One of the most ubiquitous abbreviations of the modern era is FYI (‘For your information’ or with sarcastic intent, ‘For your ignoring’).  Use of the latter meaning is especially prevalent among cheeky but timid subordinates who think the boss isn’t paying due heed.  Sometimes they’re right.  [And sometimes they’re just passive aggressive worriers, obsessing over nothing.]

Self-appointed prophets of doom may be prone to histrionics and are often proved wrong when the deadlines on their dire predictions expire without incident.  Yet every once in a while, today’s frustrated and annoying tattletale becomes tomorrow’s valiant “whistleblower.”  A savvy boss is alert to persistent complaints of inaction on potentially credible warnings, and will probe such allegations carefully, particularly if the consequences of making a mistake are significant.

But how to tell the oracles from the cranks?  Who should be taken seriously?  It’s a judgment call, of course, but when the source of the information is the Holy Bible, and the stakes are not ‘life or death’ but ‘Paradise or the Lake of Fire’ for all eternity, it may be wise to err on the side of caution and give calamity a wide berth.  Each individual’s choices are their own.  Who better than YOU to decide whether the following content is pertinent to your life and worthy of your attention or is best dismissed as unimportant—a waste of your valuable time?

“As it is written there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10) 

According to God’s written word, are YOU righteous?

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)

Are YOU a sinner?

“For the wages of sin is death…”  (Romans 6:23a)

What penalty have you EARNED by sinning?

“…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23b)

What GIFT does God offer you, instead of the justice you deserve?

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)

WHEN did Christ die for you (and me)?  “While we were yet sinners,” still in ungrateful rebellion against God.  He loved us, had compassion on us and longed to save us.  Jesus didn’t hate sinners and dream of damning us, while at the same time making His way to the cross on our behalf.  [Does that even make sense?]  No.  Jesus FORGAVE us from the cross.  He does not insist that we clean ourselves up before He’ll grant us an audience.  He doesn’t demand that we buckle down and try a little harder until we get our lives sorted (for good, this time).  Best of all, He has not changed.  Jesus Christ still loves sinners who are tired of a godless, pointless lifestyle.

Jesus went through the injustice, betrayal, slander, shame, savagery, loneliness, and the agony of separation from His Father, all while being mocked and crucified by the very people He came to rescue.  His death was the price of our ransom.  He paid that price in full, satisfied the judgment that had been entered against us, cancelled our debt and set us free.

“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)

Have YOU believed in YOUR heart and confessed with YOUR mouth?

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)

WHO can be saved?

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 5:1)

What is the immediate and lasting benefit of coming to Jesus?

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:1)

If you belong to Jesus and follow Him, which of your sins and failures will He count against you?

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38-39)

Will He change His mind, take it all back someday?  No.  A personal relationship with God is built on the most secure foundation there is—His faultless character and unlimited strength.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [Gentile].”  (Romans 1:16)

So, it turns out that the story of the salvation to be found in Jesus Christ, carries God’s power to bring about that salvation for everyone who truly believes it.  What kind of power are we talking about?  Oh, nothing much—just the juice it takes to create and sustain the whole universe and, yes—to raise the dead.  Jesus is the living proof!  His resurrection not only demonstrates God’s love, it shows that His sacrifice on our behalf was fully accepted and fully effective.  Just as He was raised from the dead, so those who belong to Him at his coming, will also be raised in immortal and glorious bodies like His.  If you’re united with Jesus, rejoice!  If not, read on.

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 transform 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)
• “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”  (Isaiah 59:2)
• “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)
• “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)
• “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)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “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)
• “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)