Redemption by Faith

God gave Moses the law and told him to teach it to the people. His purpose was to show them they could not achieve the degree of perfection the law required in their present condition. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” (Gen. 24:12) The law had already been breached by Adam and could not be restored to perfection by human effort.“ But the Lord God gave the man this warning: “You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience—for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die.”(Gen. 2:16-17) Adam didn’t trust God's word and ate the forbidden fruit, God banished him from the Garden of Eden so he couldn't eat from the tree of life that would cause his descendants to live forever in a fallen state. “Then the Lord said, “Now that the man has become as we are, knowing good from bad, what if he eats the fruit of the Tree of Life and lives forever?” (Gen. 3:22) Because of Adam's insurrection all men and women have been reduced to imperfection. God is perfect therefore imperfection cannot survive in His presence. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”(Ro.5:12) God's plan for redemption was already in place, He would send His son free of Adam's sin to satisfy the law of sin and death. “ For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Ro. 8:2) The lesson here is simple, men and women cannot enter Heaven in their present state of imperfection they must be changed supernaturally by the Spirit of God.

Because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was born free of Adam’s sin which qualified him to legally pay the sin debt required by law. Phase one of God's redemption plan was completed. Phase two requires cooperation between God the giver and man the receiver. Faith is the catalyst that connects the two. Faith is not just an idea to be considered, faith is part of the law. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”(Ro. 3:27) Faith is so important that God made it part of our DNA, the building blocks of our being. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Ro.12:3) We have all been given enough faith to receive the gift of redemption. There are no excuses. Throughout the ages, the same lies and excuses have been used to discredit God's plan. Yet, we have proven over and over again that we are incapable of governing ourselves. Each new generation faces the same lies that God is non-existent or that if there is a God he has left us to solve our own problems. The greatest lie is that we can somehow earn our way into God's favor by being good. We can not! There is only one way to enter Heaven. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8) It’s as simple as opening a birthday gift! Many will refuse to accept the gift, and some don’t even know it's offered. “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way.”(Matt. 7:13) If you have accepted God’s plan for redemption through Jesus Christ but have loved ones or friends that have not you can show them the way.

There is no need to argue or persuade, you are only planting or watering a seed the Holy Spirit will do the rest. “My work was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos’ work was to water it, but it was God, not we, who made the garden grow in your hearts.” (1 Cor. 3:6) It is God’s abundant love that makes Heaven available for all who wish to go. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) For more about the redemptive work of Jesus Christ read “Study More”.