Q: What about other religions? What makes Christianity the real and only one? Can’t all religions be true?
A: There are thousands of religions in the world. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all created by men. But what kind of a god is a god that man makes? If we make our god, doesn't it show that we are stronger than our god? I'm so grateful my God, the true God of the Bible, is powerful and created me and all things. I did not create my God; He created me! I love what Psalms 135 and Psalm 96 say about all other gods and religions that are man-made:
"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens."
Believing in a religion that is made by man isn't just silly because creators are stronger than the things they create, and man would then have to be stronger than God, and what is a god but a Being who is all-powerful? It is also silly because:
All other religions:
-Were founded by a man who died
-Teach you must improve yourself and be good enough to earn their god's favor, when we all continually mess up, no matter how hard we try. None of us can be perfect! That's why the message of Jesus Christ is such good news; Jesus was good enough for us. He lived a perfect life, then died, taking the punishment we should've had to take.
-Have holy books written by men, rather than God. Men lie and cannot be fully trusted. God can never lie.
Wanna see? Let’s take a look at the three main religions of the world and their problems, followed by an explanation of Christianity.
Hinduism:
-Worship thousands of gods
-The Hindu's life goal is to be reunited with the "World Soul"- All people, all of nature and even their gods are part of this World Soul. They believe that they are born from the World Soul into a body and go through continual stages of death and reincarnation until they finally live a perfect life, good enough to be reunited with the World Soul.
-One of the earliest known official religions (founded by Persians in Arya in about 1300 B.C. ) outside of Christianity which was founded at the creation of the world when God made all things, including man.
Problems:
-There cannot be multiple gods. A God must be infinite, and there cannot be more than one infinite Being, because an infinite Being can lack nothing. For there to be different gods, they must be different from each other in some way, and for a god to be different than another, he would have to lack something the other god had, and thus no longer be infinite.
-Cannot be true, because no one can ever live a perfect life. The only One to ever do so was Jesus, who was God, who lived, then died and rose again to pay the price for our sins.
Buddhism:
-Started by a man who didn't like the fact that Hinduism meant for him that he couldn't be reunited with his World Soul at death because he hadn't been born into the right family, meaning he wasn't good enough.
-The man changed his name to Buddha, meaning "enlightened one", claiming he had become enlightened about the meaning of life through meditation.
-Buddhism is founded on the principle that by doing good works, man can overcome his desires which cause evil, and stop his suffering, which is all he believed life was about.
-Buddha taught that if you were always kind to people, behaved well, and meditated on good things, you would be happy and would not have to be reincarnated at death. You would just cease to exist.
Problem:
-Too bad for followers of Buddhism that none of us is always kind, meaning none of us can escape "continual reincarnation". Also doing the right thing doesn't always make us happy; sometimes it can be really hard to stand up for what's right, as Jesus taught (Luke 6:14-33).
Islam:
-Founded in 610 AD (after the death and resurrection of Jesus) by a man named Muhammad who claimed to have seen an angel in a dream who told him that Allah, one of the Arab gods, wanted him to start a new religion, with him as Allah's prophet.
-Muslims (followers of Islam) follow the teachings found in the Koran, a book Mohammed wrote from the messages he claimed the angel in his dreams gave him.
-The Koran teaches that a person goes to heaven or hell based on whether they are a good person or not.
Problem:
-Mohammad claimed that Allah and the true God of the Bible were the same. He claimed Allah/God had sent many prophets to the world: Abraham, Noah, Adam, Moses, Jesus, and finally him: Mohammad. This could not be true, because then, God would be a God who changes or lies, since the Bible says that a person is not saved through doing good or being good enough but by trusting that Jesus lived a perfect life and was good enough to pay for their sin (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8). The Bible also says that Jesus was God, but Mohammad said he was just another prophet. The Bible teaches God cannot lie or change (Numbers 23:19), so obviously, Mohammad's dreams of an angel were just that-dreams.
Christianity:
-Founded by God at the creation of the world. God, who is perfectly holy, has always existed and exists in three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created man in his own image to glorify Him and enjoy fellowship with Him.
Problem:
-God gave Adam and Eve one rule, with the punishment being death and separation from fellowship with God, and Adam and Eve broke that rule. The Bible calls disobeying God sin, and says we all are sinners. The punishment for sin is death.
Solution:
-Unless a perfect person paid the price for our sin (death) for us, we would be separated from God forever. Jesus, who was God, came to earth. Being God, He lived a perfect life, then was killed to pay the price for our sin and take the punishment we deserved.
-The Bible teaches that all who trust what Jesus did as being enough to pay for their sin and get them to heaven, then choose to turn from their sin to follow Jesus will receive the free gift of eternal life.
Problem?
Does this mean the founder of Christianity died, too, just like all other religions? Yes and no. Yes, Jesus died, but no, He is not dead. He is the God who CREATED death, so He is stronger than it. He rose from the dead and was seen by over 500 people. The truth of Jesus' resurrection is not just found in the Bible, there are numerous historical records (at least 17) of people who saw Jesus alive after His resurrection.
Some people, after hearing all this will say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe or who you believe in as long as you’re sincere. You can believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe. We each can take our own path to get to God.” Can all those religions be true? Can there be more than one way to get to God?
Logically, that doesn’t make sense. If I sincerely believe that 2+2=5 and you sincerely believe that 2+2=4, we can’t both be right, can we? No! There is only one correct answer to 2+2 and only one way to get that answer.
