Life is meant to be a joyous journey on our way to an eternity with God. Those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ can enjoy an unexplained peace and contentment despite the troubles they encounter every day. The apostle Paul explains it this way, “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). If there’s something which is profoundly missing in your life, it’s time to begin your life over again with the living Christ.
What is the ultimate question?
When it comes to eternal matters, mankind is usually short-sighted. We tend to think a great deal about the here and now, but pay little attention to the hereafter. There may be a host of reasons for this, but when it comes right down to it, where and how you’ll spend eternity is the most important question you’ll ever have to settle. And the truth is, you don’t have to guess about it, and you don’t need to dismiss the matter as unknowable. In this post, you’ll find out all you need to know to finally settle the matter for yourself.
Two questions everyone should ask themselves
Everyone falls into one of four categories as it relates to their relationship with God. People are either reconciled with God, and are at peace with Him, or they’re estranged from Him, and subject to His fierce wrath and condemnation. And within each of these groups, they either know where they stand with God, or they don’t. The most troubling category of the four possibilities are those people who think they are at peace with God, but in reality they are not. They are living under the false assurance of their salvation. To guard against the danger of being found in this group, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you absolutely certain that if you died today you would go to Heaven?
- Suppose you were to die today and stand before God, and He were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” What would you say?
Please don’t continue reading further until you answer these questions. They will help you effectively compare your current beliefs with what the Bible has to say about them.
Do you believe in God?
Our perceptions and reason should lead us to the inevitable conclusion that there must be a supreme being, who we call God.
The case for an eternal Being
First, we can rule out the possibility that everything we perceive is an illusion, because the very act of doubting the existence of what I perceive requires a doubter. And doubting is one aspect of thinking. So if I’m thinking, I know that at least I must exist in order to think.
Secondly, if anything exists now, we can conclude that something or someone must have always existed. For it is inconceivable that something could come out of nothing. Therefore, that leaves only two possibilities. Either the material universe itself is eternal or there is an eternal Being who is responsible for creating it. Science itself has shown that the material universe had a beginning point. So, this leads us to conclude there must have been a Being who started it.
Further proofs of the existence of God
Our conclusion that there must have been a starter is further supported by other reasons. For example, a material universe, which exhibits clear signs of intelligent design, requires an intelligent Being to have created it.
Also, the law of cause and effect, by definition, demands that every effect must have a cause. And since the material universe is an effect, there must have been a first cause for it to even begin.
We also know that if true justice exists, there must be a perfect Judge that has the knowledge, wisdom, and power to execute it. Otherwise, civilization would inevitably break down, because we know there is injustice in this world. And without hope for ultimate true justice, civilization would be solely dependent upon subjugating self-centered masses of people under the the will and preferences of a small minority of fallible people who have attained power.
The theologian, Anselm, argued that we can know God exists by thinking about Him. He said that God is that God which nothing greater exists, and therefore that God must also exist both in thought and reality, since that God is greater than one who could only exist in thought alone.
Finally, our innate ability to think and reason logically about the existence of God among ourselves requires shared rules of thinking that our Creator God must have implanted within us. For example, rational thought always excludes the possibility of contradictory truths, but allows for paradoxical truth claims.
What’s God like?
What nature and reason reveal about God
Nature reveals that God is the only Being who could create and sustain the universe in which we find ourselves.
The essence of God
As we think about our own existence, we know we did not create ourselves. We also know our parents and their parents didn’t create themselves. Therefore, we can safely assume that no human being was ever self-created. So, there must be a Being, an Originator, who caused the origination of all other dependent beings. This Being must not be dependent on anyone or anything else for its own existence–an eternal Being who had no beginning. This we can know from sheer reasoning.
Nature also reveals important aspects of the nature of our Creator. This eternal Being must essentially be one Being, since everything else was originated from Him. This Being alone possesses pure actuality, because He is not dependent on anything else for His existence. Therefore, He is infinite. He also has the power to create and sustain everything that has ever come into existence. With full knowledge and wisdom, He alone (sovereignly) directs His power. In light of these attributes, we can reason that He exhibits all the characteristics of what we know about a person. He thinks; He feels; He decides; He judges; He deliberates; He plans; and He is morally sensitive.
God is a moral and virtuous Being who creates us with a moral conscience to follow
God must be a moral being. Since He is the source of our being, we have no characteristics that essentially don’t come from Him. We have been created with a conscience, and we operate according to moral principles. This could not have come from us and yet be alien to the nature of God.
