Are You Sure?

Do you have any religious / spiritual beliefs? Do you wonder about what will happen when this physical life is over? If what you believed about God, the soul, an afterlife, etc., were not true, and someone knew the actual answers, would you want them to share those answers with you, even if you didn't fully agree with them? What if they shared them in a way that you had no doubt they genuinely cared about you, about your eternal destiny, and had made intelligent, informed decisions about the things in which to place their trust and faith?

Would you want to know?

If the answer is NO ... I hope you enjoy this life.

If the answer is YES ... I hope you enjoy this life, and I invite you to enjoy the afterlife, as well.

The Bible says that every person who has ever lived (with the exception of Jesus of Nazareth) has done something they knew was wrong, and that that one wrong thing makes them a Law-breaker.

Because we are law-breakers, and the law we have broken is God's law for the universe and all who are in it, we have to answer to Him. There are two choices: (1) to attempt to pay the debt with our lives--for eternity apart from Him in a place the Bible calls "hell" and "the lake of fire"; and (2) to let someone else pay that penalty for you.

God has supplied for us that One Person to pay the penalty on our behalf. Jesus, His unique Son, was born as the only God-Man, lived a perfect life, gave up His life willingly and died for us a cruel death by Roman crucifixion, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Not long after, He rose from the dead!! This is the central belief of Christianity!!

His resurrection is actually a well-documented fact of history. Look it up!! After spending quite a while with His followers giving them some last-minute instructions, Jesus went up into heaven.

The Bible says He then sent His Spirit to be with us until He returns one day ahead. He'll come back the same way He left (see Acts chapter 1) and He'll be the Judge of the world.

The Bible says we'll be judged on either our merit or His. I have chosen to be judged according to Jesus' merit. My own goodness may be better than someone else's, but it's not enough. Only Jesus was sinless and perfect.

According to the Bible, you must believe that Jesus is God's Son, and that God sent Him into the world to be the Savior of mankind. You must believe and confess. God will change your heart, and make you into a new person.

After that, salvation is yours!

We're told to put away the behaviors of the former life, to realize that it's by God's grace He has saved us, and to let others see how good God is (and give Him praise) through the obedient things we do to honor the Lord.

Nothing can remove us from God's hand once we're saved. Nothing we do can make us "more worthy" in God's eyes. It's a done deal.

But a heart that loves someone shows it openly. God expects us to love Him, to love other believers, and to love those who don't believe. I think that includes everyone, right?

Have questions, concerns, or comments? Let me know: bro_brett@bellsouth.net