Jesus claimed to be the only way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.” (John 14:6) Others also claimed he was the only way to God: “Nor is there Salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Mark Cahill tells a story of how he was talking to a couple people from other religions who told him there are many ways to get to God. They compared getting to God like climbing a mountain. At the top of the mountain, they pictured God. All around this mountain are many different paths that people choose to get to the top of the mountain to get to God. They believed that it didn’t matter which path someone took to get to “the top of the mountain”, or God, as long as they worked hard and got there.
Mark turned the illustration around, though, and asked them, “What if I told you that instead of us trying to work our way up to the top of the mountain to God, God came down from the mountain to where we are?” “That would be incredible!” the other men replied. But that’s exactly what God has done for us: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
We could never be good enough to get back to God, so God came to us in the form of a man-Jesus. Jesus can take us up the mountain and get us back to God because he has already done the work of living a perfect life, and he has already paid for our Salvation.
After reading all this, you can see that Christianity makes sense and Jesus is the only way to get to God. But that’s not enough; you must decide what you really believe. You can read more about this in “How can I become a Christian?”
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Questions Campers Ask Part 6- Who is Jesus?
Q: I’m confused about Jesus. Who was He really? A good man? God? God's Son? The Messiah?
A: Jesus is God and Jesus is the Son of God who is the Messiah or Christ who God promised from Old Testament times would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God.
All right, let’s break that sentence apart and explain that answer.
“Jesus is God”-Jesus is way more than a good man-Jesus is God in the flesh. There are many verses that tell us that Jesus is God. Here are a few: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Who was this “Word” who has existed with God throughout eternity past and IS God? “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus is God!
“[Jesus said] I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Jesus and God are one and the same. Jesus is God!
One more passage of verses (my favorite!) teach this all important truth that Jesus is God: Revelation 4-5. I won’t type the whole passage here as it is rather long. The scene in those chapters takes place in the throne room of God-in heaven, where there can be no sin. God has commanded that no one is to bow down and worship any but Him (Exodus 20), yet we see the angels in heaven turning from worshipping God, to worship Jesus. Truly, Jesus is God!
“Jesus is the Son of God”- There are many verses in the Bible that teach that Jesus is God’s Son, and since God wrote the Bible and God cannot lie, we know the Bible is true. Here are some of the verses that talk about Jesus being the Son of God:
[The book of Mark tells about Jesus' life on earth. This is how it begins.] Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God."
[Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel came to Mary, who would be Jesus' mother, and spoke the following to her about how Jesus would be born.] Luke 1:35 "The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born [Jesus] will be called the Son of God.'"
[The reason the Jews killed Jesus was because he claimed to be the Son of God. In these verses Jesus talks about His claim to be the Son of God, and the Jewish leaders accuse Him of the same thing to Pilate, the man who orders Jesus' death.]
John 10:36 [Jesus said,] "'Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?'"John 19:27 The Jewish leaders insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he [Jesus] claimed to be the Son of God.'"
[The Jews did not like that Jesus said He was God's Son and had come to save them from their sins, because they thought they were pretty good people and could be good enough to save themselves. But nothing we do can be good enough to earn our way to heaven. That's why God sent Jesus as He says in my favorite verses about Jesus being God's Son.] John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son [Jesus].
Jesus is most definitely God’s Son!
“Who is the Messiah or Christ who God promised from Old Testament times”- Many people see Christ after Jesus' name in the New Testament and wonder if Christ is Jesus’ last name. It's not! Christ is a description of who Jesus is. Christ is the Greek word for the Jewish word Messiah. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God punished them, then promised a future day when He would send a deliverer to save them from the punishment of their sin.
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ” (Matthew 16:16) In some versions of this verse, Messiah reads Christ. When Peter calls Jesus Messiah and Son of God, Jesus agrees and tells him that God has shown Peter this. Since we have already shown that Jesus is God, and we know from Numbers 23:19 that God cannot lie, we know that Jesus must be the Messiah promised form Old Testament times.
So, what does all this have to do with us? Why is it so important to know who Jesus is? The last part of our description will help.
“Would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God”- Isaiah 59:2 tells us that our sins have separated us from God and hidden His face from us so He will not hear us. We have all sinned, and are all thus separated from God. This means that when we die, we cannot spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God who created everything beautiful and perfect. We are condemned to an eternity separated from God in hell.
We all sin, so none of us can get back to God and get in right terms with Him by anything we do. “Therefore, by the deeds of the law, [obeying God’s commands: doing good] no flesh will be justified [declared righteous, good enough for heaven] in His sight.” (Romans 3:20) We need someone who has never sinned to be willing to come and die in our place. The only problem is, all people sin.
So God came to earth in the form of a man. Since He was God, although He was tempted, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). But Jesus was also the Son of God, fully human, and fully capable of dying. He died and was able to pay for our sins, because He had none of His own to pay for. But the great thing is that Jesus didn’t stay dead; He was God, so He was stronger than death. Three days later, he rose from the dead, signifying that He truly was God and the son of God, the Messiah or Christ promised from Old Testament times who would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God to those who repent or turn from sin and look to Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for their sin.
You can read more about this in "How can I know I'm truly a Christian" or "How can I become a Christian".
A: Jesus is God and Jesus is the Son of God who is the Messiah or Christ who God promised from Old Testament times would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God.
All right, let’s break that sentence apart and explain that answer.
“Jesus is God”-Jesus is way more than a good man-Jesus is God in the flesh. There are many verses that tell us that Jesus is God. Here are a few: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Who was this “Word” who has existed with God throughout eternity past and IS God? “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus is God!
“[Jesus said] I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Jesus and God are one and the same. Jesus is God!
