Dear Friends
I have a strong desire to write a personal letter to you, though you and I may not know each other. Possibly we may not see each other in this life. I write to you because you and I have more in common than you may realize. We have the exactly same image, body and soul that must die and shall live forever. I wish you and be in each other’ presence, for we both possess a never dying soul. With this soul both of us must appear before God- you and my Creator, in the great judgment day. You may perhaps agree this, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” [1].
You may do all in your power to put away the thought of death from you. Yet you cannot escape the fact that you must die. Therefore, let me ask amore significant question to you, “what is going to happen to you when you die?”. The Christians’ Bible is clear, but lets forget a moment, your conscience, your common sense; all declare to you that there is a life after death you must face. Therefore, don’t avoid this question for your own sake: Am I prepare to die and to face God as judge? Do not think it is a question that cannot be decided; don’t reply that you do not know- because heaven or hell is wrapped up in this question. An entirely happiness or misery hinges upon your answer.
Dear reader, please give me five minutes of your time to try to help to answer, and show you what God has said in the Scriptures.
First, let me tell you that we all are sinners before God.
“Sin” is a strong word. But it is not my own coining and invention. I did not choose it. I have nothing from my own knowledge or thinking to say to you concerning who we are or what we will be. The only question is, “what said God, what is written in His words”. God says of every person, be he high of low, rich or poor, old or young—all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God[2] In this, as in every thing else, God’s words are right! Nothing could be said more correct. This is the only thing we deserve- “the wages of sin is death”[3].
We may not like this perhaps. We may shut our eyes and hearts to see this truth. But God’s truth must be spoken, however condemning it may be- “we are all by nature spiritually dead and going to be dead physically and will live for ever and ever in hell, unless we are born again.
Let me reason this out with you. So long as a man does not serve God with all his being, he is not really alive. So long as our heart is full of lust of desire, selfishness, pride, carelessness, and so on, we put the first thing last and the last thing first, we are died in the sight of God.
We never choose God to make us holy, we don’t want to come to Him, we don’t believe His Word and never care His commands nor embraced the Gospel, we don’t want to forsake the world nor taken up the cross, and self-will not mortified, and evil habits not laid aside, the Bible seldom read, and the knees never bent in prayer.
Why? The answer is very simple- “Men are dead in sin”, by nature all are spiritually dead! My dear friend, remember this- all ungodly people shall end in hell; all worldly people shall end in hell; many religious people shall end in hell. You and I shall end in hell if we are not changed.
Let me tell you in the second place, that every man needs to be quickened and made spiritually alive.
To have a new nature, new habits, new ways, new tastes, new feelings, new joys, new pleasures, new hopes, our sinful nature requiring a complete change. We all need to be born again; we are all naturally dead, and we must be made alive. Our eyes need to be opened; naturally we never see our sinfulness, guilt, and danger; our understandings need to be enlightened; pride must give place to humility, self-righteousness to self- abasement, worldliness to holiness, unbelief to faith.
My dear friend, we can sometime, cover our sin before men. But we cannot ever cover our inward sins, our sinful desire before the Holy God. We must acknowledge our sinfulness and sins. But remember also this- even to acknowledge sin and to humble under it, to weep and pray over it, to be afraid to sin again, and still not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? We are already dead spiritually. We need regenerating work of God in order to have a new life. My dear friend, remember! No salvation without a new birth![4]
Let me tell you in the third place, by what means a dead soul can be made spiritually alive.
Surely, if I did not tell you this, it will be cruelty to write what a have written in this letter. I will not leave you till I have pointed out the wicked gate towards which you must run. By God’s help, I will set before you the full provision there is made for dead soul.
One thing is clear; we cannot work this mighty change ourselves. It is not in us. We may change our sins, but we cannot change our hearts. We may take up a new way, but not a new nature.[5] Another thing is equally clear; no man can do it for us. Baptism, the Lord’s Table, the priests’ prayer, cannot bestow spiritual life.