Though we have a moral conscience, we don’t necessarily act accordingly. We are born with a greater desire to please ourselves than to follow the dictates of our conscience. Though God, by nature, can’t approve of our vice, He created us out of desire to love us and bless us. We know that by the way nature has been designed to sustain life and our bodies were designed to function well. So, God must relate to His creation by showing His approval when we do what’s good and showing His disapproval when we do wrong.
God must then judge rightly. He has the wisdom to judge fairly and the power to execute His perfect justice with finality. Therefore, to make God’s love of righteousness and hatred of wickedness all the more visible to all creation, He must have separate places where the wicked will eternally suffer
together and the righteous will eternally flourish together.
We are all guilty of violating God’s will and deserve His punishment, but God has left us with some hope.
When we understand how guilty we are before our Creator, and yet, we have not been punished for it yet, we should be amazed and wonder why not. God has been unexpectedly patient with us, though we deserve to be punished. There must be a reason for it.
It must be that God has patiently endured our defiance for one reason alone. He is giving us time to repent of our wicked ways and submit ourselves to His will over our own stubborn ways. Yet, how can a holy God rightly overlook our past disobedience? The answer is that He cannot do so if He chooses to hold us personally accountable for it. The Bible reveals the good news that God graciously provided a suitable sacrifice to take our place and endure the punishment that our disobedience deserves.
What the Bible reveals about God
God is the righteous Lord of glory
God is the great and glorious King. He is holy and altogether righteous. “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
There is only one God and there will never be another. “The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and everlasting king” (Jeremiah 10:10). “Before me no god was formed nor shall there be any after me” (Isaiah 43:10).
There is a plurality within this one true and living God. He exists in the form a Trinity. God the Father is fully and truly God (Ephesians 4:6, 1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus, the Son, is fully and truly God (Titus 2:13, Colossians 1:15-16, 19-20). And God the Holy Spirit is fully and truly God (Acts 5:3-4, 2 Corinthians 3:17). All three Persons of the Godhead are equal in power and glory. God’s revelation of His triune nature is of paramount importance in understanding the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is both truly divine (i.e., God the Son) and human (born of a Virgin). He is one Person with two distinct natures.
God is the glorious creator
God created the universe for His own glory. He did not create it out of need, because He is complete within Himself. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Mankind was created by God “in His own image.” He created us to glorify Him by: Loving Him as our Father, Worshipping Him as our Creator, Serving and obeying Him as our King, Delighting in Him as our greatest Treasurer, Loving others as fellow image-bearers, Governing the earth as His representatives, and Reflecting the goodness of His perfect character in everything we do.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him” (Deuteronomy 13:40). “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
God created the first man and first woman, and they were in a right relationship with God. They were innocent and pure, able and happy to give God the perfect and unbroken love, loyalty, worship, obedience, and trust He deserves–and rightly demands from those made in His image.
Is something wrong with us?
Our conscience is our moral barometer
God has equipped all of us with a conscience, which is an indicator of the moral quality of our behaviors, thoughts, and attitudes. Our conscience is designed to pain us when we do what’s morally wrong and make us feel good when we do what’s morally right.
Most people believe they’re basically good people. Sure, they know they’re not perfect, but they think they try their best and try not to harm anyone. They know they make “mistakes”, but their excuse is “doesn’t everybody?” They live life assuming God will accept them just as they are, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
The Bible teaches just the opposite. The first man and woman foolishly rebelled against God. This defiance caused the whole human race to become radically corrupt by their very nature. This reality is continually proven by the sins that mark our daily lives.
The Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-18).
The curse of the law
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:19-20).
God’s law becomes a curse to us if we deceive ourselves and believe we can please God by keeping it. God always intended for it to shine a light on ourselves so our sin could be exposed to us for what it truly is, an egregious affront to God. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The apostle John writes, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Jesus taught it’s not just what you do externally that defiles you, it’s also what’s inside of you as well. For example, if you look after a woman lustfully, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28). And anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgment (Matthew 5:22). The apostle Paul testified how he came face-to-face with his own sin problem when he became aware that he was inwardly violating the commandment against coveting (Romans 7:7-8).
We cannot hide our sin from God
God is omniscient, which means He knows it all. He hears every word, sees every action, and knows every thought and motive. He knows everything about you and me. “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
What will happen to us when we die?
