THE MESSAGE WE ARE TO SHARE WITH OTHERS!
Luke 24:44-48 - And He said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.
Repentance: From the Greek - μετάνοια (metanoia). It is defined as the changing of the mind; in the biblical sense, it is the acknowledging of wrong doing, resulting from seeing things as God sees them. True repentance can be seen in a change of behavior (Mt. 3:8; Lk. 3:8), in the turning from a life of sin, to a life pleasing to God (Acts 20:21; 26:20). True repentance is the result of recognizing the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4), and a having a godly sorrow for failing to live in obedience to Him (2 Cor. 7:10). God calls ALL human beings to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9)!
Remission: From the Greek - ἄφεσις (aphesis). It is defined as the forgiveness or pardon from the penalty of sin (death - Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 6:23). In fact, this same Greek word is translated "forgiveness" six times (Mk. 3:29; Acts 5:31; 13:38; 26:18; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14)! Our sin cost Jesus His life (Lev. 17:11; Mt.26:28; Heb. 9:22; etc.)! His "payment of our debt" is applied to us through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 10:31; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; etc.)!
AN ILLUSTRATION OF GOD'S SAVING GRACE!
Picture yourself as being totally broke; you have spent every cent you had, and are now homeless. One day, as you are struggling to find food and shelter, a stranger walks up to you and says, "I have good news for you. The richest man in the world has seen your plight, and he has opened a checking account in your name at that bank right over there. He has connected your account with his, and you now have access to his entire fortune.
There are three things which might prevent you from "writing checks" on your joint account:
1) You refuse to believe the message the stranger told you, and so you go on living in poverty, never even trying to "write a check."
2) You are filled with pride, and refuse to accept the free gift, saying, "I do not need the help of anyone - I can take care of myself!"
3) You believe the rich man has given you access to his fortune, but refuse to believe that there are "no strings attached." You are not willing to accept the fact that the rich stranger is motivated by his love for you, and so you, believing he has a hidden agenda, refuse to "write a check," thus avoiding any obligation to him.
Jesus Christ has removed our poverty (our sin) and has deposited His riches in our account (His righteousness): the "bank book" - the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8)!
2 Corinthians 5:21 - For He (our heavenly Father) has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us (He paid our debt due, in full, because we are sinners), Who (Jesus) knew no sin (Jesus was sinless - See also Heb. 4:15); that we might be made the righteousness (eventually - See 1 Jn. 3:1-2; His holiness; His perfection) of God in Him.
DO YOU BELIEVE ALMIGHTY GOD LOVES YOU?
I AM FROM MISSOURI - SHOW ME!
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