I want there to be no doubt that I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and not only the Savior of the World but my own Savior who has taken upon Himself the guilt and suffering for my personal sins and my sinfulness (guilt/iniquity) and paid the price for them in full and has opened to me the way to forgiveness and eternal life. I believe that I will live forever “in perfect righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” NOT because I have been such a good person but because Jesus, the son of Mary and the Son of God, loves me and and has paid the full price to set me free.
As a pastor of the church, people need to know that what I believe and preach I apply first to myself. As a husband, son, neighbor or friend people need to know that I honestly believe this stuff. I only deserve God’s judgement against my sins. You know I’m a sinner. You need to know that I know it too! And whether you enter eternal life before me or after me, I want you to know that I place myself completely and totally in the care of Jesus to do for me what I can in NO way do for myself; that is, to pay for my trespasses, rebellion against God, and my guilt/iniquity. Neither do I believe that my “believing” is sufficient. I am altogether lost. But Jesus has made me altogether saved!
I hope and pray that this makes sense to you. I do not rely upon my knowledge, my behavior, or my intentions to make me worthy to stand before God and enter His eternal kingdom. I rely only upon the forgiveness and mercy, the grace and love of God for me on account of Jesus — God made man. He is my only hope. I am convinced that no other religion or philosophy or good intention can do me any good at all. I reject all other religions, all other view points, and any reason in myself for my hope of spending eternity as the person God intended me to be. I know that I am not that person now, although I may (or may not consistently) try to be. But I will be! I look forward to the opportunity to not only be that person but share that person with you some day in heaven. I don’t even know the “real” me now. But I will. And I hope and pray that you will be there with me and all those who trust in Jesus to see the “real me” that I know I should have been and wasn’t.
So forgive me, I pray, for having been much less than perfect. I know that my love for you is perfect because it comes from the perfect love that Jesus brings. But I won’t be able to show it to you perfectly until we’re there together.