One more passage of verses (my favorite!) teach this all important truth that Jesus is God: Revelation 4-5. I won’t type the whole passage here as it is rather long. The scene in those chapters takes place in the throne room of God-in heaven, where there can be no sin. God has commanded that no one is to bow down and worship any but Him (Exodus 20), yet we see the angels in heaven turning from worshipping God, to worship Jesus. Truly, Jesus is God!
“Jesus is the Son of God”- There are many verses in the Bible that teach that Jesus is God’s Son, and since God wrote the Bible and God cannot lie, we know the Bible is true. Here are some of the verses that talk about Jesus being the Son of God:
[The book of Mark tells about Jesus' life on earth. This is how it begins.] Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God."
[Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel came to Mary, who would be Jesus' mother, and spoke the following to her about how Jesus would be born.] Luke 1:35 "The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born [Jesus] will be called the Son of God.'"
[The reason the Jews killed Jesus was because he claimed to be the Son of God. In these verses Jesus talks about His claim to be the Son of God, and the Jewish leaders accuse Him of the same thing to Pilate, the man who orders Jesus' death.]
John 10:36 [Jesus said,] "'Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?'"John 19:27 The Jewish leaders insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he [Jesus] claimed to be the Son of God.'"
[The Jews did not like that Jesus said He was God's Son and had come to save them from their sins, because they thought they were pretty good people and could be good enough to save themselves. But nothing we do can be good enough to earn our way to heaven. That's why God sent Jesus as He says in my favorite verses about Jesus being God's Son.] John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son [Jesus].
Jesus is most definitely God’s Son!
“Who is the Messiah or Christ who God promised from Old Testament times”- Many people see Christ after Jesus' name in the New Testament and wonder if Christ is Jesus’ last name. It's not! Christ is a description of who Jesus is. Christ is the Greek word for the Jewish word Messiah. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God punished them, then promised a future day when He would send a deliverer to save them from the punishment of their sin.
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ” (Matthew 16:16) In some versions of this verse, Messiah reads Christ. When Peter calls Jesus Messiah and Son of God, Jesus agrees and tells him that God has shown Peter this. Since we have already shown that Jesus is God, and we know from Numbers 23:19 that God cannot lie, we know that Jesus must be the Messiah promised form Old Testament times.
So, what does all this have to do with us? Why is it so important to know who Jesus is? The last part of our description will help.
“Would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God”- Isaiah 59:2 tells us that our sins have separated us from God and hidden His face from us so He will not hear us. We have all sinned, and are all thus separated from God. This means that when we die, we cannot spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God who created everything beautiful and perfect. We are condemned to an eternity separated from God in hell.
We all sin, so none of us can get back to God and get in right terms with Him by anything we do. “Therefore, by the deeds of the law, [obeying God’s commands: doing good] no flesh will be justified [declared righteous, good enough for heaven] in His sight.” (Romans 3:20) We need someone who has never sinned to be willing to come and die in our place. The only problem is, all people sin.
So God came to earth in the form of a man. Since He was God, although He was tempted, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). But Jesus was also the Son of God, fully human, and fully capable of dying. He died and was able to pay for our sins, because He had none of His own to pay for. But the great thing is that Jesus didn’t stay dead; He was God, so He was stronger than death. Three days later, he rose from the dead, signifying that He truly was God and the son of God, the Messiah or Christ promised from Old Testament times who would come and save the people from their sins, providing the only way back to God to those who repent or turn from sin and look to Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for their sin.
You can read more about this in "How can I know I'm truly a Christian" or "How can I become a Christian".
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Questions Campers Ask Part 5- How do I know for sure that God is real?
Q: How do I know for sure that God is real?
A: There is no way to perfectly prove there is a God just as there is no way to perfectly prove there is no God. To be able to say for certain that there is no God, you must have all of the knowledge in the Universe stored in your brain. Believing in the existence of God and trusting that He truly did send His Son Jesus to come to earth, live a perfect life, die in our place, then rise from the dead three days later, perfectly defeating death, must ultimately depend on faith. However, there are significant, convincing proofs that point to the existence of God. Here are two of them:
Look at our cabin here at Barakel. What would you say if I told you that no one made it?
A. I am very intelligent.
B. I am very dumb.
That would be silly to think that something as beautiful as our cabin could just build itself. Every building has to have a builder! Or what would you say if one day for cabin inspections, the inspector came in to inspect our cabin, and thought, "Wow, this cabin cleaned itself pretty well!"
A. The inspector is very intelligent.
B. The inspector is very dumb.
Of course the inspector wouldn't think that the cabin cleaned itself! They would know for something to be so organized, someone must have organized it.
It's the same way with the world! Look around you and see the beautiful way it is made and organized. Every single animal and person was carefully designed and planned to be able to live and survive in the world. What would you say if someone told you no one designed and created the world?
A. They are very intelligent.
B. They are very dumb.
For everything created, there must be a creator. For everything organized, there must be an organizer. If someone tells you that there is no God, then there must be no Creator of the world. That'd be just as silly as thinking no one made or cleaned our cabin!
The Bible puts it this way: “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes have been clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” (Romans 1:20) In other words, it’s obvious to see that there is a God just by looking at creation! Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. All the beauty and order of creation point to the fact that there is a God. That's one way we can know God is real!
Another way we can know God is real is by looking at the moral law. Every law must have a law giver. Since there is a moral law (right and wrong written in all of our hearts: we know when we’re born that lying, stealing, and killing are wrong), there must be a moral Law Giver. Who is the creator of this moral law then who decides what is right or wrong? This points directly to God as well! If there is no God, than right or wrong is only a matter of opinion, and it would not be wrong for me to kill you! I’m glad there is a God who set up right and wrong!
