HAVE YOU RECEIVED
GOD'S PARDON?

Preface

Life Down Here Is Not Forever

10 out of 10 people will give an account of their lives to the Creator of the universe.

Will you be found guilty or innocent before a God whose nature is unlike the little gods we have given our attention to? Think about it. Whatever idol you may cherish, whether it be a deity, a person, or a thing, does it know you from the inside & out? How much money, energy, and time have you invested in it only to find yourself feeling more miserable, depressed, empty, broken... Anyone can put on a happy mask but deep inside God knows who you are.

One

Our Crisis

As a Western society, our morals have greatly declined. What used to be considered bad not long ago is now considered good, and vice-versa. We do not need to look far down the corridors of history for evidence, we just have to check out the news reports: rape, child trafficking, burglary, murder, drug abuse, cover-ups, lies, and the list goes on and on...

How long will we be playing games with ourselves, deceiving ourselves that everything is fine with us and that the problem is somewhere else?

In the book of Proverbs, it is written that many people will say that they are loyal friends. But who can you trust in our society? (see chapter 20:6)

Two

Everybody Wants Respect

Let's consider you first. What happens when you are disrespected? You want justice, don't you? Well, you can rest assured that God will deal in righteousness with whoever has disrespected you. But He will also judge you for every wrong you did to others. And this also includes God, who is the very One who brought you into existence in the first place.

God said that He will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain. It's called blasphemy. It's a very serious sin. To put it bluntly, it is like spitting in God's face after He has created you. (Exodus 20:7)

Furthermore, God has given each person a conscience, an inner sense of right and wrong. This conscience serves as a moral compass, guiding us in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Three

Imagine Going to Heaven

Everybody has an idea of what heaven will be like, but how many people are certain of entering that place anyway? Suppose you go to heaven, how long will it take before someone drops the ball and heaven turns into widespread chaos with people hurting one another? Hence, showing how disloyal they truly are! And, how they ignored and/or suppressed their conscience!

In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, it is recorded that God threw Adam & Eve out of paradise. How many sins had they done? Just one. Now, how many times have you failed to give your attention to God and obey His word since you got out of bed this morning? You may think that God knows your heart (and He certainly does) but God doesn't listen to your prayers if you continue living in sin (John 9:31). Just as a best friend whom you keep disrespecting in front of everyone would not continue to enjoy your friendship.

The prophet Isaiah wrote this about God to an evil Jewish generation in his time, "[...] your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Ch. 59) And again, in another passage in the Bible, the prophet Habakkuk acknowledges this about God in his prayer to Him, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing." (Ch.1)

So you see, God does not hear sinners. And the reason is because He is too pure to tolerate wrongdoings. Therefore, how can anyone enter into His presence? To whom will God give His ear?

Four

Your Good Actions

Just in case you think you can still get to heaven by your good deeds, let's see Owen's situation:

Owen had a pretty good life. He was raised upright and has done many good deeds, which most people in his neighborhood can attest to. He was a role model for the kids in his town and over every social media platform. But something happened. He now stands before a judge in a court of law. What happened exactly? He was influenced by some people who didn't know any better. To fit in their club, he had to do something worthy of their attention: he broke the law by jumping over the fence. Then he kicked and beat the guard dog unconscious, and finally, he stole a package from his mayor's porch. The video captured the evidence in vivid colors in 4K resolution. As Owen sits in the courtroom unconcerned of what will happen next. No matter how many good deeds he performed, they won't outweigh his crimes. The amount that he must pay to avoid his time in prison is too high. But what if, the judge could just forgive Owen if he was sincere in his apology? Would that be okay? No way! Owen is guilty and his excuses don't cancel out the judgment set against him as the gavel is about to hit the table at any moment. If the judge decided to let him loose, he would be a corrupt judge because that crime has to be paid somehow. You can't just shove any crime done under the rug, and pretend it never happened. Someone would notice and trip over it and file a case against that judge.

