It is very good that you want to turn over a new leaf in your life book. But, if I may ask, what has become of the heavy pages of your former guilt? A child at school who has smudged a page in his notebook turns it over and starts writing again on the next page. He resolves to be more careful in the future. But turning the page over does not remove the smudges on the previous page. The teacher will soon discover the smudged page.
Perhaps your life book shows a past filled with grave sins, addictions, and vices. Using all your willpower, you have cleaned up and changed your life. People who know you today can’t even imagine your former life. But don’t forget that a life of high moral standards cannot eradicate past sins.
Imagine an accountant in a struggling company. He takes the cash book and simply starts a new page without transferring the old balance. Does this erase the old debt? Of course not!
On every page of our life, there is a transfer of the result of the previous page. It is not enough to “turn over a new leaf;” you need forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ in order to become a completely new person. God is merciful. Satan constantly goes around with his pack of lies. To one, he says: “God is too merciful to punish sinners.” And if people don’t believe it, he tries another lie: “If God really punishes the sinner, then damnation will not be eternal after all.”
It is a blessed truth that God is merciful, but He is also holy and just. He never gives up His justice in order to exercise mercy. All His divine attributes are kept in balance. Never can one cancel out the other. He is long-suffering and of great kindness, but He never leaves the guilty unpunished.
When a criminal is brought before the judge, he must learn that his offense will not go unpunished. God’s mercy is only based on the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, and all who refuse to accept redemption through His blood will have to suffer eternal punishment. “He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
Do you think it is difficult to become a child of God? If so, then you are very wrong. You may be saying: “I have tried again and again to become a Christian, but I can’t do it!” Stop trying to earn salvation through your own efforts. Christ has accomplished the great work. Confess your sins to the Lord in repentance and faith and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).
Is it difficult to live as a Christian? Which is easier, serving the devil or Jesus? Which service is best rewarded?
Without God, it is impossible for a person to live as a Christian. But the One who saved us has promised to keep us: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). It is easier to serve the Lord than the devil. If you serve the devil, you turn your back on your most faithful friend. You despise His great salvation, resist the Holy Spirit, and trample the Son of God underfoot. In doing so, you plunge into eternal destruction.
Dear reader, why do you want to be lost when you can be saved?
B. Boesel
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