I. One of Two Possible Destinies
Human beings have studied, pondered, debated – and even admired – the Word of God for millennia. And that is largely what we’ve done to this point on the website. But it is another matter altogether to appropriate the truth of God’s Word to your life . . . to believe it with every fiber of your being. We’d like to start this final page of the “Christianity?” section of the web site with a single, very profound question:
If you died today, do you know where you would spend eternity?
We admit the question may feel a bit unsettling: contemplating the inevitability of your own death — or infinitely worse, the possibility of an eternity in hell — is probably not what most would call a “feel-good” subject. But remember the purpose of this website: creating or restoring real hope in the heart and mind of the reader. We’ve repeatedly made it clear this cannot occur without confronting the truth – and not all truths are necessarily pleasant to contemplate. When God speaks to us of His love for us . . . of His desire to give us an indescribably-good “expected end,” He doesn’t necessarily promise that every step of the journey will be filled with “feel-good” moments. Perhaps a useful analogy is found in going to the doctor for an unpleasant treatment — or going to the gym for a period of strenuous exercise: you accept the pain in the short term in order to enjoy a long-term gain. Unlike uncomfortable-but-beneficial truths you may confront in your day-to-day life, however, the painful truths God’s Word confronts us with present us the opportunity to enjoy “gains” that are measured on the scale of the infinite . . . on a timeline measured on the scale of the eternal. And so . . .
Remember that 107 people per minute are dying across planet Earth – nearly two lives end per second, on average. As we’ve mentioned, most didn’t wake up this morning knowing it was their last day. NO ONE escapes this fate . . . no matter how wealthy, powerful, famous, accomplished, respected or loved you may be . . . there is a moment in your not-so-distant future when you will draw your last breath. A few minutes after that, every cell in your body will have perished from a lack of oxygen – beyond the aid of the most skilled human physician. Do you know what happens to you next? Do you honestly believe that you can have any lasting hope without knowing the answer to this question?
As we have studied, the Word of God – Jesus Christ – makes it clear that you can know . . . if you believe in Him:
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life . . .” (1Jo 5:13, emphasis added)
We have repeatedly seen that God’s omnipotence requires His original purpose in creating man to be fulfilled . . . and that this purpose is being fulfilled as you read this. We’ve also seen that all men need not be saved from their sins in order for this grand purpose to be fulfilled. The Bible is explicit: all souls dwell somewhere for all of eternity. So, to be clear: if the Bible is true, you do NOT simply cease to exist when you die! Some live in perfect companionship with Him for all of eternity, while others dwell in utter isolation from Him – where there will be eternal “wailing and gnashing of teeth:”
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mt 13:41-43, emphasis added)
Do you have spiritual “ears to hear?” The Bible articulates no other alternatives to what is described above: the contrast between these two possible fates is unspeakably stark. Moreover, God warns us in advance: most do not make it into heaven:
“. . . wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Mt 7: 13-14, emphasis added)
Remember that God’s attribute of holiness must be preserved – or He ceases to be God. Either:
- Sin separates you from Him, in an eternal, tormented spiritual death, or . . .
- God pays sin’s penalty on your behalf – on the cross.
The idea of eternal separation and hell tempts some to think ill of God’s Word — to the point that some will even say, “I refuse to believe in a God that would allow someone to go to hell.” Yet consider:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Joh 15:13)
God was a man when He voluntarily went to the cross – he voluntarily laid down his life for those that are “his.” His motivation was love – a type of love none of us can begin to comprehend. Contemplate for a moment what it would take for an omnipotent being to condescend to the self-righteous and murderous intents of wicked men . . . to allow oneself to be tortured to death in the cruelest way possible . . . all the while possessing the power to utterly destroy those tormentors. Yet this is precisely what God chose to do – and purely out of love for His own.
Moreover, speaking of eternal death in hell, God says:
“. . . As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked . . .” (Eze 33:11)
The message of the gospel is a message of love, because it’s author – God himself – IS love:
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 Jo 4:16, emphasis added)
II. Your Disposition – Right NOW
There is a second critical question you must ask yourself at this juncture:
Do you believe that you are a sinner in the eyes of God?
If the Bible is true, you most certainly are! ALL of us are:
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Ro 5:12, emphasis added)
We spent considerable time explaining the sin nature inherited by every descendent of Adam: we are no longer in God’s “image,” but in Adam’s sinful image. This is exactly what the scriptural passage above is referring to. It’s tells us that ALL of us have sinned.
