What’s it all about?

Why am I here? Who am I? What will happen when I die? These questions have intrigued people throughout the ages. The answers can be discovered by understanding God’s plan of salvation and by getting to know Jesus Christ. It’s all in the bible – let me explain it to you.

Who is Jesus and what did he do?

Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world as a human being. He lived a sinless life, died a cruel, painful death on a cross and then rose from the dead. He did all this to save you from the penalty you will receive for your sin.

In short, Christ died to pay the penalty for your sins, so you wouldn’t have to. You can be forgiven and that’s the good news of the gospel of Jesus.

Are you good enough to get into heaven?

Ask anybody, ‘Are you going to heaven when you die?’ and they will answer you ‘yes.’ When you ask them why they think this, they will normally respond, ‘I’m a good person. Hell is for Hitler and murderers.’

Maybe you think the same way. How about we test your ‘goodness’.

Answer the following questions honestly…

Have you ever told a lie?
Have you ever stolen anything (shoplifted, downloaded music, copied software)?
Have you ever used God’s name as an expletive – like when you hit your finger (‘Jesus Christ!’ or ‘OMG!’)?
Have you ever hated someone who hurt you?
Have you ever looked at a person with lustful thoughts or had sex outside of marriage?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above (and we’ve only listed a few of God’s 10 commandments i.e. God’s rules for ‘goodness’) then you’re in trouble. Each of these are deadly offences in the sight of God.

You see, you think you’re a good person because your standards of ‘goodness’ are very low. We often compare ourselves to others and say ‘I’m not as bad as that guy – now he’s really bad!’

Problem is that God doesn’t use your standards – He uses His rules and laws. And they are the ones that matter when you stand before God after you die.

So, be honest – if you answered ‘yes’ to any of the things above then you’ve broken God’s laws. On judgement day, He will be the judge of your life. When you stand before Him – will you be innocent or guilty?

If you’re guilty will you get heaven or hell?

Here’s a hint:

“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars – their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Is anyone ‘good’ enough?

The bible says that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s standards (Romans 3:23), and that the ‘wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23).

In other words, what you ‘earn’ for your sin (your ‘wages’) is death. It’s the only consequence when you violate God’s laws.

Why does God punish sin?

If someone commits a serious crime and hurts someone close to you, and then the judge presiding over the criminal case simply dismisses the crime and sends the criminal on his way, would that judge be a good judge or a bad judge? Obviously, he would be a terrible judge – and we can understand that. A judge’s job is to deal with offenses justly. Anything less and the judge is not doing his job.

We don’t apply that standard to God for some reason. Why? Because, suddenly we find ourselves the law breakers and we don’t like God holding us to account for our wrong-doing. If we’re honest, we like not having rules governing our lives – we like to watch porn, have sex with whoever we choose, when we choose, lie if it means we get an advantage – we love our sin because sin feeds us what we demand!

You might think, ‘But I only told a white lie and that lie didn’t hurt anyone…’ Here’s the rub – if you steal $5 from a millionaire, you’re still a thief – aren’t you? Remember, your standards of ‘goodness’ are very low – we like it that way if we’re honest.

The reason God judges against your sin and holds you to account is because He is a good judge! It’s actually because of His goodness that you will end up in hell, receiving what you’ve earned for your sin – eternal death.

It might come as a surprise but Jesus spoke more about hell than any other subject.

For example – he said this:

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 13:40-43)

What did God do so that he would not have to punish sinners?

There’s good news! God can commute your death sentence and you can be pardoned of your sin.

Do you know what God did for you?

He sent His son Jesus to earth, as a sinless, spotless ‘lamb’ who would receive your punishment as his own, effectively taking your place so you can go free.

If a judge gives you a speeding fine of $1000 – you must pay the fine. That’s justice. You don’t go free until you pay the fine. But, if someone comes into the courtroom and pays your fine, the judge can set you free.

That’s what Jesus did.

Jesus became sin for you!