A: There is no way to perfectly prove there is a God just as there is no way to perfectly prove there is no God. To be able to say for certain that there is no God, you must have all of the knowledge in the Universe stored in your brain. Believing in the existence of God and trusting that He truly did send His Son Jesus to come to earth, live a perfect life, die in our place, then rise from the dead three days later, perfectly defeating death, must ultimately depend on faith. However, there are significant, convincing proofs that point to the existence of God. Here are two of them:
Look at our cabin here at Barakel. What would you say if I told you that no one made it?
A. I am very intelligent.
B. I am very dumb.
That would be silly to think that something as beautiful as our cabin could just build itself. Every building has to have a builder! Or what would you say if one day for cabin inspections, the inspector came in to inspect our cabin, and thought, "Wow, this cabin cleaned itself pretty well!"
A. The inspector is very intelligent.
B. The inspector is very dumb.
Of course the inspector wouldn't think that the cabin cleaned itself! They would know for something to be so organized, someone must have organized it.
It's the same way with the world! Look around you and see the beautiful way it is made and organized. Every single animal and person was carefully designed and planned to be able to live and survive in the world. What would you say if someone told you no one designed and created the world?
A. They are very intelligent.
B. They are very dumb.
For everything created, there must be a creator. For everything organized, there must be an organizer. If someone tells you that there is no God, then there must be no Creator of the world. That'd be just as silly as thinking no one made or cleaned our cabin!
The Bible puts it this way: “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes have been clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” (Romans 1:20) In other words, it’s obvious to see that there is a God just by looking at creation! Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. All the beauty and order of creation point to the fact that there is a God. That's one way we can know God is real!
Another way we can know God is real is by looking at the moral law. Every law must have a law giver. Since there is a moral law (right and wrong written in all of our hearts: we know when we’re born that lying, stealing, and killing are wrong), there must be a moral Law Giver. Who is the creator of this moral law then who decides what is right or wrong? This points directly to God as well! If there is no God, than right or wrong is only a matter of opinion, and it would not be wrong for me to kill you! I’m glad there is a God who set up right and wrong!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Questions Campers Ask Part 4- How can I know if I'm truly a Christian?
(Note: this is taken almost entirely from an earlier blog post: N.T. reflections-Matthew 7)
Q: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian?
A: The whole book of I John was written to answer this question, as John says in 5:13: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."
First John has three tests for those who want to know whether they're saved: The doctrine test, the moral test, and the love test. Let’s take a look at each.
First test: The doctrine test. Do I believe Jesus is God and also the Messiah, the Son of God sent to die for my sin? "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (I John 5:1) "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. If what you heard from the begining abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, And this is the promise he has promised us-eternal life." (I John 2:22,24-25) "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (I John 4:15) What's so significant about believing Jesus is God and also the Messiah? If Jesus was not fully God, He would not have been perfect. If He had not been perfect, His death would mean nothing to us: it would have no saving power. The only reason Jesus could pay for our sins, is because he had none of his own to pay for. Had he not been God and been a sinner, his death would have been what He deserved, and He would not have been able to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins. But what's this about a Messiah? Why do we have to believe that? The Messiah or Christ was the one God had promised since Adam who would come and die in the people's place, ending the animal sacrifices which were only a symbol of Jesus. If we don't believe Jesus was truly the Messiah, the one whose death paid for our sin so we don't have to, then we end up trying to pay our own way to heaven by being good enough, and that won't work. If I do not believe Jesus is God and Jesus is the Messiah who paid the punishment I deserved for my sins, I am not a Christian.
Second test: The Moral Test. Do I see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of what I believe about who Jesus is? "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar...But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked." (I John 2:3-6) "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God." (I John 3:9-10) The key word in those last two verses is 'practice'. If you are practicing volleyball and try to serve the ball, and it hits the volleyball net and doesn't go over, it would be a dumb thing for me to say, "Oh, you must be playing basketball!" I can tell what you're practicing no matter how many times you mess up. In the same way, it should be clear in your life what you are practicing: sin or righteousness, no matter how many times you mess up. Check your desires. What is your deeper desire: to sin and enjoy the fun in it, or to please God and enjoy the lasting joy we will have in heaven? Does sin bother you or make you happy? One speaker last summer used the anology of what pigs and kittens do after you clean them. A pig jumps right back into the mud. He loves mud! But a kitten tries to stay clean, and even if she does get dirty, she cleans herself as quickly as possible. Same with a Christian and someone who is not a Christian. Someone who has not trusted Jesus for Salvation loves sin and has no desire to follow God and "stay clean", while those who HAVE trusted Jesus are those who John talks about in 3:3 "Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He [Jesus] is pure." If I do not see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of who I believe Jesus is, I am not a Christian.
Third Test: The Love Test. Does the way I live my life show that I have real, sacrificial love for others? "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." (I John 3:14) "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:7-8) "My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in action and in truth." (I John 3:18) These verses aren't just talking about saying we love people, according to this last verse; they're asking us to show and PROVE we love them by our actions. Love is loving people even when it hurts us or even when they're different from us. But what does that really mean? How can we do that? God gave us all these commands we're supposed to follow AND on top of that He wants us to love people? Actually, the reason God gives commands in the Bible is just to explain what it means to love Him and love others. The first four of the 10 commandments teach us how to love God, and the last six teach us how to love others. Jesus taught this in Matthew 22:36-40 when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest is to love others, then He said that all the laws in the Old Testament and things the prophets said are summed up by those two laws. John agrees-"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." (I John 5:2-3) If I do not see new love for others and love for God in my life as a result of what I believe about Jesus, I am not a Christian.
