Can We Escape?

Do you want forgiveness of sins? Would you like to escape from the punishment due you? Would you like to escape your fate?

You say, "No one can escape his fate. Whatever is written on a man's forehead, he must experience. It is impossible to escape punishment for our sins."

But I have wonderful news for you. Listen to what God says to you. He says, "But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." What does that mean?

First of all, it means that we are all sinners in God's sight. There are no people of merit, no sinless people, no righteous people in God's sight. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." "There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not."

But you say, "God has made me like this. He has given me a nature which likes to sin. I cannot help it."

Listen to God's Word, dear friend. God did not give you a sinful nature.

When He made our first father and mother, He made them good and put them in a beautiful garden. They were very happy and daily had fellowship with God.

But He did not make them as a machine which had to go where He guided. He wanted them to love and obey Him because they chose to and not because He forced them to. So He gave them a test. He told them they could eat fruit from every tree in the garden except one. That was the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. That was the only restraint God put upon them.

But there is one who is God's enemy, the Evil One, Satan. He cleverly planned to make man be obedient to himself instead of God. So he came in the form of a beautiful snake and said, "Did God say you would die if you eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? You will not really die, but you will become very wise, like gods."

So our first mother and father disobeyed God and ate of the fruit which God had told them not to eat. From then on, darkness came into their souls, and they were afraid of God. Sin and death entered into their beautiful world. They knew they ought to do right, but they began to love sin. The more they loved sin, the farther away from the holy God of Heaven they went. Their children were born with a sinful nature and love sin.

But God did not forsake man. He loved him and made a plan whereby He could protect His holiness and yet receive sinners.

Listen to this wonderful word again. "When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," and "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." What does it mean? It means that God did not wait for us to become good before He would receive us. Even though we have sinned and become His enemies, He sent His Son to die for us. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins in His own body on the cross.

So, friends, do not try any longer to get rid of your sins by your own efforts. Believe God's Word. Jesus can completely save you. Today, will you not tell Him you believe His Word and ask Him to take away your sins and receive you as His child?