This lesson has the snappy title, “One, two, three.” That's because it talks about one giant problem, which only two can solve, when three immediate steps are taken.
One Giant Problem
There is one giant problem that is common to all mankind. "Behold the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save, nor is his ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your sins have made a separation between you and your God"(Isa 59:1-2) That shows us not only what the giant problem is, but also whose fault it is. The result of this separation from God is that our souls are cut off from the light and life of God. When you are alienated from God's fellowship, you become "dead in your trespasses and sins"(Eph 2:1)
Illustration: It is a sad thing to be cut off from God. It certainly makes God sad. Many years ago, I was given a beautiful dog. She was a young blue heeler. Because I had to go to work each day, she and I would be separated for a long time. She was unhappy being alone. As she watched me going off to work, she would thump the tin shed with her tail making an awful din, and she would wail at the top of her voice. When I finally came home, she was always waiting, and she would jump and bark with joy. Realizing her sorrow and longing, I gave her to my brother who gave her work and company. If a dog can have such strong feelings about being separated, how much more must God feel?
Two Who Alone Can Solve It
The only two persons who can solve the problem are Jesus and you. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should have eternal life"(Jhn 3:16). God made a plan to solve the problem, and he ordained the two persons who could solve the problem for any given sinner.
The first is Jesus. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me"(Jhn 14:6).
The second is you, a sinner yet a believer. You could not solve the problem by yourself, but neither can Jesus solve the problem for you without your believing in him and following him.
Illustration: A man dreamed that an angel showed him footprints in the sand. The angel said that these footprints represented his lifetime. In the beginning there were two sets of footprints, his and the Lord's. Then there was only one set —he had become a sinner and walked alone without the Lord by his side. Then farther along, there were two sets again —he had believed in Jesus, and Jesus walked with him once more. But then, yet again, there was only one set of footprints for a time. He did not understand this. Why, he asked the angel, had the Lord left him to walk alone again? The angel explained that the Lord had not left him. This last single set of footprints were not his own, they were the Lord's. The man still didn't understand. Why, he asked the angel, were only the Lord's footprints seen in the sand there? Where were his own? The angel explained that in a time of great trouble, the Lord had lifted him up and carried him in his arms. If the man had not followed the Lord in faith, the Lord would not have walked with him, and would not have been there to carry him through the troubled time.
Three Immediate Steps to Take
We have seen that we must believe in Jesus, knowing that only together with him can anyone solve the giant problem and be reconciled nto God. Following through with that faith, there are three immediate steps to take. These steps are...
Repentance from sin —"Repent and return [to God's way] so that your sins may be wiped away"(Acts 3:19).
Confession of faith —"With the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses [his belief] unto salvation"(Rom 10:9-10).
Baptism into Christ —"Don't you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his death?"(Rom 6:3-4).