The Soul That Sinneth Shall Surely Die

Scripture declares that salvation is by faith alone, in the finished work of the cross, apart from the law and works (Romans 3:21; 4:5), and faith is believing what God says. (Hebrews 11:6) So the first thing we all must believe (before salvation) by “faith” is what God has declared about our position: that we are sinners without hope, and the soul that sinneth shall surely die.

‘“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.’

Ezekiel 18:4

‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ‘

Romans 3:23

‘As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;’

Romans 3:10

‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ‘

Romans 5:12

So the first thing that must happen when it comes to salvation is a person must believe that they are a sinner. They must believe that regardless of how good they may be, or how good a family they come from. God says, “I’m a sinner.” I’ve already sinned. That is the very first step in the plan of salvation.

Easier Said Than Done and that’s a Scriptural Fact

‘Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ‘

Romans 8:7

The apostle Paul is referring to the unsaved person when he uses the word “carnal” or the natural man ( σάρξ) and enmity is another word for enemy. So until a person believes the gospel they are enemies of God and in complete bondage to the god of this world, Satan.

‘But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. ‘

II Corinthians 4:3-4

First Thing’s First You’re a Sinner

Before God can step into a person’s life they must believe that they are a sinner. They must believe that regardless of how good they may be, or how good a family they may have come from. God declares all men come short, so  “I’m a sinner.” That is the very first step in the plan of salvation.

There has to be that “New Birth” and that can’t happen until we recognize a need. The perfect illustration is when Jesus told the Pharisees “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick?” (Matthew 9:12) It’s no different when it comes to sharing the gospel with someone, I experience this weekly when I’m out sharing the gospel with people.

The person who thinks he or she is good enough for Heaven will never be saved. There are so many good people; you can’t take that away from them but they are so good, they never see their need for salvation. It is an unfortunate reality but they are headed for an eternal doom, no different than the wicked and most vile person that has ever lived.

‘Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ‘

I Corinthians 6:9

A horrifying truth about facing the Lord Jesus at the Great White Throne won’t be just the lake of fire but the moment the lost person realizes that he or she is being tossed into the lake of fire, not because of their “sins” but because they rejected the gospel.

‘in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.’

Romans 2:16

Sin has never been the reason anyone is tossed into the lake of fire because Christ took care of the sin problem at the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:19) The only reason the billions of people will face Christ at the Great White Throne is for rejecting God’s free offer of salvation and in my humble opinion that in itself will be the greatest torment, not the fire.

Yes, I know a person’s individual sins will come into play when they face Christ on judgment day but until then, while they’re alive “…where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Romans 5:20

Thank you for reading.

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Jamie Pantastico