Christ For Righteousness: The Greatest Solution In the Universe

I want to welcome everyone to this blog. It is the overflow of a great and growing concern for those individuals who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. If you are curious about God, sin, judgment, Jesus, heaven, hell, and the like, then I would urge you to continue reading. I want to commend everyone to consider these things, because they are of an eternal weight. It will take about 25 minutes to read this post in its entirety. If you do not have this time immediately, I encourage you to read it in parts supplied in the far right column. Reading this post in parts may help you to concentrate on certain areas of the presentation. What follows is the biblical Gospel, and as with most good news, the goodness is not truly understood or felt without first being attentive to the horror of the problem.

The problem is the greatest problem in the universe, therefore,
the solution is the greatest solution in the universe.

When we think about a problem, we innately categorize it. For example, we perceive cancer as a greater problem than the common cold, or a nearby tornado greater than a light drizzle, or a final exam greater than the first quiz of the semester. These are real problems. They cause stress, anxiety, and even death. The solution to a problem is greater than the problem itself or it would not be considered a solution. The greater the problem, the greater the solution, and the urgency with which we seek that solution.

But even cancer operates in the temporal, and can only result in temporal death. If you were to take the "who's who" list of great problems, then you would discover that all of them effect this life only. There is a problem that has eternal consequences - it is the greatest problem in the universe, and the solution to this problem is the greatest solution in the universe. We ought to seek this solution with the greatest urgency in the universe.

The Problem: There is a God. He is the One True God. He created us for His glory.
God's glory refers to His greatest purpose in creation and His personal moral perfection - His holiness. Every individual has rebelled against God, is a sinner, and has fallen short of God's glory. God will not compromise His holiness to pardon the sinner.
The Solution: God has provided a Way for you to be saved from His holy wrath - His Son, Jesus Christ. This is revealed in the Bible.
The Question: Do you know (have a personal relationship with) Jesus Christ?

Let's look at these statements more carefully. We will address the statements in the problem first, then the statement in the solution.

1. There is a God.
He is the One True God.
God created us for His glory.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them," Genesis 1:1, 27.

There is a God. When you look at a building, what is implied but an architect. When you contemplate a painting, you consider not only the painting but personality of the painter. When you view creation, it is ten thousand times more relevant to understand the reality of the Creator. Moreover, humanity, itself, with its innate sense of justice, love, personality, and conscience cannot be accounted for by a blip in the universe, but by a wonderful Creator.

"For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it; He did not create it empty, He formed it to be inhabited!): 'I am the LORD, and there is no other...turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other," Isaiah 45:18, 22.

He is the One True God. God is the exclusive and Sovereign King of the universe. The universe and everything in it runs by His purpose, plan, and decree. In Him we live and move and have our being. The rules, commands, precepts, and law that He set are meant to be obeyed for our greatest joy because they bring us to Him. God holds exclusive rights to law-Giver and Savior. He holds exclusive rights as the Treasure of the universe. He alone satisfies the soul. All things move towards His glory.

"Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made," Isaiah 43:7.

God created us for His glory. By His glory, it is meant His greatest purpose and His moral perfection. God created you with a purpose, to have the greatest sort of fellowship with Him and knowledge of Him through a glad obedience to Him. By this, you would be most joyful in God, and God would be most honored by your joyful submission to Him.

2. Every individual has rebelled against the King of Glory.
To sin is to miss the mark or standard set by God - His glory!
All have sinned and fallen short of His glory; no one is good enough for heaven!
Therefore, God's wrath abides on you.

"No one is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:11-12, 23.

Every individual has rebelled against the King of Glory. God created us for His glory - to have an intimate relationship, communion, and knowledge of Him that would overflow our hearts with the greatest type of satisfaction - eternal life in Him. Despite all of the advantages that God gave to us in Eden, we representatively rebelled against God by disobeying His Word, His rule. The result of our sin was death - temporally and spiritually. Temporally, this is seen by the process of aging and dying. Spiritually, this is evidenced by our violent hatred of God. Your sin results in spiritual death - a separation from God and all that He is to you. Every person shakes their rebellious fist in the King's face, and sneers at His rule. We have all turned aside to walk in our own ways thinking them to be better, and have refused to listen to those whom God, in mercy, sends to us to warn us about judgment. Because of your personal sin, you are not right with God. You have no "right"eousness before Him. No one is "good" by God's standard. You see, being a sinner, and being lost, is a righteousness problem. God will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 98:9).

To sin is to miss the mark or standard set by God - His glory! All have sinned and fallen short of His glory; no one is good enough for heaven.

At this point, you may want to test yourself to see whether you are good...enough!

But remember, God will judge you by His standard of good, and not the standard of human comparison. If I compare myself morally to the guy next door, perhaps I am a good guy, but maybe not. It would be relative. But God has given Law and it is absolute, and, therefore, not relative. And if you are now honest with yourself, your conscience will tell you the truth. We have already seen that we have all rebelled against God's purpose of glorifying and enjoying Him because of our personal sin of loving other created things, namely, ourselves. But if you are not yet convinced of this, the next aspect of God's glory may convict you of the truth. Are you ready?

I am referring to the 10 commandments.

