If God could be frustrated, consider how He might feel that the take up rate for His offer of salvation and eternal life remains chronically low (when, by all rights, it should be 100%).  And suppose, just for fun, that the Almighty opted to address the problem by placing an ad in the classified section of the newspaper (or internet bulletin board or social media platform…)?

He would not place it under “Help Wanted,” because, God being God, needs no help and people, being people, can give Him none.  It is not a “Business Opportunity”—no money or property changes hands and no goods or services are exchanged—though there is great profit for those who take God up on His proposition. 

For obvious reasons, His ad does not belong under “Garage Sales” or “Estate Sales” or “Wanted to Buy.”  It would not even fit under “Free to Good Home,” as His offer extends to those who have no home. “Services Offered” is not too far off track.  But the best fit is to be found in the “Free Items” category.

Now that the right spot has been selected for God’s ad, we may turn our attention to the ad copy.  How would it read?  That’s hard to determine without some basic information such as, what is being offered, to whom the offer is open, any terms or conditions that may apply and, how to signal interest in the offer.  Let’s review what we know.

God’s Son has already paid the price in full, which enables the invaluable gift of forgiveness of sin to be given away, rather than earned (an impossibility) or bought (God’s justice and favor are not for sale).  Since what is being offered is free, cost is no barrier to acquisition.    

With the pardon for sin comes other features, such as the perfect righteousness of the sinless One who purchased it with His own blood on the cross.  Jesus’ blood cleanses the believer from all sin (I John 1:7) and imputes (chalks up) His righteousness to them, as if it were their own (Romans 4:20-25).  The pardon and righteousness provided by Christ’s innocent sacrifice on their behalf brings salvation (rescue from death, and deliverance from the coming wrath of God on earth and in hell).

Quantities are not limited: 

• “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off [in time as well as distance], even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:39)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)

Some conditions apply:

• “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:9-10)

How to signal interest in the offer: if God had a phone number or email address or a website, He could provide those links.  But that would have been of no use to those who lived before these technologies and or who may outlive the current tools.  Thankfully, God hears and answers prayer today, just as He always has and always will.

Based on this information, that classified ad almost writes itself: 

“Thirsty???  Slake your thirst and quench it for good with the cool, clear Water of Life!

Change your destiny by following My plan.

Trade a future that leads to death and hell for My free gift of a personal relationship with Me and everlasting life in heaven.

Confess your sins and turn away from them.

Call on Jesus to forgive you, cleanse you, come into your heart and rule in your life.

Accept the undeserved mercy that I choose to grant to all who put their faith in Christ.

Trust Him to save you.  Worship Him as Lord.”

Sounds good, right?  But just imagine the grief when responses to the ad start rolling in…

• “I’m not a quote “sinner,” so I have no need of a Savior.  Thanks anyway.”
• “I choose not to believe in hell or heaven, so nothing lost and nothing to be gained.”
• “If You DO exist, would You let Your own Son be crucified for sinners?  Sorry, I don’t buy it.”
• “Turn from my sins?  Maybe.  Someday.  But I’m enjoying myself too much right now.”
• “Heaven or hell is my choice?  Eternal life…for free?  Uh-unh.  What’s the catch?”  
• “I’ll pass.  Nothing worth having is free.”
• “Nice try, God.  You just want to control me.  Everyone says so.  I’m not taking the bait.”
• “No one among my family/co-workers/friends believes in Jesus.  I’m not going to be the first.”
• “I’m not willing to be “saved” by someone arrogant enough to claim He’s my only hope.”
• “Jesus contributed everything, and I contribute nothing?  No way.  That’s insulting.”
• “I’m not afraid to stand before You.  I’m very religious…lived a good life…I’ll take my chances.”
• “But You don’t know what I’ve done [or what’s been done to me].  You couldn’t love me.”
• “I’m doing the best I can.  Surely effort counts for something.  Do I really need Jesus, too?”
• “What do YOU get out of it, God?  Do You expect me to believe You did all this out of love?”

The above responses are brought to you by those too stubborn, too proud and too foolish to accept God’s indescribable gift, even though the Lord has made it free to them.  This is not speculation but observation, based quite literally on ages of planet-wide experience.  God knows and has told us the reason: “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).

Despite this deadly and damning disinterest in the pardon Jesus suffered and died to give them, God, in His great compassion, still pleads: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”(Isaiah 55:7).

God does not hate sinners.  He loves them.  Though He is often ignored or rejected, He still pursues them. Believe it or don’t (and all true Christians pray that you will), God is ready to joyfully receive you.  All of His angels eagerly wait to rejoice over you.  Christ Jesus Himself longs to embrace you and to show you all the wonders of heaven.  All of the faithful from all ages past strain toward you, shouting encouragement and welcome.  The only thing missing is you.

The Holy Spirit will assist you, but you must come to Christ on your own.  The door of the Church Age is swinging toward its close and picking up speed.  Don’t let it slam in your face.  Come home.  Come running. Come now.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)