By Alan Scholes

"It’s fun to debate with Christians because there are so many contradictions in the Bible." That was my feeling during my years as an agnostic high school and college student. I never called myself an atheist. I felt that anyone who said, "I’m sure that God doesn’t exist." was being arrogant. How could anyone know whether or not God existed? So I considered myself to be an open-minded agnostic. I loved to argue with religious people–partly because I just liked to argue (with anyone) and partly because they seemed like sitting ducks. I liked to bait them about the problems that I saw in the Bible. But, you know, it was as I found out more about these "problem areas" that I learned what the Bible is all about.

As I read the story of Adam and Eve for a course on the bible as literature, I noticed something for the first time. Of course I had heard the story before when I would attend church, but I had never read the actual account in Genesis carefully. I saw that in chapter two God commands Adam, "But, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die."

When I looked at Genesis chapter five, I found that Adam lived many years after eating from the forbidden tree and even had several children. I wondered, "Was God just bullying them with idle threats or did the writer of Genesis make a little mistake and misquote God?" I was amazed that anyone in their right mind could believe that the Bible was "God’s Word" when it had such a glaring contradiction in the opening chapters. This continued to bother me for nearly two years, but there was something else that bothered me even more.

I had often heard my religious friends say, "Jesus died for our sins" or "Jesus died to save the world." I could see how the good example of Jesus’ actions might possibly influence some men and women to live better lives, but it was inconceivable to me that anything done by one man nearly 2,000 years ago could have a direct effect on how we live in the 20th century. And I certainly couldn’t see how Jesus’ death no matter how noble or unselfish, could possibly make up for all the evil in the world.

In my opinion, if God existed, He would either have a loving and forgiving nature or He would not. If He wasn’t inclined to forgive men’s shortcomings, I didn’t see how Jesus’ death could change His mind, and if God was a forgiving sort, I couldn’t see why He would need a human sacrifice to prove it.

At the time I never guessed that the answer to the problem in Genesis held a clue to understanding why Jesus had to die. I began to comprehend as I was listening to a lecture by a man named Hal Lindsey (who later wrote the best seller, The Late Great Planet Earth). He said that when God declared that Adam would die the same day, He was not referring to physical death, but rather to spiritual death.

Three Dimensions

He went on to explain that God had originally created man in three distinct parts or dimensions. The first is the physical body, which contains the five senses. Our body is not who we are. It’s the physical house we live in.

The second part of man is the soul. This is the real you and me. It contains the mind (the non-physical source of thoughts which activates the physical brain), the emotions, the will and the conscience or moral reasoning power. The Bible teaches that the soul is non-physical and indestructible (it will exist in some state forever).

There is a third part of man called the spirit. I had always thought that the terms "soul" and "spirit" were just two names for the same thing, but Lindsey explained that the spirit is a sort of "non-physical eyesight" with which Adam could experience the non-physical world and personally "see" God and have fellowship with Him. Adam could look through his physical eyes at Eve and see and experience her. In the same way he could "look" through his spirit and directly perceive and experience God. Both were equally real and intimate.

Now this made a lot of sense to me. As a student of psychology, I had already decided that there must be a non-physical part of man. Even Freud, who was a confirmed atheist, was forced into an explanation of human behavior that involved non-physical elements. (No one has ever operated on a human brain and found a physical id, ego or superego!) I began to see how Adam’s spiritual sense perception could have "died" and yet he still could be alive physically.

As I studied further, I discovered that the biblical concept of "death" does not mean "ceasing to exist," but rather means "separation." In the bible, physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. With the soul gone, the body ceases to function and begins to decay. Spiritual death means the separation of the spirit from God. With the spirit cut off from God, a man would still be able to function physically, but could no longer directly experience God.

I began to see that this Hebrew concept of spiritual death described me exactly. I had read and heard a great deal about God and had spent many hours thinking about the idea of God, but I certainly had never directly perceived or experienced Him.

Free to Choose

At this time I began to see the answer to something else that had bothered me. I had always said: "If God created man and man has an evil side to him, then why should God blame man for acting the way He made him?" (In the long run it seemed as though evil were God’s fault, not man’s).

But as I studied further, I saw that God had created man with freedom to respond to God’s love and love Him back. For love to be real, a person has to be free to choose to love (and free to choose not to). For example, I want my wife to freely choose to love me, not to be forced into it.

If God had told Adam, "Here, do anything you ant. There is nothing you can do that would be wrong," then there would have been no way for Adam to express his love and obedience toward God. If nothing was forbidden, then Adam couldn’t choose to obey God since there would be no possible way to disobey.