A Day of Judgment is coming
Left to ourselves alone, God, who is perfect in His judgment, will sentence us to an eternity of punishment in the place He has reserved for the devil and his fallen angels. Once we die, there will be no more chances for us. “just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
If God, who is the perfect Judge and knows you inside and out, cannot lie and cannot tolerate injustice, how will He judge you? Imagine the public outrage that would arise if a judge were to find a person guilty of murder and then let him go with no penalty to pay, or declaring him innocent when he clearly is not. While this could happen in a human court of law, God must administer true justice.
He has told us how He feels about injustice. “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both” (Proverbs 17:15). Therefore, God must judge and condemn the evil of sin because He is a good Judge.
The penalty for sin is death
The verdict is already in. Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). And the punishment for our guilt has been declared, “For the wages of sin is death… ” (Romans 6:23).
There are three aspects to this death sentence. First, there is alienation from God. Adam and Eve experienced that break in their fellowship with God once they rebelled against Him. He removed them from the garden of Eden, which would have given them access to the Tree of Life.
Secondly, the death penalty includes physical death. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12).
Thirdly, there is an eternal judgment in a place called Hell for sinners. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne… The dead were judged according to what they had done… Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12-15). “And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night…” (Revelation 14:11). So, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Is there any hope for us?
God Himself provided His only Son as an acceptable sacrifice to save His people from their sins
While God is a just Judge, He is also merciful and loving. In love, He provided a remedy to rescue sinners from eternal punishment, as we deserve, and bring them to Himself. “ 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” (John 3:16). He sent His Son to earth to save His people from their sins.
In Christ, God Himself provided everything He requires of us to bring us into a right relationship with Him. He demands perfect righteousness, but through sin we have become utterly unrighteous. So, God gives us the very righteousness he demands from His people.
God is also just, and our sins must be punished for justice to prevail. God cannot simply overlook our sins and remain true to His holy and just nature. Unless a substitute is found who is willing to take the punishment we deserve, we ourselves must bear God’s judgment and wrath forever. So, God Himself has provided His people with an acceptable substitute, His very own Son, who would be willing to suffer the sacrifice and payment for sin that He demands from us.
God the Son took to Himself a human nature
God the Father has given us His very own Son to take upon Himself humanity and He lived among us. Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. Only a sinless man, who fulfilled the law of God, could be a suitable substitute to represent man before God. And only God could endure the terrible punishment that the sin of His people deserves and survive it. Therefore, God’s substitute for sinners had to be both God and Man, coexisting in one Person. Jesus is the only Person, who has ever lived, that could met these requirements.
As the God-man, Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and His righteousnesses is given to us by faith
Jesus lived the kind of sinless life that God demands from us, but we failed to do. He lived a life of absolute perfection. He displayed unwavering faithfulness toward God and man, and unbroken obedience to God’s law in thought, word, deed, and motive. His life was impeccable in the sight of God.
If He’d sinned even once, He would have been disqualified to be a suitable substitute to represent man before God. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). Jesus did and said only what the Father gave Him to do and to say. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19).
If Jesus’ death only removed sin, we would be just like Adam and Eve before they sinned. We would be in a state of “innocence” before God, but having no proven righteousness of our own. Righteousness is proven through obedience, and Jesus was obedient unto death for our sake (Philippians 2:8).
Jesus Christ offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us to satisfy God’s demand for justice
God’s love for His people cost Him dearly. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Therefore, God is shown to be both just and the justifier of the ungodly. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith… he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26).
On the cross, Jesus paid for the sins of His people. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus exercised His royal authority by taking the form of a servant and suffering in the place of His people in order to remove their guilt before God.
The prophet Isaiah foretold that this would happen nearly 700 years before the birth of Christ. He wrote, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).
Jesus Christ proved He is the Son of God by rising from the dead
Jesus defeated sin and death. He proved He is the Son of God by rising from the dead. He now reigns with God in heaven as the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the future Judge.
Matthew 28:1-10 recounts the story of the women, who went to see Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning after His crucifixion. They were met by an angel, who told them Jesus had risen as He said He would do. (See Mark 8:31, 9:30-31, 10:33-34, and John 2:19-21). On their way back, Jesus appeared and told them to tell his disciples that they would see Him in Galilee. He appeared to more than 500 of His disciples before He ascended into heaven. (See Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Acts 1:9-11).
