Christ is Alive to Save Anyone

The Resurrection of Jesus three days after He was dead and buried, is a foretaste of our resurrection.

The dead will all rise again

First, all those who lived and died in Christ will rise to receive glorified bodies and to live with Christ eternally. All the others who lived as they wanted and died without Christ will rise to face judgment and be in the place of torment forever.

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
(1Cor. 15:20‭-‬23 NLT)

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
(Rom. 8:18‭-‬23 NLT)

However, it is our personal choice and decision, whether to listen to God or to people, to obey God’s Word or follow tradition.

We ourselves are responsible for our destiny. We must decide it NOW, before we are gone!

We can live,
because Jesus lives!

Good Friday! Has it been GOOD for you?

Seventh April 2023 is marked as Good Friday on our calendars. Traditionally it is the day on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Believers in Christ commemorate this day and celebrate because of what this day has brought forth for them and for the entire world. Those who have realized what Good Friday has done for them will never remain the same.

Why Friday?

Man was created on the sixth day, which is our Friday. He was created in God’s image and likeness, created to be in constant fellowship with Him. Man was placed in a garden. God placed only one condition before man that he should not eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. But man listened to the lies of satan and fell from the original plan of God and death was the result. Thus man lost the privilege of being in fellowship with his Maker.

But God didn’t give up on His creation. He made the provision for man to return to that privileged position. 

Man came under death and the whole earth became cursed. Pain and suffering became part of life. Man tried to cover his guilt and shame and overcome death in his own way. Pinning together a few fig leaves he tried to cover himself. God pronounced the effects of sin upon man and the earth and announced the remedy He has prepared. Thus there will be constant enemity between mankind and satan. Satan will continue to deceive mankind and the Son of Man will ultimately destroy satan. 

So God covered them temporarily with the skin of an animal which had to be killed for their sake, pointing to the death of the Lamb of God which will permanently remove man’s sin, guilt and shame.

This was fulfilled centuries later when God stepped down into time and space limiting Himself to be a human in the person of Jesus. God had announced His plan through prophets from time to time and all of those were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. He came as the offspring of the woman as it was promised. 

Why is this Friday “Good”?

Our fellowship with God can be restored because of this Friday.

On that Friday Jesus, the second Adam, was nailed to the tree or a wooden cross to die in our place because it was from the tree in the middle of the garden that satan deceived Adam. The tree of Eden was the point of disobedience for the first Adam, so, the tree on Calvary became the point of absolute obedience for Christ the second Adam. On that cross the seed of the serpent struck the heel of the seed of the woman but through His death and resurrection Jesus crushed the head of the serpent.

Thorns and thistles were part of the curse upon Adam. Jesus wore the crown of thorns as he took upon Himself all the sin and the curse that was on mankind.

On the Cross

During His life and ministry the religious leaders criticized and opposed Him. Though many ignored Him multitudes followed Him. Even when Jesus was on the cross the culprit on one side challenged His authenticity and ability to save. However, the other thief acknowledged his trust in Jesus as the Messiah and received the assurance of being with the King in glory.

Jesus never gave any justifications or argued His case. The Bible says He was like a sheep that was being taken to slaughter. Jesus responded by  praying for His tormentors. Roman soldiers did not kill Jesus but He Himself gave up His spirit as the Bible records. Everything that the prophets foretold about Jesus hundreds of years ago had come true. He experienced hell on the cross and in agony cried out, “my God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” He suffered and died bearing the punishment for the sins of mankind. He lived a perfect sinless life and offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Where I should have died, Jesus took my place.

Can anyone say God is unfair?

If someone rejects the provision of God and lands up in hell he/she alone is responsible. No one can blame God for it. God had done everything required for your salvation. You just need to accept and acknowledge it. 

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:10‭-‬12 NLT)

How can Good Friday become GOOD for me?

Before giving up His spirit Jesus said it is finished. God’s requirement for the forgiveness of our sins was fulfilled on the cross. We don’t have to die for our sins but only accept Christ’s substitutionary death as ours and surrender to His Lordship. So this Friday is “Good” Friday for anyone who trusts Jesus for their forgiveness.

Have you invited Jesus into your life to be your Saviour and Master? If not, you can do it now. Tell Him you need Him as your Lord and Saviour and ask Him to come in. He will. So Good Friday can be really good for you personally.

Religious Rituals

Rituals are an integral part of religion. Every religion has its own lists of them. Among Christian communities the lists vary depending on the denomination they belong to.

Lenten season is special for Christians, whether religious or not. Going without favourite food and entertainment, fasts, penitential prayers, doing good deeds, and so on will be on the daily routine. Some go even to the extent of punishing themselves. All of these are done with the motive of cleansing themselves from their sins and wrong doings of the past.

It is repeated religiously, year after year, with the hope that it will bring them the desired effect.

It is interesting to note that though the denominations demand certain rituals as mandatory, the Word of God does not put forward any. The New Testament instructs the believers to observe two things, baptism (Mt.28:18) and communion (1Cor.11:23-26). These are two ordinances given to Jesus’s followers with specific meaning and purpose. Baptism is a testimony and affirmation to the newness of life that has been experienced by the believer, while communion is a proclamation of the sacrificial death of the Saviour which brought us forgiveness and redemption. There is no specific instruction on how to practice these ordinances, though.

Christian denominations keep their folk bound by their rituals and practices where as Biblical Christianity is one that is free from these rotes and rites. Religion is based on rituals but Christianity is based on relationship. One trying to appease the divine to escape his/her anger while the other is humbly accepting the offer of love and forgiveness. Obviously man cannot satisfy the just demand of a righteous God and live because His justice demands the death of a sinner. You may go without food throughout the Lenten season, you may give up your addictions during this period, you may do a lot of good deeds, you may pray many times a day, you may carry a cross and walk around in public, or drink bitter juice, allow yourself to be beaten and even crucified, but none of these can pay the penalty for your sins. If you die while doing these you will still be lost eternally. The Bible says, 

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT)

The Bible also says,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NLT)

It is not by our faithful religious observances that we receive forgiveness, but it is just because of God’s love and mercy offered to us freely through the sacrifice of His only Son. In other words, we cannot purchase forgiveness with our own efforts. We can only accept it with humility and gratitude from a loving God who paid it on our behalf. Jesus paid it fully on the cross when He suffered and died. You and I need to just believe it and accept it in our hearts and turn from our sinful ways to love and obey our Saviour.

Have you experienced the forgiveness of your sins? Or are you still trying to get it through  rituals and observances? You can trust Jesus to save you even right now. Accept Him as your only Saviour and Lord  and experience it now!

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NLT)

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts. 4:12 NLT)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NLT)

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 NLT)

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11‭-‬13 NLT)