As Owen's verdict is Guilty at charge, the same is said about us. The Bible reports that we have all sinned, disrespected, and ignored God (Romans 3). It says in the 18th chapter of Ezekiel, "The soul who sins shall die." We must be thrown into the lake of Fire and spend our eternity there under the justice of our Maker.

But you may argue that that kind of punishment is too heavy. Well, listen, we didn't disrespect a person who lives somewhere in the suburbs. We boldly decided to have beef with our Creator. And for what reason? Can you name one good reason?

We will now end this chapter with the biggest problem in the whole Christian Bible: How can God justify you and remain just at the same time? Because it does say in Proverbs 17:15: "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD."

Six

The Solution

In the previous chapter, we talked about a judge swinging the gavel to condemn Owen in prison. We also hammer down how God hates the person who justifies the sinner.

Now, let's go back to the moment when the judge is about to hit the table in the Supreme Court of Law. But this time, think of it as you are held in the presence of the Supreme Judge of the Universe. God is swinging the gavel to pronounce your absolute condemnation. But just in the nick of time, there is a Man that comes and He stands between you and the Judgment of God. And He says "I will take the blame. I will take punishment. Every recorded sin that he committed, lay it to my account."

He is no ordinary man. He is unique and the Only One able to bridge the gap between sinful flesh and the Holy God.

[remaining text under writing]

The First Coming

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

John 3:16-21

Your Response

Friend, take God's pardon today. Do not put it aside!

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)

Seven

REPENT

The most common translation of "repent" is "turn". God commands everyone to turn from their evil ways and renounce their detestable practices. (Acts 17:30)

TRUST

Believe in Jesus' gospel. In other words, trust in the finished work & the person of Jesus Christ as you would trust a parachute.

FOLLOW

Learn from Jesus Christ by following Him, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Jesus also said, "Come, follow Me, and I will send you out to fish for people." (Matthew 4:19)

Spiritual Growth

If you have decided to become a student of Jesus Christ, you will need to learn new things as you put your faith into practice. If you believe in Christ, God identifies you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit will teach you all things and give the spotlight to God's Son.

Eight

PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL

Learn what Jesus taught on how to pray in Luke 11:1-13.

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

FIND A HEALTHY CHURCH

If you continue to read God's word every day, seek to apply it to your life, and talk with the Creator through prayer, He will guide you to a healthy local church. [Bad churches can be detrimental to your soul.]

Find a Church

READ GOD'S WORD

As a student of the Word, you will need to study God's Word so that you can imitate our Lord & Savior. Mediate on the Word day and night. (Consider Psalm 1)

We suggest you start with the book of John.

SHARE THE GOOD NEWS

Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find ways to do it: social media, handling pamphlets on a street corner, inviting unbelievers to your home. Regarding street evangelism, we suggest doing it with other like-minded believers so you help each other and grow in the Lord together.

Biblical Awareness

Following, obeying, and pointing others to the Good News of Jesus Christ comes with some warnings.

Nine

CHERISH THE FAITH

Don't forsake your first love

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Defend the Gospel

KEEP THE FAITH

You must persevere to the end

SHARE THE FAITH

Don't hide your light

Ten

Longing For His 2nd Coming

As the Day is approaching when everyone will see Jesus Christ coming on the clouds with great power and glory. (For He will come to make war, rescue His people, and set up His reign for a thousand years.) His 2nd Coming is our blessed hope. But for the unbelieving world, it will be a nightmare that they won't be able to escape. Plus, the evil New World Order will be eradicated.

Before He comes, saints will need to remain faithful. We don't know at what day and hour God the Father will signal to His Son, "It is time".

While we are in this world, we will be tested and we will be greatly tested when the Antichrist comes into power having great wrath against God, His anointed One, and God's people. Some Christians believe that they will be "raptured", in other words, taken out of the world violently before the Antichrist comes to rule the nations. Others think that somewhere at the midpoint, they will escape the Great Tribulation.

(We, at Take His Pardon, have various beliefs and don't see things eye to eye. However you look at it, we urge you to bring your favorite bible teacher to the Word of God and study it for yourself. We recently learned of another viewpoint on the End Times called as the Pre-Wrath rapture.)