Have you ever lied (9th commandment) before? Yes or No? If your answer is "yes", then what does that make you? Answer: A liar.

Have you ever stolen (8th commandment) anything, even something small, like cheating on a test - that would be stealing information? Yes or No? If your answer is "yes", then what does that make you? Answer: A thief. And if you answered, "No", you've already admitted that you are a liar, so forgive me if I don't believe you!

Have you ever looked on a person with lust (7th commandment and Matthew 5:27-30) in your heart? Yes or No? Jesus said that if you look at a woman (person) with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery with them in your heart. What does this make you? Answer: An adulterer.

How about anger? Have you ever been angry with anyone in your heart? Yes or No. Anger, Jesus said, is the fountain out of which murder (6th commandment and Matthew 5:21-26) springs. What does this make you according to God's standard? Answer: A murderer.

How are you doing so far? This is just 4 out of 10. To save time and space, the Bible teaches that if you have broken even one of the commandments of God, you have broken all of them, like a link in an eternal chain (James 2:10). More than that, you have sinned against God's holy and perfect character.

The Bible also teaches that liars and murderers, thieves and adulterers will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). But these are those commandments that deal with your sins against other people in general. We have not begun to deal with using God's name as a cuss word or in a way that does not exalt Him, or our love of idol's, while we cast the God of the universe aside.

The point is this: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, not of other equally sinful humans. God is the Judge of the universe, and God is the standard of moral accountability, and when it comes to God, all fall woefully short of God's purpose and God's Law. We all have a righteousness problem.

I want to thank you for being patient to this point, and I hope you will continue to move forward, because the greatest news in the universe is still to come, but first, the most important questions in the universe:

1. If God were to judge you according to His standard, would you be innocent or guilty? Answer honestly.

2. If you are guilty, would God's decision towards you be eternity in heaven or eternity in hell? Consider this honestly.

Allow me to address some key issues with you before moving to the third question:

a) You might say, "God is a loving God and would never send anyone to an eternal hell." While it is true that "God is love", it is equally true that "God is holy"; and these attributes of God do not contend with one another but they agree with and support one another. God loves people; He just loves Himself more than anything else in the universe because if He didn't He would be an idolator like us. This greatest love for Himself upholds the attribute of His holiness - because of His holiness, God will not allow one sin from one sinner into His eternal glory.

b) You might say, "God is forgiving". This also is true, and we will get to how God offers His forgiveness in a little bit, but for now, imagine yourself in a human courtroom, being judged for murder and saying to the judge, "well, judge, I think you are a really nice person and was hoping you would let me go." The judge will say, "well, thank you...but you are still going to prison."

c) You might say, "well, this is your opinion." To which I would paraphrase C.S. Lewis, "An insane man in a padded room, banging his head up against the wall, shouting, 'there is no sun, there is no sun, there is no sun' does not change the fact that there is a sun."

d) You might say, "well, are you not judging me and condemning me." To which I would answer, "No, and no." Understand that what I write, I write with great love, not with great judgment. And, I do not have to condemn you because you condemn yourself. I recently shared the Gospel with a lost friend of mine and she said to me, "I am surprised that you didn't condemn me," to which I replied, "I don't have to." Jesus said "whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:18) By your sin, you condemn yourself before God.

e) You might say, "well, God will perhaps be lenient if I promise to be a better person." This does not change the fact that by your own admission, you are a liar or a thief or a murderer or an idolator. If you murder someone at the age of 15 and never do it again and you live until you are 100, at 100 you are still a murderer. You cannot subtract sin by promising to be good. You cannot subtract your love of self by promising to improve your "self". The Law of God is about "perfection, not approximation." (Calvin)

I would be glad to dialogue with you about others, but for now:

"Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him," John 3:36.

3. If at this point, you see that you are guilty of sin against God and that God would be just to sentence you to an eternal hell, the most important and immediate question for you to ask is "how can I be saved from God's wrath?"

Do not think to excuse yourself from death by the claim of your age - "I am young and death will not find me so soon", or your health - "I am in good health and death will wait patiently", or your status - "I have enough money to make me immortal", or your ability - "I will discover a way around death". And do not think to excuse yourself from God's wrath against your sin affair! Jonathan Edwards made the point that a nation can wage war against another nation and come out victorious, a country against a tyrant, but no human can win against or fend off the Almighty's holiness of judgment. When God's judgment of wrath comes against the sin of sinners, sinners lose for eternity!

Because God's holiness demands an eternal punishment for even one sin (an eternal offense because of the eternal nature of Him whom it offended), the GREATEST PROBLEM IN THE UNIVERSE IS PUT IN THIS QUESTION: HOW CAN I BE SAVED FROM GOD'S HOLINESS WHEN I AM A SINNER?

The solution to this problem is the greatest solution in the universe. Because the problem has eternal consequences, so the solution has eternal blessings. As the greatest problem in the universe comes from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love, so the greatest solution in the universe comes from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love. How can you be saved from God's holiness? What is the greatest solution in the universe?

THE GOSPEL! OR GOOD NEWS! WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The Gospel is the Way planned by God and accomplished by God to pay the fine of your sins, or to pardon you of your guilt, a Way to declare to you, "You are innocent of every sin, and every degree of sinning, forever," and may be reunited to God and satisfied in God through faith in Jesus Christ - God's provision for you.