Who then can make a dead soul alive? No one can do it, but God! He only who forms the world out of nothing, created every creature, can make a new creature. The glorious Gospel makes provision for this. This is really amazing gospel that trustworthy to believe. Over seven hundred years before this God’s gracious redeeming and renewing works happened, God promised through the prophets that it will come true.[6] The whole book of the Old Testament pointed this truth and waited hopefully. And that the true Gospel for sinner, is this- “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly- you and me” (Rom. 5:6). The Lord Jesus is the complete Savior! “God the father made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Corinthians 5:21). The Lord Jesus is the only person who can bear and take away our sins, and remove the wrath of God. For He was fully man- yet without sin -Who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,(Rom.1:3); and He is fully God who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.1:4),in Him the sinner lives after he has repented- turn from sin and turn to Him by trusting that He is the only Savior and Lord for his whole life- He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).
Friend, there is one thing we must know- all those who believe Jesus must confess a heartfelt sorrow over their own sinfulness- and he is brought to point that where he realizes that he cannot save himself and yet that he must be saved.
Have you also become such concern, miserable, unworthy, guilty and lost sinner- who knows that there is no hope of salvation from your side? The sinner must have a heartfelt need for Christ. Have you experience something that Christ as the only way of deliverance through the power of the Holy Spirit applying God’s words to your life?
My dear friend, examine yourself- are you still spiritually dead and hopeless for your future? Allow me to leave you a final warning, the unrepentant life leads to hell, would you stay on that road? As long as you are an unrepentant, unbelieving, Christ less, self-satisfied sinner, you are on this road to hell. Hell is the end of a worldly life. Make hate sin for your life’s sake. The door of grace is still open. Will you hear His voice before it is too late? “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12). All those who live without God on earth shall be without God in Hell!.
Hope to meet in heaven
In Love,
Nang Kam Thang
Ref:
[1] Hebrews 9:27
[2] Romans 3:23
[3] Romans 6:23
[4] John 3:3-7
[5] Jeremiah 13:23
[6] Ezekiel 36:26-27
I have a strong desire to write a personal letter to you, though you and I may not know each other. Possibly we may not see each other in this life. I write to you because you and I have more in common than you may realize. We have the exactly same image, body and soul that must die and shall live forever. I wish you and be in each other’ presence, for we both possess a never dying soul. With this soul both of us must appear before God- you and my Creator, in the great judgment day. You may perhaps agree this, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” [1].
You may do all in your power to put away the thought of death from you. Yet you cannot escape the fact that you must die. Therefore, let me ask amore significant question to you, “what is going to happen to you when you die?”. The Christians’ Bible is clear, but lets forget a moment, your conscience, your common sense; all declare to you that there is a life after death you must face. Therefore, don’t avoid this question for your own sake: Am I prepare to die and to face God as judge? Do not think it is a question that cannot be decided; don’t reply that you do not know- because heaven or hell is wrapped up in this question. An entirely happiness or misery hinges upon your answer.
Dear reader, please give me five minutes of your time to try to help to answer, and show you what God has said in the Scriptures.
First, let me tell you that we all are sinners before God.
“Sin” is a strong word. But it is not my own coining and invention. I did not choose it. I have nothing from my own knowledge or thinking to say to you concerning who we are or what we will be. The only question is, “what said God, what is written in His words”. God says of every person, be he high of low, rich or poor, old or young—all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God[2] In this, as in every thing else, God’s words are right! Nothing could be said more correct. This is the only thing we deserve- “the wages of sin is death”[3].
We may not like this perhaps. We may shut our eyes and hearts to see this truth. But God’s truth must be spoken, however condemning it may be- “we are all by nature spiritually dead and going to be dead physically and will live for ever and ever in hell, unless we are born again.
Let me reason this out with you. So long as a man does not serve God with all his being, he is not really alive. So long as our heart is full of lust of desire, selfishness, pride, carelessness, and so on, we put the first thing last and the last thing first, we are died in the sight of God.
