Will God accept you?

Will God Accept You?

There is only one way to gain eternal life. Have you found it? "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:14 To seek the wrong way leads to eternal death. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 16:25 The right way begins with a knowledge of God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 Here is the right and only way to gain eternal life.

The Lord God is the creator of all that exists. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,” Exodus 20:11 “You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.” Nehemiah 9:6

The Lord is supreme ruler over His creation. “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. His power can create or destroy according to His will.” Psalm 115:3 “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15 “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” 2 Chronicles 20:6 God’s authority and ability to do as He wills on earth and in heaven is complete, absolute and inviolable.

The Lord God is holy. There is no other like Him. There is no other of His essence. God is perfect and without unrighteousness. The Bible repeatedly declares God’s holiness. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:3 The meaning of “holy” is separate. God is separate from His creation. “You [Lord] are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.” Habakkuk 1:13

We are separated from God because of our sins. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.” Isaiah 59:2-3 God accepts only those who are holy to live with Him. “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.” Psalm 5:4 Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy." To enter God’s heaven one must be holy as God is holy.

Sinners are condemned by God. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 'And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:17-19 All who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are already condemned to eternal punishment and separation from God.

God manifested His love in Christ. Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of those who believe on Him. An angel reassured Joseph about Mary’s being with child. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5 , “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

To receive eternal life is to be joined to Jesus Christ who is the eternal living God, the Creator, the Sovereign Lord. It is to pass from death unto life. It is to be delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's dear Son. It is to have the cost of all of our sins paid in full and to be completely forgiven of all sin. It is to be freed from condemnation. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” It is to be accepted by God and made holy in Christ. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” We must receive Christ by faith to enter heaven and be accepted by God in Christ. To be in Christ one must receive grace (undeserved favor) from God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

A new birth is required to be accepted by God. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3-8, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Jesus explained to Nicodemus that it was not a second physical birth but a spiritual birth is required and that to be accomplished by the Holy Spirit.

Good works cannot obtain salvation. The gift of eternal life is given only when grace is received from God. It is not the result of good works which a person performs. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8-9, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

Salvation is possible only through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. Peter declares to those who have obtained like precious faith in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Only after all our sin has been expunged by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can one be justified before God the Father. Salvation is the work of God alone.

Jesus illustrated salvation in Luke 18:10-14, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

To be saved one must confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe that God raised him physically from the dead. Paul wrote in Romans 10:9 -10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” To believe less is not sufficient. You must believe in Jesus' physical resurrection and confess him before mankind or you remain under God’s wrath. However, words alone are not sufficient.

Warnings about words and false religion: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 8:21 Your life must reflect absolute faith In Christ which causes a turning away from sin. Words alone are not sufficient. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7:22-23 Receive Him as Lord and follow Him or you remain under the wrath of God.

Beware of a false gospel which says "accept Jesus by repeating these words"; words not your own. Repeating words of others does not eternal life gain. Believing on Christ is the most serious life changing event in life. God accepts us only if we are in Christ. We must believe. Peter admonished those to whom he wrote in 1 Peter 2:10, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble,”

Has God accepted you and given you eternal life through Christ? Remember to be accepted by God a person must believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and confess Him before men and repent of sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”