Him hath God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)
"Through Jesus we have the destruction of the power, the pardon of the guilt, and the cleansing from the pollution, of sin." (Clarke's Commentary). In other words - forgiveness! Without Jesus there is no forgiveness. Without Jesus we would be sentenced to an existence away from God. Without Jesus, there is no worthy sacrifice.
With all that goes on in the world today, with all the "signs" of Jesus' second coming, one would think that many more people would have "wised up" to the fact that no one gets out of here alive and that if they don't "bow down" now - they will eventually and then it will be too late. Imagine standing before God and being told that although you were a "good person", you never acknowledged nor praised nor humbled yourself before him at any time during your life on earth. Imagine being told that theirs was, at best, a feeble attempt at prayer and that never once did they turn to him and rely on him for anything other than money and power. If you can even try to comprehend that they are also told they had no "faith" in him, only in themselves and their ability to manipulate the system and others to achieve greatness. Continue on and try to visualize the Creator reminding them that they kept only the laws they felt applied to them and that they followed and worshiped the enemy all of their lives.
Going to church does not get you into heaven. It does not grant forgiveness of sins and if you follow a law not handed down by God, chances are, you are headed straight for the fiery lake. No one has the authority to re-write God's word, nor does anyone have the authority to decided what is applicable and what is not. If it's in the Word, then it is the "word". Little People have a saying: "if the world doesn't adapt itself to you, adapt yourself to the world". Apply that to the commands of our Father in heaven; just leave out the letter "L".
Talk to God. Pray. Make every effort to walk the path of HIS righteousness, not your interpretation of it. If a murderer flees the jurisdiction of his crime, goes into hiding and lives a life free of crime for twenty or thirty years, is he still not responsible to pay for his act? By the same token, if you deny God and live by your own rules, will you still not answer for your life? You cannot break the laws of God and expect to get away with it. The only chance you have is the forgiveness offered to you, from God, through Jesus. If you don't ask for it you will never receive it. My suggestion is that you stop living in the "real world" and start living a life for him! It's not all that difficult - it just takes humility, patience and trust. It's not about money, power and control - it's about faith, hope and love. Give it a try before it's too late!!!
