one nation
under God

AGAIN

This is the most important question that you will ever have to answer. The reason being is that it deals with where you will spend eternity. Eternity, in theological terms, is defined as “endless life after death”. You and I are going to spend eternity with God in heaven or without God, in hell. The most amazing aspect of this truth is that God allows each one of us to decide where we spend eternity.

“The most famous verse in the Bible explains this truth in a very simple way.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Let’s look at the condition that mankind is in and how this verse gives us the answer to where we will spend eternity.

The Bible tell us that heaven is a perfect place and that no sin can enter into it. Sin is simply a violation of God’s laws or principles. The word sin actually means “to miss the mark”. Mankind’s “mark or target” is to be righteous enough to get into heaven and we fell well short of that mark.

Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. Some more than others but even one sin would be enough to prevent us from getting into heaven. So what can we do now?

God knew that if we paid the penalty for our own sins, we would be separated from him forever. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death or separation from God. Knowing that, God decided that He would provide the payment for the sins of the entire world so that we wouldn’t have to be separated from him. Fortunately for us, the last part of that verse reads “but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

“This is why God the Son left heaven and entered the human race as the infant named Jesus.”

He specifically tells us in Luke 19:10 that he came to seek and to save those that were lost.
We’re told in the book of Romans 5:8 that Jesus Christ died for our sins while we were yet sinners. This part of God’s theology is very important to understand because it tells us that God accepts anyone in whatever moral condition they may happen to be in. God does not expect us to change our life and reach a certain level of “righteousness” before he will accept us. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, God will welcome us into his family just as we are. After we’re in his family, then he begins to work with us in a way that our character will become more Christ-like. This life changing work will continue until we take our last breath.

When Jesus Christ allowed the Roman soldiers to nail him to a cross, he paid the penalty for the sin that separated us from God. Jesus Christ was the final and ultimate sacrifice. He was crucified for all our sins, past, present and future. He was buried and after three days he was resurrected from the dead. Jesus Christ was alive and well.

Now that sin has been paid for, we are faced with a decision that will affect the rest of our lives.
If we go back to John 3:16, we’re told that only those that “believe” in Jesus Christ will not perish but have eternal life. So what does it mean to “believe” in Jesus Christ?

“The definition of the word “believe” as used in John 3:16 is “to rely upon or to trust in”. 

This means that “believing” in Jesus Christ is not just an intellectual decision about believing in a historical Jesus. A good way to understand what the word means is to take the example of a chair. You can look at a chair and believe that it’s a chair. This is an intellectual decision that you’ve made. When you make the decision to sit on that chair, you have then decided to “believe” in the chair. You made the decision to exercise your faith in a way that you are “relying upon or trusting in” that chair to hold you up.
Your not holding on or trusting in anything else other than the chair to hold you up. That’s what the word “believe” means. You are relying on or trusting in only Jesus Christ to reserve a home in heaven for you. This is how a person is born again or saved.

You’re not trusting in a religion to save you. You’re not trusting in how good a life you’ve lived to get you to heaven. You’re not even combining your faith in Jesus Christ and your good works to secure your home in heaven. It’s 100% what Jesus Christ did for you and nothing else.

Now we’re at the point where we have to make a decision. Do we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior or not? God will not force to us to do so. He’s given us free will to make decisions. The question for us is how can we reject a God who allowed his son to be nailed to a cross in order to give us the only way to heaven by simply believing in him? What more could God possibly do to show how much he loves us? Not making a decision, by the way, is a decision in itself.

“Why don’t you pray something like this?”

Almighty God, I know that I’ve sinned and don’t deserve a home in heaven. I know that there’s nothing I can ever do to get to heaven on my own but I believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay for all of my sins. Past, present and future. I believe that he was buried and that he rose from the dead on the third day. The best I know how, I want to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior by faith alone. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. In Jesus Christ name I pray.

Don’t put this off. Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior today. It will the most important decision that you will ever make. God doesn’t just have to be your creator, he can be your Father.