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CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso
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CONCL.DOC
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1994-09-29
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CONCLUSION
THE BEST TRANSLATION
What is the best translation? There have been and there
will probably will be many good translations. The Lord will
probably inspire people to make new translations to
communicate his good news. Whether the recipients speak
another language or the language has changed so that it seems
like another language, new translations will be needed as
long as there are human beings.
However, abstract words on paper or other media are not
of utmost importance. People are of infinite value to our
Heavenly Father. So, please understand the following
statement: THE BEST AND MOST IMPORTANT TRANSLATION IS A
HUMAN BEING TRANSFORMED BY GOD'S WORD.
The place for God's Word is not on the coffee table or a
fireplace mantel, but the human heart. Jesus was the Word of
God incarnate and we are to be like him. Paul said that we
are "living letters":
You yourselves are our letter, written on
our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from
Christ, the result of our ministry,
written not with ink but with the Spirit
of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of human hearts.
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3, New International
Version).
How do we become the Word of God incarnate, like the
Lord Jesus Christ? The scriptures tell us how.
God Loves You
God loves you and desires an abundant life for you:
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).
Not only did God tell you that he loves you, but he
proved his love by sending his Son to die for you! His
love is also expressed by the abundant life he has planned
for you now--in this life as well as in the life to come.
Jesus said,
The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal,
and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. (John 10:10).
Why is there so much evil in the world and why do many
people not experience the abundant life?
Sin Has Separated Us from God
Because people are sinful, they are cut off from God and
his blessings. The Bible teaches and human experience
confirms that we are sinful:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God; (Romans 3:23).
We were created for fellowship with God, but that
fellowship was broken when we rebelled against God. This
sin brought us spiritual death:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23).
We continually strive for the abundant life but always
fall short. Business success, wealth, education, religion,
fame, drugs, pleasure and all human substitutes cannot fill
the God-shaped void in the human heart. How do we become
reunited with God and experience the abundant life?
Jesus Christ Is the Answer
Jesus Christ is God's only provision to forgive our sin
and give us abundant life. Jesus died for us--he took our
penalty of death:
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare
to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. (Romans 5:7-8).
God demonstrated that Christ's death was accepted as a
sacrifice for us by raising Christ from the dead:
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: And that he was seen
of Cephas [Peter], then of the twelve: After that,
he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;
of whom the greater part remain unto this present,
but some are fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
Christ is the only way to God:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(John 14:6).
It is not enough to know that God loves you, that sin
has cut you off from God and that Jesus Christ is the only
way to God.
We Must Receive Christ Personally
You must personally receive Christ as your Lord and
Savior.
The Bible states that,
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).
You receive Christ by faith:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians
2:8-9).
If you choose to receive the truth about Jesus Christ,
then the Holy Spirit will give you faith to trust him as your
personal Savior. Then, when you receive Christ, the Holy
Spirit will give you a spiritual rebirth. Jesus called this
being born again:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3).
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again. (John 3:7).
This is the most important experience that you will ever
have. God brings new life into your being. This new life
will make you like the Lord Jesus.
The Prophet Isaiah prophesied this beautiful word
picture concerning the ministry of Christ:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the
LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-
hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and
the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and
the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all
that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil
of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3).
Isaiah speaks of the joy of deliverance from past guilt
and bondage of sin. However, it does not happen auto-
matically. Christ stands at your heart's door--you must open
the door:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in
to him, and will sup [fellowship] with him,
and he with me. (Revelation 3:20).
You can receive Christ in your heart right now. Pray
this prayer from your heart:
Almighty God, I confess that I have sinned against
you. I ask you to forgive me. I receive Christ as
my Lord and Savior. Thank you for forgiving my
sins and giving me eternal life. In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Tell someone that you have accepted Christ as your
Savior. Please write me and tell me the good news also.
(This presentation of the plan of salvation was adapted from
Dr. Bill Bright's "Four Spiritual Laws.")
END