God doesn’t see our virtue the way we see it, apparently.
Some have some difficulty on this point. They’ll say things like, “I’m a pretty good person. I give to charity. I’m nice to people at work. I take good care of my children and volunteer my time to help those in need.” And there is NOTHING necessarily wrong with any of those good deeds! But . . .
. . . remember our discussion on God’s attribute of holiness . . . how His virtue is described in terms of the infinite? No matter how “good” we may be, His goodness makes our good deeds seem like “filthy rags.” (remember Isa. 64:6 ?)
Have you ever said something you knew to be un-true? In God’s perfect eyes, that makes you a liar. Have you ever taken anything that didn’t belong to you? By God’s perfect standards, that makes you a thief. God’s attributes of holiness and omnipotence require justice and judgment in response to your sin: again, that judgment can be paid by YOU, in flames forever – or by Jesus, on the cross. Based upon the many scriptures we have shown you, we have a third critical question for you:
Do you believe that Christ died for your sins?
If not . . . and the Bible is true . . . the hard truth is that your eternal soul hangs by a thread over the pit of hell. Were you to suddenly expire, God’s holiness would leave you no other place to go. It could happen after your next heartbeat. If the spiritual “quickening” we’ve studied leads to saving faith, where faith “comes by hearing,” and “hearing by the Word of God,” TODAY is the day to get SERIOUS about reading the Bible!
Yes: we’ve repeatedly underscored that God the Father – through the Holy Spirit – draws whom He wills to His son, and that no man can come to faith in Christ unless the father draws him. (remember Joh 6:44 ?) But how do you know that God isn’t using the scriptural admonitions on this very web page to start this drawing process? If the message of this website produces even the slightest tug on your heart to do as we implore . . . DON’T IGNORE THAT!! The stakes are un-imaginably high!
III. The Deity of Jesus
A fourth (and final) critical question for you:
Do you believe that Jesus is God the Son, and that He was raised from the dead?
You can visit the grave of Mohammed – the founder of Islam – in the city of Medina today. Confucious is buried in the town of Qufu, in China. Relics from Buddah’s body can be found in numerous stupas and temples. But you cannot visit the grave of Jesus – because He doesn’t have one! According to the Bible, Jesus was raised from the dead after three days in a tomb. (You can read this account in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 28)
This fact is so central to the Christian faith: if Jesus remained dead and buried after His crucifixion, He would be no different from any other man. But if Jesus is God as the Bible claims . . . and if both He, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, then He has all power over all things – including death. If He had no power over His own physical death, what hope could we have for eternal life – through faith in Him? Yet eternal life is precisely what Jesus promises for those who have faith in Him:
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death . . .” (Ho 13:14)
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Joh 6:40)
IV. Are You a Christian?
We’ve asked you four important – and very specific – questions. And here is the simple biblical truth:
If you believe that you are a sinner in the eyes of God, if you believe that Christ paid for your sins when He died on the cross, if you believe that He is God in the flesh and rose from the dead . . . then you, my friend, are a Christian. Speaking to the apostle Peter, Jesus tells us that such truth is revealed by “my Father which is in heaven.” (remember Mt 16:17 ?) How we must never take such an unspeakable gift for granted!
If you have come to this faith during the course of studying the scriptures presented on this web site, we would be very grateful if you would share this amazing news with us here. Then, we’d ask that you continue by studying the material in the “For Christians” section of the web site.
If, on the other hand, you still have doubts about – or even flat-out disbelieve – some or all of the Bible content we’ve exposed you to, then we prayerfully ask that you consider further exploration of Christianity through the methods we described in the “Practical Pursuit” section of this page. If you do, you may encounter a teacher or minister that explains things in a way that “connects” more intuitively for you. We have found that God works in a variety of ways through a variety of people in His church! This website merely presents one such approach – and there is certainly much more to learn. If you have any questions or would like us to pray for you during your search for the truth, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The resurrected Jesus ascended through the clouds and into Heaven at the completion of His work on Earth – described in the Book of Acts, Chapter 1. If you’re a Christian, this is where you will meet the Lord: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Th 4:17) THIS is REAL hope!
We’ll end the way we began:
Hope is the expectation of our desires being fulfilled. If we base our expectations on false premises, hope will elude us. If, on the other hand, our expectations are based on the truth – then we have real hope!
Jesus has told us, “I am . . . the truth.”
Real, lasting hope, then, is found in Him – and in Him alone: how we pray that you will find it!