UNBELIEF can be very stubborn! Even with sufficient evidence and the opinion of an authority, we refuse to acknowledge the obvious. In addition, we can even experience the pain of a situation and still refuse to believe.
It's as the old maxim states: A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. But, unbelief in the face of clear-cut evidence is either stupidity or sin!
Honesty compels us to acknowledge our personal sin along with the fact we are even essentially sinful. We are born sinners. We are broken humans, dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). When Isaiah the prophet saw God he then saw himself, by way of utter contrast, as a poor sinner. His comment was: “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Remember, this is the Bible teaching us.
The God of gods and the Lord of lords is the Jehovah God of the Bible. He is Creator and and King over all. When HE says we are sinners, WE JUST PLAIN ARE! His Word declares in Romans 3:10-18:
“There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands,
there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."
THIS is God's indictment of humanity! He knows! Man will hardly ever talk this way about himself or fellow humanity. We may deny and look for another opinion, but God's Word stands. If we are honest with ourselves, we know it is the truth. Looking at ourselves, our sinfulness is obvious. We are a mess. All of humanity is degraded and always has been. A cursory knowledge of history confirms it to be so. Besides, God says so! We have the evidence and the authoritative opinion.
But happily, and blessed be His Name, He also provides the solution. Jesus is the answer. He says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." In Acts 4:12 the Apostle Peter declares: "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Paul states:
"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith" (Romans 3:21-25).
Be honest, acknowledge your sin and put your trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
dick christen
