“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
CHRIST DIED
FOR OUR SINS according to
the scriptures; And
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures” (1st Corinthians 15:3,4). It
is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for sinners, NOT mother Mary or Allah. Muslims
don’t even believe that Jesus died on the cross yet deceitfully claim that
we all worship the same God—NO WE DO NOT! Allah
is a non-existent god. Allah is the
god of people who know not the Lord. “Howbeit
then, WHEN YE
KNEW NOT GOD, ye did service
unto them which by nature are no gods” (Galatians 4:8). It
is the unsaved who serve false and lifeless gods.
Jesus Has the Scars
The Scriptures proclaim that
Jesus Christ died on the cross! Buddha
CANNOT save your soul because Buddha did not die on the cross for you. Buddha
does NOT have the nailed scarred hands that Jesus has. Jesus
was nailed to the cross, not Buddha. Mary
was NOT nailed to the cross for you. Confucius
was NOT nailed to the cross. “The other disciples therefore said unto him,
We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his
hands the
PRINT OF THE NAILS, and put
my finger into the
PRINT OF THE NAILS,
and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And
after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be
unto you. Then saith he to Thomas,
Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and
thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And
Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and
MY GOD”
(John 20:25-28). Thomas wanted to see
Jesus’ scars. The reason Thomas
wanted to touch Jesus side was because Jesus had been pierced with a spear
by a Roman soldier while hanging from the cross. When
Thomas saw and felt the scars in Jesus’ hands and feet and His side, he
properly recognized Jesus as his Lord and God. Do
you properly recognize Jesus? Do you
see Him with His scars? Do you
realize that He died for you because He loves you and wants you to be in
Heaven with Him for all eternity? Yes,
Jesus does! Jesus Christ is a person, just like you and me. He
is full of compassion and understanding, a friend at all times.
Sin Brings Death
For the wages of sin is
DEATH; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). The Bible teaches
that it is our sin that brings death. How
then could Christ die? The answer is
simple, had Jesus not been murdered by His own people, He would have lived
forever. Adam would have lived
forever had he not sinned, but he did and death was the ultimate
consequence. Jesus was perfect in
every way, without sin! Jesus was
crucified as a criminal for a crime He did NOT commit. He
died for you and me, the righteous for the unrighteous. We
all deserve to go straight to Hell for our own wickedness—If you don’t
agree, then you have not been at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus Paid For Our Sins Because He Loves Us
"But we see JESUS, who was made a little lower than the angels FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY MAN" (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus willingly went to the cross as a falsely accused wrongdoer to pay for the sins of the world. It’s hard to imagine that God incarnate (in the flesh) was crucified by us human beings. Nevertheless; Jesus was beaten, spit upon, mocked, stripped naked and nailed to a tree. Perfection was hated and rejected by mankind, Christ was crucified. God did this for you and me because He loves us and wanted to express that love to us. How could any intelligent person reject such a wonderful Savior and God?
Notice from the verse we just read that Jesus was “MADE a little lower than the angels.” In other words, God became a mortal man. Why? The verse tells us, “...for the SUFFERING OF DEATH.” Jesus came to earth, born of a poor family. Joseph and Mary were too poor to afford a lamb for sacrifice so they offered up two birds instead, “And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24). Jesus could not come to the earth as a mighty King if He was to die on the cross. If Christ had come in power and might, he would have made a lot of phony friends. The Jews had misinterpreted the Old Testament and were anticipating a great King. No, rather, Jesus needed to come to earth as a humble servant... “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus is equal with God because He is God. God came to the earth in the “form of God” and in the “fashion of a man.” When people beheld Jesus, they beheld God in the flesh. However, He was humble with a meek and lowly Spirit about Him, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29). What a wonderful Savior!
How often do people picture God as a mean Ogre up in Heaven with a big stick just waiting for us to mess up. Some people are terrified of God and think God is judging them every time they sneeze or break a leg. Listen to this encouraging verse found in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah... “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of PEACE, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). God wants you to have peace more than you want to have peace. God thinks no evil thought toward you. Satan tries to make us think that God hates sinners; on the contrary, it is God’s love for sinners that causes Him to hate sin. God hates sin because it ruins people’s lives! Sin destroys! Sin separates! Sin breaks up families! Sin brings shame and guilt! It is sin that God hates, and not the sinner. God may be angry with sinners, but He doesn't hate them.
Oh that people would realize
that God loves humanity! Jesus is a great Guy. How many people do you know who'd be willing
to die for you? Jesus did. Don’t listen to the Devil or foolishly develop
your own preconceived ideas about Jesus—spend time with Jesus yourself and
get to know Him in His Word. Don’t
just read your Bible, study and learn it! Ask
yourself, “what is God trying to tell me in this passage?”...
“How can I apply this truth to my life?”...
“How can I please God more in my daily life?” Pray
and ask the Holy Spirit of God to open the eyes of your understanding and to
guide you into the truth of God’s Word. No
one can make the truth work for you, you have to apply it to your own life!
Jesus Died Once For All
For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if
ONE DIED FOR ALL,
then were all dead (2nd Corinthians 5:14). There is a heresy going around which teaches that Jesus only died
for the saved, this is a lie. The
Bible teaches the truth that Jesus Christ died for ALL because ALL were dead
in trespasses and sins. If a person
dies in their sins and goes to Hell, their gift of eternal life will rot in
Heaven. All of mankind’s sins have
been paid for by Christ at the Hill of Cavalry in Jerusalem. This
is where Jesus hung on a cross and paid the great price. Jesus
paid for the sins of the vilest wretched sinner and all that sinner needs to
do to be saved is to admit their sin and turn to Christ in faith for the
forgiveness of sins, believing that Christ and Christ alone will save.
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