When testing ourselves by the love and moral tests, we have to make sure to look at our desires (does sin make us happy or bother us?) and what we're 'practicing', since no one can follow God perfectly. How can we even follow God at all? I certainly don't have the strength to obey Him and love others. I John has the answer again! (If you couldn't tell before now, I love this book!) "We love Him because He first loved us. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."" (I John 4:9-11, 16, 19) God's requirement for anyone to get to heaven is that they must live a perfect life. Unfortunately for us, we all mess up. But God loved us so much, He provided a way out of that mess- He sent Jesus! Jesus lived the perfect life we should've lived, then died a painful death, taking the punishment we deserved. Now if we trust His payment for our sin to be enough to get us to heaven, then turn from sin to follow Him, He will give us eternal life AND the desire and strength to follow and obey Him.
This may cause you to wonder, so how can I grow as a Christian? I trusted Jesus for Salvation this week, how can I change when I go home?
Great question! Keep reading!
Q: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian?
A: The whole book of I John was written to answer this question, as John says in 5:13: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."
First John has three tests for those who want to know whether they're saved: The doctrine test, the moral test, and the love test. Let’s take a look at each.
First test: The doctrine test. Do I believe Jesus is God and also the Messiah, the Son of God sent to die for my sin? "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (I John 5:1) "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. If what you heard from the begining abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, And this is the promise he has promised us-eternal life." (I John 2:22,24-25) "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (I John 4:15) What's so significant about believing Jesus is God and also the Messiah? If Jesus was not fully God, He would not have been perfect. If He had not been perfect, His death would mean nothing to us: it would have no saving power. The only reason Jesus could pay for our sins, is because he had none of his own to pay for. Had he not been God and been a sinner, his death would have been what He deserved, and He would not have been able to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins. But what's this about a Messiah? Why do we have to believe that? The Messiah or Christ was the one God had promised since Adam who would come and die in the people's place, ending the animal sacrifices which were only a symbol of Jesus. If we don't believe Jesus was truly the Messiah, the one whose death paid for our sin so we don't have to, then we end up trying to pay our own way to heaven by being good enough, and that won't work. If I do not believe Jesus is God and Jesus is the Messiah who paid the punishment I deserved for my sins, I am not a Christian.
Second test: The Moral Test. Do I see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of what I believe about who Jesus is? "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar...But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked." (I John 2:3-6) "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God." (I John 3:9-10) The key word in those last two verses is 'practice'. If you are practicing volleyball and try to serve the ball, and it hits the volleyball net and doesn't go over, it would be a dumb thing for me to say, "Oh, you must be playing basketball!" I can tell what you're practicing no matter how many times you mess up. In the same way, it should be clear in your life what you are practicing: sin or righteousness, no matter how many times you mess up. Check your desires. What is your deeper desire: to sin and enjoy the fun in it, or to please God and enjoy the lasting joy we will have in heaven? Does sin bother you or make you happy? One speaker last summer used the anology of what pigs and kittens do after you clean them. A pig jumps right back into the mud. He loves mud! But a kitten tries to stay clean, and even if she does get dirty, she cleans herself as quickly as possible. Same with a Christian and someone who is not a Christian. Someone who has not trusted Jesus for Salvation loves sin and has no desire to follow God and "stay clean", while those who HAVE trusted Jesus are those who John talks about in 3:3 "Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He [Jesus] is pure." If I do not see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of who I believe Jesus is, I am not a Christian.
Third Test: The Love Test. Does the way I live my life show that I have real, sacrificial love for others? "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." (I John 3:14) "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:7-8) "My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in action and in truth." (I John 3:18) These verses aren't just talking about saying we love people, according to this last verse; they're asking us to show and PROVE we love them by our actions. Love is loving people even when it hurts us or even when they're different from us. But what does that really mean? How can we do that? God gave us all these commands we're supposed to follow AND on top of that He wants us to love people? Actually, the reason God gives commands in the Bible is just to explain what it means to love Him and love others. The first four of the 10 commandments teach us how to love God, and the last six teach us how to love others. Jesus taught this in Matthew 22:36-40 when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest is to love others, then He said that all the laws in the Old Testament and things the prophets said are summed up by those two laws. John agrees-"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." (I John 5:2-3) If I do not see new love for others and love for God in my life as a result of what I believe about Jesus, I am not a Christian.
When testing ourselves by the love and moral tests, we have to make sure to look at our desires (does sin make us happy or bother us?) and what we're 'practicing', since no one can follow God perfectly. How can we even follow God at all? I certainly don't have the strength to obey Him and love others. I John has the answer again! (If you couldn't tell before now, I love this book!) "We love Him because He first loved us. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."" (I John 4:9-11, 16, 19) God's requirement for anyone to get to heaven is that they must live a perfect life. Unfortunately for us, we all mess up. But God loved us so much, He provided a way out of that mess- He sent Jesus! Jesus lived the perfect life we should've lived, then died a painful death, taking the punishment we deserved. Now if we trust His payment for our sin to be enough to get us to heaven, then turn from sin to follow Him, He will give us eternal life AND the desire and strength to follow and obey Him.
This may cause you to wonder, so how can I grow as a Christian? I trusted Jesus for Salvation this week, how can I change when I go home?
Great question! Keep reading!
Questions Campers Ask Part 3- How can I live and grow as a Christian?
Q: I made the decision to follow Jesus this week, but what do I do when I go home? No one in my family is a Christian and I have no Christian friends. I don’t know how to even live for God. How can I live and grow as a Christian?
A: Wow. That’s tough. First of all, let me tell you that you are not alone. Jesus will follow you home, even though I can’t. “I [Jesus] am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) I can and will, however, pray for you and give you some tools to help.
