Answer # 72

Jesus certainly did come to die to pay the penalty for this world's sins (John 3:16). But have you read Romans 5:8-10? "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

Jesus Christ bled arid died for us. His death makes possible the forgiveness of sin. But we shall be saved by His life! Jesus' death does not impart eternal life - it justifies your guilty past. It takes Jesus' life - the Holy Spirit - to impart eternal life.

Notice Paul's teaching: "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.... And if Christ is not risen ... you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (I Corinthians 15:13, 17-18).

If Jesus Christ is not living - if His life is not living in you through the Holy Spirit, if there is no resurrection - then your faith is in vain. You are doomed to perish. You are yet in your sins because there is no living High Priest to plead for you.

Jesus' death cannot, of itself, save you. Christ's blood makes possible the justification of your guilty past - your reconciliation to God. But it takes His life to impart eternal life to humans.

But this is not what we are talking about when we say that if Jesus Christ came to this earth more than 1,900 years ago to save this world, He failed.

Look around you. Billions of people inhabit this earth. How many are true Christians? How many even know what a Christian is? Here is the Bible definition: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him" (I John 2:3-5).

Looking at it this way - God's way - do you think that the many are being saved today? Are the vast majority living by every word of God (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4)? Have Jesus' teachings put an end to war, crime, adultery, thievery, hatred, famine?

If this is the only day of salvation - if people today are now being given their one and only opportunity for salvation - then God has failed. For millions have lived and died without any saving knowledge.

But the fact is that Jesus Christ did not come to give everyone an opportunity for salvation at this time. Rather, your Bible shows that most of the world has been spiritually blinded, deceived, yes, made spiritually drunk on false religious beliefs. They cannot understand the Bible unless God reveals His truth to them (Revelation 12:9, Romans 11:25, 32).

For 6,000 years God is allowing the world to go its own way to teach humanity that its ways only lead to misery and death. God will soon set His hand to save this world. That is the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. For 1,000 years the nations are going to learn the way to peace - and be given opportunity for salvation (II Peter 3:8-9).