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So the most important question that may ever be asked is 'How can a sinful person be reconciled to a holy
God and be regarded as an object of His favor forever?' The answer is that we are saved by God's grace alone,
because of Christ's perfect obedience alone, received by us through God's free gift of faith alone.
As it was for Abraham, so it is for us. The Bible says that Abraham believed that 'what God had promised,
He was also able to perform, therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness' (Romans 4:21-22). The apostle Paul goes on to tell us that these things
were not written only for the sake of Abraham, 'but for our sake also,' who will be credited with the
righteousness of Christ. We receive this righteousness because we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord
from the dead, who was crucified because of our transgressions, and was raised for our justification
(Romans 4:24-25).
No one gives God the honor, glory or obedience that He deserves. We owe Him, our Creator and Sustainer,
everything that we are and have, for in Him we live, move and have our existence (Acts 17:28). Sadly, it is often the most religious among us who most
grievously rob God of His glory (Romans 1:18-25, 10:2). Graciously, He overlooked the times of mankind's ignorance before
Christ's death, but is now declaring that all people everywhere should repent. He has fixed a day in which He
will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ whom He raised from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). A man from the city of Philippi asked the apostle Paul,
'What must I do to be saved?' The apostle answered him saying, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you
shall be saved, you and your household' (Acts 16:31).
The Bible says there is fullness of joy and pleasure forever in the presence of God (Psalm 16:11). The good news of the gospel is that God saves His people
from their sins and makes them able to stand in His presence blameless with great joy (Jude 24, Matthew 1:21). God is calling out a people for His name from all over the
world (Revelation 5:9).
He may be calling you to become a part of His people and to carry on His mission in the world (Matthew 28:18-20). The appropriate response to God's call on your life is
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Luke 24:46-47). 'Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and
saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.''
(Mark 1:14-15)
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