Many people in this world,
of all faiths, including Christians, still believe that there
is something we must DO in order to receive the salvation
and grace of God. This is simply not true.
When Jesus said, "It is finished," he did not mean
that the end of the crucifixion had come, or that his ministry
had ended, or anything of that nature. In the original Greek,
the phrase, "It is finished," meant PAID IN FULL
or Tetelestat. Tetelestat is what would be written on a certificate
of debt during those times when the debt had been paid. In
those days, when you owed someone a debt, you would be put
into prison for a period of time in order to repay that debt.
When your time was up, your certificate of debt would be stamped
with Tetelestat, or PAID IN FULL.
When Jesus died on the cross, he did so in order to pay for
all of our debts. He didn't do that so that we can have a
chance to earn our salvation through good works, through keeping
the commandments perfectly, or by being a "nice"
person. There is only one thing that we have to do in order
to accept this gift that he has given us on the cross...believe
in Him.
We are imperfect in our nature, and can NEVER do enough in
order to earn our salvation. It's impossible, as we sin all
the time, and cannot achieve the perfection that Jesus demonstrated
here on Earth.
Jesus came here to pay our debts. Accept that you can't do
anything to earn this gift. Accept him as you personal savior
and change your world forever.
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