Paul describes us as human beings as we really are in chapter one of Romans.

A person that denies this is a fool and lives in denial.

It goes against the common belief that we are not such a bad person after all.

The Bible says no matter how good a person we think we are, our righteousness is but filthy rags according to God’s standard of righteousness and that makes us unworthy of going to Heaven.

This is one reason Jesus was necessary.

God requires a life of righteousness that lives up to His standards and Jesus was and is the only person who is able to do that.

According to Paul this same Jesus, God will some day judge every human being by. God will judge us by the words of this Jesus and the life of holiness this same Jesus lived.

If we cannot match God’s standard of holiness then we are in serious trouble.

If we go through life thinking we have never done anything wrong or wasn‘t such a bad person as the Pharisee thought of himself that Jesus referred to, then it won’t be a concern and we will feel no need to repent and ask for forgiveness.

But when we stand before God on that day, we will then see how useless we really are and deserving of eternal hell we really are.

It is then we will see why we are going to eternal hell.

But for now most human beings do not know this yet nor would even believe this Biblical truth.

When we are young with our whole life ahead of us, this is usually not a concern and unfortunately when we are old and bitter it is too late to admit we were wrong and did anything wrong because we are so set in our ways…and too smart.

This is a fact about human nature in general.

HOWEVER, if at anytime in our life we still have a conscience and still know what God put in us when we were born, according to what Paul said in Romans chapter one, the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul mentions is “ good news.”- thus, the literal meaning of the word gospel.

Why is the gospel of Jesus Christ literally “ good news ”?

It is because human beings who actually feel guilt, shame, unworthiness for Heaven, feel totally lost and helpless, condemned and without hope God has provided “ good news.”

This “ good news ‘ is in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son.

The “ good news  “ is that Jesus fulfilled the standards of God’s requirements both in holiness, righteous living and in being the sacrifice necessary to appease God’s wrath.

Jesus was the One who went through all this for all human beings.

God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to live a life of holiness that fulfilled God’s requirements and to die as a sacrifice for our sins that could only appease God.

The continued “good news” is that if we believe all this - that is, simply believe in Jesus as the One who did all this for humanity, the person who does believe all this will be forgiven and saved from ending up in eternal hell after physical death.

God knew we could not live up to Him.

Jesus did this for us.

So, when we stand before God on the day of judgment we can say with confidence to God, I stand here because of what Jesus your Son did for me.

Jesus is who gets us into Heaven, my friend - not our own works.

But we must also realize our sinful condition and repent of it and admit that we are sinners.

Jesus said we must repent and believe the gospel.

God provided grace through His Son Jesus.

But God’s grace is extended only to those who repent and believe the gospel.

It is like thirsting for water from dehydration. There is a faucet of water with water ready to be poured out. But if we do not reach out to turn the faucet on, there will be no water available for us to drink.

By our own rejection in refusing ro turn the faucet handle on, we are rejecting something that can save our life.

James said God resists the proud but gives grace to the himble.

If we humble ourselves before God, repent and ask forgiveness and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, then our life will be saved.

Think about all the wonderful things we enjoy in everyday living…and I mean wonderful things, not wicked things we enjoy.

Think how terrible it will be to be confined in hell without any mountain views, no ocean views, no flowers, no rivers, no shopping malls, no restaurants to eat at no moon or sunsets to see and so on.

That will all be over after we die.

But we do not necessarily have to end up in hell and lose all this enjoyment.

There is a way to keep the things we enjoy in life.

Jesus said;

“ I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  “   John 11:25-26

God loves you. This is why He created all these things I mentioned. They are for your enjoyment.

And He wants you to enjoy these things forever.

All He asks is that you acknowledge you are a sinner, repent and believe in His Son Jesus.

You do not have to die for your sins.

You do not have to go to hell temporarily to pay for your sins.

You do not have to punish yourself in this life and deprive yourself in this life to pay for your sins.

Jesus paid it all for you.

If you feel guilty right now and feel like there is no hope, read the book of John in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

Get down on your knees, humble yourself and talk to Jesus.

He will listen to you.

No matter what you have done He will forgive you.

Jesus still forgives even today.

It does not matter what you have done.

Jesus will forgive you if you repent and believe His gospel.

Just what is ‘ repentance “?

If you have someone in your life you truly love and you know you are doing something behind their back that if they knew about it would hutt them terribly, chances are you would stop doing it because of your love for that person…right?

That is what repentance is.

I hope you can find it in your heart to feel remorse, guilt and shame for your sins against God…just as you would for the person you love the most in your life who you might be hurting.

This is a good kind of guilt and shame.

This is one way the Holy Spirit convicts us in trying to bring us to repentance before God.

If we do repent, God will not hold things against us when we repent and believe in Jesus.

God will wipe our past life of sin clean and we can start a new life in Him.

Even if you already are born again and belong to Jesus but living in sin, God will forgive you too if you repent and ask His forgiveness.

Wayne Brown