YOU WILL NOT PERISH

Genesis 2:16-17 KJV “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Genesis 3:6 KJV “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

And so sin and consequently, death were introduced into the world. The years will see a continuous deduction in man's number of years on earth because of sin.

The devil thought that he had thwarted God's plan but the God who knows the end even from the beginning can never be caught unawares, He can never be stranded. We bless the Lord God Almighty because He is a God that gives multiple chances. Psalm 86:15 KJV says “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Although Adam's performance in the garden was disappointing, God wasn’t finished with mankind and indeed till date, He isn’t finished with us. 

The expectation would have been that after the sin of Adam, God would give up totally on man but we see God consistently trying to salvage man, trying to set man right with Him. It started with the time of Seth, the son of Adam, when it was recorded that men began to call upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26). Even when wickedness increased on the face of the earth, God didn’t give up on us, He proceeded to preserve Noah and his offspring so that mankind won’t be completely wiped out. From Noah came Abraham who God called out from his brethren to walk before Him. From Abraham came the people of Israel. Their journey with God consisted of series of rising and falling. God even described them as stiff-necked yet His mercy still remained. Despite the presence of the law of Moses and prophets to guide them, the Israelites continually struggled with consistency with God. Time and time again, they would go astray. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy (Micah 7:18 KJV). For from the people of Israel, the ultimate gift from God to man, was to come. 

After so many years of man’s failure, God came down Himself in the person of His Son, to carry out the final work of salvation. 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 KJV). Despite fumbling through so many chances which God gave us, He still came down on earth to save us.

He stooped so low just to get us back on track. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17 KJV). And even when He walked on earth, He was still rejected by many. Those whom He came to save persecuted Him. God didn’t abort the mission, He took our sins to the cross that we may have another chance at life. Ephesians 2:4-5 KJV “But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ...”

And do you know what? God is still giving us chances today. Because despite all He has done, man still struggles to accept the gift of salvation. We have constantly failed Him but He is still waiting patiently for us to repent, for us to make things right. Lamentations 3:22a KJV says “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed.” And Psalm 145:8 says “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and full of great mercy.”

Let us stop taking His mercy for granted. He has made things easy for us, all that is needed from us is to believe in Jesus Christ, and live a life of total obedience to Him. If we do this, we will not perish. 

If you have been living life on your terms. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ. If you once believed in Him but you now find yourself having doubts. If you believe in Jesus but you don’t obey Him. If you are afraid to believe in Jesus Christ. If you believe in Him but you find your love for Him waxing cold. If you have been inconsistent with Him. If you have been rising and falling. If you find yourself only serving Him when times are good but once the going gets tough, you turn away. I bring you good news!

Today is the day of salvation. This is yet another chance that our merciful God is giving you. For it isn’t His will that any man should perish. He is telling you to come unto Him so that you may live. It doesn’t matter how far you think you have fallen or the number of terrible things you have done, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18 KJV). The moment you accept Christ, it will be a new beginning for you. 

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Open up your heart to Him. All it takes is for you to believe and your journey to eternal life begins. There is no restriction as to who can be saved—whosoever believes in Christ, will not perish.