First, we need to remember that God is holy and will not have sin in any form in His presence. Basically, sin is disobedience. Breaking God’s commandments and laws is sin. Jesus even went further; he said that hateful thoughts and the like are also sin. So, by these standards, all have sinned and fallen way short of God’s standard of perfection. Consequently, with sin came death to mankind. This is the ‘price to be paid.’ Death is universal. All men and women die. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment.”
There is no purgatory and there is no reincarnation. It is important to remember that death separates but does not annihilate. In other words, when a person’s body dies, it is not over. In fact, there are three deaths as a result of man’s sin. This is important to understand.
Spiritual Death: The original sin happened in the garden of Eden. It separated man, Adam, from God spiritually; this is spiritual death.
Physical Death: Adam’s sin brought about natural death which separates the spirit and the soul from the body.
Eternal Death: For the unsaved there is final death which separates man from the mercy of God forever.
This eternal separation means that man will continue to exist but without hope and without ever experiencing God’s love again. He or she is then condemned for all eternity; condemned to a place where Jesus said, “there is utter darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth; a place from which there is no hope of escape.
It is clear from God’s word that death is certain and without faith in Christ it is the worst possible outcome a human being could ever experience.
Finally, one last thought on death to keep in mind. God sends no one to Hell. Actually, people choose to go there when they reject God’s loving offer of grace and salvation in Christ. The good news is that in Christ we have passed from death to life. (John 5:24)
Some Bible scholars think today’s resistance to the Gospel has always been due to the “hardness of men’s hearts”. (Matthew 13). Also an obstacle is delay…people just put off until later to even think about their relationship to God.
Though people refuse to acknowledge it, much of society (humanity) worships idols. They may not be carved images, but are idols, nonetheless. Materialism has replaced spirituality as a driving force in our society. That has led people to resist the loving grace of God.
One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the need for instant and tangible gratification and pleasure. For example, we are bombarded with electronic media designed to address our every desire. Movies, TV programs, sports, news, advertisements and social media provide an endless array of distractions. Another reason is the growing need to compete for bigger and better everything which feeds the need to purchase unnecessary items and which drives financial decisions.
Lastly, society makes idols of celebrities and sports stars. (Exodus 20:4). Sadly worshiping these idols brings brief satisfaction and distracts people from seeking and knowing the loving grace of God.
As COVID-19, massive demonstrations and violent protests seem to be undoing the foundations on which our nation was founded, some people are rethinking their lives and the assumptions on which they have been built. When man-made idols fail to deliver the physical, emotional and spiritual relief that men and women are seeking, will people turn back to God and discover his loving grace? Perhaps. Throughout history, when people’s idols failed to deliver, many began searching for the one true God who is ready to help them find peace.
If you are wondering what a relationship with God might do for you, take a look at our Next Steps page.
This is one of life’s most important questions. The Bible is God’s Word. There you will read these words of assurance:
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in your heart God has raised him from the dead you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9,10
The certainty of eternal life is a consequence of two actions on the part of an individual, but, paradoxically, the actions that guarantee this eternal life took place 2000 years ago. Jesus, the son of God, came to earth to die and atone for all the wrong actions of every man and woman who ever lived and whoever will live. When you, or anyone else, sincerely believes that Jesus provided a way to cover your sins, as if they never happened, and if you confess that you accept his death and resurrection from the dead on your behalf, you can be secure in knowing that you will spend eternity in the presence of God. This promise of God is sealed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. At that same instant God’s spirit becomes part of your body, mind and soul. From that moment on you are a new creation in Christ, a child of God and a member of God’s family.
Now for the practical evidence of that decision. Here are some questions for you to consider:
Do you tell others about Jesus and what he has done for you? (Your personal testimony)
Do you read and live by the truth of the Bible, God’s word?
Besides just reading the Bible, do you study to discover God’s plan for your life?
Are you acquiring a Biblical worldview?
Do you experience God disciplining you like a father teaches a son or daughter?
Is your conscience and heart right with God? Do you fully trust and obey Him?
Do you reflect God’s love in your relationship with others?
Do you attend a church where Bible truths are taught clearly and regularly?
Do you enjoy collective worship of God and fellowship with other Christians??
Do you feel forgiven of all your past sins?
Do you pray regularly and continue to ask God for forgiveness when you do sin?
