If anyone tries to deny how incredible the grace of God is, just point them to the book of Judges. Over and over you see the Israelites turning away from God. Over and over you read, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” They just could not stay on track! They provoked the Lord to anger. They refused to give up their evil practices. They forgot the Lord. Yet every time they realized how far they had fallen and found themselves once again in bondage to the trouble they brought upon themselves, they cried out to God in despair. And every time he rescued them. Every time!
At one point it seemed like God may have finally had enough and had decided that they were beyond saving. It appeared for a moment as though he may have finally decided that he was done with them.
But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble. – Judges 10:14
You certainly couldn’t blame him. Ever since the beginning of time it had been the same. He would love and care for his people in amazing ways and somehow they would still decide to try to live life apart from him. If you think about it, how many of us would endlessly continue to forgive someone if we knew that they would do the same thing again? But God is gracious beyond measure and when his people repent and turn back to him, he welcomes them with open arms every single time.
Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. – Judges 10:16
A similar story plays out today. People deny God despite the evidence of him all around them. They decide to devote themselves to other “gods” of their own making. They decide that they do not need God, and God lets them have the sinful desires of their hearts. (Romans 1:20-25) They set themselves on the path of destruction headed straight towards hell. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
But when God looked down through all time, he could not bear the misery of lost sinners. He does not want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to repent and be saved. (2 Peter 3:9) And because of his incredible love and amazing grace, and despite the hard-hearted obstinateness of the human heart, he made a way for us to be saved from eternal destruction. One way. Jesus.
The simple truth (the Gospel) is this:
Everyone sins. God doesn’t rate sins. They all prevent you from being in his presence. They all require blood payment. They all require death.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. – Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death… – Romans 6:23a
But because God loves us too much to let us die in our sins, Jesus died instead. Jesus took every sin that ever has been or ever will be committed to the cross with him and died to pay the final price.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (Jesus’ words)
…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23b
No matter what you’ve done or how far you’ve fallen from God, the blood of Jesus can save you. All you have to do is ask. All you have to do is finally admit to God that there is no other way and surrender your life to Jesus. All you have to do is turn around and take one step in God’s direction and he will bring you the rest of the way.
Don’t wait! You never know when it will finally be too late.