Jesus Christ is the Lord, God’s resurrected King of glory
Upon His ascension, Jesus assumed his rightful position as Lord over the eternal Kingdom that He was destined to rule. The prophet Daniel speaks of a vision he was given. “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
As the reigning Lord, Jesus is now building His church (Matthew 16:18, John 10:27-30). As our High Priest, He intercedes for His people before God (Hebrews 7:25). He watches over and guards His church (Revelation 1:12-16). He also works to subdue the sin that remains in their lives (Philippians 2:12-13). And when all of His people have been redeemed, Christ will return in power and glory. He will judge the world in righteousness (Act 17:31, Revelation 19:11-16), remove the curse from the earth (Revelation 22:3), and establish His kingdom in its final form (Revelation 21:3-4).
How will you decide?
Salvation comes as a free gift from God
Since our salvation is a free gift, we must receive it as such to please God. If we count on anything we’ve done to earn salvation, then we’ve no longer relied on God’s grace. However, if we give Christ all the credit for our salvation, He’s honored and we honor our heavenly Father.
We must repent of our sins
The decision you make to trust Christ for your salvation shouldn’t be made lightly. It’s a lifelong decision of turning away from your self-serving life and giving yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord. You must agree with God concerning your guilt, confess your sins to God, and turn away from all sin.
The word “repent” means a changing of the mind. When we repent, we know that we must change the direction of our life. We have to leave our former self-centered life and commit ourselves to pursue the life Christ has for us. He is now our Lord and King. To show our gratitude for what He as done for us, we strive to obey His commandments.
Our repentance shouldn’t be just a one-time event. It needs to be a continuous conviction of our heart throughout the Christian life. Although Christians do experience victory over sin, it’s often a hard fought battle. The battle is won through persistence, prayer, and with the help of the Holy Spirit. Sin may lose it’s complete dominance that it once held, but it doesn’t automatically disappear once someone becomes a Christian.
As we confess our sin before God, He is faithful to forgive us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-10).
We must believe the good news of the Gospel
Sinners must not just turn away from sin, they must turn to Christ, who can save them from their sin. This turnaround from the former sinful life to following Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord completes the act of repentance.
Our faith alone in Christ is the means through which we are united with Him. God not only invites us to believe in His Son, He commands us all to believe in His Son.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31),
“If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame'” (Romans 10:9-11).
Our union with Jesus Christ calls for a genuine faith in Him and what He has done for us. He is the Son of God who gave His life for us on the cross. (Much of this blog site is dedicated to give you the reasons to affirm that Jesus is Lord.) But it’s not enough to just believe the facts about Christ. We must wholeheartedly trust and rely on His sacrifice to satisfy the demands of God’s justice. If we’re trusting in anything else, our trust is misplaced, and it could even be damning.
God forgives us of our sins and counts His righteous as our own
When we repent and believe in Jesus Christ, there is a “great exchange” that takes place spiritually in our lives. Everything Christ did for you becomes yours. God forgives you of your sins based on Christ’s sacrifice, and counts His righteousness as your own! “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Since we’re justified in God’s sight, we have peace with God through Christ
The moment the “great exchange” of our sin for God’s righteousness takes place, God cancels our guilt. He dismisses His case against us and declares us righteous in His sight. Our sin has been removed (expiation) and God’s wrath toward our sin has been satisfied (propitiation). We have been made just (just as if I had never sinned). “…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
Since we have been made just, there is nothing standing in the way between God and us. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2). “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,…” (Romans 8:1).
God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ
We have a new family
Once we have been justified and reconciled unto God, we become part of His divine family. God becomes more than our Creator to us. He is now our gracious heavenly Father, who is worthy of all of our praise. Jesus becomes more than just an interesting historical figure, He is now our Friend, Elder-Brother, Redeemer, Lord, and God. The Spirit becomes more than a mysterious force. He now indwells us, comforts us, guides us, sanctifies us, empowers us, and preserves us in the faith.
We also are joined into the family of fellow believers, from throughout the ages. Jesus has built His church and He is the Head of the church. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).
There is a special bond between true believers in Christ. Paul writes, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:3-6).
We have a new direction
God restores us to the purpose He had for us when we were created. True believers desire to live for God as their Father and Christ as their Lord and Savior. They’re also called to love one another as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
We have a glorious destiny
True believers have a glorious inheritance waiting for them when they get to heaven. All who die without Christ will bear God’s wrath in hell forever. But Christians will ultimately live in a perfect creation. And there will be no more presence of sin. Life will be painless, joyous, and we will have eternal fellowship with God and one another.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Revelation 21:3-4).