So let's state the Way and explain the Way:

The Way is the Gift of God's Son, JESUS CHRIST!

Jesus, by the grace of God, willingly steps in between you and the bullet of God's wrath. If you woke up this morning and you have not believed in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you should take note of God's extreme kindness towards you, and ask yourself right now, why did God not just take you and judge you right now in your sins, and the answer is, "because God desires to save you, and in patience, holds back wrath so that you may know His love in the form of Jesus Christ."

The only way that anyone can be saved from God is by ...God. God is the only one who lives up to His standards. God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, God of very God to be a substitute for you on the cross.

Read carefully here: What God has done is send His Son, Jesus, into the world to save the world. How? Jesus lived a sinless life. His whole desire was to honor God all the time, every second, and He did. He perfectly kept God's Law for us. He alone glorified God! He supremely glorified God on the cross. I wrote that the greatest problem and the greatest solution in the universe came from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love! Therefore, view the cross:

On the cross, God poured out the fullness of His wrath, fury, and HOLINESS against our sin, on His sinless Son, Jesus. If we had viewed it by being present, we would have viewed with certainty the judgment of God against our sin carried out upon His perfect Son, Jesus. AND we would have viewed God's LOVE for Himself and for sinners. GOD'S HOLINESS WAS SATISFIED BY THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS, HIS SINLESS SON. GOD'S LOVE IS NOW OFFERED TO YOU, THE SINNER. And the OFFERING is graciously given when you BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD. Listen to this substitution closely and consider:

"For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we (sinners) might become the righteousness of God," 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Is this not the greatest solution in the universe, indeed, the greatest news?! You have a righteousness problem. Problem solved! God laid your sin upon His sinless Son, so that when you believe the truth as it is in Jesus and His work in your place, God gives you Jesus' righteousness, the very righteousness of God - and this you must have if you will be saved from God's holy wrath! So it is that God saves you from God by the gift of His Son, Jesus, and Jesus' righteousness!

"The Son of Man (Jesus) must be lifted up (on the cross), that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life,"

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life,"

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life"

"For Christ also died, once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God,"

John 3:15, 16, 36, and 1 Peter 3:18, respectively.

Pardon, innocency, righteousness, eternal life and reunion with God! These and much more, God gives to you when you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and Desire.

But there is more! Not only did Jesus die on the cross as your sin-bearing substitute, but Jesus also rose from the dead as your God-approved Lord and Savior. The truth that God raised Jesus up from the dead proves that Jesus was a perfect and spotless sacrifice for sin. If He had not been raised, then He would not have been an acceptable sacrifice for sin. The fact that God raised Him up gives you the absolute assurance that Jesus perfectly satisfied God's holiness by perfectly paying for your sin on the cross and now He is Lord of all, having overcome sin, Satan, death, and hell for you by His righteousness when you believe the truth in Him and His work on your behalf.

Please do not be fooled. You cannot save yourself by your own good works. Every religion in the world is based upon what you can do for a higher being. Biblical Christianity, the Gospel, the True God, Jesus Christ says, it is not what you can do that merits anything with a Holy God, but what Jesus has already done for you that makes you pleasing to God. Understand this truth: you are not saved by works, but by faith in Jesus who alone has satisfied God. When you believe in Him, God imputes (gives to your account) to you the sinless record of His Son, Jesus. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because by faith in Jesus, they are given His righteousness. Amazing!

If the fear of your heart, right now, concerns the reality of sin, consequence, eternity, and God's unwavering holiness, then cast off all of your self-efforts for salvation - they do not measure up to God's standard. If the desire

of your heart, right now, is to be saved from God's judgment, then believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, your righteousness! Faith alone in Jesus alone saves you!

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," Romans 10:9-10.

If the desire of your heart is to be saved, faith is not too difficult a thing for you to do. Out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth will speak. Therefore, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and the Bible says, "you will be saved." This involves two things: repentance from your way of sin and faith in God's Way of righteousness, Jesus Christ. You must confess to God that you are a sinner, that you need saving, and that you know that Jesus is that salvation. In response to your desire and faith you might pray something like the following,

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner; thank You for dying in my place for my sins; thank you for raising from the dead to give me new life; I desire to turn from my sin and follow you; please help me to live for you. I confess that You are Lord and I believe that You arose from the dead as a satisfying sacrifice to God in my place; thank You! Thank You for being my right standing before God and my only hope of salvation. Help me to grow in You and to know You more intimately every day. Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me! Thank you for being my righteousness and for giving me eternal life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer as a response to your faith in Jesus Christ, God has not only given you His righteousness but also eternal life. You are no longer separated from God but reunited to God through faith in Jesus. That is what Jesus has done for you - brought you to God, given you relationship and fellowship with Him. God is the greatest joy in the universe. Through your faith in Jesus, you can rightly glorify God by enjoying Him forever. This is the great goal of what Jesus has done for you!