So God gave Adam a choice. He said, "Don’t eat from this tree." The moment God said that, the tree became "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." I think the tree was a neutral object from God’s point of view. He could just as easily have said, "Don’t touch that stick" or "don’t pick up that rock." Then we would have had the "stick" or the "rock" of the knowledge of good and evil." Until this time Adam had never personally chosen good or evil. If Adam had chosen to obey, he would have gained a personal knowledge of God. As it was, he chose to disobey and gained an experience of evil.

In choosing to disobey God, Adam died spiritually. In turning away from God’s command, Adam’s intimate fellowship with God was broken – his "spiritual eyes" went dead and he could no longer experience God.

I had read in the New Testament that "the wages of sin is death." I now realized that "wages" are not a gift or a punishment. They are simply what we deserve, the natural result of our work. On payday you don’t go to your boss, get down on your knees and say, "Oh, please, be kind and generous and give me my paycheck." You expect to be paid. It is the natural result of doing your work.

Natural Result

In the same way, spiritual death is not a punishment from God, but rather the natural result of man’s free choice to separate himself from God and His will. Adam unplugged himself from God spiritually and the result was that he was cut off from God permanently. Adam had poked out his own spiritual eyes and there was nothing he could do to restore them.

Even God Himself couldn’t restore Adam’s spirit without nullifying his free will. (That would be like a parent who says, "You’re free to choose whether or not you want to go to the party tonight, but if you choose to go, I’m going to lock you in your room.") In order for Adam to be free, God had to honor his choice of disobedience and spiritual death.

When Adam disobeyed God, something even more startling happened. Not only was Adam eternally cut off from God, but apparently there was such a profound change in Adam that he passed on this spiritual death to all of his offspring.

In the physical realm we know that some damage (such as radiation) can be so profound that a genetic mutation takes place and every generation after that is affected. Something like "spiritual mutation" took place when Adam sinned, and everyone since that time has been born physically and soulishly" alive but spiritually dead – cut off from God.

My first thought was, "This seems unfair. That means I have to suffer for something Adam did thousands of years ago." But I soon realize that there were many times when I had consciously chosen to do things that I knew were wrong. If I hadn’t inherited spiritual death, I would have cut myself off from God through my own choices! And I saw that God couldn’t just forgive or overlook man’s sin – to do so would take away his freedom and make him less than human.

But I still didn’t see how Jesus’ death could be the solution to man’s problem of spiritual death. One thing in particular bothered me about Jesus. According to my Christian friends, Jesus was supposed to be God’s perfect Son. In fact, they said He was God Himself in human form.

And yet in two difference places it is recorded that on the cross Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken me?" This was the most obvious problem of all. It seemed that Jesus Himself lost faith at the very end. How could we believe Jesus to be the perfect Son of god when He Himself seems to have denied it with His dying breath?

Spiritual Death

This proved to be the key which helped me to finally understand the Christian faith. I learned that Jesus not only died physically on the cross–He died spiritually. While Jesus hung there, God the Father reached back in time and took the spiritual death that had been generated by Adam and those who came after him and placed it on Jesus Christ. Then (because He created time and lives outside of it) God looked forward in time and took all the spiritual death generated by you and me and all the other men and women who will be born until the end of time and put that death on Jesus too.

Now I could see why Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" He was experiencing to the fullest the spiritual death generated by countless men and women throughout the ages. He literally experienced spiritual hell on the cross as He was cut off from God, even though He committed no sin and was not deserving of death. He actually died spiritually in our place.

One thing, continued to puzzle me. I could see how Jesus, if He lived a perfect life and therefore was never unplugged from God, could die spiritually for one other man’s sin (and it seemed logical that He would have to stay dead eternally). But I couldn’t understand how Jesus as one man could possibly die and stay dead for only a few days – the Bible says He was resurrected three days later – and still manage to pay off several billion eternities of separation from God.

I found the answer while I was a student at San Francisco State College. I asked a math major who lived in my dorm about this, and he replied, "You’ve forgotten that Jesus, though He was in human form, was actually the infinite God. If He had suffered spiritual death for even 10 minutes, He would have generated more than enough death to pay for the 100 billion eternities of separation from God. Remember He was giving up infinite life, and infinity multiplied times anything still equals infinity." Or as he wrote down for me:

Jesus yielding infinite life

x 10 minutes=

infinite eternities of spiritual death

Free Gift

But I was still confused about this: Why, if Jesus’ death paid for all the spiritual death for all the ages, do men still experience separation from God? Then I realized that God still can’t violate our free will without making us subhuman. God has gone to great trouble and sacrifice to provide forgiveness for us and to restore us to fellowship with Himself. Forgiveness and a new spirit are free gifts that He offers us. If we refuse His gift, we will continue to experience spiritual death, and when our physical life ends, we will be cut off eternally from God and His love.

