GOD'S ANSWERS TO MAN'S QUESTIONS

1 .--Why did the Lord Jesus come into the world?

   "This Is a faithful saying, and worthy of all  acceptation, that Christ Jesus came Into the
   world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).

    He came to save all men, but only those who will confess that they are sinners, and that they need Him, will be saved.

2.--Are there many sinners?

   "For all have sinned, and come short of the  glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

    All includes everybody and leaves no one out. Sin is disobedience to God. Sin is any thought, word or deed that falls short of God's standard of holiness and perfection.

3.--What is the state of the natural heart?

   "The heart is deceitful above ell things, end  desperately wicked: who can know It?"
   (Jeremiah 17:9).

  The natural, unrenewed heart is a fountain of sin. Anger, pride, selfishness, envy, hatred, unbelief, and such like sins come out of a sinful heart.

    None of its actions or thoughts can please God. He will give instead of it a pure, new heart to all who receive Christ as Saviour.

4.--Is there a day of judgment for sin coming?

   "God shall bring every work Into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether It be good,
   or whether It be evil" (Eccleslastes 12:14).
   "It Is appointed unto men once to die, but  after this the Judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

    To the believer, judgment for sin is post, for it fell upon Christ while He hung on the cross. To the unbeliever, it is a fearful day which awaits him at the Great White Throne of judgment.

5.--Is not a person by his own efforts or good works able to save himself?.

   "If Abraham were Justified by works he hath  whereof to glory; BUT NOT BEFORE GOD.    For what saith the Scripture? Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and It was counted unto him    for righteousness....To him that worketh  not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith Is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:2,3,5).

   "For by grace are ye saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves: It Is the gift of
   God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

    No; salvation by self-effort is impossible. It is not God's way The Bible tells us that all men are sinners. Can a sinful man wash even one sin away, and change his nature so that he cannot sin any more? Christ alone is the Way.  Salvation is a flee gift obtained by receiving Him by faith.

6.--Is Jesus Christ the only Saviour?

   "Neither Is there salvation in any other: for  there is NONE OTHER NAME under heaven  given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

   "For there is one God and ONE MEDIATOR between God end men, the Man Christ
   Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5,6),

    There have been and are false christs and false ways of salvation. They are of the devil. In them there is no shed blood and no life laid down for sinners. It is not possible that there could be any other Mediator or Saviour. "At the name of Jesus every knee [shall] bow."

7--What did God do with our sins?

   "ALL we like sheep have gone astray; we  have turned every one to his own way; and
   the Lord hath laid on Him [Jesus] the Iniquity of us ALL" (Isaiah 53:6).

    From the teaching of the Bible and from our own experience, our sinful state is clear. But see what this verse tells us. The Lord took our sins and laid them on His sinless Son, that He by His death might forever remove them from God's sight.

8.--What did the Lord Jesus do with our sins?

   "Who His own self bare our sins In His own  body on the tree, that we, being deed to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

    Since the believer's sins were laid on Jesus, and since He atoned for them on the cross, is there any reason why we should bear them too? Let us who have trusted Christ as Saviour rejoice in being set free from them, and thank Him for giving us freedom.

9.--What was the price of our redemption?

   "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without  blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18,19).

    The Lord Jesus was God incarnate, the Lamb of God. The redemption of sinners required the shedding of H/s blood, and the giving of His life.  It was the greatest possible price to pay. Why did He do it? Because of His great love.

10.--Is God willing to forgive sin?

   "For Thou, Lord, art good, end reedy to forgive; end plenteous In mercy unto all them    that call upon Thee" (Psalm 86:5).

   "Be It known unto you therefore, men end brethren, that through this Men is preached
   unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all
   things" (Acts 13:38,39).

    How clear and definite Scripture is! A Saviour crucified for sinners is the assurance God gives that He will forgive sin.

11 .--How can one obtain forgiveness ?

   "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
   "God...now commandeth ALL men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

    To repent is to turn away from sin to God. It is to have a change of mind about sin. I must turn my back on the roads of defilement. There must be a sharp decision and an immediate reversal of my ways.

12.--How does the repentant soul approach God?

   "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, end I will give you rest"
   (Matthew 11:28).

   "If any men thirst, let him come unto Me, and  drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scriptures  hath said, out of his belly shall flow   rivers of living water." (John 7:37,38).

   "He that cometh to Me shell never hunger;   and he that believeth on Me shall never
   thirst'' (John 6:35).

    Come unto Him and unburden your heart, just as you are, just where you are. The words "faith" and "believe" show that you must have confidence that Christ will do as He promises. The word of One who died for you can be trusted. To Christ alone belongs the power to forgive sins, to cleanse the heart, and to justify the sinner. No man can do this. Believe Him. Prove Him.

