This tract is much like the previous one, but with the focus upon the horror of the death penalty. It tells the reader that in connection with his sin he is already charged, convicted, and sentenced to death by God’s Perfect Justice. In view of this it asks him whether he is prepared to serve his sentence, especially that aspect of it which will occur after physical death — i.e. the death of eternal damnation.

In view of this, and before it is too late, the appeal is made to him to respond to God’s offer to have all charges against him dropped and his death sentence revoked. All of which has been made possible through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
 

That may sound like a foolish question to ask, especially when you haven't been convicted of a crime for which you have received the death penalty.

Or have you?

You may not have received the death penalty from any human judge or court, but in truth you have received the death penalty from God. His perfect Justice, (which cannot tolerate sin or anything less than perfect righteousness), has already found you to be guilty of sin and unrighteousness. And as such you already have been convicted and you already have been sentenced to death.

Charged, Convicted, and Sentenced

In Romans 3: 9-11 God convicts you on the charge of being a sinner in His sight by having the Apostle Paul say…

⁹ What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:9-11)

Having convicted you, a few verses later God has the Apostle Paul pronounce you to be "guilty before God."

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19)

As one who is guilty, you therefore have been sentenced to bear the penalty of your guilt. The "wages of sin is death," as Romans 6:23 says, and for this reason you will physically die one of these days. But that in itself is only the beginning of your death sentence. The worst is yet to come. Following physical death comes the judgment of God, at which time you will be sentenced to the death of eternal damnation. At that time you will be…

⁹ …punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (II Thessalonians 1:9)

Can You Bear It?

Physical death is bad enough, but can you face what is involved in being "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord"? Are you prepared to experience the utter horror, agony, and endless anguish of eternal damnation?

As horrific as that prospect is, you had better be prepared to serve your death sentence. For you have been charged, convicted, and sentenced. And you will certainly serve your endless sentence, unless……Unless you allow God Himself to save you from the eternal damnation you deserve.

Charges Dropped; Sentence Revoked

God is both willing and able to save you from the penalty of eternal damnation. And He can do this because of what His Son — the Lord Jesus Christ — did when He died in your place on the cross of Calvary.

By dying in your place, the Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself the debt and penalty of all of your sins. He functioned as your substitute-Redeemer. This means that He assumed your guiltiness before God and suffered the punishment for your sins in your place. What you could not do for yourself, He did for you. And in so doing, He completely satisfied God's Justice concerning the penalty for your sins. In addition He made it so that God can now freely and completely forgive you all of your sins and also justify you unto eternal life in His sight. Therefore we read,…

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:24)

It Is Your Choice

Once again, God is willing and able to save you from eternal damnation. However the choice is up to you.

The only requirement that God has for saving you is that you believe in the total sufficiency of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you. As the Apostle Paul says, God is "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:26)

To believe in someone means to completely depend upon him and his ability to do something for you that you cannot do for yourself. And this is exactly what it means to "believe in Jesus."

Have you believed in Jesus as your all-sufficient Savior? If not, why not do so right now. God can see your belief, and when He does so He will forgive all of your sins and justify you unto eternal life in His sight. Then instead of bearing the death sentence of eternal damnation, the following will be true of you:

¹ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

— K. R. Blades