The bible says the following:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (1 Corinthians 5:21)

Do you see what’s happening here? An exchange takes place – your sin is exchanged for God’s righteousness.

The perfect Son of God took on your sin – suffered and died, paying the price which was rightly yours. He was mocked, bruised, spat on, tortured, whipped and then crucified, having been abandoned by his friends at his greatest hour of need – so you could become the righteousness of God!

The bible says:

“God so loved the world, that He gave his only son – that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

That’s how much God loves you!

Jesus rose from the dead!

After Jesus died, he was buried in a tomb. But death could not defeat the Son of God and He rose after three days. And because He conquered death, Jesus proved that he was indeed God’s son and that every word He ever spoke can be trusted.

Jesus said this about himself:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
(John 14:6)

You can reject Jesus’ words if you want – you have a free will gifted you by God – which means you are free to chose which path you follow.

But be very careful – the greatest power in your life is your ability to choose for God or against God. What you decide will have eternal consequences.

The truth is that you can have eternal life – you can know for sure what will happen to you after you die. God offers you the free gift of His salvation – it’s free! You can’t earn it and you can’t work for it. God’s forgiveness and His gift of eternal life can be yours.

How can I be saved?

The bible says that you must be ‘born again’ – Jesus put it this way:

“I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’”

The Holy Spirit of God gives a person ‘new birth’ – when you accept Jesus into your life, God forgives your sin and the Holy Spirit ‘breathes’ new life into you – you are now ‘born again.’

A gift that’s offered must be received.

Anyone offered a gift must open their hands out to receive the gift. God is offering you the free gift of salvation – and your part is now to receive that gift. It’s not complicated – God simply wants you to accept what Jesus did for you, to believe and admit your need of salvation.

Follow these simple steps to receive salvation right now.

Admit you have sinned.
Ask for forgiveness.
Believe and receive Christ into your life.

1. Admit

Your first step is to admit your need. To acknowledge that you have broken God’s laws and have sinned against Him requires humility. And this is exactly when God will hear you – God always resists the proud heart, but always pours out grace upon the humble.

“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God… (Acts 2:38a)

2. Ask

Ask God to forgive your sin.

The bible says:

“… if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)

No sin is too big for God to forgive! He wants to forgive you – that’s how big and full of love His heart is towards you.

Once you’ve asked for forgiveness, your next step is to trust, believe and receive in the gift God is giving you. Understand that this gift of forgiveness and eternal life is free. It’s something you can’t earn.

3. Believe and Receive

You place your faith and trust in Jesus when you believe that Jesus is alive, that He is the Son of God, He died for your sin and rose again from the dead.

In the bible, Jesus says:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life. All you have to do is invite Him in.

The Bible teaches:

”But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
(John 1:12)

The bible says:When you believe and receive Christ into your heart, you become a child of God.

You have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time, about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.

Joyfully receive it.

Do you want to go to heaven?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Grace is God’s power working through you. It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself. You don’t have to work for this gift. All you have to do is believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you and receive Him into your life.

Do you believe? Are you ready?

Let’s Pray

The Bible promises that when you sincerely ask God for forgiveness and trust in Jesus, you will experience new life in Christ.

The bible says this:

“If you openly declare that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Today, with all your heart, surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Confess your sins and ask God to forgive you. Say that you’ll trust in Jesus and thank Him for the gift of everlasting life.

Pray this prayer with all your heart:

“Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me — He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today. Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

You’ve been ‘born again!’

Some people feel different after meeting Jesus, while others feel nothing special. It doesn’t matter either way. What matters is that you believe and accept what Jesus has done for you – and that you now begin to grow in love for God and love for people, just as Jesus commands.

If you prayed that prayer and meant it, it’s time to find a church that believes, teaches and preaches the bible. Meeting with other Christian believers will strengthen your new faith.

It’s also important that you get baptised as Jesus commands in Matthew 28:18.

Finally, read the bible and talk with God regularly – and you’ll grow strong!

Let us know!

Hey, we’d love to know if you found Christ today – why not drop us an email and tell us what’s happened in your life.