The question is this: “If you were to die today, do you know that your sins are forgiven & Heaven would be your home?” Many people do not know this, or hope that they are going. Many are trusting in their good works, church, family, or personal beliefs to somehow gain favor with a holy God.
Friend, the only way to obtain eternal life is defined by God in His Word: the Bible. All other ways lead to the road of destruction. (Matthew 7:13-14)
KNOW THAT GOD LOVES YOU (John 3:16-21)
The truth is that God does love everyone, and has exhibited this in many ways:
- He gave us life. Genesis chapters one and two tell the true story of Creation: that an eternal, all-powerful God created the universe and all that exists therein. This passage tells us that mankind did not evolve by chance, but was created in the image of the Creator God. It furthermore tells us that we were created for the purpose of pleasing God. In truth, Adam and Eve, the first humans, knew God as their friend, before they disobeyed His commands and fell into sinful rebellion. Friend, maybe you feel that you have no purpose in life. The truth is that God gives us purpose and reveals such through the Bible (Revelation 4:11)!
- God gave us His Word. The Bible is the inspired (II Timothy 3:16–17), preserved (Psalm 12:6-7), Word of God. It is a compilation of sixty-six books that was written over a period of about 1500 years, by thirty different writers, in three different languages, and yet has one cohesive train of thought. These writers did not have much, if any, collusion or contact, and yet God allowed this Book to be perfect, without contradiction or variance. People have tried to disprove the Bible, but have only succeeded in proving it to be the very Word of God! That we have the Bible means that we have God’s message to us that tells us who we are, where we came from, who God is, how we can obtain eternal life, and much, much more. It is God’s love letter to Man, the foundation for our belief, and our handbook for living.
AGREE THAT EVERY PERSON IS A SINNER (Romans 3:10-23)
Would you say that you are a sinner? Have you ever been guilty of wrongdoing in your life? God says that every person is a sinner and has broken His Law. No one needs to be taught to sin: we are simply born with a sin nature. We may think ourselves to be moral and generally good, but it only takes one sin makes us a sinner in the eyes of God (James 2:10). God’s Law is primarily made up of, what we call, the Ten Commandments. They are found in Exodus 20. If we were to go through this list, we would probably discover that we have broken one or more of God’s laws. Oh, sure, we probably have not committed murder or adultery, but all of us have borne false witness (which is lying), stolen something, and/or dishonored our parents. Humanity likes to put one sin in front of another, and claim that we are “not so bad”. God tells us that He hates all sin, and one sin makes us to be sinners: meaning that we have to be judged for breaking His Law.
AGREE THAT THERE IS A PENALTY FOR SIN (Romans 6:23)
Every person has broken God’s Law, and can expect to pay the consequences of sin one day. We understand that we are all dying physically, but did you know that there is a place God created where all sinners go to die spiritually? This place is called Hell. Hell is a real place! It is not Earth, or imaginary, but a place of fire, judgment, weeping, and gnashing of teeth forever and ever (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus preached more on Hell than Heaven, and explained that God created it for Satan, not humanity (Matthew 25:41). However, just as Satan sinned against God, he tempted Man to do the same and we fell for it! Therefore, God has no choice but to give every sinner the same penalty for sin: Hell!
AGREE THAT JESUS CHRIST PAID YOUR SIN DEBT (Romans 5:8)
This comes back to God’s love for us. God wants every person to go to Heaven and be with Him, but something had to be done with our sin! The only way for sin to be done away with is if God somehow takes it away; this is what Jesus did for us. Jesus Christ is God, and yet He shed His glory, to become a humble man (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus lived a perfect life, and suffered everything that we suffer, on Earth, but wicked men put Him on a cross out of envy. On that cross, Christ bore the sins of the whole world (present, past, and future). When He cried, “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?” God the Father had turned His back on God the Son, as He suffered our Hell for us! Jesus then died, was buried, and rose bodily from the grave three days later! Jesus’ Resurrection signifies His victory over Death and Hell, and the Father’s acceptance of His payment for our sins (Romans 3:23-26; I Corinthians 15)!
AGREE THAT YOU MUST REPENT OF YOUR SIN AND PERSONALLY ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR
(Romans 10:9-11, Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-10)
God states that the only thing a person must do to be saved from sin is simply believe in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We must believe that Christ is who He says that He is, otherwise, He could not have done what the Bible says that He did! The two are inseparable! If Christ was not God, then His work on the cross did us no good. However, if Christ was God in the flesh, then He truly is the Messiah: the Savior from sins!
If you would like eternal life to be yours, all the Bible states that you must do is believe. Believing means to accept the gift of eternal life by putting your full faith in the quality of Christ and His work. Jesus stated that He is the Way, Truth, and Life, and that no one can come to the Father, except through Him (John 14:6). All we have to do is believe this to be true!
So what about it, Friend? Is Jesus enough to take you to Heaven, or do you feel the need to help Him still? (Ephesians 2:8-9) Did He pay for all of your sins on the cross, or just some of them? (Hebrews 10:11-12) Is there any day where you can be good enough for God to accept you? (Isaiah 64:6)
Can religion save? A church? A family? A denomination? (John 14:6)
Friend, if you choose to believe in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, please let us know, that we might encourage and help you develop a relationship with Him, through His Word! Or, if you still have some doubts and questions, please let us help you!
The greatest thing that you will ever know is whether or not your sins are forgiven, and Christ is your Savior.
This decision lasts forever!
If you have any questions, or comments, please email us at PastorBussard@Gmail.com or call 423-495-0202.