davidbowerkingwood

Many are Unaware of a Need for Salvation

I believe that every adult person senses something is wrong both within and without. Attempts to find an answer to our general feelings of uneasiness can be addressed in a variety of ways most of which involve some sort of acquisition of things or control of others. Efforts of this sort always result in failure, there is no resolution of those bad feelings by either acquisition or control!

What is the Problem?

There is a root cause for our feelings of uneasiness, but it is only in the Bible that the root cause is revealed to us. The problem is explained in Romans 5:12-19 where it is written:

“¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Paul identifies an apparent problem in verse 13 where he points out death, as the penalty for sin, was experienced by those who had not sinned against a command from God as Adam did. He goes on to explain that all who descended from Adam were counted to have sinned in Adam, there in the Garden of Eden when Adam disobeyed a direct command from God.

This guilt has passed down through each succeeding generation to the point it has reached those of us living today; we too are counted to have sinned in Adam, there in the Garden! Every human being, born of a human father, died spiritually in the Garden, with Adam, to this very day!

Only two human males did not have a human father, Adam, who caused the problem, and Jesus Christ, God’s solution to the problem!

God’s Solution to Man’s Problem

The Book of Romans presents a very clear picture of mankind’s problem and God’s solution to that problem. In Romans 5:6-11 we read:

“⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

It is only by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and the new birth by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, that we find deliverance from the oppression that envelopes mankind. Without the new birth, we are spiritually dead and have no power to deliver ourselves from death.

Good works, without the new birth, is like putting fancy clothes on a corpse; it may look better but it’s still dead!

Embrace God’s solution to the problem mankind faces, receive Jesus Christ as Savior, experience the new birth, and be delivered from the coming judgment!

Next time, “Who is Saved and How Can You Tell?”