Ezekiel 18: 4: "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ recognizes that the sinner is under the law, has transgressed the law, and God's Word says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). The Gospel recognizes every sinner as guilty, judged guilty, and the sentence is death, but the Gospel has made provision for that guilty sinner in the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord. Christ died for guilty sinners, but the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus means nothing to that sinner who has never been convicted by the Holy Spirit and made to see and made to feel the keen sword of justice and the sword of total depravity in the depths of his own heart. That sinner will continue to play church until he sees the depths of wickedness in his own heart, and that his own soul is just a bottomless pit of Hell. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ recognizes the totally-depraved condition of every man and does not seek to mend or add to or make over or renovate that life, but the Gospel demands and gives a new creation in Christ Jesus. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make the blessings of the atonement effective and real in the hearts of God's children. But the average church member today has no clear concept of salvation in Christ: it's a "hope so," a "maybe so," a "think so;" and they live under the supposition that maybe they will be saved and go to Heaven when they die. The good news, no the great news, is that you can know for sure that you are born again and headed to heaven for all eternity. Make sure He is your Lord and Savior!
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