Those who accept Christ’s death as payment for their spiritual death are given new "spiritual eyes". They are again complete in body, soul and spirit. For the man who has this new nature within him, physical death is no threat. When the soul sheds the physical body, the man himself continues to grow and have fellowship with God through His spirit.

Recently I was discussing some of these things with a student named George. I asked him, "Have you ever wondered about any of these things?" He said, "Yes, in fact, I was sent to a religious grade school and high school, and took many courses in Christian teaching. I often asked my teachers about things that didn’t make sense to me, like how Jesus could die for the whole world. They would always put me off or say, "We’re going to discuss that next month," and I never got my questions answered. Today is the first time I’ve really understood how Jesus’ death could affect me personally."

Then I asked him, "Would you like to thank Christ for taking your spiritual death and ask Him to come into your life?" George said, "Yes, I really would," so right there on a concrete bench in the midst of the campus, George bowed his head and asked Christ into his life. As well as I can remember, what he said was this: "Lord Jesus, thank you for taking the spiritual death that I deserve. Come into my life and give me back a spirit so I can really know You. Give me the strength to obey You every day. Amen."

At that moment George began the most vital and dynamic experience life can offer – knowing God Himself. You can have that same experience.

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Biblical immutability is a difficult concept for a lot of people. It is one of the most seemingly self-contradictory attributes of God—even the Bible appears to contradict itself in places where the immutability or unchangeableness of God is concerned.  For example, the Lord says of Himself in Malachi 3:6a, “For I, the LORD, do not change …”  And 1st Samuel 15:29—“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” And yet in places the Bible seems to indicate that from time to time God does change His attitude toward people. 

For example, Genesis 6:6—“The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” And Jeremiah 26:13—“Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.”

However contradictory these verses appear, when we see what the Scriptures actually say about God’s unchanging character, not only will these apparent contradictions melt away, we will have a new sense of peace and confidence in the promises of God.

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“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” {Matthew 24:14}

When one asks the question “Can a person who has never heard the Gospel go to Heaven? He is making the assumption that there are people who will go through their entire lives without ever having heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. At this moment, yes, there are those who have never heard the gospel, but tomorrow, through evangelism, more will hear it and the next day even more and so on. Then those who hear it and accept it will tell others. There are currently missionaries in every country and continent including: Israel, The USA, Russia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan, India, Libya, Japan, the Philippians, Egypt, Africa and Europe. Furthermore, all countries have been evangelized since the time of Jesus by the Church.

The gospel is nothing new. It has been around for two thousand years and even in the Apostle Paul’s day the message was universal.

“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.” {Colossians 1:23}

So, we start out with the whole world having heard the gospel in the first century. We must remember that God is “omniscience” he knows everything that is knowable including everyone’s thoughts. Therefore, if a person seeks knowledge of the creator based on things he has observed in nature, or for whatever reason, God will send the message to him either in the form of writing or he may lead a Christian to cross paths with him at the right moment. This is not unusual at all. Many times I have unexpectedly come across a person seeking the Gospel and many of you may have as well. This is precisely why the apostle Peter wrote:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” {1 Peter 3:15}

What about a person who can’t understand the gospel?

Any person who is normal can understand the gospel because it is the Holy Spirit who makes the gospel conspicuous or obvious to him.

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” {John 15:26}

Now, if a person is mentally ill or incapacitated in some way he will be taken to Heaven, taking into consideration all of God’s perfect attributes. For instance, God is perfect justice and perfect love. Why would he send someone to the Lake of fire who was unable to comprehend the Gospel? That would be neither just nor loving.

I think it is interesting the way John 3:18 is worded.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

A person who does not understand is unable to believe or not believe. If your two year old child got a hold of your car keys and threw them in the lake, would you punish him? Of course not, because he did not know what he was doing. However, if your 14 year old child did the same thing out of spite, then discipline would be in order. So it is with God. He is fair and just and loving.

When is a person accountable?

