There are three things a man must truly understand before he can enter the kingdom of God. He must know that he is a guilty sinner before God. He must know the saving grace of God in his soul. He must have true gratitude in his heart for the gift of saving grace. If he does not understand these three things, he is in great danger of losing his soul.

All men have sinned, but all men are not aware that they have sinned against God in heaven. Our sinful natures are particularly biased and prejudiced when it comes to making judgments about ourselves. We do not realize how often we sin against God, or how great our sin is in His eyes. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the real nature of sin. The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit comes He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).

Our guilt is not simply something against somebody else, but is guilt against God who made us upright at creation. David after his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah, cried under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Ps 51:4). David had lived for several months, quite unaware of how great­ly he had sinned against God, until God’s Spirit arrested him. As he said in prayer to God, “I acknowledged my sin to You ... I will confess my trans­gressions to the Lord” (Psalm 32:5). It was not only Uriah and Bathsheba that David had sinned against, but also against God in heaven.

It is therefore im­portant in today’s culture to preach and teach about the holy nature of God, and what consti­tutes sin in His eyes. Too often we define sin in our own terms instead of inter­preting it with God’s holy and pure perception. God is the Judge of all the earth and His laws will be the laws by which we will all ultimately be judged.

We live in an age of ‘human rights’. Not only has each country and nation its own particular laws, but we now have the United Nations laws governing mankind’s treatment of each other. All kinds of rights are recognized, except God’s rights over His creatures! The Church needs to proclaim God’s laws and God’s rights. The Apostle Paul said “if it had not been for the law, (God’s law) I would not have known sin” (Rom 7:7).

However, a man must also understand about the grace of God if he is to be saved. It is one thing to be convicted of sin – but it is not enough for the kingdom of heaven. We can die deeply convicted of our sins and yet not know Jesus Christ the Saviour. Jews and Gentiles are “saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11).

It is as vital that we know about God’s saving grace, as it is to know that we have sinned. The Bible makes clear that we must repent and have faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. Our Confession in describing faith states that ‘a sinner out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature of God and righteous law of God’, is careful to add ‘and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ’ (Con of Faith Chap 15, para 2). We must be aware and believe in God’s mercy through Jesus Christ. Salvation is laying hold of Christ who is God’s gift to us.

It is God’s grace alone that gives us faith to believe in Christ – faith and re­pentance are a gracious gift from God. Paul stated “for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8, 9). But Jesus Christ Himself is the gift of gifts, freely given by the grace of God. We are saved by grace alone – 100%.

If we truly understand and appreciate God’s grace to us in Christ, something will happen inside our souls! There will be extreme gratitude. God’s grace is so stupendous, so staggeringly amazing, that only a spiritually dead soul could fail to respond! Nothing in all the earth can be compared to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. No myth or allegory has ever been imagined to compare with the astounding grace of God! All the great acts of mythical heroes and heroines, cannot compare to what God has done for lost and ruined sinners.

Our culture thrives on ‘hand-outs’ but God’s great ‘hand-out’ of free salvation came at a great cost – the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh” (1 Pet 3:18).

Who could have ‘thought up’ such a salvation? A holy God providing at such a cost, salvation for the most vile and undeserving of sinners? The only response can be – humility and gratitude. The Psalmist said “You have delivered my soul from death” he added “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? ... O Lord I am Your servant. I am Your servant” (Ps 116).

Yes, if we really understand God’s grace in Christ, we will surrender our lives to Him and serve Him all the days of our life.