The wonderful truth of the Bible is that God is offering a pardon from the penalty of sin to all individuals regardless of their nationality, race, age, gender, economic condition, family background, or the type and amount of sin they have committed.

As best as I can explain it, in human terms, God had a conflict. On the one hand, God must punish sin and extend his wrath and judgment because of His holiness. Every single sin that has ever been committed since the beginning of mankind must be fully punished. On the other hand, God desired to extend his forgiveness, mercy, and compassion because of his loving nature. If a pardon was to be worked out for mankind, both sides of God's character could not be compromised. God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to the earth who was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. Jesus Christ allowed himself to be formally charged with your sin and then be crucified to a cross, a Roman method of torture and execution.

All of your sins were placed on Jesus Christ when He was being crucified on the cross. God then poured out all of His wrath and judgment that should have been directed toward you and He directed that wrath and judgment on His son in your place. In other words, Jesus Christ took your punishment. Jesus Christ volunteered to be your personal substitute. This is how God can be a God of love and God of wrath at the same time and still be internally consistent. After three days, Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead proving himself to be the eternal Son of God.

The good news is that God is offering a plea agreement. In exchange for pleading guilty, God is offering a pardon if certain conditions are met.

Pardon condition No. 1 - Admit

The first condition is that you must plead guilty to the charge. The charge can be summarized in one sentence: You have sinned against God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Sin is disobedience to God. It may be breaking one of the ten commandments. You can sin by your actions and also by your thoughts. It is important to understand that the charge that God has brought is so broad that it is undeniable and self-evident that every person has sinned against God at some point in his life. You must admit that you have sinned against God.

Pardon condition No. 2 - Believe

The second condition is that you must believe the penalty of sin is eternal punishment. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23). This not only means that a person's physical body will die because of sin but that a person will also be eternally separated from God in a place called the Lake of Fire. You must also believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He died on a cross, shed His blood to pay the penalty for your sin, and arose from the dead. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Pardon condition No. 3 - Commit

The third condition is that you must commit your life to Jesus Christ. You must be willing to submit to Jesus Christ as the absolute boss and authority of your life. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9). Committing your life to Jesus Christ also means that you must repent of your sin. "But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5). Repentance is more than just admitting to God that you have sinned. Repentance is telling God that you are sorry for your sin and that you are willing, by his help, to turn from sin.

Summary

God loves you more than anyone else has ever loved you. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bleed and die on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin. God is offering you a plea agreement in full and final settlement of the charge. The effect of entering this plea agreement is to receive a full and absolute pardon from the penalty of your sin.



Download Plea Agreement to Receive God's Offer of a Pardon