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| Divine Command | Choice No. 1 | Choice No. 2 |
| Matthew 17:5 | Listen to Jesus | Ignore Him |
| John 8:24 | Believe Jesus | Die in sin |
| Luke 13:3 | Repent of sin | Perish |
| Matthew 10:32-33 | Confess Jesus | Be denied by Him |
| Mark 16:16 | By faith be baptized | Be condemned |
| Mankind has been confronted with choices from the very
beginning. In
the garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve liberty to eat of the fruit of
every tree in the garden except one: the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. He also warned them regarding the
catastrophic
results of disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17). The blessings of obedience
on
balance against the consequences of disobedience should have posed them
no dilemma. However, they listened to Satan and exercised their right
of
choice. So it has been from their time on to ours (Romans 3:10, 23).
Like our forebears, Adam and Eve, we are creatures of free will (Romans 6:16). God has also told us that serious consequences will result from our disobedience. The great blessings of life in Christ, here as well as in eternity, on balance against the serious consequences of disobedience should pose us no serious dilemma either. We must each choose belief or unbelief, obedience or disobedience, Heaven or Hell. As Joshua of old challenged Israel, we too must choose this day whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15). |
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