For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. — ro 5:10 Thought I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved. The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished." Devotional provided by Heartlight® © 1996-2012. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 What If There Is a Hell? "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."1 How often have you heard the argument, "If God is a God of love, how could he ever send anyone to hell?" Others who say they believe in God just don't believe there is such a place as hell." But what if there is a hell? The fact is that Jesus in God's Word repeatedly speaks about hell and warns people about the wrath to come. Keep in mind, however, that hell was prepared first of all for the rebellious devil and his fallen angels [demons]. Also realize that in a very real sense it isn't God who sends us to hell, but it is we ourselves when we disbelieve God's warning and reject or fail to accept his pardon for all our sins and receive his gift of eternal salvation. God will not force us to spend eternity with him when we have refused his fellowship and forgiveness in life. In his book, Echoes of Eternity, Dennis Kastens writes about people who never heeded the following warning: "During World War II the city of Palermo, Sicily, a military objective of the Allied Powers, was to be bombed by the American Air Force. To warn the Sicilians, telling them to flee, thousands of pamphlets were dropped on the city beforehand, but the citizens simply did not believe the warning. They listened, but they did not hear! When the American planes came and dropped their bombs, hundreds of Sicilians were killed; in fact, in some cold, dead hands were found the very pages urging them to leave the city."2 Whatever you do, don't fail to heed God's repeated warning about hell and the wrath to come after this life. Make absolutely sure your name is written in God's book of life. See also the article below: "The Why of Hell."* Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I confess to you that I am a sinner and believe that your Son, Jesus, died on the cross in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins, and Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and life and be my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen." NOTE: If you have never accepted Jesus as your savior and prayed the prayer above, please let us know by filling in the form at http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will send you the web address for free online helpful articles. *The WHY of Hell. Because God is a God of holiness no sin or sinner can ever exist in his presence any more than darkness can survive in the presence of light, or a moth in a flame. And because God is a God of justice, all sin (the breaking of God's universal moral laws) must be judged and that judgment is death, which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell. The good news is that God is also a God of infinite love. That's why he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins and save us from spending eternity in hell. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness to God, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross in our place, and ask God for his forgiveness and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. To accept God's Invitation to receive his full and free pardon and his gift of eternal life click on http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or see the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" in No. 3 below. 1. Revelation 20:13-15 (KJV). 2. Dennis Kastens, Echoes of Eternity, CSS Publishing. 3. See "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: www.actsweb.org/christian. <:))))>< ACTS International - Daily Encounter