INTRODUCTION
Why should there be joy in serving Christ? If I had the background
I could talk about the biological and the psychological advantages, joys
and benefits that accrue to the people who walk in the footsteps of the
good Master.
FROM PARADISE TO PAIN
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, [It is] not good
that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for
him.
He created the lower forms of animals and Adam named them and then God made a woman for man. God has always wanted the best for man.
From the first family Adam and Eve, God surveyed the creation and said, not only is this good, but it is very good Genesis 1:31.
In the beautiful garden they had all they needed for happiness and joy for their lives ready and at hand.
Responsibility was given, work is shunned yet it stabilizes life. If all life was all vacation, laughter and sunning we would be the most miserable creature on earth. The thing that holds us together like the atmospheric pressure keeps the body in one piece is responsibility. This gives us direction, goals and man must have it that way.
Happiness is found in the deep seated satisfaction and a sense of self worth from responsibility.
Genesis 3:l-6 Now the serpent was more subtle than
any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he
said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree
of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees
of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall
be opened, and ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a Tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
The conversation should have been terminated when the serpent tried to seduce and ask of the one prohibition God had made on the tree of the fruit of good and evil. The reason that the tree of knowledge was there was as important as the tree of life.
Man was made after the image of man. Genesis 1:27-28
Man is a creature of intelligence able to assimilate evidence and testimony and draw conclusions and act upon our decisions, we are like God. There had to be the option.
God did not make man a robot or vending machine. Man is a free moral agent to think, feel and act in love toward God in a way that showed love and respect.
Somebody says I would hate to be in their place, well you are, you are. You must make the same decision, not about a literal tree but the same decision to obey or disobey God.
Eve knew that if she ate of the tree she would die. God has never given any command or requirement concerning the salvation of the soul from the guilt of sins that we cannot understand. A five year old child could have understood not to eat of this tree. A 5 year old child can memorize the plan of salvation easily.
Eve made a decision to trust the words of the devil rather than what God said.
She was tempted by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the lust or pride of life. These are still the only three avenues Satan can tempt the human family.
I John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things
[that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.
Eve ate and Gave Adam who ate knowing of the consequences. Adam was not deceived he knew the source of the fruit. Eve was tempted and Adam ate deliberately.
I Timothy 2:13-14 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived
was in the transgression.
To make a long story short God drove them from the garden. Paradise was lost, Paradise was lost for mankind in adam and his seed. The were not driven out before God declared to the devil and all mankind his redemption.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Why was the Bible written can be answered to unfold the promise fulfilling Genesis 3:15.
God is not concerned with the destiny of nations in the political arena per se, he was not interested in the heathen nation but worked with them because of their influence on his people.
For those that try to find Armageddon and russia and all the pre-millenial things it is all hogwash and is not alluded to, hinted at or even is not there. Paradise was lost. But I submit to you that in Jesus Christ paradise is regained. This is the basis of the joy in christian service.
THE UNIVERSAL NEED OF SALVATION
All of us have sinned yet we want to say that Adam sinned, yet all of us have sinned that have reached the age of accountability.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:12 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:
Ecclesastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
The penalty is declared as eternal separation from God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The receptacle for the lost is hell.
Paradise is restored in Christ. I am a sinner worthy to be lost eternally yet please listen to the greatest news ever to fall upon the human ear.
Hebrews 2:9 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.
Did this make your heart pound to hear that statement. Maybe it
would if you put your name there. Don't dissipate
the death of Christ by spreading it to thin. yes it was vicarious
indeed for all men, but he died for Mark Turner, that's me, I put my name
there. If I was the only person that had sinned and my soul alone
was doomed Christ would have died for me alone.
It is foolish for me to die in sins when I can trust in the savior who died in my stead.
II Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
The sinless, guiltless, innocent, son of God bore the sin of humanity upon his soul when he died on Golgatha.
God put his sin upon me and you will never hear better news than this. You will never rap on a door with any degree of confidence to talk to someone about Christ until you understand this fact.
We as his church are inefficient because we do not realize what Christ did for us. This sounds strange yet it is true.
Many brethren are legalist, scared to death they will make a mistake
and wind up on the wrong side of the judge in the final analysis.
They really don't know what redemption is all about.
SECURITY OF REDEMPTION
Man has a savior able to save, and keep saved through our obedience.
Isaiah 53:1-6 Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of
a dry ground: he hath no
form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty
that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were
our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All
we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
I Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should
live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Paul writing about the sinful incestuous relationship in Corinth these words.
I Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight:
He said Jesus is our passover. This goes back to Exodus 12.
