God offers a “New Life” that is acceptable to Him.
A. God is our Creator.
1. God made us. “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
2. God has revealed Himself to us. “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
3. God has shown His love for us. “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."" (Acts 14:17)
B. God is our Judge.
1. God has established His righteous law. “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Psalm 19:7-8)
2. God has made His law known to us. “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,” (Romans 2:14,15)
3. God has promised to judge all people by His Law. “Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)
C. God our Creator and Judge offers us New Life.
1. God offers us a life free from guilt. “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)
2. God offers us a life of peace and joy. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1,2)
3. God offers us life everlasting with Him. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27,28)
Summary:
Life belongs to God. Because He created it, all that He has made is His to do with as He desires. In addition to making us, God has revealed Himself through His Word and has chosen to love His people for His own glory. He was not obligated to tell us about Himself, nor direct us how we are to live, but He did so out of love and the graciousness of His holy character. As the Judge of all His creation, God has established His Law by which all are to obey and live their lives.
As our Creator and Judge, God alone is able to provide His people with New Life. This New Life is free from the guilt of sin’s stain. This New Life is full of His peace and everlasting joy, because it is an everlasting life with Him.
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