The Necessity Of The Covenant For Salvation

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her!
How often I wanted to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
but you were not willing!
See! Your house is left to you desolate;"
Matthew 23:37-38
The Jews had no excuse to reject the Messiah. Never before or after had anyone else healed the sick, cast out demons, even raised the dead. His fame went throughout the whole land and was known everywhere. People were so astonished that they came from everywhere just to see Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
"Now a great many of the Jews knew that he was there,
and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only,
but that they might also see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead."
John 12:9
Yet ...in the end they rejected Jesus. For that, they lost their Temple, they lost their land, and were dispersed throughout the world for more than 2,000 years.
Let's apply this to this generation. This generation is also without excuse. The Gospel has been preached in every city, in churches, on tv, over the internet, and there are hundreds of thousands of testimonies of the power of God changing lives. And ...the signs of "the last days" are all before us. It's as clear as can be. The restoration of Israel is the greatest of the signs. Israel was re-established as a nation on May 14, 1948, and since then her Jewish population has burgeoned to over seven million living in the land, and that number is growing daily as the Lord continues his program of the restoration of Israel. After 2,000 years!
In addition to that, all the signs Jesus spoke of that would indicate the time of the end are here. Wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, famine, pestilence (diseases), they're all here. Some say, "oh there have always been those things." Yes, each generation has had its great war or great earthquake, etc, but never have these things all taken place TOGETHER. All of them, in this one generation. That they point to the time of the end is unmistakable.
If the penalty for rejecting the Messiah meant loss of everything for more than 2,000 years for the Jews, what will the penalty be for rejection of Jesus Christ now, after all he has done to make himself known? Their loss was temporary because God had made an everlasting covenant with their fathers. But the only covenant made with the gentiles (us) is the covenant Jesus establishes with all who receive him and are born again. The loss to those who do not receive him ...will be eternal.
"Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
'Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
Matthew 26:27-28
The blood of Jesus was shed for "many" ...not for all. Those who do not come into the covenant established in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be eternally lost.
That's why those who are under that covenant spend themselves so earnestly for others, that all whom they can reach might know and understand the Gospel. And what IS the Gospel? It's the story of the redeeming of fallen mankind. All have been born in a fallen human nature, and all are sinners. All. “There is none righteous, no, not one," (Romans 3:10). The penalty of sin is death and hell. But Jesus Christ came to this earth and took upon himself the guilt and penalty due each sinner.
He died for us, and he descended to hell for us. Anyone who will receive him is cleansed from sin, and sin's penalty will never touch the believer, he is given eternal life.
If you understand this, then you will understand why there is no other way of salvation. The sin issue was dealt with by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, and not by any other. Those following other "gods" or religions remain in their sin. The leaders of those religions did not, could not, bear the guilt of their followers.
Come to Jesus now, don't waste any more time. You do not know that you'll even live out this day. The door is about to close as the great Tribulation is so obviously about to begin. Come now. Surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and be cleansed from sin and kept by him for all eternity.
MORE:
Who Is Jesus Christ?
What Does "Born Again" Mean?
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