Jesus: The Name That Saves

Let´s go back to my sailing invitation. I know you said you probably wouldn´t go, but let´s pretend that you aren´t as smart as you look, and you accept and board the boat.
You begin to worry when you notice that I lift the sail only a few inches on the mast. You think it even stranger that I position myself behind the partially raised sail and begin to blow.
¨Why don´t you raise the sail?¨ you ask.
¨Because I can´t blow on the whole thing.¨ I pant.
¨Let the wind blow it,¨ you urge.
¨Oh, I can´t do that. I´m sailing this boat by myself.¨
Those are the words of a legalist, huffing and puffing to push his vessel to heaven. (Ever wonder why so many religious folk seem out of breath?)
With time we drift out to sea, and a powerful storm hits. Rain splatters on the deck, and the little vessel bounces on the waves. ¨I´m going to set the anchor!¨ I yell. You´re relieved that I at least know where the anchor is, but then you are stunned at where I put it.
First, I take the anchor and set it up near the bow. ¨That should steady the boat!¨ I shout. But, of course, it doesn´t. Next I carry the anchor to the stern. ¨Now we are secure!¨ But the bouncing continues. I hang the anchor on the mast, but it doesn´t help. Finally, in fear and frustration, you take the anchor and throw it out to the deep and scream, ¨Don´t you know you have to anchor to something other than yourself!¨
A legalist doesn´t know that. He anchors only to himself. His security comes from what he does; his lineage, his law, and his tattoo. When the storm blows the legalist casts his anchor on his own works. He will save himself. After all, isn´t he in the right group? Doesn´t he have the right law? And hasn´t he passed through the right invitation? (Even wonder why so many religious people have such stormy lives?)
Here is the point: Salvation is God´s business.
...God is the One who saves his children. There is only one name under heaven that has the power to save, and that name is not yours.

(From In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado)

God has a set of laws, and when a law is broken, that is sin. The list of laws is long, and we are not able to completely obey them. Not only that, but God says that when we break just one law, then we break them all. Ever had lust in your heart for someone other than your spouse or said a hateful word to someone? I have, and I imagine you have also. And so we have not only broken those laws, but every single law. And that is the same for every person in the world, because God says that all have sinned. But a legalist is someone who tries to obey all those laws in order to have salvation, and go to Heaven. But the problem is that he or she has already broken them and sinned. If we want to go to Heaven by living a good life, then our life needs to be perfect, and we must obey every law that God has, and do that every day of our life. But we haven´t, and we can´t! We all have sin, and we can´t erase it from our past. But there is someone who can, but we have to rely on Him for our salvation, and not ourselves. It is the One who came here, and died for our sin. Its true, someone loves us so much that He came down from heaven, and although He was sinless, he took our sin, and our punishment for us. And so he suffered and died for us, and was dead for 3 days, and then rose again, and is now in Heaven again. But who was it that did that for us? It was God Himself, and who we know by the name of Jesus Christ. The One who created the universe, and the heavens, and the earth, and who created us, that is who came and died for us. Gods justice does not allow sin to go unpunished, but his love caused Him to punish Himself for our sins. Don´t you want to know Him? Don´t you want to know the One that loves you so much that He died for you, in order to save you? Trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation. Know that you have sin in your life, and ask for forgiveness, and God promises to forgive you. But whatever you do, do not trust in your own life and works for salvation, because it will not happen. There is only one way to eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ.
I would like to talk about what happens after receiving Christ in your life, and what is Gods plan for us as Christians. Once we are saved, God wants us to give us a heart like that of Jesus´s. And so He sends the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus Christ, and it is the Holy Spirit to guides us, and changes our hearts. And when God has more and more control of our hearts, then he can truly use us for good in this world. The problem is that many Christians, many times including myself, think that it is by our own strength and knowledge that we serve God. And so we have our eyes on serving God, and not on God Himself. But the only good that we can accomplish is because God is in us, and we allow God to use us to accomplish his plan for our lives. And God wants to use our lives to spread the good news about Jesus Christ, and so more can be saved, the same as we were. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at timstine_00@yahoo.com