The Word of Hope Ministry

Dear Soul, the Bible declares that one day you will die and then stand face to face with God to be judged. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT;" Hebrews 9:27. Nothing in your entire life could be more important than to be ready for that day, for it will determine whether you will spend eternity in heaven or hell.

This judgment will be based on "righteousness", which means to be absolutely perfect and without sin. The Bible says: "....he hath appointed a day, in the which HE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS by that man whom he hath ordained;..." Acts 17:31a. The man spoken of in this verse is Jesus Christ. This means that your righteousness must match that of Jesus Christ. Can you make it through your entire life without committing one single sin? Jesus Christ did, and He is the one that you will be compared with at your judgment.

NONE HAVE IT!

Nobody but Jesus Christ could ever lead a life without one single sin. The Bible says, "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED," Romans 3:23a. Nobody but Jesus Christ is righteous. "There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, no, not one:" Romans 3:10b. If you claim to be righteous, you are only deceiving yourself, and making God a liar. "If we say that we have not sinned, WE MAKE HIM A LIAR." 1 John 1:10A. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8

WITHOUT IT YOU GO TO HELL !

The Bible says: "Know ye not that THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?" 1 Corinthians 6:9a. If you're not going to heaven, that leaves only one other place. "The wicked shall be TURNED INTO HELL...." Psalm 9:17a.

YOU CANNOT WORK FOR IT!

"NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but according to his mercy he saved us," Titus 3:5a. If you could "earn" the righteousness of God, then Jesus Christ would not have had to die on the cross.

Dear Soul, you cannot earn the "righteousness of God" by leading a good life, trying to keep the ten commandments, church membership, sacraments, baptism, or anything the YOU do. If you do something for it, then it is SELF-righteousness.

FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT.

Jesus Christ died and shed his blood for your sins and purchased the "righteousness of God" for you. You must stop trying to "earn" it, and put your faith in Jesus Christ to receive it. "But TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH ON HIM that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Romans 4:5. "Even the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD which is BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and upon all them THAT BELIEVE:" Romans 3:22a. Then you will not have to fear the judgment day, because in your heart you know that you will "Be found in him, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is of the law (keeping the 10 commandments), but THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST, the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH:" Philippians 3:9.

Dear Soul, have you ever broken even one of the ten commandments? If you have only told one small "white" lie, or stolen one "little" object, you have broken all of the law: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10. Jesus said that if you hate, you have already committed murder in your heart (Matthew 5:21, 22). If you look with lust upon another person, you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matthew 5:27, 28). If you have admitted to any of these sins, you are a liar, a thief, an adulterer and a murderer by your own admission. And that only covers four of the ten commandments.

WILL YOU TRUST COMPLETELY IN JESUS CHRIST TO SAVE YOU?

"...without shedding of blood is no remission (pardon)" of sins (Hebrews 9:22): "...For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11) Jesus Christ is "...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:8.

If you are convinced that you have broken all of God's commandments and are a sinner condemned, think about what the prodigal son said to himself: "And when he came to himself, he said ...... I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck , and kissed him." Luke 15:17-20. Why not pray the same prayer as the prodigal son?

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

A place in heaven is open to all but your response to the Lord Jesus Christ will determine whether you will be there. Put your faith in the value of His blood shed for the remission of sins ( Hebrews 9:22); and then you will be able to sing with the redeemed in heaven and the love-song will be "unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." Revelation 1:5