Jerry was a good man, the pastor said at Jerald Stevens memorial service. He loved his family. He was faithful to his wife. He served his country in the armed services. He was an excellent dad and grandfather. He was a great friend.
But then the pastor went on to tell the friends and family gathered that Jerrys good life and good deeds were not enough to assure him a place in heaven. And that Jerry himself would have been the first to tell them that!
Jerry believed these words from the Bible: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (6:23). Jerrys final and eternal destination in lifes journey was not determined by whether he lived a really good life but entirely by Jesus dying in his place to pay sins penalty. He believed that each of us must personally accept the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (6:23).
Jerry was a good man, but he could never be good enough. And neither can we. It is only by grace that we can be saved through faith. And that has absolutely nothing to do with our human efforts. It is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor. 9:15).
Read: Romans 3:10-18
Thanks, as always, for your timely and beautiful lesson from God’s Word! Hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend...and keep their feet to the fire, Rus! :)
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Amen..Wondeerful lesson, Rus.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.