God commissioned Moses to deliver his people from Egypt. Moses stands though reluctantly before Pharaoh and said in behalf of Jehovah, let my people go.
Pharaoh is to be appreciated for what he is an idolater that thinks of the god of the hills, valleys, rivers, flies whatever. Pharaoh thought he was superior to all of these gods.
Pharaoh was going to learn who God was. He was going to learn the hard way, he had a lot to learn.
He had some lessons to come from the school of hard bruising knocks. 9 times God exercised his power of judgment over egypt. He practically devastated the land and sometimes we see Pharaoh compromise, but this won't work, you can't compromise with God. Pharaoh would ask for the plague to be removed then Pharaoh grew more hard of heart,
Some shallow thinker says, well ole Pharaoh didn't stand a chance. The same sun that melts wax will harden clay, it depends upon the consistency of that which it shines. If you think you can rebel against, do your own thing against God, and get away with it forget it.
God's will will be done, and if you go to hell as a result of it, then its your fault not God's. You are in a controlled atmosphere, you will never get out of this world alive. You eat his food, enjoy his sunshine, walk on his earth, wear his clothes, breath his air, you owe him something. You reject it and you are the loser, not God, not God.
Pharaoh hardened his heart with a stubborn disposition. God says Moses I am coming through the land and in the houses of everyone the eldest will die in the last plague. This tenth plague would hit the poor and the rich, the house of the pharaoh egyptian and hebrew. Only the blood of a lamb painted on the door post will allow the angel of death to pas.
Exodus 12:22-23 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop,
and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel
and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of
you shall go out at the door
of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to
smite the Egyptians; and when he
seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will
pass over the door, and
will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
If you are out of the house no matter your mother, or nationality, death lurks outside.
Passover when I see the blood. The most righteous man in Egypt lived that night not because of his righteousness, which is as filthy rags in the sight and eyes of God. The most righteous lived in the house where the blood was on the lentils and door post.
The wicked lived if blood was on the door post and lentils of the house.
I submit to you friend, that God is saying to his people, when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
I John 2:1-2 My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world.
He is our propitiation or satisfaction. The wages of sin and justice demands the penalty be paid. Christ died in my stead bringing salvation within the reach of sinners.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Hebrews 10: 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
We are dealing with the shed blood of the innocent son of God the agent to remove sin from souls.
I John 1:7 But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The word cleanseth is continually working cleaning us from sin.
Lets nail this down and understand what Christ did when he died on Golgotha. He validated his covenant which was probated some 10 days after his ascension as recorded in Acts 2
Lets be sure to understand the plan of salvation.
CONFIDENCE OF NO CONDEMNATION
The Christian is blessed in the fact that through Christ we are not doomed and damned from former sins remitted by Christ.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Paul means that right now there is no condemnation. Not after the judgment. If there was condemnation now, then nobody would be saved. He rejoice because Jesus came to save sinners.
He said, there therefore is now no condemnation right now for those in Christ Jesus.
If this was not the case then nobody would be saved, for he came to save sinners.
That's me, I am the object of his desire for salvation.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that's right
for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The law of the spirit of life? Yes that's the last will and testament of Christ. The doctrine of Christ
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that
in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
This was imparted by the Holy Spirit to the apostles, who then in turn taught inerrently and recorded under his influence the New Testament, in contrast with the Old Testament.
The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus did what Paul? He said, it hath made me free from the law of sin and of death.
Somebody says that's the Old Testament. No, that's the sin of law, and of death.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The wages of sin is death. Paul said, I don't have to worry about that anymore, because the law of spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the consequences of sin. How did this happen. Listen closely and learn.
For what the law, which was the law of Moses the legal system given by Moses 1500 B.C. at mt. sinai exclusively to the Jews
Deuteronomy 5:1-5 And Moses called all Israel,
and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which
I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do
them. The LORD our God
made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant
with our fathers, but with us,
even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked
with you face to face in the mount out
of the midst of the fire, I stood between the LORD and you at that
time, to shew you the word of the
LORD: for ye were afraidby reason of the fire, and went not up into the
mount;
The tenure was till the seed was to come to whom the promises had been made.
Gal. 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the
law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come
to
whom the promise was made; [and it was] ordained by angels in the hand
of a mediator.
For if the law could not do being weak through the flesh. Paul how could the law of moses be weak through the flesh?
You see the law of Moses was a legal system. This law had no remedy for the sinner. The law simply condemned the sin, that's why it was given. Why then the law? It was given because of transgression to make sin sinful.
Gal. 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under
sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to
them that believe.
What then did the law do? It keep us under sin Paul said, why so they could recognize the messiah that readily identified so they could have justification on the basis of faith. that's what the law was. It was given to the Jewish nation exclusively for that purpose. What about it?