If you have just now believed in Jesus Christ and His work for you in your place, you are now reunited with God, and a child of God. His love for you is beyond measure. I'd like to give you some suggestions about what has just now happened in you, and how to be what you now are, a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a child of God:

1. Search for a biblically sound Church to join and be active in the life of that body of Christians.

2. How do you know if a Church is biblically sound? The next encouragement is the answer to the question - spend time with Jesus - read your Bible and begin to develop consistent prayer times. Start with the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and/or John. Prayer will serve as a reminder of your daily dependency upon God for all things. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray - this is a model prayer, not a word for word command - it is topically, how you should pray. But talk with God, expressing thanks to Him, conversing with Him about the desires and struggles of your new life in Christ. And have confidence, because Jesus intercedes for you before the Father. He takes your words, refines them through Himself, and He presents them to the Father according to God's will. Spending time with Jesus now is experiencing heaven in part on earth.

3. Begin reading good secondary resources about God, Scripture, truth, the Gospel, Christ-centeredness, etc. The following list are some good starter books:

The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur; The Sufficiency of Christ by John MacArthur; Desiring God by John Piper; Counted Righteous in Christ by John Piper; Humility by C.J. Mahaney; Knowing God by J.I. Packer; The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan; etc.

You can find these titles and more at the following links:

Christian bookstore

Westminster Bookstore

4. When you join a biblical Church, seek to be baptized by the immersion of water - "get dunked". There is no salvation in the external obedience of baptism. The importance of baptism is what it symbolizes and what you are publicly professing and the accountability of the Church that is recommends in nurturing your growth in Jesus Christ. The symbolism is of an identification with Jesus Christ. As Jesus died in your place and rose from the dead victorious in new life, so when you go under the water you are reckoning your old self dead in the "waters of wrath" (remember the flood?) and raised to walk in the newness of life with Christ. It symbolizes what has happened in you by faith in Jesus. It is a public profession of your identification with Jesus Christ in His death (you were on the cross with Him) and in His life (led by Christ to the glory of God), that you have received the truth about Christ and what He has done for you in your place. The Church will serve as a family of accountability for you, encouraging and teaching you in the faith of Jesus Christ.

5. Find an accountability partner - someone who will be serious about your growth in Christ.

6. Jesus is now your Treasure and boast before both God and men. A good way to remind yourself of what Jesus has done for you is to begin sharing with others what Jesus has done for you. This is called sharing the Gospel or witnessing. Don't be afraid or anxious because you feel like you may not know enough right now to tell others about Jesus. Share your personal testimony from your heart - drench it with prayer and faith. This will draw you closer to the heart of God for you and for the world.

I want to leave you with some subtle reminders:

1. Be watchful over things you may see or hear from other so-called "churches" or "Christian speakers". Remember, profession of Christ does not always equal practice of Christ, and the proof is in the practice. Remain steadfast in the Bible, God's Word, and you will know the truth from error.
2. Expect temptation. Now that you are a believer in Christ, Satan will come with great temptation. Because he has lost the battle for your soul, he will attempt to hinder you from growing in Jesus Christ. He will try to blockade your effectiveness as a vessel of God's mercy. The Bible encourages you at this point, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you," James 4:6-8.
3. Be careful about returning to a good works based approval system with God. You will experience a daily battle starting the very second you believed in Christ. You will find yourself still being drawn to those old habits and sins that you once did without conviction - but now you have conviction. This is the battle between your "old self" and the "new self" created in Jesus Christ. We spoke at length about God's Law - it brings the awareness of your sin, it reveals to you your need for salvation, but the Law of God cannot save you; it's greatest purpose is to drive you or tutor you to Jesus Christ. The Law is not dead to you now, however. It is still active and it will show you daily that you still fail much of the time to keep God's perfect moral standard. Just remember the Gospel - the Gospel does not tell you that you have to keep the moral law of God in order to be right with God - that is the Law; the Gospel is the good news that God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in you when you believe in Him - Jesus did for you what you could never do for yourself. Jesus is our righteousness - this is the greatest solution in the universe. Christians need to cling to the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily!
4. Reject, quickly, the notion that because you have been forgiven of your personal rebellion and sin against God, that you can now live in that sin freely. By no means! If you have died to sin, how can you still live in it? (Romans 6:2) Remember, practice proves profession. An apple tree produces apples. A rotten tree produces rotten fruit. The root of faith in Jesus produces the fruit of faith.
5. Love God, love your family, love the Church, love the world. Loving God and loving others and finding joy in the joy of others - supremely, by sharing Jesus with them - is as close to the heart of God as you can get in this life.
6. God is the "triumphant joy" said Augustine. This is essential to remember. When the joy of old pleasures creeps up, turn yourself to Christ - God is your "triumphant joy".

Allow me to welcome you to the family of God through your faith in Jesus Christ! My hope and prayer for you is that you will continually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that God would be pleased to mightily use you for His glory. If you have any questions, feel free to comment to this blog. Again, praise God for His gracious Gift to you of His Son, Jesus Christ, and eternal life in Him. Jesus is your righteousness! Rejoice and be glad! God be glorified in Jesus' name. Amen.

