Genesis 6-9

John 1:12 - Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Romans 14:11-13 -  It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Nobody likes pain. As soon as it comes, we try to get rid of it. Still, it is not a good idea to try to eliminate all pain. Without pain, we could put our hand on a hot stove and suffer severe damage. Pain tells us to pull our hand back.

God built pain into the human system. It is a part of God's system of judgment. Do the wrong thing, and you will suffer pain. God allows pain and judgment in order to teach us to avoid doing the things that destroy and bring harm. Most of us understand and accept this concept in the realm of the physical, but we have trouble accepting the concept in the realm of the spiritual and emotional. God allows pain in lives because it can be an effective tool to help us learn life's most important truths. Without pain, we might wrongly assume that it is acceptable to leave our hand on a hot stove; we would never know that anything was wrong until our hand had been destroyed.

The clearest example of judgment in the Bible was the Flood. At that time, sin had increased until it was destroying society and civilization. God was not willing to allow His creation to be destroyed without doing something to remedy the problem. So He pronounced judgment on the world of ungodly people in order to bring a new day.

Just as certainly as the sun will come up in the morning, it will set at night and darkness will take over. It is equally as certain that the God who provides bountiful blessings for His creation will also bring certain judgment on evil. 

The picture of the evil in the world before the Flood is not pretty. The earth was corrupt and full of violence, depravity and wickedness. Evil was an incurable cancer. The only remedy was radical surgery.

No one gets excited about having surgery. But the time can come when that is the best option available. Sin and evil, der the control of the Adversary (the devil) destroys. Those who become a part of the kingdom of evil self-destruct. But they do just destroy themselves, they destroy others. They also destroy society. 

Jesus taught the future judgment will follow the pattern of Noah's Flood. The world will be partying and ignoring the fact that evil has increased to an unacceptable level. God will say that enough is enough; the powers of destruction can no longer control the world. It is time for surgery--an operation to remove the cancer destroying civilization.

Prior to that day, God will send prophets to warn the world. But warnings can go unheeded, just as they did when Noah was building the ark. Those who turn a deaf ear to current warnings of corning judgment are making a serious mistake.

Conversion is at the heart of salvation. Think of a football game with competing teams. Each team defends its own goal while trying to reach its opponent's. Conversion can be compared to a player who calls time-out, goes off the field to switch his jersey, then returns to the action as a member of the opposing team.

Conversion requires a change of goals, a change of identity, a change of teams. Before conversion, you and I were on the side of evil and destruction. We were in complete opposition to the work of God; we were slaves to sin. Conversion makes us servants of God who fight against the forces of evil we previously supported.

Some are committed to serving Satan. Others wander in darkness, unable to find their way. Salvation introduces the light that penetrates the darkness, allowing us to see clearly our bondage of slavery to evil. As slaves, we are addicted to destructive habits and unable, in ourselves, to break the hold evil has on us. When we become aware of the harm that lifestyle brings, we need help to change and free ourselves from undesirable thoughts and activities.

When the light of the gospel shining on our path exposes the error of our ways, it becomes our responsibility to acknowledge the reality of our failures, and confess our sins so that God can forgive us. Forgiveness is available through the Atonement provided by Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

To acquire God's pardon, we must confess our need of forgiveness and our desire to accept His grace. He gives all who receive Him the power to become children of God (see John 1:12). Forgiveness and eternal life are gifts God provides. Our responsibility is to...

♦ Recognize the validity of salvation

♦ Desire to receive the blessings brought by this gift of God's grace

♦ Be willing to turn from evil in a conversion experience

♦ Receive Christ

♦ Allow the Holy Spirit to deliver us from evil and then place within us eternal life, making us a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Salvation includes abandoning non-Christian religious practices. A believer stops going to pagan temples, removes all idols from the home and stops depending on help from magic and fortune-tellers. God alone must be worshiped and looked to as the deliverer from the curse of evil. 

You can plant a seed and cultivate it, but you cannot create the seed or give it life. Too often we fail to reflect on life's source and meaning. Eternal life allows us to enter the realm of the Spirit. It requires us to recognize that the new birth is a gift.

God gives eternal life to those who want it and are willing, with the help of the Spirit, to turn from the power of Satan to the power of God (see Acts 26:18). But turning from the power of Satan requires deliverance from the control evil has over us. Even the power to turn is a gift, so this places conversion in the realm of grace.

Eternal life is only for those willing to accept it. Evil is darkness. Some love darkness rather than light because of the responsibilities that light brings. God's light shines into our dark world, exposing the evil that holds us captive. We can welcome that light, but understanding and desiring a change is not enough. We must accept God's gift.

Nothing is more precious than life itself. God offers salvation and eternal life to those willing to allow Him into their hearts. He has promised that He will cleanse us of all impurities and evil. By surrendering to God, we receive His blessings through the Holy Spirit. Invite Him to begin His creative work of salvation in you. 

1. Do you see salvation as primarily for-giveness of sins or does it include more

2. How is salvation to be considered as deliverance from corrupt rulers?

3. Are unconverted people to be seen as enemies of God who oppose His work?

4. Are those who have not been saved blind to what they are doing in opposing God?

5. Since life is a free gift, what is our responsibility to nurture it and use it appropriately?

6. How should Christians show appreciation for the gift of eternal life?

7. What are the steps involved in accepting this gift and receiving eternal life?

8. What do you think motivated the Prodigal to come to himself and bounce back?