Good News For Spiritual Criminals
Man's greatest problem is sin. He is not saved by religion, following the Ten Commandments, doing good works, joining a church, being baptized or partaking the Eucharist.
Sin is a spiritual heinous crime in the eyes of God. A sinner is a spiritual criminal in God's eyes deserving nothing else but judgment and condemnation. God is a just and holy judge, only the payment of the penalty can satisfy the demands of His justice. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else.
That penalty is death---eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. The things mentioned above fall short of the stipulated and demanded penalty. They are not the payment for our spiritual crimes against God. Therefore, they could not save a guilty soul.
Enter the Lord Jesus Christ. He became Man to serve as the sinner's substitute and representative. As such, He can pay the penalty for us and as us. His death on the cross had an eternal value to it since the one who died was an eternal person. His death therefore satisfied the eternal penalty of our sins. Jesus is Man but He is also God. As God, He is eternal.
He died for our crimes against God and rose from the dead to show that God approved and accepted the payment Jesus made for us.
Now, forgiveness of sins, a brand new life and salvation are offered to anyone who would come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.
