An Urgent Plea to Unbelievers

By Patricia Newman 

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:18

[God] now commands all men everywhere to repent.
Acts 17:30

The numbers of people dying daily from COVID-19 unfortunately continues to rise across many nations of the world. The disease is no respecter of standing in the world, as rich and poor alike are contracting the deadly virus.

This pandemic thrusts before us the reality of death that all will face. And sadly, the vast majority of people who die year by year and day by day are dying unforgiven and unprepared to meet their Maker. They are dying in their sins and outside of Christ, the only Saviour of the world.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I weep that many souls have lived and died in continued rebellion against an infinitely good God who made them and whose very will is for them to receive the salvation of God in Jesus Christ. If you entertain the idea that you do not need a Saviour, I urge you, dear reader, to think again, for you are mistaken. The all-seeing and all-knowing Creator and Sustainer of the universe says in His word that you do need a Saviour. God is perfect in all His attributes and in all His ways and every word of God is true. "God is not a man that He should lie" (Numbers 23:19). The Bible states:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

All without exception are sinners who have broken and continue to break the righteous laws of God. Disease, death and every human malfunction entered the beautiful world that God created through sin, as is recorded in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Sin is disobedience to God's laws. God's laws reflect the flawless righteousness of God. 

If you have ever lied, or stolen, or taken the name of God in vain, or gossiped, or cheated, or committed adultery or fornication, then you are a sinner. The preceding list is not, by any means, exhaustive. Sin is extensive, pervasive, and inherently destructive. We sin in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We are sinners by nature, by practice and by choice, and as such, we fully deserve the righteous judgement of God for our transgressions.

If you think that you can save yourself by your own good deeds or that there is another deliverer outside of Christ, again I plead with you, think again, for you are mistaken. The Bible says that all your good acts are as "filthy rags" to an infinitely holy God. You will need to keep all of God's laws, perfectly and continuously every day of your life, and you simply cannot do so. Concerning any possibility of salvation outside of Christ, the Bible - God's infallible word - declares:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

My friend, salvation is found through Christ alone. There is no one else in all the world whom God has given who can save. Jesus alone saves. No one else can. Do not be deceived.

Do not be a mocker. The Bible says that the foolish man mocks God daily - Psalm 74:22.

Do not continue in unbelief. The Bible says: The fool has said in his heart "There is no God" - Psalm 14:1.

Many verses in the Bible reveal that the day of God's judgement is coming. It will be the most dreadful day for unrepentant sinners. In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we read:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20: 11-15

God said that He will render to everyone according to his or her deeds - Romans 2:6. No one will be exempt. The deeds here do not refer to any good acts you have done on your own account. They cannot save you. No system of good works can save sinful people. What God commands is that you repent of your sins and put your trust in the Saviour whom He has provided, Jesus Christ - Acts 17:30. Jesus alone has satisfied God's perfect justice at the cross.

Consider your life. Acknowledge the One in whom you live and move and have your being - Acts 17:28. You do not have breath in your nostrils by your own doing. If you are not in hospital struggling to breathe, it is not because you are any better than those who are in that terrible situation right now. O that you would let the goodness of God lead you to repentance! If you die without Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you will go to hell forever. God is love, and because He is love He warns us repeatedly in His word. Will you heed or will you choose to disbelieve His word? Your deadly enemy, the devil, does not want you to believe and have eternal life. He will relentlessly plant doubt in your mind. "Did God really say?" This has been Satan the deceiver's tactic from the beginning. How long will you fall for it?

You may doubt that a good God will send anyone to hell. Think again in the light of God's word. God is "holy, holy, holy". Our sins are completely abhorrent to an infinitely holy God.
God, who is holy, must judge sin. The Bible says:

The soul who sins shall die.
Eziekel 18:20

God certainly does not want you to perish in hell, but if you continue in disobedience to reject His forgiveness in Christ, you do not have any to blame but yourself when you go there. The Bible says that God "is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" - 2 Peter 3:8.

God, in His great mercy, has provided a means of escape from the power of sin and its eternal penalty, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins - Hebrews 9:22
On the cross, the sinless Son of God took the sins of the whole world upon Himself, and so He paid the price for your sin at the cross. The shed blood of Jesus Christ satisfied the perfect justice of God at the cross. In His unfathomable love and mercy, God provided a Saviour for you and for me at an unspeakable cost.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

In Christ, God is calling you, dear reader, to receive forgiveness for your sins and make peace with Him. Have you received the forgiveness of God for your sins? Have you made peace with God?

He who believes in Him (Jesus Christ) is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:18

If you are not a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, this is your greatest need right now. Jesus said that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God - John 3:3. To be born again means to have a spiritual rebirth. It is the work of God in your heart. It happens when you believe God's word concerning your situation, repent of your sins and put your faith in the One who paid the price for your sins. You must change your mind: cast away your unbelief and turn from your sin. You must recognise that sin is exceedingly evil and wholly unacceptable to God. If you humble yourself and sincerely ask for God's forgiveness, God will forgive you.

Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7

Today is the day of salvation. You cannot afford to put it off. My friend, you have only 2 choices:

Receive the salvation purchased for you by the Lord Jesus Christ through repentance towards God and faith in Christ,

OR

Pay for your rebellion against God in hell for ever.

Which will you choose? Dear friend, which will you choose?

One day, through whatever cause, you will die. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Many people make plans for the next day or the not-too-distant future who do not live to fulfil those plans. If you die without Christ and thus still in your sins, you will be lost in hell forever. This is what God's inerrant word teaches. Do not scoff. Do not be deceived. Many roads may indeed lead to Rome but there is only ONE way to heaven. Turn now to Jesus and live. Why should you die eternally? JESUS SAVES!!!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23


A prayer of repentance and faith

If you understand that you have sinned against God and now desire His mercy and not His just wrath, pray along these lines for God's mercy and a new life by faith in Jesus Christ:

O God, I know that I am a sinner. I now repent of my sins and trust in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I believe that in His death and resurrection, He provided for forgiveness of my sins. I trust in Jesus alone as my Lord and my Saviour. I ask that You will enable me to live a new life that is pleasing to You, and to grow daily in love and obedience to You through the Lord Jesus. I thank You with all my heart for forgiving me and saving me. Amen.