If these things are true for you, then you can rest assured that you are really saved and are a Christian and can live in the joy of God’s love now and forever and have a life full of meaning and purpose.
Worship is the grateful response to a gracious and loving God. It means honoring the God of creation who has given life and the assurance of eternal life for all put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Worship is a spontaneous and voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved sinner to the Savior.
Simply stated, worship is just saying, “thank you God for all your blessings.” The fact is that every good thing a person has in life is a gift from God. So in worship, we praise God for his amazing works in creation. We praise him because His power is great and His unfailing love is even greater. In a greater sense, worship reflects the condition of the human heart and lifts the human spirit. Worship connects people with God at the spiritual level.
In the Christian perspective, Stewardship is worship. Service in missions and in the church is worship. Good works, done in Jesus name, is worship. Singing praises to the Lord as worship. Sharing the good news of the Gospel with others is worship. In other words, all of life’s activities should be worship. Worship will be one of the primary activities for eternity in heaven. In worship we say, “To God be the glory. Great things he has done!” This is what it means to worship God.
No, the Christian faith fits the scientific facts. Science now confirms that the intricacy and complexity of the design details in both the macro (cosmic) and micro (biological) Sciences point to an Intelligent Designer. That designer is God.
Recent scientific discoveries demonstrate also that evolution could not have produced new life forms on planet Earth including humans. No matter how many eons of time one selects, the mathematical probability of evolution producing life forms is zero.
Even though the universe came into being, the Big Bang, about 13.8 billion years ago and the earth about 4.8 billion years ago, in all that time, the extensive number of fossils discovered, including those in the Cambrian strata (billions upon billions of fossils), not a single transitional species was found. All fossil species appear distinct; that is no evolution. The foundation of the evolution theory is a gradual transition of species thru random probabilistic transition. This is the essence of the theory yet NOT ONE transitional species has ever been found where there should be billions if not trillions.
Remember this too. The older Earth age does not conflict with the Genesis seven days of creation because the Hebrew word for day, ‘ium’, has four possible meanings one of which is, “A long period of time,” which could be millions or billions of years. In other words, God took His time to get Earth ready.
Regarding evolution, one must keep in mind that evolution was a theory which is now a worldview masquerading as scientific fact. It is fundamentally the religion of atheists who reject the idea of God or even an intelligent designer and that a human being has an eternal soul. Why, so that atheists can be their own god, live life as they please, fabricate their own truth and believe that life ends at death with no Judgment Day and no eternal condemnation or punishment. In other words, a life with no hope, no meaning, and no purpose of any eternal value. In that worldview, human life has no value greater than the lives of animals. Despite overwhelming evidence, evolutionists say, “my mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the scientific facts or the idea of intelligent design by a Creator God.” So sad!!
So, choose faith and study more about how science supports the Genesis account of creation. While you are searching for truth, you will also discover God’s plan for your life.
All of Christianity hinges on the answer to this question. If there was no resurrection, there would be no Christianity. So what transformed 11 scared and dejected disciples into fearless ambassadors? It was Jesus’ return from the dead and subsequent ascension into heaven. There were over 500 witnesses to Jesus’ return to life after being crucified dead and buried.
Was he really dead? The Romans made no mistakes when they killed someone. They were experts at the art of death. So when a soldier wanted to hasten the death of a man who had already endured a terrible whipping and was bleeding from wounds in his hands and feet, an upward thrusting spear through a lung and into the heart would do the trick. So certain of his death were the soldiers that they didn’t break the legs of Jesus. That was the usual way Roman soldiers finished a crucifixion. They knew that once a man could no longer support himself with his legs, he would suffocate since he could no longer breathe. The soldiers also knew that Jesus wasn’t coming back to claim his robe, so they gambled to determine who would get it.
To ensure that Jesus would stay dead and that his disciples would not try to steal his body and claim he came back from the dead, the tomb was sealed and soldiers were tasked with guarding it. To fail to do so could result in their executions.
Yet, three days later, Jesus appeared to his disciples, to several women, to two men walking on the road to Emmaus, to a doubting Thomas and two others. Jesus was definitely dead and he was definitely resurrected.
His disciples witnessed his ascension into heaven. So yes, Jesus is definitely alive. It is his power and authority that holds every atom in the universe together. One day Jesus will return to earth just like he left it to rule and reign as King of kings. Given the events of these times, it could be soon. Are you ready? (see Matthew 25: 30-35)