So where do you start now in following Christ? If you’ve read the answer to “How can I be a Christian?” and “How can I know I’m really saved?”, you’ve read that your life will change when you trust Jesus for Salvation.
So how does it change? How do we know what to change? “Be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1) According to this, we are to act like God and live as He would. How can we know what God is like and how to live like Him? By reading the Bible and obeying what we read! In learning to live for God, we can look to Jesus who is our ultimate example. He was God in the flesh and lived a perfect life of obedience to the Father. Hebrews 4:15 says “He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus knows what it’s like to live on earth and be tempted to sin. He knows what it’s like to feel alone in following God. He’s gone through every pain and rejection and betrayal we go through, so He can perfectly sympathize with our weaknesses. Turn to Him for the strength, desire, and knowledge to live for Him!
Just like a baby needs milk to grow, Christians need the Bible. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby.” (2 Peter 2:1) When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and show us how we can please God with our lives. He will teach us how to put our music, movies, TV, friends, etc. under God’s control. A great way to study the Bible is by reading a chapter or two every day and writing down one thing God teaches you through what you read and how you can live that out.
Another important step to growing as a Christian is by talking to God in prayer. “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) God listens and answers when we pray to Him! You don’t have to worry about having the right words when you pray to God. Just talk to Him as you would a friend. He wants to hear from you!
A third final step for growth is finding a good church and making good Christian friends. “And let us not forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage each other...” (Hebrews 10:24-25) God knew we would need encouragement to keep living for Him, so He created the church. Church is a place where we can learn more about God as we hear His Word taught; make Christian friends who will encourage us to live for Him; serve God; praise and worship God; and pray for others and be prayed for ourselves. I know it will not always be possible to get to a church if your parents won’t take you, but try to find someone who will.
Is this how we are saved? By reading our Bible and trying to obey it, praying, and going to church? No! It’s only by trusting Jesus. “For by grace [God’s kindness] you have been saved through faith [trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin], and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God [we don’t save ourselves; He has already done all the work necessary for Salvation]-not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) But then look what happens AFTER you trust Jesus- “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Ephesians 2:10)
Once we trust Jesus for Salvation, we begin to walk like him. Have you ever seen a baby learn to walk? This last year, I got the chance to nanny for a baby who learned to walk. When he took his first step, I didn’t scream and cheer, then tell him to stop trying to walk and go back to crawling. I encouraged him to keep trying to walk! He needed to be encouraged to keep learning how to walk, not how to go back to crawling. That’s what I encourage you to do!
So many people will try to tell you that the Christian walk or life is just one step-trusting Jesus for Salvation. They’ll try to tell you that you just need to pray a prayer and then you keep living your life however you were living before. But just like a baby learning to walk doesn’t just take one step and then go back to crawling, we have to keep taking steps to become more and more like Jesus. And just like a baby, we’ll fall sometimes, but should we stay down? No! Like a baby, we have to get back up! We can’t be perfect! That’s why we need Jesus to be perfect for us. But once we’ve trusted Jesus for Salvation, He gives us the strength to become more holy like Him.
How does He do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit! When we trust Jesus for Salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. I John 4:13 says, "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." The Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to obey God. He's the one who does the work in us, making us more like Jesus. When we realize just how great His love is for us and how it drove Him to make the ultimate sacrifice for us, loving Him becomes easier. Loving Him in action looks like loving the people He made, and loving the people He made looks like obeying His commands. But it all starts with what God does for us. We don't love God and others and obey Him to become a Christian and get to heaven; we love Him because He has saved us already. We are saved by trusting that Jesus' death on the cross was enough to get us to heaven, THEN we are driven to love God and live to please Him.
A: Wow. That’s tough. First of all, let me tell you that you are not alone. Jesus will follow you home, even though I can’t. “I [Jesus] am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) I can and will, however, pray for you and give you some tools to help.
So where do you start now in following Christ? If you’ve read the answer to “How can I be a Christian?” and “How can I know I’m really saved?”, you’ve read that your life will change when you trust Jesus for Salvation.
So how does it change? How do we know what to change? “Be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1) According to this, we are to act like God and live as He would. How can we know what God is like and how to live like Him? By reading the Bible and obeying what we read! In learning to live for God, we can look to Jesus who is our ultimate example. He was God in the flesh and lived a perfect life of obedience to the Father. Hebrews 4:15 says “He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus knows what it’s like to live on earth and be tempted to sin. He knows what it’s like to feel alone in following God. He’s gone through every pain and rejection and betrayal we go through, so He can perfectly sympathize with our weaknesses. Turn to Him for the strength, desire, and knowledge to live for Him!
Just like a baby needs milk to grow, Christians need the Bible. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby.” (2 Peter 2:1) When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and show us how we can please God with our lives. He will teach us how to put our music, movies, TV, friends, etc. under God’s control. A great way to study the Bible is by reading a chapter or two every day and writing down one thing God teaches you through what you read and how you can live that out.
Another important step to growing as a Christian is by talking to God in prayer. “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) God listens and answers when we pray to Him! You don’t have to worry about having the right words when you pray to God. Just talk to Him as you would a friend. He wants to hear from you!
A third final step for growth is finding a good church and making good Christian friends. “And let us not forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage each other...” (Hebrews 10:24-25) God knew we would need encouragement to keep living for Him, so He created the church. Church is a place where we can learn more about God as we hear His Word taught; make Christian friends who will encourage us to live for Him; serve God; praise and worship God; and pray for others and be prayed for ourselves. I know it will not always be possible to get to a church if your parents won’t take you, but try to find someone who will.
