We live in a day of tolerance.
But our problem is we tolerate
the wrong things. The last virtue of the ungodly is
tolerance. When the ungodly have abandoned all other
moral standards, the cry of the ungodly is for more
tolerance of their immorality and ungodliness.
One pastor remarked recently,
“People do not want anybody to pass judgment while
they are engaged in the most vile perversions and
immoral ungodliness imaginable.”
One recent study in the United
States demonstrated that almost all high school
graduates are convinced there are no absolutes.
The truth still stands; there
is one sin for which Christ never made atonement.
The person who dies in unbelief can never be saved,
no matter how religious he may be. There is no
atonement for the person who does not believe on
Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Yes, there is an atonement made
for the unbelief of the Christian, because it is
temporary. However, the unbelief with which men die
never was atoned for by Christ. There is no
atonement for the person who died in unbelief. If he
had been guilty of every other sin, if he had but
believed, he would have been pardoned. The one
exception is to die without Christ. The Bible
clearly says, “He that believes not shall be
damned.”
If you hear the good news in
Jesus Christ and believe on Him, that is enough. If
you perish, and go to hell in your quest for
tolerance, it is only because you have refused to
call upon the name of Jesus to be saved. “There is
salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men, by which
we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
There are really only three
views of salvation in the world. (1) Modern pagan
man thinks he can save himself and he is his own
savior by his own good works. Most pagans believe
this. (2) There are people who believe Christ and
man saves the man. “Jesus did His part, and I must
do my part.” The religious cults teach this view of
faith plus works in order to be saved. You must work
together with Christ in order to be saved, but
synergism will only send you to an eternal hell. (3)
The Bible teaches salvation by grace through faith
alone in Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to
save us, and when He said, “It is finished,” our
salvation was completed by Christ. Our debt to sin
is paid in full by Jesus Christ, and God is now free
to forgive us and save us for all eternity. We
receive the gift of eternal life by faith because
Jesus purchased it by His own blood.
God in His infinite grace
offers us eternal life freely as a gift. It is not
something we can earn or merit. He saves us in spite
of what we are. He does not save us because of our
good works or self-righteousness, but in spite of
what we have done.
Eternal life with God in heaven
is absolutely a free gift, paid for in full by Jesus
Christ. It is not earned, deserved, merited, or
worked for, but is absolutely free. All you need to
do is receive it by faith.
No matter how hard you work,
you will never please God. God does not deal with
you on the basis of your goodness or your badness.
He deals with you on the basis of the finished work
of Jesus Christ on the cross.
“You were not redeemed with
perishable things like silver or gold from your
futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished
and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was
foreknown before the foundation of the world, but
has appeared in these last days for the sake of you
who through Him are the believers in God, who raised
Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your
faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:18-21).
Yes, we are saved by the grace
of God alone, through faith alone in Christ alone,
for His glory alone. God’s grace is liberating!
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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