It's not what you're doing that condemns you, it's what you're not doing.

 

It's not what you're doing that condemns you, it's what you're not doing. 

It's not your sins that will condemn you. Why? Because over 2,000 years ago Jesus already died and took the legal punishment FOR YOUR SINS! All of them. Before you ever even committed them He had YOU in mind! He had you covered. Surprised? That's not what you usually hear or have heard, is it? That's what JESUS was doing through His death on that cross! Making a way for you BUT YOU MUST BELIEVE. Acts 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."  He made the sacrifice - shed His blood - bore your penalty in His own body - thus securing your complete redemption through His finished work. It is a sacrifice of absolute, unrestricted grace motivated by love. Then, right as Jesus was taking His last breath, He spoke these final words, "It is finished," Proving our reconciliation and restoration with GOD was fully accomplished. 

HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO SEE IT

Do you realize the weight of what I've said?? The sacrifice for your sins was paid 2,000 years ago. Yes.. Murder, adultery, pedophilia, molestation, abortion, perversion, any sins done with the body number one. You say none of these apply to you so you won't be needing Jesus? Hold up. There are 7 deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and slothfulness. Have you ever been guilty of any of these? Any wrong choices that led to sin separated you from GOD. Sin cannot dwell where GOD is, that's why we need sinless Jesus Christ as our advocate before the Father. Jesus died for THE SINS OF THE WORLD. It is finished. The way was made. Yet many refuse it. Jesus said,"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). BUT ..

This is where people fail. It is their willful rejection of Jesus Christ as the propitiation (appeasement) and only true Savior. THEY JUST DON'T BELIEVE THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT. The Bible explicitly identifies unbelief as a serious sin and the foundational reason people face condemnation. Without Jesus, an unbeliever has no covering to hide their sin from GOD at the judgement seat, whereas the believer does. The believer is not perfect, just forgiven. The gospel of John 3:18 says,, "Whoever believes in him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." You say, "Condemned already? I'm already condemned?" Yes, BECAUSE we are all born into sin (Psalm 51:5) We are by nature, sinful (Ephesians 2:3). That's just a fact. Hell is not proof God is cruel. The cross is proof that He is not.

You may be asking, So if Jesus died for my sins, and did so 2,000 years ago, then why do I need to be saved as I hear all the time? Answer: Because of what you're NOT DOING ..

Believing.

Belief unlocks the door to salvation. Jesus paved the way beginning with forgiveness of sin (if you will believe). Let me paint a picture for you.

Say you are walking through heavy brush which nearly reaches your chest. Your arms begin flailing in a swimming motion to move back thorns that are hooking into your clothing and skin causing immediate, biting pains. You're struggling through a dense undergrowth creating a strong resistance against your legs, making you have to push forward with great effort. The journey is intense, exhausting, just a highly irritating sensory experience.

 Then after what seemed like hours upon hours you see a clearing as a narrow path off to your right lacing itself through the bramble and extending as far as the eye can see.

People on the narrow path call out to you, "Come out of all that. The path is clear over here." (but you ignore them).

"Don't keep going. The struggle never stops," (but you ignore them).

"Trust me, I took that same path once. That's not the way." (but you ignore them).

"There's a better way than the way you're headed." (but once again you ignore them).

Metaphorically in a spiritual sense, this describes the unbeliever (the skeptic, cynic, agnostic, or atheist) REFUSING to believe or hear anyone calling, urging, asking, pleading to come out from among the thorns and take Jesus at His Word. Unbelief is serious because it's actively, deliberately with clear intent refusing God's truth set before you (Luke13:3). Everyone is given the chance to believe, to change, to be eternally saved. Some believe. Some won't. I didn't say some don't. I said some WON'T. Won't is a key word. Won't is a refusal- a strong CHOICE. A person who says, "I don't believe that" can change their mind with enough evidence. A person who says, "I won't believe it" is obstinate and stubbornly refuse to change their mind EVEN WHEN SHOWN STRONG PROOF.

Remember, It's not what you've done, it's what you haven't done. 

In conclusion. Jesus took your sins upon Himself. He's shown you the clear pathway leading to God. He's cleared the way. You can start on a new, sin free journey today by believing what Jesus did for you, acknowledge you're past and present sins to Him ("with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" Romans 10:10), and desiring to make an effort to change proving your serious and sorry (which is repentance). When your heart is there, accept Him as the one true Lord He is, able to save you through belief. 

 If you have any questions you can ask in the comment section or drop an email listed in my bio.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-