Every normal person reaches a stage in his life when he becomes accountable for his own actions and beliefs. For some, who have been raised in a Christian home, it may be a young age, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, but for others who have been raised in a Godless or “religious” home it may be an older age. However, if properly explained, even a young child can understand. A parent should not wait until teen years or depend on a church to explain the Gospel. It is most beneficial to raise up a child with biblical principals. Satan will go to work on a child at a very early age, and the longer he has to work on them the more difficult it will be to accept Christ in later years.

A good example of this is a young person who has gone through high school and college and become indoctrinated in evolution. He has only heard one side of the story for his entire life, and even though evolution is vague, contradictory, and absurd, to any thinking, knowledgeable person, he will believe in it. In other words, he has no ability to discern truth from lies because his thinking process always starts with the false assumption that there is no God. Evolutionists are strictly materialist thinkers for some unexplained reason, so they rule out God from the beginning. They brainwash people to their philosophy and call it science. They even call it “philosophical science” which means “believe us because we are smarter than you are.” Young people believe in this philosophy because they have nothing to compare it to. Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they will continue in their belief. Even though, in the back of their mind, they know there must be something out there (God-consciousness), their arrogance and egotism and any idea of God is offensive to them. Their conscience is seared, their hearts are hardened and they are on their way to Hell in a tea kettle.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” {Proverbs 22:6}

God-Consciousness

“…I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.” (Hebrews 8:10-11}

Everyone is conscious of God even though some will not admit it. Since God knows your heart, there comes a time when he will hold you responsible for your own actions based upon Biblical concepts. Atheists, for example, claim that there is no God, but yet they unknowingly accept God’s laws and principals. If someone were to steal an Atheists car the atheist would say that is wrong. Right and wrong are determined not by what we declare right and wrong to be, but what God says right and wrong are. Is it wrong to steal and atheist’s car? Well, to the atheist yes, but to the one who stole it no, because he gets a free car. Laws cannot be relative, they must be absolute and apply to everyone equally, therefore, they must come from God, not man.

Our laws are based on God’s laws (or should be) because if we all decide for ourselves what is right and wrong then there can only be chaos. So, God must establish what is right and what is wrong. Even the atheist accepts many of God’s principals because he has a God-Consciousness, albeit suppressed, and will find himself without excuse on Judgment day. Therefore, it makes sense to teach children God’s laws as absolutes for their lives.

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” {Romans 1:19-20}

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” {1 Corinthians 15:3-4}

Will Babies Who Die Go To Heaven?

David had a child with his wife Uriah and it became very sick. Seven days later the child died. While the child was living David was very upset but once it died David said:

“While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, (in Heaven) but he shall not return to me.” {1 Samuel 12:22-23}

From this we can only conclude that God will take babies, young children and incapacitated persons of any age to Heaven.

Historical Evangelism

There are numerous records that reveal world evangelism from the first century until the present. Most likely you have never heard of these people because they were not on T.V. nor were they well know in their day, as missionaries today are not well known, but nevertheless they went about spreading the Gospel message as Jesus commanded his followers to do.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” {Mark 16:15}

“Quotations and records from the Ante-Nicene fathers emphasize the impact of the Gospel throughout the world. One of the earliest apologists of Christianity, Justin Martyr, (AD 100-165), was converted in Palestine as a result of his observation of Christians, of the personal witness of missionaries, and through the study of scripture. Later as a declarer and defender of his faith, he made an interesting observation on the extent of evangelism among the heathen.”

“There is no people Greek or barbarian, or of any other race, by whatsoever appellation or manners they may be distinguished, however ignorant of the arts or agriculture, whether they dwell in tents or wander about in covered wagons [an allusion to Scythians]—among whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered in the name of the crucified Jesus to the Father.” [From the book “Heathenism” by R.B. Thieme Jr. 2001)

But for those who do understand the issue of salvation and choose to reject it, they have committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirits conviction. The Holy Spirit is the witness of the gospel to the unbeliever and so they will be without excuse at the Great white throne judgment.

“Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” {Matthew 12: 31-32}

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…” {Romans 1: 20,21,22,24}

In contrast, for the believer in Jesus Christ a new eternal life of perfect happiness awaits.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new…” {Revelation 21:4-5}

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” {1 John 5:4-5}

“And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” { Revelation 21:6-7}

BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE

Understanding God

Lesson Fifteen:  The Happiness of God

God is happy.  His happiness is an intrinsic part of who He is.  He was happy in eternity past, He is happy now, and He will be happy for all eternity.  There never was a time when He was not happy.  His happiness, like all of His other attributes, is infinite and absolute.  It is not subject to fluctuation.  It can neither increase nor decrease.  God did not attain His happiness, nor can He ever lose it.  It is an integral part of His being and has been so from eternity past.  Because God is absolute, infinite, and eternal, His happiness is absolute, infinite, and eternal.  God does not depend on anything external to Himself as a source of happiness.  He does not even need to do anything to keep His happiness.  God’s happiness has no need of sustenance or maintenance.  He is the God of perfect, absolute, and infinite well-being…

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Read the full Basic Bible Study on ChristReport.com

ello, friend.  My name is John McReynolds.  I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to talk with you about the most important decision you can ever make in this life.  Now, I don’t know why you logged onto this web site, or what motivated you to click on this particular message.  Maybe you were just idly curious, or perhaps intrigued by the title.  Or maybe you’re responding to a spiritual hunger—you may not even recognize it as such.  But whatever the reason I want to ask you a rather direct and personal question.  Since we’re not communicating directly you don’t have to answer me.  But you do need to answer yourself—and answer yourself honestly:

If you were to die today do you have any idea where you would go? 

Be honest now—in considering this subject this is one time when you don’t need to play games with yourself.  If you died today would you go to heaven, or hell?  Not sure?  Well you have plenty of company—neither are many millions of other folks. 

Maybe you haven’t worried much about it, or maybe you believe that there is no hereafter—that after you die there’s nothing as far as you’re concerned.  Or maybe you do believe in a hereafter, but there’s not any heaven or hell, just another plane of existence, or maybe you get reincarnated and you get another chance at life. 

Perhaps you do believe in heaven and hell, but you figure if you do more good things than bad things St.  Peter will open the Pearly Gates for you.  Or maybe you’ve done some horrible things and you feel that you’re doomed—that there’s no way that God would forgive you. 

Maybe you just don’t believe in God, or maybe you do, but you think that He doesn’t really care one way or the other what you do—that you have no accountability to God.  Perhaps you think God doesn’t really care about sin.  Well friend, there are multiplied millions all over the world that hold these same and many other beliefs about God and heaven and hell.

But there is a document that has been around for 1900 years—and portions of it are far older than that—and it has something to say about all these beliefs.  We know it as the Bible.  And many millions of people throughout these 1900 years have staked their lives on the belief that the Bible is the very Word of God.  Now I’m not going to get into a discussion as to whether the Bible is or isn’t the inspired Word of God—this isn’t the time for that.  But I would like you, for these few minutes, to just assume that it is, and that what the Bible says is true—just for these few minutes.  If you’ll do that for me I’d like to look at some of those beliefs and show you what the Bible says about them.  Let’s take them one at a time:

·         Do you believe that there is no hereafter—that after you die there’s nothing?  Listen to what Hebrews 9:27 says: “…  man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The Bible says that there is an afterlife, and that there will be a judgment.

·         Do you believe there’s not any heaven or hell?  Listen to Isaiah 66:1: “This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool …” Not only is there a heaven, but it’s God’s own throne!  And there’s Matthew 5:12 which says, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven …”

And John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.” Not only is there a heaven, but people will be getting rewarded there and will be living there. 

Now what about hell?  Here’s a passage in Luke 16:22–23 where Jesus, in talking about a deceased rich man said, “The rich man also died and was buried.  In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side …”

In Revelation 20:15 hell is referred to as the Lake of Fire: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” And in Psalms 9:17 the fate of the wicked is presented: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

The Bible presents the reality of hell in no uncertain terms.

·         Do you think that reincarnation will give you another shot at life?  Look at Hebrews 9:27 again: “…  man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The Bible emphatically denies the existence of reincarnation.

·         Do you think that if you do more good things than bad things you’ll get into heaven?  Here’s Ephesians 2:8–9: “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.” The Bible makes it plain that no one can be saved by anything they can do—the Bible calls that “works”—so doing more good than bad won’t get you into heaven. 

·         Maybe you don’t think you’re really a sinner?  I John 1:8: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Romans 3:10, “As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one …” And Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …”

·         Do you think that you have done things so awful that you can’t get forgiveness from God?  Not so!  The Bible declares in many places that salvation is available to everyone: In John 6:37 Jesus says, “whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” Acts 2:21, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 5:18, “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”  And just in case you were wondering, that phrase “all men” means all women too!

There is no sin you have committed that cannot be forgiven when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior: The Apostle Paul said in I Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.” Paul wasn’t exaggerating here, he really was one of the worst sinners who ever lived!  Listen to Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

·         Do you think that God doesn’t really exist?  If so I’m afraid the Bible isn’t very flattering toward you: Listen to Psalms 14:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” The Bible describes the atheist as a fool.  But even atheists can be saved—if they change their mind about God.

