IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 7 JULY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, SUNDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: The Need for Salvation
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:1-3
Followers of Christ know the importance of being saved, but the world sees no need for rescue. Those who don’t have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus are:
• Spiritually dead. There are three kinds of death—physical, spiritual, and eternal. Spiritual death occurred in the Garden of Eden when disobedience severed Adam and Eve’s connection to God (Romans 5:12). As a result, we’re born as “dead” people in need of new life. Eternal death comes at the end of the age, when all those who have refused Jesus are cast away from God (Matthew 25:41).
• Living a life of sin. Our nature is to rebel against God. We’re enslaved to sin (John 8:34), and any effort to free ourselves from its power is in vain. We need someone to rescue us.
• Under divine wrath. Because of our disobedience, we are under God’s judgment. All efforts to earn His approval and escape our sentence are insufficient. Sinful man has nothing acceptable to offer holy God. Our only hope of escape is for someone else to pay our penalty.
The good news is that the Lord has provided a way for all to pass from spiritual death to life, from sin’s bondage to freedom, and from condemnation to intimacy with Him. Jesus Christ alone is the way (John 14:6), and He meets our every need.
Bible in One Year: Psalms 145-150
Thought for Today: We were born in darkness, but God invites all of us into His glorious light.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.