Is this how we are saved? By reading our Bible and trying to obey it, praying, and going to church? No! It’s only by trusting Jesus. “For by grace [God’s kindness] you have been saved through faith [trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin], and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God [we don’t save ourselves; He has already done all the work necessary for Salvation]-not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) But then look what happens AFTER you trust Jesus- “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Ephesians 2:10)
Once we trust Jesus for Salvation, we begin to walk like him. Have you ever seen a baby learn to walk? This last year, I got the chance to nanny for a baby who learned to walk. When he took his first step, I didn’t scream and cheer, then tell him to stop trying to walk and go back to crawling. I encouraged him to keep trying to walk! He needed to be encouraged to keep learning how to walk, not how to go back to crawling. That’s what I encourage you to do!
So many people will try to tell you that the Christian walk or life is just one step-trusting Jesus for Salvation. They’ll try to tell you that you just need to pray a prayer and then you keep living your life however you were living before. But just like a baby learning to walk doesn’t just take one step and then go back to crawling, we have to keep taking steps to become more and more like Jesus. And just like a baby, we’ll fall sometimes, but should we stay down? No! Like a baby, we have to get back up! We can’t be perfect! That’s why we need Jesus to be perfect for us. But once we’ve trusted Jesus for Salvation, He gives us the strength to become more holy like Him.
How does He do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit! When we trust Jesus for Salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. I John 4:13 says, "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." The Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to obey God. He's the one who does the work in us, making us more like Jesus. When we realize just how great His love is for us and how it drove Him to make the ultimate sacrifice for us, loving Him becomes easier. Loving Him in action looks like loving the people He made, and loving the people He made looks like obeying His commands. But it all starts with what God does for us. We don't love God and others and obey Him to become a Christian and get to heaven; we love Him because He has saved us already. We are saved by trusting that Jesus' death on the cross was enough to get us to heaven, THEN we are driven to love God and live to please Him.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Questions Campers Ask Part 2- How do I get to heaven?
Q: I believe in God and prayed a prayer asking Jesus to come into my heart. Isn’t that how I get to heaven? How do I become a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
A: There are many ways people think they can get to heaven, but just like only one key on your key ring can get you into your house, the Bible describes only one way to get to heaven. Let’s look at a couple ways people think they can go to heaven and the problems with them, then at what the Bible says is the only way to heaven.
Way#1- “Well, I believe God is real.”
Problem#1- Even Satan and demons (Satan’s followers who work evil in the world) believe in God and fear Him. “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble!” (James 2:19) So if you’re trusting your belief in God to get you to heaven, sorry, that isn’t going to work!
Way#2- “I try to live a good life the way I’m sure Jesus did.”
Problem#2- That’s great that you try to live right, but even if you sin just one time, you are a sinner! “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point, he is guilty of breaking all of them.” (James 2:10) None of us is completely perfect. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned. That’s a huge problem, because the Bible says that God’s eyes are so holy, he cannot even look on sin. (Habakkuk 1:13) That means no one who sins can ever be allowed into heaven.
Way#3- “God is good! He will overlook my wrong things when he sees how many good things I’ve done. I really am a pretty good person!”
Problem#3- If a judge let a murderer go free because he was normally a pretty good person and was involved in all sorts of community service projects and loved his wife and kids and treated people with respect most of the time, would the judge really be a good judge? Absolutely not! In the same way, God cannot and will not overlook our wrong because of the good we have done. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
Way#4- “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I tell God so every night. Can’t he let me off the hook?”
Problem#4- Imagine if that same murderer stood before the judge and said he was sorry. Would the judge let him go? No! Justice has to be served! There must be punishment for wrongdoing. Maybe you’ve never murdered someone, but the Bible says hatred is as bad as murder. Lying, stealing, and dishonoring your parents is also just as bad. We all sin, and God’s goodness demands that justice must be done. Punishment must be given. What is the punishment that God’s law demands? “The soul that sins, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
So what now? Is there no way to heaven? Must we all die and be separated from life with God for eternity? What does the Bible say IS the only way to heaven?
The only true way- “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6) God’s justice and goodness demand that punishment must be given. I deserve death. You deserve death. The only way to avoid that would be if someone perfect could die, taking our punishment. He’d have to be perfect, because if he wasn’t, he would only be dying to pay for his own sins. Enter Jesus. He lived the perfect life we should’ve lived, then died, taking the punishment we deserved. That would be like if the judge was about to give that murderer the death penalty, but another innocent man stepped in and offered to die in his place. That’s crazy! But Jesus did that for us.
So then, does this mean we’re all going to heaven and we don’t have to worry about any of this after all? No! When we are born, we are born sinners, on our way to hell. Imagine a long line. At one end is heaven and at the other is hell. We are born walking straight towards hell. Unless we change directions, we will die and wake up in an eternity separated from God.
Let me repeat that to make sure you got it: Unless you have turned from living for yourself in sinful rebellion against God to becoming a follower of Jesus, you will die and wake up separated from God forever.
So is Salvation something we do, then? No! Please don’t misunderstand. Salvation is all about what Jesus has already done for us. He lovingly laid down his life for us so He could offer us the FREE gift of eternal life. “For by grace [God’s kindness] you have been saved through faith [trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin], and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God [we don’t save ourselves; He has already done all the work necessary for Salvation]-not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Salvation is free, but we must accept the gift, and when we do, everything changes. We are no longer our own. We have a new master: God.
Listen to how David Platt explains this: “To be a follower of Christ means to come to an awareness of your sinful rebellion against God, and to see in Jesus the only substitute for your sins, and by His grace to turn from you rebellion against God and trust in him as the Lord and sovereign king over your life. And when that happens, then what Jesus says determines how you live. If you are a follower of Christ, living indifferent to the words of Christ is not an option. Some of you were told to pray a prayer and then you could live your life however you wanted and that’s what it means to be a Christian. If you came to Christ under that illusion, then biblically, you are not a Christian. You have not come to Christ at all. This is not what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is not possible to be a follower of Christ and be indifferent to what he says, because to be a follower of Christ, what he says determines how you live.”
