The most important truth
Before God even created the world, He had a plan in mind.
He created humans – with the ability to choose Him, or not. They chose not, right from the Garden of Eden. But this did not surprise Him. He knew that His creatures would choose wrong (a lot). And since He is a holy God, He knew we couldn’t be with Him in our “wrong choice” state. But His plan, from before He even created the world, was to provide a way back to Him. A way that someone else would pay the penalty for all the sin and wrongdoing that His creatures would commit – a perfect substitute in whom there was never any wrongdoing. And that, of course, was Jesus, God Himself (in that mystery that is the Trinity).
Jesus, who stepped from glory and infinity into finite time, to a specific historical place, and offered Himself as that sacrifice for sins, cleaning our slates (even for sins not yet committed!) so that we could be adopted into His family and live with Him forever. He died on a cross and rose again, and the evidence for these and other ancient times events is significant, for those who wish to seek truth. There is nothing a human can add to Christ’s sacrifice to gain salvation – it is a free gift, graciously given, activated only by faith in Jesus as Lord.
The Bible also teaches this truth. It is a miraculous book written by many humans but inspired by one Holy Spirit (the other member of that Trinity). It speaks in one Voice, with one coherent message – that message being that God who created everything and everyone loves us more than we can fathom, and has provided a way for us to love Him back, forever.
That’s what we call the Gospel, which means Good News, and it is good news indeed because this world is also reeling from the curse of evil, and every human not in relationship with his or her Creator God is on a path to destruction. That ability to choose means that some will choose to do evil in this world and ignore the evidence for the God who created them. His Word tells us the tragic consequence of that choice, which is that God will grant them what they seek – separation from Him, forever.
So we share this Good News, knowing that many scoff, but that it is truth. And that those seeking answers to the great questions of life find everything they need to fill their soul when they acknowledge their Creator and His plan, and align themselves with it. We were literally created for this purpose, every single one of us.
And in that transformative moment where we meet Him – He grants us so many gifts:
The gift of repentance, as we turn away from our old life, seeing our sins for what they are – a path to hell
The gift of faith, as we are granted the ability to believe the truth
The gift of justification, which means our accounts are settled with God. The price has been paid, for every sin we have committed or will commit. It is done.
The gift of salvation, as we are welcomed into His eternal family and rescued from the domain of darkness
The gift of relationship, as we are granted access to the Holy of Holies
The gift of sanctification, which means we will grow more and more like Him as we learn more and more of Him through His Word. And the more we are like Him, the more we will burn with a desire to do FOR Him whatever He has gifted us and called us to do. We are invited to come alongside Him to build His kingdom, which is the greatest adventure any of us could undertake!
The gift of glorification, which is what awaits us when we die, and finally see Him face to face
My prayer for everyone who joins me here at She Speaks Truth is that you will fully understand what you are given in Him – and how to live in light of those truths. In other words, that you will grow in seeing Him clearly, obeying Him joyfully, and living abundantly.
Because that is what I am doing here. I’m a mom and grandma who wants to know Him better, so I prioritize getting into His Word. And I want to serve Him better, so I prioritize applying His truth and wisdom to all aspects of life.
I’m excited to start conversations and encourage each other as we dive into how Bible truth…
Affects our lives, choices, actions, and speech
Clarifies what’s happening in the world and current events
Guides us in caring for others, our families, and ourselves
Infuses our work at home (and elsewhere)
Thank you for being a part of this journey!
-Diane Schrader