Gal. 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by
the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law:
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the
knowledge of sin.
CHRIST OUR REDEEMER AND RECONCILIATOR
There was no remedy for the sinner under the law of Moses, it was a legal system and the flesh could not supply the basis of justification under a legal system, which would be sinless perfection.
The only way one could be justified by a legal system would be to keep it perfectly, you understand this.
On the highway our car is driving smoothly and very quietly, radio is playing, air conditioner is blowing and you are laying back taking it easy then you glance down and the speedometer says eight-O. You take your foot of the accelerator and in your mirror a bubble gum machine is going and siren is coming into your ears and a big tall man with a campaign hat on is motioning you to pull over. He steps out takes your license and after he gets back from doing what they do in the back he pulls out a little book and starts writing. You say sir I'm sorry and he keeps on writing. I promise not to do this again, he keeps on writing. Officer I don't make a practice of breaking the laws of our great state and he keeps on writing.
We are guilty! There is not a law in Heaven nor a law on earth nor a law in hell that can make us innocent. the law says 70 and now we will pay the ticket or sin by having the ticket torn up because you are guilty that is a legal system. The law does not make atonement for lawbreakers or violators. The law does not provide a substitutionary payment for my transgression. The law is 70 I am doing 80 so I am guilty so I will pay the penalty that is the legal system.
The law of moses was a legal system. if the law of Moses could not do what the flesh could not give what was required, sinless perfection, and I must add that any legal that is just will tell you that in its context it will kill you if you make a mistake.
Gal. 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them.
We can only be justified in a legal system by keeping it perfectly. Peter described the dilemma and the problem of the law of Moses.
Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye
God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our
fathers nor we were able to bear?
Now back to
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that
it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
What the law could not do God accomplished by sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. He did not condemn the flesh because of sin? No that's what the legal system did. he condemned in the flesh. That's the only way a sinner can be saved.
Some brethren believe that obedience to the initial principles of the gospel mean that you are sanctified and that you have given your life to the Lord and then you must hustle to hit perfection before you keel over and go into eternity but this is not the case.
Baptism does not even make sin good. Baptism does not make sin right. Baptism will not placate sin so that God accepts sin, no that's not what happens at all.
Some brethren get the idiotic idea that if you are in adultery and you obey the gospel then adultery becomes all right.
No, baptism does not make sin all right. No scriptural baptism simply puts you in Christ where sin is covered. That's the idea.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that
it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Paul says who shall separate us from the love of Christ!
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the
day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is no power extant, nothing above you, nothing around you, nothing beneath you, nothing within you, nothing outside that can sever you from the love of God. Isn't that marvelous. Listen to this passage.
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand.
My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no man is able
to pluck them out of my
Father's hand. I and my Father are one.
Jesus didn't stutter a time, he said I give them eternal life and they will never perish and essentially he is saying there is not enough demons in hell to snatch them from my hand because he is talking about the power of the devil when he mentions that. He says the father is greater than he that would take them away.
Eternal life and never perishing am I teaching the theory of the impossibility of apostasy, the theory of once saved always saved. I will say this one time.
The damnable, utterly false, idiotic, theory of once saved always save is not anywhere hinted at in poor Richard's Almanac, let alone in the divine revelation from God almighty called the Bible. It is nowhere suggested in the Old or New Testament.
Once saved always saved is foreign to Biblical teaching.
I Cor. 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring [it]
into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached
to others, I myself should be a castaway.
I Cor. 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Paul a writer of the New testament at least 13 books, inspired apostle chosen of the Lord sent to preach the gospel could be lost? Yes certainly he could be lost like anyone else.
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word
of God, and the powers
of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify
to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Does this sound anything remotely like once saved always saved?
II Peter 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome,
the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness,
than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them.
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is]
turned to his own vomit again;
and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Have you ever seen a dog turn back to its vomit then eat it? Oh preacher yuck that's sickening that's right you got it. That's the verbal picture God paints wanting you to see and understand how sickening that turning from the gospel is.
Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having
put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.
Does this sound like once saved always saved? No!
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
This passage written to christians warns against turning from the gospel and the Lord. You can fall from grace
Gal. 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
I understand the security of the saints if they remain faithful.
if the believer becomes an unbeliever this passage does not apply to them.
Anytime we want to turn from the Lord and go to hell we can go at anytime
and from any spot on this globe. If you want top be saved he guarantees
and certifies your right and privilege to salvation and its up to us.
Some brethren seem to think that they just can't be saved. This comes from a lack of understanding of the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ and what God has done for them.