We never choose God to make us holy, we don’t want to come to Him, we don’t believe His Word and never care His commands nor embraced the Gospel, we don’t want to forsake the world nor taken up the cross, and self-will not mortified, and evil habits not laid aside, the Bible seldom read, and the knees never bent in prayer.
Why? The answer is very simple- “Men are dead in sin”, by nature all are spiritually dead! My dear friend, remember this- all ungodly people shall end in hell; all worldly people shall end in hell; many religious people shall end in hell. You and I shall end in hell if we are not changed.
Let me tell you in the second place, that every man needs to be quickened and made spiritually alive.
To have a new nature, new habits, new ways, new tastes, new feelings, new joys, new pleasures, new hopes, our sinful nature requiring a complete change. We all need to be born again; we are all naturally dead, and we must be made alive. Our eyes need to be opened; naturally we never see our sinfulness, guilt, and danger; our understandings need to be enlightened; pride must give place to humility, self-righteousness to self- abasement, worldliness to holiness, unbelief to faith.
My dear friend, we can sometime, cover our sin before men. But we cannot ever cover our inward sins, our sinful desire before the Holy God. We must acknowledge our sinfulness and sins. But remember also this- even to acknowledge sin and to humble under it, to weep and pray over it, to be afraid to sin again, and still not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? We are already dead spiritually. We need regenerating work of God in order to have a new life. My dear friend, remember! No salvation without a new birth![4]
Let me tell you in the third place, by what means a dead soul can be made spiritually alive.
Surely, if I did not tell you this, it will be cruelty to write what a have written in this letter. I will not leave you till I have pointed out the wicked gate towards which you must run. By God’s help, I will set before you the full provision there is made for dead soul.
One thing is clear; we cannot work this mighty change ourselves. It is not in us. We may change our sins, but we cannot change our hearts. We may take up a new way, but not a new nature.[5] Another thing is equally clear; no man can do it for us. Baptism, the Lord’s Table, the priests’ prayer, cannot bestow spiritual life.
Who then can make a dead soul alive? No one can do it, but God! He only who forms the world out of nothing, created every creature, can make a new creature. The glorious Gospel makes provision for this. This is really amazing gospel that trustworthy to believe. Over seven hundred years before this God’s gracious redeeming and renewing works happened, God promised through the prophets that it will come true.[6] The whole book of the Old Testament pointed this truth and waited hopefully. And that the true Gospel for sinner, is this- “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly- you and me” (Rom. 5:6). The Lord Jesus is the complete Savior! “God the father made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Corinthians 5:21). The Lord Jesus is the only person who can bear and take away our sins, and remove the wrath of God. For He was fully man- yet without sin -Who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,(Rom.1:3); and He is fully God who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.1:4),in Him the sinner lives after he has repented- turn from sin and turn to Him by trusting that He is the only Savior and Lord for his whole life- He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).
Friend, there is one thing we must know- all those who believe Jesus must confess a heartfelt sorrow over their own sinfulness- and he is brought to point that where he realizes that he cannot save himself and yet that he must be saved.
Have you also become such concern, miserable, unworthy, guilty and lost sinner- who knows that there is no hope of salvation from your side? The sinner must have a heartfelt need for Christ. Have you experience something that Christ as the only way of deliverance through the power of the Holy Spirit applying God’s words to your life?
My dear friend, examine yourself- are you still spiritually dead and hopeless for your future? Allow me to leave you a final warning, the unrepentant life leads to hell, would you stay on that road? As long as you are an unrepentant, unbelieving, Christ less, self-satisfied sinner, you are on this road to hell. Hell is the end of a worldly life. Make hate sin for your life’s sake. The door of grace is still open. Will you hear His voice before it is too late? “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12). All those who live without God on earth shall be without God in Hell!.
Hope to meet in heaven
In Love,
Nang Kam Thang
Ref:
[1] Hebrews 9:27
[2] Romans 3:23
[3] Romans 6:23
[4] John 3:3-7
[5] Jeremiah 13:23
[6] Ezekiel 36:26-27
No comments:
Post a Comment