·         Do you think that God won’t really hold all men accountable to Him?  Don’t kid yourself friend—you will be held accountable.  Ecclesiastes 12:14, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Read Revelation 20:11–15.  It describes the Last Judgment:  “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.  Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 

“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

·         Do you think that God doesn’t really care about sin?  Listen to Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God says the ultimate consequence of sin is death!  But He also says that He has a gift for man, and that’s “…  eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 3:23 says that “…  all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …” And that means you too, friend.  The Bible describes all men as coming under judgment, and that includes you.  And the Bible describes all those whose names weren’t found in the Book of Life as being cast into the Lake of Fire.

So let me ask you again.  If you were to die today, do you know where you would go?  You might not be any closer to an answer than you were before, but perhaps now you’re a little more concerned about it than you were a few minutes ago!  Hopefully by now you have a sense of the terrible predicament that you’re in if you have not accepted God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  So what is this gift of eternal life?  Let’s talk about that a minute.

God the Father, who knows everything—past, present and future—knew who you were back before He ever created man.  Jesus Christ knew you too, and had you personally in mind when He went to the cross.  They knew every sin you would ever commit.  And so when Jesus Christ hung on the cross the Father poured out on Him every sin that would ever be committed by every human who would ever be born—past, present and future—including yours.  God then judged those sins and condemned them, and He assessed the penalty for those sins—death!  And so Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, yours, mine—everyone’s who ever lived and who will ever live.  And because Jesus died for your sins and mine, He made it possible for us to have eternal life with God, instead of the second death, or the Lake of Fire we read about a minute ago.

So how do we go about getting this eternal life that Rom 6:23 talks about?  Well this is the Good News, my friend.  Because all we have to do to live with God forever is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s it!  We must express faith alone in Christ alone.  Jesus Christ is the only way to God!  Listen to Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  

There’s nothing we can add to faith in Christ, either.  Adding anything we can do is works—remember Eph 2:8, 9?  “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.”  John 3:16,  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,  that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

What’s the alternative?  John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Friend, if you have never believed in Christ—if you are an unbeliever—then in that condition you are without any hope for eternal blessings.  Instead, eternal condemnation is your future, unless you make the one good decision that is open to you.  God has placed before you today the opportunity to gain eternal life—an eternity of inconceivable blessings in the very presence of God. 

We’ve already read about the alternative to this—eternal separation from Him.  As an unbeliever your eternal future is one of endless regret, misery and conscious agony in the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  You can change this horrible future by one conscious decision.  God has made a way of escape for you, but you must choose to do it God’s way.  Existing in hell forever doesn’t have to be your fate.  Here’s the greatest opportunity of your life, right in front of you.  You can be saved, right now, right where you sit.  How? 

Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved …”

Simply in the privacy of your own thoughts tell God the Father that you are believing in Christ and accepting Him as your Savior.  The instant you do that is the instant that you receive eternal life, and are assured of an eternity with the Lord.  It doesn’t have to be a fancy prayer—in fact it’s better if it’s not, because no one is saved because of flowery phrases.  Something as simple as this will do:

“Father I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins, and I accept Him as my Savior.”

That’s it!  Faith alone in Christ alone.  Are you worried that maybe you don’t have enough faith?  Listen—God knows your heart.  If you truly want to be saved, your simple statement of faith is enough! 

Friend, if you just prayed that prayer in faith, then you are now a child of God.  According to I Peter 1:4, 5  you have just entered “…  into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed …”

Now, if you’ve accepted Christ as Savior, then you’re ready for the next part of God’s plan—which is what we’ll cover in the next several messages.  As a brand new born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to immediately begin a diet of spiritual food.  What do I mean by that?  I mean you need to begin hearing, and reading, and feeding on the Word of God just as a brand new baby needs to feed on his mother’s milk!  That’s one of the meanings of the phrase “born-again—you have just been born into the spiritual realm, and you need spiritual food.  We have a number of resources on this website that will help you to get started.

But these resources are not enough by themselves.  You also need to seek a local church that teaches the Bible.    It is very important for your spiritual growth that you have the frequent company of other born-again believers.  God designed the local church to meet the needs of believers—brand new ones, as well as those who have been in the faith for many years.  Ask God and He will lead you to one. 

In the meantime, congratulations on the wisest choice you’ll ever make, and welcome, my brother or sister in Christ, to the Family of God.