Part 1 - Introduction: The Logical Priority of Eternal Matters

I want to welcome everyone to this blog. It is the overflow of a great and growing concern for those individuals who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. If you are curious about God, sin, judgment, Jesus, heaven, hell, and the like, then I would urge you to continue reading. I want to commend everyone to consider these things, because they are of an eternal weight. It will take about 25 minutes to read this post in its entirety. If you do not have this time immediately, I encourage you to read it in parts supplied in the far right column. Reading this post in parts may help you to concentrate on certain areas of the presentation. What follows is the biblical Gospel, and as with most good news, the goodness is not truly understood or felt without first being attentive to the horror of the problem.

The problem is the greatest problem in the universe, therefore,
the solution is the greatest solution in the universe.

When we think about a problem, we innately categorize it. For example, we perceive cancer as a greater problem than the common cold, or a nearby tornado greater than a light drizzle, or a final exam greater than the first quiz of the semester. These are real problems. They cause stress, anxiety, and even death. The solution to a problem is greater than the problem itself or it would not be considered a solution. The greater the problem, the greater the solution, and the urgency with which we seek that solution.

But even cancer operates in the temporal, and can only result in temporal death. If you were to take the "who's who" list of great problems, then you would discover that all of them effect this life only. There is a problem that has eternal consequences - it is the greatest problem in the universe, and the solution to this problem is the greatest solution in the universe. We ought to seek this solution with the greatest urgency in the universe.

The Problem: There is a God. He is the One True God. He created us for His glory.
God's glory refers to His greatest purpose in creation and His personal moral perfection - His holiness. Every individual has rebelled against God, is a sinner, and has fallen short of God's glory. God will not compromise His holiness to pardon the sinner.
The Solution: God has provided a Way for you to be saved from His holy wrath - His Son, Jesus Christ. This is revealed in the Bible.
The Question: Do you know (have a personal relationship with) Jesus Christ?

Let's look at these statements more carefully. We will address the statements in the problem first, then the statement in the solution.

Part 2 - The Greatest Problem Defined: God's Holiness and Your Sin

1. There is a God.
He is the One True God.
God created us for His glory.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them," Genesis 1:1, 27.

There is a God. When you look at a building, what is implied but an architect. When you contemplate a painting, you consider not only the painting but personality of the painter. When you view creation, it is ten thousand times more relevant to understand the reality of the Creator. Moreover, humanity, itself, with its innate sense of justice, love, personality, and conscience cannot be accounted for by a blip in the universe, but by a wonderful Creator.

"For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it; He did not create it empty, He formed it to be inhabited!): 'I am the LORD, and there is no other...turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other," Isaiah 45:18, 22.

He is the One True God. God is the exclusive and Sovereign King of the universe. The universe and everything in it runs by His purpose, plan, and decree. In Him we live and move and have our being. The rules, commands, precepts, and law that He set are meant to be obeyed for our greatest joy because they bring us to Him. God holds exclusive rights to law-Giver and Savior. He holds exclusive rights as the Treasure of the universe. He alone satisfies the soul. All things move towards His glory.

"Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made," Isaiah 43:7.

God created us for His glory. By His glory, it is meant His greatest purpose and His moral perfection. God created you with a purpose, to have the greatest sort of fellowship with Him and knowledge of Him through a glad obedience to Him. By this, you would be most joyful in God, and God would be most honored by your joyful submission to Him.

2. Every individual has rebelled against the King of Glory.
To sin is to miss the mark or standard set by God - His glory!
All have sinned and fallen short of His glory; no one is good enough for heaven!
Therefore, God's wrath abides on you.

"No one is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:11-12, 23.

Every individual has rebelled against the King of Glory. God created us for His glory - to have an intimate relationship, communion, and knowledge of Him that would overflow our hearts with the greatest type of satisfaction - eternal life in Him. Despite all of the advantages that God gave to us in Eden, we representatively rebelled against God by disobeying His Word, His rule. The result of our sin was death - temporally and spiritually. Temporally, this is seen by the process of aging and dying. Spiritually, this is evidenced by our violent hatred of God. Your sin results in spiritual death - a separation from God and all that He is to you. Every person shakes their rebellious fist in the King's face, and sneers at His rule. We have all turned aside to walk in our own ways thinking them to be better, and have refused to listen to those whom God, in mercy, sends to us to warn us about judgment. Because of your personal sin, you are not right with God. You have no "right"eousness before Him. No one is "good" by God's standard. You see, being a sinner, and being lost, is a righteousness problem. God will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 98:9).

To sin is to miss the mark or standard set by God - His glory! All have sinned and fallen short of His glory; no one is good enough for heaven.

At this point, you may want to test yourself to see whether you are good...enough!

But remember, God will judge you by His standard of good, and not the standard of human comparison. If I compare myself morally to the guy next door, perhaps I am a good guy, but maybe not. It would be relative. But God has given Law and it is absolute, and, therefore, not relative. And if you are now honest with yourself, your conscience will tell you the truth. We have already seen that we have all rebelled against God's purpose of glorifying and enjoying Him because of our personal sin of loving other created things, namely, ourselves. But if you are not yet convinced of this, the next aspect of God's glory may convict you of the truth. Are you ready?

I am referring to the 10 commandments.

