Isaiah 1:16-31 "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before MINE eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressors, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city become an harlot ! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the LORD, the LORD of hosts, the mighty ONE of Israel, Ah, I will ease ME of MINE adversaries, and avenge ME of MINE enemies: and I will turn MY hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them."
GOD is a holy GOD. HE never upholds sinners, nor does HE condone sin. GOD cannot lie, and, hence, HE must continually warn about sin. HIS WORD often pleads with sinners to flee from the wrath to come. The followers of some cults deny even the very existence of sin. Others align with certain social causes such as the Gay Pride movement and seek not only to justify sin but to "draw iniquity with cords of vanity" and "call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:18 pictured above; 5:20 pictured below). One of Satan's tactics is to make light of sin; in so doing, he blinds people to their need for salvation from sin's penalty since they question the very existence -- and therefore the consequences -- of sin. Why does the WORD of GOD contain so many negative statements against sin ? It is because until an individual admits that he is a sinner, he will not realize his need for a SAVIOR.
Today, it is common to "sugar coat" the Gospel by emphasizing the love of GOD and downplaying HIS judgment; leaders of many evangelistic ministries say that such tactics make it much easier to obtain "decisions" for CHRIST. But unless a person first experiences the HOLY SPIRIT's conviction of sin, his "decision" is apt to be in the head rather than from the heart -- a dangerous situation that leaves one with a false hope. When the true Gospel is preached faithfully, lost sinners hear the good news that, even though they are sinners and "the wages of sin is death," -- "For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten SON" (JESUS CHRIST) and that whosoever believes in HIM shall never perish (Romans 6:23a; John 3:16a). The Bible emphasizes not only the universality of sin and its eternal punishment but also the forgiveness that is available in CHRIST. MHR
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
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