Why We Need a Savior

I'm sorry for the delay, but here is the post that I have promised.  Next time, I won't put a time frame on my post, but I will try to be timely about it.

This is probably the most pressing matter in the scope of this blog, as the scope is to usher others into the body of Christ: why do I/we need a savior?  Have you ever heard something like "why do bad things happen to good people?"  Or how about "what's the meaning of life?"  Both of them are good questions.  I will start out by giving you short, simple answers, then expounding on them from there.

The short answer for the first question, why do bad things happen to good people, is that there are no good people.  For those that missed the emphasis: there is not one good person on the face of this earth at the present time.  There will be, and there has been, one good person to walk the face of the earth, and that is Christ himself.  Still think you're good?  Check this out.

If you have ever desired something that someone else had, whether that be their wife/husband, boat, or car, you've coveted something that is your neighbor's.  Let me emphasis desire.  This desire is best described as "keepin' up with the Jones'."  You want it because your neighbor has one.  Not a good thing; you have now broken commandment number ten.

Have you ever lied about anything?  As a child, did you ever cry because you wanted attention, even though, your parents thought you wanted food?  Don't want to argue that one?  How about this one?  Have you ever told a "little, white lie?"  Something that is not entirely true is a lie.  Have you ever deceived anyone at all for any reason?  You have lied, and broken commandment number nine.

Have you ever stolen anything?  Candy bar? TV? Paper clip from work?  If you have, you have committed theft and broken commandment number eight.

Have you ever slept with another man or woman's wife or husband?  If you have you've committed adultery and broken commandment number seven.  Think I'm done?  Not yet.  While the general perception is that you have to be married to commit adultery, the Bible (which I've mentioned before is my source for authority) says that "even if you look at another man's wife with lust, you've committed adultery."  This is paraphrased, but it is stated in Matthew 5:27-28.

Have you ever killed anyone?  Most people would answer "no" to this one, and, in general, I would agree, most people have not physically killed another person.  However, again, the Bible says that even if you have been to the point of cussing at them in another language, you're in danger of hell (Matthew 5:21-23).  Congratulations, you've broken commandment number 6.

Have you ever lied, back-talked, or worse yet, hit your mother or father?  You've broken commandment number five, to honor your father and mother, which is the only commandment with a promise "....that it may go well with you."

Hang in there, we're over half way.

Have you ever missed a Sabbath?  A Sabbath is a day of rest, where in no regular work is to be done.  That means that you prepare food ahead of time to eat it on that day, and lay down and rest that day.  That does not mean that you can't do anything on that day.  If an emergency comes up, of course you need to take care of it, such as a leaky toilet or faucet, but that might mean putting a bucket under the drain so as to not get water all over the floor and returning to it the next day.  With that said, if you've missed a Sabbath, you've broken commandment four.

If you have ever taken the Lord's name in vain, meaning if you have ever said "God" or "Jesus Christ" in a manner other than addressing Him, then you are guilty of breaking commandment number three.

If you have taken a Hollywood star and adored them, or a porn star for that matter and adored them.  If you have ever taken another person or place or thing and adored them more than the Lord, then you have broken commandment number two.

Lastly, if you have put anything, anyone, anywhere, ever, before God, then you are guilty of breaking commandment number one.

If you have kept all of these, then you are good.  Matthew 5:48 tells us that you are to be "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."  The point is that we cannot.  In fact, if you say that you have kept all of these commandments, then you are a liar, and therefore have broken the commandment not to lie.  However, we cannot keep these, and we are doomed to Hell if we do not.  There is another option, though.

Jesus Christ said that He is "the way, the truth, and the life, and nobody can get to the Father" but by Him.  He alone bore the consequences of our sin, or that of breaking the commandments, on that cross on that fateful day.  The Bible says that he was hardly recognizable as a man by the time He made it to the cross to finally die for all mankind.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have life everlasting."  Verses 17 and 18 describe that if you don't believe in Him you are continuing to live in the darkness that is here and you condemn yourself to Hell because you don't believe.  Jesus didn't come to the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Jesus Christ is that other option.  By believing in Him, you have crossed over from death, eternal death, to eternal life.  The bonds of your sin have been broken and new life has entered into you.  To accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior all you need to do is pray to the Lord a prayer such as this:

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross to take away my sins.  Please take away my sin in exchange for your righteousness.  Come into my heart and my life and do the work in it that pleases and glorifies You.  Thank you for allowing me to cross over from death to eternal life.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The such as is important because this is the beginning of a relationship with God that is between you and Him.  Think about it this way:  nobody else can have a relationship with your father or mother, brother or sister, uncle or aunt, friend or foe in the way that only you can.  This relationship that I'm talking about is personal to the extreme.  It is the most intimate relationship that you can ever have.  The bonds of religion have been broken because of this relationship.  Religion is a set of do's and don'ts that you have to follow in order to get into heaven.  The ten commandments are an example of religion.  I will put another post about religion versus relationship in another post; all I need you to do right now is realize the difference between them and the difference that it makes in life.  In a relationship, you do the things you do because you want the best for that person or persons.  In a religion, you do them because you have to.

This is all for this post.  You are more than welcome to leave comments and post your thoughts that would invoke conversation about this topic.  You are also welcome to email me things that you feel that you need to talk to me about if you wish.  I will be monitoring comments for things that violate the things I've laid out in the Introduction post.

One last comment for those who prayed the prayer above or something like it: you need to be in a church that teaches the word of God and in fellowship with other Believers in Christ.  Be careful about which church you go to because there are many churches that preach "Christ" that do not hail Christ as a deity, but hail him as a prophet or a man.  Also, be in the word of God for yourself.  There are many resources today that allow you to get the word of God in you.  I suggest the King James Version, the New King James Version, or the Holman Christian Standard Bible.  There are also Bibles on audio.

May the Lord do an undeniable work in your life!

Introduction

I've decided to start this blog to attempt to explain biblical values and why they are that way.  The other reason I've chosen to do this is so that others can understand how we got to where we are today by not following those values.  This is to win others over to Christ through issues and things that people find to be important; that is the main goal of this blog.  I hope that I will be able to persuade you to realize that the ways of the Lord work, and that you will accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

In the next few days I will post about why you need a Savior.  Following, I will do a post about being single, being married, and the time in between.  The latter may be a week or two into the future, but it will come.

I long for this to be a discussion board.  If you want me to do a post on a topic of your interest, feel free to either leave a post or email me.  I'm certain that you will find a way to contact me if that is what  you desire.  I will not tolerate rudeness or personal attacks; those posts will be deleted.  This is not meant to be a venting board; if you want that, go elsewhere. 

One last item that I need to set up before I conclude this post is that I will be using the Bible as my standard.  Typically speaking, I will use either the King James Version or the Holman Standard Christian Bible for my translations; I find that both are reliable and credible in seeking the things of the Lord.  The version I use will be dependent on where I am at and what I am doing.