Have you ever lied (9th commandment) before? Yes or No? If your answer is "yes", then what does that make you? Answer: A liar.

Have you ever stolen (8th commandment) anything, even something small, like cheating on a test - that would be stealing information? Yes or No? If your answer is "yes", then what does that make you? Answer: A thief. And if you answered, "No", you've already admitted that you are a liar, so forgive me if I don't believe you!

Have you ever looked on a person with lust (7th commandment and Matthew 5:27-30) in your heart? Yes or No? Jesus said that if you look at a woman (person) with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery with them in your heart. What does this make you? Answer: An adulterer.

How about anger? Have you ever been angry with anyone in your heart? Yes or No. Anger, Jesus said, is the fountain out of which murder (6th commandment and Matthew 5:21-26) springs. What does this make you according to God's standard? Answer: A murderer.

How are you doing so far? This is just 4 out of 10. To save time and space, the Bible teaches that if you have broken even one of the commandments of God, you have broken all of them, like a link in an eternal chain (James 2:10). More than that, you have sinned against God's holy and perfect character.

The Bible also teaches that liars and murderers, thieves and adulterers will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). But these are those commandments that deal with your sins against other people in general. We have not begun to deal with using God's name as a cuss word or in a way that does not exalt Him, or our love of idol's, while we cast the God of the universe aside.

The point is this: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, not of other equally sinful humans. God is the Judge of the universe, and God is the standard of moral accountability, and when it comes to God, all fall woefully short of God's purpose and God's Law. We all have a righteousness problem.

I want to thank you for being patient to this point, and I hope you will continue to move forward, because the greatest news in the universe is still to come, but first, the most important questions in the universe:

1. If God were to judge you according to His standard, would you be innocent or guilty? Answer honestly.

2. If you are guilty, would God's decision towards you be eternity in heaven or eternity in hell? Consider this honestly.

Allow me to address some key issues with you before moving to the third question:

a) You might say, "God is a loving God and would never send anyone to an eternal hell." While it is true that "God is love", it is equally true that "God is holy"; and these attributes of God do not contend with one another but they agree with and support one another. God loves people; He just loves Himself more than anything else in the universe because if He didn't He would be an idolator like us. This greatest love for Himself upholds the attribute of His holiness - because of His holiness, God will not allow one sin from one sinner into His eternal glory.

b) You might say, "God is forgiving". This also is true, and we will get to how God offers His forgiveness in a little bit, but for now, imagine yourself in a human courtroom, being judged for murder and saying to the judge, "well, judge, I think you are a really nice person and was hoping you would let me go." The judge will say, "well, thank you...but you are still going to prison."

c) You might say, "well, this is your opinion." To which I would paraphrase C.S. Lewis, "An insane man in a padded room, banging his head up against the wall, shouting, 'there is no sun, there is no sun, there is no sun' does not change the fact that there is a sun."

d) You might say, "well, are you not judging me and condemning me." To which I would answer, "No, and no." Understand that what I write, I write with great love, not with great judgment. And, I do not have to condemn you because you condemn yourself. I recently shared the Gospel with a lost friend of mine and she said to me, "I am surprised that you didn't condemn me," to which I replied, "I don't have to." Jesus said "whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:18) By your sin, you condemn yourself before God.

e) You might say, "well, God will perhaps be lenient if I promise to be a better person." This does not change the fact that by your own admission, you are a liar or a thief or a murderer or an idolator. If you murder someone at the age of 15 and never do it again and you live until you are 100, at 100 you are still a murderer. You cannot subtract sin by promising to be good. You cannot subtract your love of self by promising to improve your "self". The Law of God is about "perfection, not approximation." (Calvin)

I would be glad to dialogue with you about others, but for now:

"Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him," John 3:36.

3. If at this point, you see that you are guilty of sin against God and that God would be just to sentence you to an eternal hell, the most important and immediate question for you to ask is "how can I be saved from God's wrath?"

Do not think to excuse yourself from death by the claim of your age - "I am young and death will not find me so soon", or your health - "I am in good health and death will wait patiently", or your status - "I have enough money to make me immortal", or your ability - "I will discover a way around death". And do not think to excuse yourself from God's wrath against your sin affair! Jonathan Edwards made the point that a nation can wage war against another nation and come out victorious, a country against a tyrant, but no human can win against or fend off the Almighty's holiness of judgment. When God's judgment of wrath comes against the sin of sinners, sinners lose for eternity!

Because God's holiness demands an eternal punishment for even one sin (an eternal offense because of the eternal nature of Him whom it offended), the GREATEST PROBLEM IN THE UNIVERSE IS PUT IN THIS QUESTION: HOW CAN I BE SAVED FROM GOD'S HOLINESS WHEN I AM A SINNER?

Part 3 - The Greatest Solution Defined: Christ For Righteousness

The solution to this problem is the greatest solution in the universe. Because the problem has eternal consequences, so the solution has eternal blessings. As the greatest problem in the universe comes from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love, so the greatest solution in the universe comes from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love. How can you be saved from God's holiness? What is the greatest solution in the universe?

