Since All Die, Where is the Hope?

Hopefully by now you understand that the Bible teaches that we all die because we have all sinned against the God of the Universe and in doing so earned capital punishment. Now, what are we to do? How can we possibly hope of getting to Heaven and avoiding Hell?

If we were found guilty in a human court for crimes we committed, our only recourse would be to throw ourselves on the mercy of the judge and hope for some form of leniency regarding our prison sentence. Here in lies the good news, God, the Righteous Judge of all the Universe, is rich in mercy (Psalm 86:5, Ephesians 2:4-6).

The Good News

Do you know what God did for guilty sinners so that we would not have to be sentenced to eternal punishment in Hell?

He mercifully sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to take the penalty for all those who repent of their sins and trust in Him for their forgiveness. One of the last statements Jesus made on the cross before he died was "It is Finished!" (John 19:30). Meaning that the sin debt to God, the Father, had been paid in full. Since God is not only loving and merciful but also just and holy, he will not just overlook sin and allow the guilty to go unpunished (Exodus 34:6-7). Because God is good, he must punish sin. Consequently, in His lovingkindness He made a holy way for justice to intersect with mercy at the cross of Jesus Christ.

You see the Bible explains that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And Jesus Christ, who knew no sin became sin on the cross to take the wrath and retribution that was due to us for our treason against Him (Hebrews 9:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 12:2). Only an Infinitely perfect sacrifice could pay what was due to an Infinite and Holy (Pure and Perfect) God. Think about it... The God of Heaven and Earth who has been and is being offended all day and every day. How long would it take you, a finite being, to pay off your sin debt in Hell against an Infinitely Holy God (Luke 12:58-59)?

Do the things you have read on these pages make sense to you? Do you believe them to be true? I hope you are considering these claims with the urgency with which they are being presented. Remember 10 out of 10 die and then we face God's judgment, and no one is promised even the next 30 minutes of life. Please read on to understand a bit more about the Person of Jesus Christ and what you must do to be saved.

Jesus Christ,
Lord and Savior

The Bible ascribes many titles to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. It tells us He is the Way, the Truth, the Eternal Life, our great God and Savior, who created the universe and upholds it by his power (John 14:6, 1John 1:1-5, Isaiah 9:6, Titus 2:13, Colossians 1:15-16, Hebrews 1:3). A body was prepared for him, and he temporarily left Heaven, took on human flesh and obediently went to the cross to become the Savior of all in the world who believe on Him. On the third day He was resurrected as proof that His payment had been accepted by God, the Father. For it was impossible for Death to hold the sinless Son (Hebrews 10:4-7, Luke 1:26-35, Acts 2:24, 1 Corinthians 15:1-9, Philippians 2:5-11).

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

Reader, the Bible tells us that to be saved from the second death, we must repent (i.e., turn from our sins toward God) and trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. Repentance involves the confession that we are sinners and a sincere sorrow that we have offended God by breaking His laws.

Trust in Jesus involves an understanding of our need for a Savior to pay the infinite debt we owe to God for our crimes but cannot pay. We trust in Jesus' finished work on the cross to cover our sin debt before God and to cleanse us from our unrighteousness (Mark 1:14-15, Acts 4:10-12, 1 John 1:8-10).

How Do I Do This?

Honesty before God that we have sinned and broken his Laws and the hearing of the good news of Jesus Christ are the tools God's Spirit uses to cause us to be born again (John 3:3). This is how we come to make peace with God. When we repent and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, God in his mercy, does what we cannot possibly do for ourselves. He applies the infinitely perfect sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus to our crimes and marks them paid in full. As finite creatures we can never pay the debt we owe to the Infinite God for our crimes. Thus, when guilty sinners are sentenced to God's prison (Hell), it is an eternal condemnation. They cannot get out because their debt is never paid in full. But God promises that when we repent and trust alone in the work of Jesus Christ to save us, He will pardon us, cleanse us of our sins, give us new hearts and declare us righteous in his sight (John 3:3-5, Ezekiel 36:25-27, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

Reader, we implore you to start a conversation with God at the place where you find yourself. If you find your heart is cold toward God or indifferent about your sin, ask Him to convince you that you are a sinner (Mark 7:20-23).

If you know you have sinned against God, but don't feel any sorrow for your sins, ask God to grant you godly sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

If you believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior but you find it hard to believe He is your Lord and Savior, ask God to give you the faith to trust Christ for your eternal life. God promises that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). We need faith to take God at his word (Hebrews 11:1-3,6).

The good news must be preceded by an understanding of the bad news that we are sinners and the realization that it is a terrifying thing to fall under the judgment of the Living God (Hebrews 10:31). One pastor provides an analogy for preparing for eternity by describing two people on a plane that is about to crash. Both have parachutes but only one puts it on before jumping out of the plane. The other decides to flap his wings to save himself. The wise person who trusted the parachute and not his own ability made it out alive. Likewise, we must trust in the payment Jesus made for our forgiveness and righteous standing before God. It doesn't matter if a person is Baptist, Lutheran, Orthodox Jew, Muslim, Catholic, Hindu, or on which continent we were born; we all must put on the "parachute" of Jesus Christ to be received by God and inherit eternal life rather than eternal death. Dear reader, we implore you not to exit this life without putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I've Asked

If you asked God for any of the things above, please click below to see where to go from here.

So Now What?

More to consider....Are you Jewish? Isaiah 53:5 says “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” Consider reading the gospel of John and/or visit the website here to learn more about Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.