Job 40:1-4 Then the LORD said to Job, "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it. Then Job answered the LORD and said, Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth."

Matthew 10:26 "... for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known."

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death [hell]; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our Universal Dilemma

We don't need to go too far down the list of the Ten Commandments to learn we are guilty of sin. For example: Thou shall not use the Lord's name in vain. Honor your mother and father. Thou shall not commit adultery/fornication. Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not lie. Sin separates us from a perfect and Holy God. Lying to God about our innocence is not an option to get into heaven.

If someone has the cure for cancer and keeps it to them self, the world would call them cruel. But humanity has a greater and more universal problem than cancer. It is sin. Sin is what keeps us out of God's sinless heaven and condemns us to sinful hell. And Jesus warned us that more people are ending up in hell than heaven:

Matthew 7: 13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction [hell], and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life [heaven], and there are few who find it."

Many people think we get into heaven by being a good person. But how good is good enough? If someone were to compare us to repeat offenders in prison, we would compare favorably. But if our works were to be compared to Sister Theresa of Calcutta, we would fall far short. And is Sister Theresa good enough to stand before a perfect and Holy God and proudly state I am so good that I deserve heaven for eternity? At what point does God say, "You did enough, you no longer need to worry about your eternal destiny?" The fact is, if being good is the criteria for making it into heaven, nobody can know before they die how much good is good enough to make it. The following Bible verses make it clear that salvation is not earned by doing good works, but is a free gift of God.

Isaiah 64:6 ... all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment....

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.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 5:22-24 [Jesus speaking] "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

I began to read the Bible and became extremely nervous when I got to John 3:3. There Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." I immediately knew I was in serious trouble. I was not born again because nobody told me I needed to be born again. I didn't know what it was, but knew I needed to find out.

I learned everyone is born physically alive, but spiritually dead. From birth we are selfish and focus on the physical. God commands us to have a spiritual birth (the second birth) and to begin focusing on spiritual and eternal matters.

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Soon after I prayed that prayer, I read: Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Once I knew I was in right standing with God, this verse brought me more peace than anything I ever experienced.

What I am communicating to you is not new or unique. This is the simple Gospel message that has been preached for 2000 years all over the world. This is the message people lived for and died for. This is the message that has been banned by many government officials and promoted by a few government officials. This is the message that stopped people in the midst of suicide and divorce. This is the message that put families together and tore them apart. This is the message that converted people from all sorts of backgrounds: rich, poor, fools, wise, slaves, kings, queens, prostitutes, alcoholics, drug addicts, religious fanatics, atheists, but mostly common people.

You might remember watching Charlton Heston play Moses in the movie The 10 Commandments. In that movie there is a true scene where the streets are dark and quiet as the angel of death moves down the street killing all the first born in homes that do not have the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the door posts. That was the original Passover holiday of the Jewish people. The angel did not inquire about who lived there or about good deeds or bad deeds. He just looked for the blood of the lamb. Those with the blood of a lamb covering the door posts were passed over and got to live. Households with no blood covering suffered death.

Passover is another sign pointing to our Messiah (Savior), Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us, without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sins], Hebrews 9:22. Just as the blood of an innocent lamb protected Jews from physical death in Egypt, so too the blood of Jesus (the innocent and sinless Lamb of God) protects us from spiritual death.

The Bible tells us that the blood of Jesus washes our sins away, similar to how a delete key erases the record in computer file. This means when we (true Christ followers) are called up to give account at the Great White Throne Judgment, our record will have no sin on it because the blood of Jesus washed it off! I hope you can appreciate the magnitude of this.

Hebrews 13:12 And so Jesus also suffered ... to make the people holy through his own blood.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, … Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

John 14:6 "Jesus said ..., 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'"

John 3:18 [Jesus speaking] "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Most people are quite complacent with the belief system they were born into. Many people think God doesn't care what you believe, as long as you are devout to your beliefs. Besides the obvious question about how 'devout' is 'devout enough,' we need to ask if God really doesn't care what people believe or practice.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

The news media occasionally reports on people who have enough faith to stand before a speeding train and believe with all their heart that mind over matter will prevail and they will not be hurt. And many more people believe if they strap a bomb onto themselves and kill Jews or infidels, they will receive 70 virgins in heaven. Their devotion to their faith is unquestioned, but reality sets in upon impact. The Bible is clear that God requires us to learn about Him, His ways and practice the right things.

Some people try to tell us all religions are equal and they all lead us to heaven. Those who are informed about the doctrines of the various religions know that is impossible because they contradict each other. Religion is man's way of reaching God. Christianity is God's way of reaching man. Sounds like a play on words, but this is a very important point about the uniqueness of the God of the Bible.

I am a skeptic and do not make hasty irrational decisions. It has been over 25 years since I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. That was, by far, the most important and best decision I ever made. Most born-again Christians feel the same way. Click here to watch an unrehearsed video of strangers giving testimonies about their before and after experiences:

Many people wrestle with the age-old question: If God is good, why is there so much evil in this world? But when people are asked, "Would you want God to have created you as a robot or as one with free will?" They consistently respond, "Free will." As you know, with free will comes responsibility and consequences. The sin of humanity (not God) is the cause of evil and suffering.

Adam and Eve only knew good when God created them. They learned evil only upon eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16--3:24). Now all generations suffer the consequences of knowing and choosing evil.

God has emotions too. We all heard the saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." If you stand before a judge who loves you and you return that love, that judge will forgive you or pay your penalty and let you go free. But if this Judge learns His love for you is scorned, watch out!

Jesus willingly dying on the cross in payment for your sins, was the absolute highest price anyone ever paid for anything! And ... that was for the salvation of your soul! What can you offer to God in payment for your sins? Can you think of anything more precious than an only born child? But children are tainted with sin and are in need of a Savior just like you do. Jesus is sinless, thus only He is eligible to be our Savior. To reject this ultimate sacrifice, brings His fury.

But God loves you so much that He didn't hold back His precious Son, but allowed Him to be our sacrificial Lamb, so that we could get back on track with His original plan for our lives (paradise with Him for eternity).  

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Romans 10:9-13 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."