THE GOSPEL! OR GOOD NEWS! WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The Gospel is the Way planned by God and accomplished by God to pay the fine of your sins, or to pardon you of your guilt, a Way to declare to you, "You are innocent of every sin, and every degree of sinning, forever," and may be reunited to God and satisfied in God through faith in Jesus Christ - God's provision for you.

So let's state the Way and explain the Way:

The Way is the Gift of God's Son, JESUS CHRIST!

Jesus, by the grace of God, willingly steps in between you and the bullet of God's wrath. If you woke up this morning and you have not believed in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you should take note of God's extreme kindness towards you, and ask yourself right now, why did God not just take you and judge you right now in your sins, and the answer is, "because God desires to save you, and in patience, holds back wrath so that you may know His love in the form of Jesus Christ."

The only way that anyone can be saved from God is by ...God. God is the only one who lives up to His standards. God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, God of very God to be a substitute for you on the cross.

Read carefully here: What God has done is send His Son, Jesus, into the world to save the world. How? Jesus lived a sinless life. His whole desire was to honor God all the time, every second, and He did. He perfectly kept God's Law for us. He alone glorified God! He supremely glorified God on the cross. I wrote that the greatest problem and the greatest solution in the universe came from God's unwavering dedication to His holiness and love! Therefore, view the cross:

On the cross, God poured out the fullness of His wrath, fury, and HOLINESS against our sin, on His sinless Son, Jesus. If we had viewed it by being present, we would have viewed with certainty the judgment of God against our sin carried out upon His perfect Son, Jesus. AND we would have viewed God's LOVE for Himself and for sinners. GOD'S HOLINESS WAS SATISFIED BY THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS, HIS SINLESS SON. GOD'S LOVE IS NOW OFFERED TO YOU, THE SINNER. And the OFFERING is graciously given when you BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD. Listen to this substitution closely and consider:

"For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we (sinners) might become the righteousness of God," 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Is this not the greatest solution in the universe, indeed, the greatest news?! You have a righteousness problem. Problem solved! God laid your sin upon His sinless Son, so that when you believe the truth as it is in Jesus and His work in your place, God gives you Jesus' righteousness, the very righteousness of God - and this you must have if you will be saved from God's holy wrath! So it is that God saves you from God by the gift of His Son, Jesus, and Jesus' righteousness!

"The Son of Man (Jesus) must be lifted up (on the cross), that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life,"

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life,"

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life"

"For Christ also died, once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God,"

John 3:15, 16, 36, and 1 Peter 3:18, respectively.

Pardon, innocency, righteousness, eternal life and reunion with God! These and much more, God gives to you when you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and Desire.

But there is more! Not only did Jesus die on the cross as your sin-bearing substitute, but Jesus also rose from the dead as your God-approved Lord and Savior. The truth that God raised Jesus up from the dead proves that Jesus was a perfect and spotless sacrifice for sin. If He had not been raised, then He would not have been an acceptable sacrifice for sin. The fact that God raised Him up gives you the absolute assurance that Jesus perfectly satisfied God's holiness by perfectly paying for your sin on the cross and now He is Lord of all, having overcome sin, Satan, death, and hell for you by His righteousness when you believe the truth in Him and His work on your behalf.

Please do not be fooled. You cannot save yourself by your own good works. Every religion in the world is based upon what you can do for a higher being. Biblical Christianity, the Gospel, the True God, Jesus Christ says, it is not what you can do that merits anything with a Holy God, but what Jesus has already done for you that makes you pleasing to God. Understand this truth: you are not saved by works, but by faith in Jesus who alone has satisfied God. When you believe in Him, God imputes (gives to your account) to you the sinless record of His Son, Jesus. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because by faith in Jesus, they are given His righteousness. Amazing!

If the fear of your heart, right now, concerns the reality of sin, consequence, eternity, and God's unwavering holiness, then cast off all of your self-efforts for salvation - they do not measure up to God's standard. If the desire

of your heart, right now, is to be saved from God's judgment, then believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, your righteousness! Faith alone in Jesus alone saves you!

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," Romans 10:9-10.

If the desire of your heart is to be saved, faith is not too difficult a thing for you to do. Out of the overflow of your heart, your mouth will speak. Therefore, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and the Bible says, "you will be saved." This involves two things: repentance from your way of sin and faith in God's Way of righteousness, Jesus Christ. You must confess to God that you are a sinner, that you need saving, and that you know that Jesus is that salvation. In response to your desire and faith you might pray something like the following,

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner; thank You for dying in my place for my sins; thank you for raising from the dead to give me new life; I desire to turn from my sin and follow you; please help me to live for you. I confess that You are Lord and I believe that You arose from the dead as a satisfying sacrifice to God in my place; thank You! Thank You for being my right standing before God and my only hope of salvation. Help me to grow in You and to know You more intimately every day. Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me! Thank you for being my righteousness and for giving me eternal life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer as a response to your faith in Jesus Christ, God has not only given you His righteousness but also eternal life. You are no longer separated from God but reunited to God through faith in Jesus. That is what Jesus has done for you - brought you to God, given you relationship and fellowship with Him. God is the greatest joy in the universe. Through your faith in Jesus, you can rightly glorify God by enjoying Him forever. This is the great goal of what Jesus has done for you!

