Have you ever wondered what happens to us after we die? Have you felt guilt for things you’ve done and desired relief? We believe that the Bible holds the answers to these questions. We invite you to read through the following page to see what God’s Word says about our lives.
Every person is sinful
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
Many people believe that heaven, or any reward after death, is dependent on their own good works. The mistake in this logic is that we compare our works to the works of other people to decide if we are “good” or not. The truth is that no person is truly “good.” We may be good compared to others, but the true standard for goodness is set by God. And God tells us that “there is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) We are all guilty of some sort of sin whether it be pride, deceit, or something more serious. Whether big or small, it is all sin in God’s eyes.
God tells us that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) If a person appears in a court room and is found guilty of a crime, he cannot point to his good works to have his guilt removed. Even if he has lived a responsible, generous, charitable life he must still pay the penalty for breaking the law. This is the state of man. Although we may be good compared to others, we are all guilty of breaking God’s law.
The penalty for sin is death
"For the wages of sin is death…" (Romans 6:23)
Just as every crime has a punishment, sin has a penalty. The Bible tells us that when we die, there are only two destinations: Heaven or Hell. Because of God’s perfect and holy nature, He cannot allow anything that is sinful to enter Heaven. (1 Corinthians 6:9) Therefore, because man is sinful, he must go to Hell.
God does not want anyone to suffer sin’s penalty
“The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
God created mankind in His image. (Genesis 1:26) He loves us and desires to know us. Unfortunately, our sin separates us from God. We cannot have peace with God because of our sin, and we cannot enter Heaven either. This is not God’s desire. Even though we are sinful and have a penalty that must be paid, God designed a way for us to have our sin and our guilt removed and be restored to our original purpose in Creation.
God sent Jesus to be our substitution and pay sin’s debt
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Because all sinful men bear sin’s debt, only someone who is sinless and perfect could take the place and receive the punishment on behalf of another. This perfect man was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was born into this world for one purpose: to be the sacrifice in place of sinful men.
Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered, died, and rose from the dead to give us victory over both sin and death. He did this all because there is a God who truly loves each and every one of us. Even when He was betrayed, falsely accused, tortured, and nailed to a cross Jesus uttered the words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
All we need to do is accept God’s gift of salvation
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Being a Christian is not about going to church every week. It’s not about dressing nice or doing good things. It’s about making a decision in your own heart to turn away from your sins and begin living for Christ. The word for this action is repentance. You don’t have to live another day of your life with uncertainty. You don’t have to live with the guilt of your shortcomings and failures. Allow Christ to give you the forgiveness that your soul is craving and start a new life with Him.
When we speak to God, we call that prayer. There is no specific prayer that needs to be spoken in order to receive salvation, but if you would like to make the decision right now to accept God’s gift of forgiveness, you can pray something like this:
God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that my sin separates us, and that you cannot allow any sinful person to enter your Heaven. But I also know that you love me. I believe that you sent your Son, Jesus, to die for me and pay sin’s debt on my behalf. God, I repent of my sins. I ask you to come into my life and forgive me. Help me to start living a life that pleases you and shows others how great you are. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer just now and meant the words you said, you are now a Christian! Now this doesn’t mean that you will be able to live a perfect life from this day forward, but it does mean that you’ve been forgiven of all your wrongdoings and shortcomings in your past, present, and future. You can begin living your new life and striving to please God in your thoughts, words, and actions.
If you just became a Christian, we want to hear from you! Please give us a call or an email so we can get to know you, celebrate the wonderful decision you have made, and help you grow in your relationship with Jesus.