13.--How do those who are in heaven feel about repentant souls ?

   "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).

    If "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," then sorrow of heart for sin, and turning from it to God, are very important. The angels know how great the joy is that awaits the repentant soul when ushered into heaven. Would that men were as much concerned about their conversion as the angels are!

14.--What is it that washes away our sins?

   "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

   "Unto Him that loved us [Jesus Christ], and  washed us from our sins In HIS own
   blood,...br glory and dominion forever and  ever" (Revelation 1:5,6).

    All our iniquities were laid on the Lord. All were washed away by His blood. Though they were as scarlet, or red like crimson, no stain  remains. (See Isa. 1:18). The one who knows he is forgiven will surely wish to say, "Glory be to the Lord Jesus."

15.--What is God' s gift to us?

   "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus  Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

   "'God hath given to us eternal life, and this  life Is in His Son" (1 John 5:11).

    God is very generous and kind. He never gives gifts unworthy of Himself. At no cost to
you He takes your sins away, and then gives eternal life which death cannot touch. This is the life that is in the Lord Jesus, the ever-living One, and when you have it, you have Him; and having Him you have a share in His kingdom and glory.

16.--Who may have eternal life?

   "Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life"
   (John 6:40).

    God uses several words with a wide meaning---all, any man, every one, whosoever. They all mean the same and they include you. To "see" the Son is to recognize that He is the Redeemer and Saviour of sinners. To "believe" on Him is to humbly receive Him into your heart and to trust His word.

17.--How did God show His great love for sinners?

   "For God so loved the world, that He gave  His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

   "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only    begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9).

    God could give no greater gift for man's redemption than His Son, nor could He show the greatness of His love in any other way than by giving Him.

18.--Has He given any commandment about believing?

   "And this Is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus
Christ" (1 John 3:23).

    Never say "No" to God. One can say '"No" by delay, and by disregarding what He says, as well as by wilful disobedience. Obedience to this commandment will open the door to everlasting life.

19. What is the result of believing on the Lord Jesus as Saviour?

   "As many as received Him, to them gave He   power to become the sons of God, even to  them that believe on HIS name" (John 1:12).

   "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that  heareth My word, and believeth on Him that          sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not  come into condemnation [Judgment]; but IS  passed from death unto life" (John 5:24),

    Through faith in the Lord Jesus who died on the cross, we pass
 out of slavery ..............into sonship,
           out of death .................into life,
           out of bondage ............into freedom,
           out of sin .....................into holiness
           out of fear ...................into peace
           out of darkness ...........into light
           out of self ...................into Christ.

20.--How does the Lord Jesus show His desire to be your Saviour?

   "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come In to Him, and will sup with Him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

    The Lord Jesus knocks as a king who must be obeyed, and as a friend who loves the one within. Your heart is the door, and your will is the key. If you unlock the door and say  "Come in, my Saviour,' He will enter never to leave.

21 .--Will the Lord Jesus receive any one who comes to Him?

   "Him [any one] that cometh to Me I will in no  wise cast out" (John 6:37).

   Coming to Him is your response to His knocking. None are refused. There are none too bad and none too good to come to Christ and be received with open arms.
 

22.--What is the promise given to those who call upon the Lord ?

     "WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

     "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31),

    God calls and many refuse to hear Him. But He never fails to hear and answer the one who with faith and contrition calls upon Him.

23.--If we believe in the Lord should we keep the matter secret ?

     "If thou shalt confess with thy MOUTH the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).

    If you were the child of a king would you be ashamed to say so? How much more reason you have to say that you are a child of God, if you have received Jesus. For your own sake and for His, it is very important that you confess your faith. It will strengthen your faith and glorify Christ.

24.--How will Christ hereafter honor His child who is not ashamed of Him?

     "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, Him will I also confess before My Father which Is In heaven" {Matt. 10:32). (See also Luke 9:26).

    What a wonderful thing it will be to stand with the Lord Jesus, and in the presence of millions and millions of angels, to hear Him say, "This is My child ." If you tell of your faith in Him here He will not be ashamed of you there.

25.--What assurance of victory over sin may a believer in Jesus have?

     "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not mortal sin therefore reign In your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as Instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you" (Romans 6:11-14).

    Christ Jesus, to whom the believer is united by faith, is the victory. The believer has no power in himself either before or after being saved. As Christ received by faith is salvation, so He is also power and victory. He has power over sin, the devil, the human nature, death, and all things. A Christian must not think that he can live a Christian life by self-effort. "Know ye not...that Christ is in you?" He rules and triumphs while His child trusts and obeys.
 

