and making God a liar, for He says,
“There is none righteous, no, not one. All
have sinned” Ro 3:10,23.
If
you think you’re not a sinner you don’t understand what sin is. We don’t become sinners by sinning: we sin because we’re born
sinners, our sins being, not the cause, but the evidence of our state.
Only those who have changed their state by being born again spiritually will
enter heaven, Christ warning, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. Ye must be born again” Jn 3:3,7.
To
be born again admit that you’re a sinner; believe that Christ loved you
enough to die in your place for your sins; and that in response to that faith God
will pardon you and receive you into heaven.
To
learn more about God’s salvation, and our Bible study classes, call:
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DID YOU KNOW
... that death is followed by
judgment, as it is written, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment" Hebrews 9:27?
Did you know that there are
two judgments: one for believers, and another for unbelievers, that of believers
being at the judgment seat of Christ for the giving of rewards to be enjoyed
eternally in heaven, Romans 14:10; that of unbelievers being at the great white
throne, to decide the amount of punishment to be endured eternally in the lake
of fire, Revelation 20:11-15?
At which judgment will you
appear?
Are you sure beyond all
doubt? The eternal fate of your soul depends on your being right. What if it
should be the great white throne?
To ensure that it will be at
the judgment seat of Christ, admit that you’re a sinner without righteousness,
believe that Christ loved you and died in your stead for your sins, and that in
response to that confession and faith God will pardon all your sin and receive
you into heaven.
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THANKS FOR THE CHEAP GIFT!
How would you respond if one
to whom you gave two gifts - one very costly; the other, paltry - thanked you
for the latter, but ignored the former? That's the equivalent of what you'll do
this Thanksgiving if you thank God just for temporal blessings, while refusing
"His unspeakable (incomparable) gift, Jesus Christ" 2 Corinthians 9:15.
Such folly is worse than
ingratitude: it is fatal madness, for "The wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23.
To die without accepting God's
priceless Gift, i.e., accepting Christ as your Savior, is to forfeit heaven in
exchange for hell and the eternal torment of the lake of fire, Revelation
20:11-15.
To receive this priceless gift
simply admit that you’re a sinner; believe that Christ loved you enough to die
in your stead, for your sins; and believe that in response to that faith God
will pardon all your sins, and fit you for heaven.
To accept Christ as your
Savior will make this more than your happiest Thanksgiving: it will ensure you
of a happy eternity.
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ISLAND OF TEARS
Of 20 million immigrants
checked at Ellis Island, 240,000 were denied admission to America, their
combined lament eventually giving the place the name Island of Tears.
Worse, however, than rejection
from America
is rejection from heaven, relative to which Christ says, "There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth," Luke 13:28.
The only qualification for
heaven is the new birth, John 3:3,7.
If you can't remember how,
when, and where you were born again, you will weep and wail first in hell, and
then eternally in the lake of fire, Revelation 20:11-15.
Most people laugh at the
mention of the new birth, but none will laugh on that day when Christ says, "I
know you not ... depart from me," Luke 13:25-27.
To be sure of heaven,
admit that you’re a
sinner without any righteousness,
believe that Christ
loved you enough to die in your stead for your sins, and
believe that in
response to that confession and faith God will pardon all your sin, and
receive you into heaven.
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JOHN NEWTON - SLAVE TRADER
... wrote the
popular hymn "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound."
What transformed him? He
learned from Scripture that he himself was a slave - of sin, but that Jesus
Christ had paid for his redemption at Calvary.
Until then he was unconscious
of his bondage, as are many today - religion, morality, good works, etc.,
blinding them to their true spiritual state.
You too can be saved and
transformed by admitting that you're a sinner without any righteousness, and by
believing that Christ has paid for your redemption with His life, God's
assurance and warning being, "He who believes on Him (Christ) is not condemned:
but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed"
John 3:18.
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