Remarkable, I give them eternal life, they shall never perish and no man shall snatch them out of my hand. Who was he speaking to.
My sheep hear, John Wesley John Smith, John Knox, John Smythe, No, No, No, my sheep hear my voice. This is the son of the God, the blood sealed covenant the only message we have from him.
He added and I know them and they follow, the manual, confession of faith, the catechism, the discipline, book of Mormon, Koran, vedda's, ideas and opinions of the synods and associates, conventions, assemblies. Ridiculous my sheep hear my voice and they follow me.
He says I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no man shall snatch them from my hand.
Hebrews 2: 14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is,
the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage.
If you don't know where your going when you die then the Lord hasn't done for you what he came to do for sinful humanity.
If you are afraid to die because you don't know the destiny of your immortal soul he hasn't performed that which he came to do for sinful humanity he came to save man.
You say you have faults? He came to save sinners that's people with faults, right.
You have weaknesses That's why your a sinner and that's why he came to save people like you.
You want to say your not perfect, join the club, if we were perfect we would not need Christ we would be his equal.
He came to save sinners. Your a sinner? Thank God that's the kind of people he came to save.
You say your still condemned? Then haven't been saved, that's your problem. You need to hear the gospel, believe in Jesus, repent of sins, confess christ and be baptized for the remission of sins buried in water baptism.
You say you have done that? Then obviously you don't understand
the blessings which belong to those who have been
translated from the cosmos of iniquity translated into the ecclesia.
That simply means people delivered from the power of the world's darkness
and been translated into the community of the saved which is the church.
That is the problem you obviously don't understand what its all about.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord will not impute sin.
Happy is the man that the Lord will not impute sin.
There are people like that on earth or nobody will be saved. Sin cannot enter heaven. maybe we have the idea that we have done some bad things here in our life as well as some good things and we hope the good outweighs the bad. God doesn't use that system of book keeping at all.
let me make this revelation to you today. if there is one sin marked against your soul when you stand in judgment you will be lost for no sin will enter heaven. Does that mean its hopeless? Yes it is without Christ. Thats what salvation is all about.
You can't make it without Christ. Somebody says I will obey the gospel when i decide I can live the Christian life. If that's the case forget it, obviously I missed the point in teaching. To be a christian without Christ? No that's an idea that you have to live a perfect and sinless life. You would have ulcers and destroy your immortal soul if the basis of acceptance in the final analysis is sinless perfection.
If we spat on a sidewalk in some city where that was against a city ordinance, you violated a principle in Romans 13 and you may not even be aware of this law and you step out in the street and are killed and stand in eternity lost for spitting on a sidewalk.
God doesn't want you to be lost, he wants you to be saved. We are sinners and that's why he died in our stead and condemned sin in the flesh.
The blood of Christ cleanses continually from all unrightousness otherwise we are as lost as we can be.
He is our advocate, a mediator between two parties that are estranged. God is the offended and I am the offender.
Sin separates me from God,
Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you
and your God, and your sins have hid
his face from you, that he will not hear.
He sent his son so I could have provision to come back into a relationship
with my maker. this takes place in the
church.
Somebody says I live in such a way there is not one mark. Don't you dare stand up boasting like that pharisee, sometimes we become like this if we are not careful.
Good people that make up religious division, sincere people dedicated to institutions unknown to and unauthorized by the word of God, people who are seeking and want to know and if we are not careful we look down at them.
We are all sinners but thanks be to God that some of us are sinners that have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. That's what it is all about.
In Christ's job as an advocate, he don't look down and say oh, Turner is a pretty good boy. No, Turner deserves to go straight to hell. What he would say is father, I know he is weak, has many shortcomings, father he has a lot of growing to do, but I shed my blood for him.
We talk about the efficacy of the blood of Christ, that means its effective its effective in governing sinners, God will accept the blood of his son and only that price.
Do we have the idea that the church is a country club for middle class self righteous people? The church is a hospital for sinners, that's what its all about. If you say you will do as you please, you'll split hell wide open.
Christianity is not a license to do as I please, Christianity is a privilege to do as Christ pleases.
I don't care how many faults you have, how many weaknesses, if you will
believe, and obey the Lord, then
you are the type of sinner that can be saved.
You can never plead your own case before God. You need to obey the Christ who is the Savior of sinners.
The bumper sticker says, I am a christian not perfect just forgiven.
Will you accept the advocacy of Christ in the presence of the father today?
This means you will Believe Jesus as God's son.
John 8:24
Repent Of Sins, Luke 13:3-5
Confess Christ before men, Romans 10:10
Be baptized for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38
Live faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10