26.--In what should the saved sinner glory?

   "God forbid that I should glory, save In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
   world Is crucified unto me, and I unto the  world" (Galatians 6:14).

    The cross on which the dying Saviour hung sets forth the Person and the place where God's great love and the need of sinful man met. It was there that man's sin was borne, the curse removed, spiritual foes overthrown, the work of redemption finished, and the way to freedom, life and peace, in Christ, opened.

   "Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,   Save in the cross of Christ, my God."

27 .--Does the Lord provide a guide for me, or do I have to find my way alone in the Christian life?

   "He shall give His angels charge over thee,   to keep thee In all thy ways" (Psalm 91:11).

   "I will Instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).

     "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor  forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The  Lord Is my helper" (Hebrews 13:5,6).

   "And I will prey the Father, and He shall give  you another Comforter, that He may abide  with you forever; even the Spirit of truth;...for He dwelleth with you and shall be
   in you" (John 14:16,17; 16:13).

   "Thy word Is s lamp unto my feet, end a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).

    God gives His angels as ministering spirits; and the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell within, to warn, to comfort, to teach how to pray, to reveal the Scriptures, to give victory over sin.  You must trust these heavenly guides.

28.--Will the Lord allow a soul that trusts in Him to perish?

   "My sheep hear My voice, end I know them,   end they follow Me: end I give unto them
eternal life; and they shell never perish, neither shell any men pluck them out of My
 hand" (John 10:27,2g).

    He says that His follower shall never perish, and His word for it is enough. He is far stronger than all enemies. Neither devil nor man can separate the believing soul from Him.

29.--When this life is over, where will He take His followers?

   "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to  prepare a place for you. And if I go and  prepare a place for you, I will come again,
 and receive you unto Myself; that where I  am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2,3).

    Those glorious mansions in the Father's house are for those who believe in Him. The
Bible tells us that "eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Your true home is with the Lord there.

30.--What is the way to heaven?

   "Jesus saith unto Him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by Me" (John 14:6),

    People do not just happen to get to heaven. There is only one way there, and that is Christ.  The "way" is not a path or road, but a Person, and that Person is the Lord Jesus. You go to town by a road; you go to heaven by Him. If you have trusted Him, He abides in your heart, you are in Him, and you are "in the way."

31 .--What kind of a place is heaven?

   "And God shall wipe away all tears from  their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

   "And he showed me a pure river of water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month,,.Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of Life, and may enter In  through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:1,2,14).

      Read the last two chapters of the Bible.

32. --Are all invited to come?

   "The Spirit end the bride say, Come....let him that heareth say, Come..,.let him that is
   athirst come....whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

    Yes, all are earnestly invited to come, and God yearns over those who refuse. "Compel them to come in, that My house may be filled" (Luke 14:23).

33.--Is there any special need of haste in deciding to receive Christ as Saviour?

   "NOW Is the accepted time: behold, NOW is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

   "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" (Psalm 95:7,8).

   "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth"
   (Proverbs 27:1),

    Here are a few reasons why there should be no delay in receiving Christ.

    God's Word says "Now," "today."
    Life in very uncertain (James 4:14).
   The value of heavenly riches is very great.
   God may cease calling (Gen. 6:3).
   Christ may return at any moment to rapture  all believers to Himself (1 Thess. 4:16,17).

34.--What words can we use in praise of the Lord Jesus for so great a salvation?

   "Worthy Is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).

    Innumerable millions sing that song of praise in heaven. Do you not wish to begin to sing it now too? David said, "And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God." Praise pleases God (Hebrews 13:15,16).

35.--What warning must we heed?

   "How shall we escape, If we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3).

    This is the day of grace when this great salvation may be obtained. No one should neglect to honor God by refusing to receive this great treasure, which He has provided at such unspeakable cost to Himself. Salvation is not a thing but a Person, even Jesus Christ.

    Have you received Him, or are you neglecting and delaying? To neglect is to refuse Christ.

  Do you know how to come to the Lord Jesus?
  Do you know what to say to Him?

    The prodigal son, after he had decided to return to his father's house, said in his heart, "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" (Read Luke 15:11-24). Any humble and repenting soul coming to the heavenly Father will receive a similar welcome.

    The penitent thief said, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42).

    The conscience-stricken publican said, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Many have uttered that phrase as the true cry of their hearts and have had the burden of their sins rolled away.

   "Just as I am, without one plea,
   But that Thy blood was shed for me,
   And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,
   O Lamb of God, I come.

  "Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
   Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
   Because Thy promise I believe,
   O Lamb of God, I come."

Published by Moments with the Book
All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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