Once for all...

Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. 
God's plans are the best.  He planned and created the world, and it was Good.  He has also planned and carried out His plan of salvation in Christ.  Rather than a series of continuous and repeated suffering for sin, Christ came and did it once for all.  Now we wait for Him to return and finish the plan.  The sin has been taken care of; He is now our Intercessor, and someday He will fully save all who believe, once for all.

Arrogantly exclusive, or extremely inclusive???

Acts 4:11-12 Jesus is“‘the stone you builders rejected,which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 
No other name!  When a follower of Christ hears that phrase, he/she is moved to adoring worship. But when we make that statement to others, they may get defensive and offended.  How dare we say such a thing: "only Jesus can save us."  But notice that this name is given to mankind - not just the Jews who were those who initially heard these words, but Jew and Gentile alike, male and female, bond and free - no one is excluded off hand.  It is extremely inclusive, unless one choses to reject Christ, to exclude Him from his/her life.  Then who is being exclusive, arrogant and offensive? The one who needs Christ as Savior, but refuses to accept Him.  May we hear His name, Jesus Christ, and be moved to thanksgiving and praise that He has made known His salvation to us.

So Great a Salvation

Hebrews 2:1-4 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 
In contest, the preacher is contrasting Christ with every revelation that has come before. He is supreme in every way; He is the best there is.  The question is: "If we ignore salvation in Christ, offered freely by God's Grace, powerful enough to save the whole world, how in the world could we ever expect to be saved?"  The answer is: we cannot.  Therefore, we must pay careful attention - take seriously the offer God has made: believe, receive and be saved, or reject, be punished and perish.

Understatement...

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 

Why is Paul so excited, so passionate?  Because he has discovered the Good News of salvation that transforms those who believe.  He had spent his life trying everything possible to have a right relationship with God, doing all He could, but he knew it was not enough.  Then he came to faith in Christ.  He realized Christ has done what needed to be done, and by faith in Him righteousness comes - our relationship with God can be restored, and our lives can be lived in hope, with purpose.  So, when Paul says he is "not ashamed", he is emphasizing the opposite: he wants to shout it out, to proclaim to the world what he has discovered - or rather, Who he has discovered: Christ, our Savior.

Keep Reading...

Romans 3:23-25 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 
Romans 3:23 is the simplest statement of fact - we are all sinners!  Often, however, we jump from there to other scriptures, when there is a lot of truth to follow.  The grace, atonement, redemption, forgiveness and righteousness available to us in Christ.  The next verses have a lot of the rest of the story.  There is hope for us sinners, in Christ.  Don't stop reading, and respond accordingly...

Consider the context...

John 3:13-16 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
No verse is more memorized and remembered than John 3:16 - the statement of hope everyone needs and is looking for - we need a Savior.  But we can only understand this statement, like all scripture, in context.  Jesus has been having a serious spiritual discussion with Nicodemus, whose insomnia had brought him there late at night.  Jesus was putting together all the pieces of God's plan of salvation.  Simply put: we cannot reach a Holy God in Heaven.  As an old Christian rock band once sang: "We can't jump that high!"  What it takes is for God to come down to earth to us. And that is exactly what God the Son did.  We must first recognize our need, and inability to save ourselves, and then the plan and promise of God in Christ will make sense.  Does it make sense to you?

Faith is NOT foolhardy...

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
(Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV)
If you understand that God created this world, you have come a long ways towards understanding life.  Not only do the facts of true science point that way (and they do); life makes sense when we have a personal Creator who made things, and made us, on purpose.  Creationists "get it." The pieces of the puzzle of life only begin to make sense when an all-powerful, loving God creates, sustains, and forgives His creatures.  He is no fool who understands this.