Pismo Beach Open Air 1 of 9

You are using circular reasoning to arrive at your "facts".
Here's a question I ask believers:
What would you know about your deity if no other human being had ever brought it up?

But -- if you remain hard and stiff-necked, the ONE you reject, and the ONE whom you've wrongly offended by your sin will be the ONE who casts you into Hell-fire. Please Smujismuj, please don't stay this way. I beg you to turn to Him while He may be found.

In light of that, our response should be a response of humility and brokeness over a very kind God making THE way for us guilty criminals to be forgiven. Please Smujismuj, I beg you, let go of pride and soften your heart. What else does He need to do to prove that He loves you? Repent (turn from you sin) and throw yourself on the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. He will not cast you away if you come to Him.

Based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God can allow us to leave the courtroom of eternity (so to speak). We did the crime and Jesus paid our fine. It's not based on OUR righteousness but on the righteousness/merit of Jesus Christ, who died in our place, rose again on the third day and ascended up into heaven and rules and reigns there.

Jesus Christ never sinned. He lived a perfectly righteous life. The life He lived is the life that God requires from you and me (but we've already seen that we are guilty of a sinful life). But in spite of our guilt before a holy God, to demonstrate His great, deep, and wonderful love of, He hung on the Cross of Calvary and suffered the judgment we rightly deserve in Hell. You see, on the Cross, God the Father punished His perfect SON as our substitute.

But here is the GOOD NEWS -- it's the heart of what I believe and preach. God is just but He is also loving. His love for sinners takes care of the guilt and sin issue for those who will humble themselves, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since God IS just, he will not sweep your crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels holy wrath against you. You deserve to be punished -- just like any guilty criminal standing in front of a judge.

What changed? I told a lie in each case right? The answer is obvious -- The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore, failure to love him is not trivial- it's treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness.

If I tell a lie to my son, it's wrong but the consequences are not a big deal. If I lie to my wife, I will sleep on the couch. If I lie to my employer, I could be fired. If I lie to the Federal Government, I could be thrown in jail.