Part 4 - Practical Suggestions For New Believers

If you have just now believed in Jesus Christ and His work for you in your place, you are now reunited with God, and a child of God. His love for you is beyond measure. I'd like to give you some suggestions about what has just now happened in you, and how to be what you now are, a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a child of God:

1. Search for a biblically sound Church to join and be active in the life of that body of Christians.

2. How do you know if a Church is biblically sound? The next encouragement is the answer to the question - spend time with Jesus - read your Bible and begin to develop consistent prayer times. Start with the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and/or John. Prayer will serve as a reminder of your daily dependency upon God for all things. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray - this is a model prayer, not a word for word command - it is topically, how you should pray. But talk with God, expressing thanks to Him, conversing with Him about the desires and struggles of your new life in Christ. And have confidence, because Jesus intercedes for you before the Father. He takes your words, refines them through Himself, and He presents them to the Father according to God's will. Spending time with Jesus now is experiencing heaven in part on earth.

3. Begin reading good secondary resources about God, Scripture, truth, the Gospel, Christ-centeredness, etc. The following list are some good starter books:

The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur; The Sufficiency of Christ by John MacArthur; Desiring God by John Piper; Counted Righteous in Christ by John Piper; Humility by C.J. Mahaney; Knowing God by J.I. Packer; The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan; etc.

You can find these titles and more at the following links:

Christian bookstore

Westminster Bookstore

4. When you join a biblical Church, seek to be baptized by the immersion of water - "get dunked". There is no salvation in the external obedience of baptism. The importance of baptism is what it symbolizes and what you are publicly professing and the accountability of the Church that is recommends in nurturing your growth in Jesus Christ. The symbolism is of an identification with Jesus Christ. As Jesus died in your place and rose from the dead victorious in new life, so when you go under the water you are reckoning your old self dead in the "waters of wrath" (remember the flood?) and raised to walk in the newness of life with Christ. It symbolizes what has happened in you by faith in Jesus. It is a public profession of your identification with Jesus Christ in His death (you were on the cross with Him) and in His life (led by Christ to the glory of God), that you have received the truth about Christ and what He has done for you in your place. The Church will serve as a family of accountability for you, encouraging and teaching you in the faith of Jesus Christ.

5. Find an accountability partner - someone who will be serious about your growth in Christ.

6. Jesus is now your Treasure and boast before both God and men. A good way to remind yourself of what Jesus has done for you is to begin sharing with others what Jesus has done for you. This is called sharing the Gospel or witnessing. Don't be afraid or anxious because you feel like you may not know enough right now to tell others about Jesus. Share your personal testimony from your heart - drench it with prayer and faith. This will draw you closer to the heart of God for you and for the world.

I want to leave you with some subtle reminders:

1. Be watchful over things you may see or hear from other so-called "churches" or "Christian speakers". Remember, profession of Christ does not always equal practice of Christ, and the proof is in the practice. Remain steadfast in the Bible, God's Word, and you will know the truth from error.
2. Expect temptation. Now that you are a believer in Christ, Satan will come with great temptation. Because he has lost the battle for your soul, he will attempt to hinder you from growing in Jesus Christ. He will try to blockade your effectiveness as a vessel of God's mercy. The Bible encourages you at this point, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you," James 4:6-8.
3. Be careful about returning to a good works based approval system with God. You will experience a daily battle starting the very second you believed in Christ. You will find yourself still being drawn to those old habits and sins that you once did without conviction - but now you have conviction. This is the battle between your "old self" and the "new self" created in Jesus Christ. We spoke at length about God's Law - it brings the awareness of your sin, it reveals to you your need for salvation, but the Law of God cannot save you; it's greatest purpose is to drive you or tutor you to Jesus Christ. The Law is not dead to you now, however. It is still active and it will show you daily that you still fail much of the time to keep God's perfect moral standard. Just remember the Gospel - the Gospel does not tell you that you have to keep the moral law of God in order to be right with God - that is the Law; the Gospel is the good news that God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in you when you believe in Him - Jesus did for you what you could never do for yourself. Jesus is our righteousness - this is the greatest solution in the universe. Christians need to cling to the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily!
4. Reject, quickly, the notion that because you have been forgiven of your personal rebellion and sin against God, that you can now live in that sin freely. By no means! If you have died to sin, how can you still live in it? (Romans 6:2) Remember, practice proves profession. An apple tree produces apples. A rotten tree produces rotten fruit. The root of faith in Jesus produces the fruit of faith.
5. Love God, love your family, love the Church, love the world. Loving God and loving others and finding joy in the joy of others - supremely, by sharing Jesus with them - is as close to the heart of God as you can get in this life.
6. God is the "triumphant joy" said Augustine. This is essential to remember. When the joy of old pleasures creeps up, turn yourself to Christ - God is your "triumphant joy".
Allow me to welcome you to the family of God through your faith in Jesus Christ! My hope and prayer for you is that you will continually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that God would be pleased to mightily use you for His glory. If you have any questions, feel free to comment to this blog. Again, praise God for His gracious Gift to you of His Son, Jesus Christ, and eternal life in Him. Jesus is your righteousness! Rejoice and be glad! God be glorified in Jesus' name. Amen.