Acknowledging Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life is not something to be entered lightly. Following Jesus is tough! “Jesus said to the crowds following Him, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:25-33
Jesus told the crowds to count the cost BEFORE coming to him, because following him includes way more than praying a prayer and showing up at church on Sundays. True Christians obey the commands in Scripture which call us to live radical lives, pouring ourselves out to serve the poor and hurting and reaching out to the entire world with the amazing news of the gospel regardless of how difficult, uncomfortable, or dangerous that may be.
This naturally leads to a couple more questions: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian? and How can I live and grow as a Christian?
A: There are many ways people think they can get to heaven, but just like only one key on your key ring can get you into your house, the Bible describes only one way to get to heaven. Let’s look at a couple ways people think they can go to heaven and the problems with them, then at what the Bible says is the only way to heaven.
Way#1- “Well, I believe God is real.”
Problem#1- Even Satan and demons (Satan’s followers who work evil in the world) believe in God and fear Him. “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble!” (James 2:19) So if you’re trusting your belief in God to get you to heaven, sorry, that isn’t going to work!
Way#2- “I try to live a good life the way I’m sure Jesus did.”
Problem#2- That’s great that you try to live right, but even if you sin just one time, you are a sinner! “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point, he is guilty of breaking all of them.” (James 2:10) None of us is completely perfect. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned. That’s a huge problem, because the Bible says that God’s eyes are so holy, he cannot even look on sin. (Habakkuk 1:13) That means no one who sins can ever be allowed into heaven.
Way#3- “God is good! He will overlook my wrong things when he sees how many good things I’ve done. I really am a pretty good person!”
Problem#3- If a judge let a murderer go free because he was normally a pretty good person and was involved in all sorts of community service projects and loved his wife and kids and treated people with respect most of the time, would the judge really be a good judge? Absolutely not! In the same way, God cannot and will not overlook our wrong because of the good we have done. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
Way#4- “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I tell God so every night. Can’t he let me off the hook?”
Problem#4- Imagine if that same murderer stood before the judge and said he was sorry. Would the judge let him go? No! Justice has to be served! There must be punishment for wrongdoing. Maybe you’ve never murdered someone, but the Bible says hatred is as bad as murder. Lying, stealing, and dishonoring your parents is also just as bad. We all sin, and God’s goodness demands that justice must be done. Punishment must be given. What is the punishment that God’s law demands? “The soul that sins, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
So what now? Is there no way to heaven? Must we all die and be separated from life with God for eternity? What does the Bible say IS the only way to heaven?
The only true way- “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6) God’s justice and goodness demand that punishment must be given. I deserve death. You deserve death. The only way to avoid that would be if someone perfect could die, taking our punishment. He’d have to be perfect, because if he wasn’t, he would only be dying to pay for his own sins. Enter Jesus. He lived the perfect life we should’ve lived, then died, taking the punishment we deserved. That would be like if the judge was about to give that murderer the death penalty, but another innocent man stepped in and offered to die in his place. That’s crazy! But Jesus did that for us.
So then, does this mean we’re all going to heaven and we don’t have to worry about any of this after all? No! When we are born, we are born sinners, on our way to hell. Imagine a long line. At one end is heaven and at the other is hell. We are born walking straight towards hell. Unless we change directions, we will die and wake up in an eternity separated from God.
Let me repeat that to make sure you got it: Unless you have turned from living for yourself in sinful rebellion against God to becoming a follower of Jesus, you will die and wake up separated from God forever.
So is Salvation something we do, then? No! Please don’t misunderstand. Salvation is all about what Jesus has already done for us. He lovingly laid down his life for us so He could offer us the FREE gift of eternal life. “For by grace [God’s kindness] you have been saved through faith [trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin], and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God [we don’t save ourselves; He has already done all the work necessary for Salvation]-not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Salvation is free, but we must accept the gift, and when we do, everything changes. We are no longer our own. We have a new master: God.
Listen to how David Platt explains this: “To be a follower of Christ means to come to an awareness of your sinful rebellion against God, and to see in Jesus the only substitute for your sins, and by His grace to turn from you rebellion against God and trust in him as the Lord and sovereign king over your life. And when that happens, then what Jesus says determines how you live. If you are a follower of Christ, living indifferent to the words of Christ is not an option. Some of you were told to pray a prayer and then you could live your life however you wanted and that’s what it means to be a Christian. If you came to Christ under that illusion, then biblically, you are not a Christian. You have not come to Christ at all. This is not what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is not possible to be a follower of Christ and be indifferent to what he says, because to be a follower of Christ, what he says determines how you live.”
Acknowledging Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life is not something to be entered lightly. Following Jesus is tough! “Jesus said to the crowds following Him, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:25-33
Jesus told the crowds to count the cost BEFORE coming to him, because following him includes way more than praying a prayer and showing up at church on Sundays. True Christians obey the commands in Scripture which call us to live radical lives, pouring ourselves out to serve the poor and hurting and reaching out to the entire world with the amazing news of the gospel regardless of how difficult, uncomfortable, or dangerous that may be.
This naturally leads to a couple more questions: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian? and How can I live and grow as a Christian?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Questions Campers Ask
I’ve been thinking for a while about doing a series a blog posts on the good questions campers asked me this last summer and the great answers the Bible supplies, and I think I’m going to do it. No one (but me and the random people who get the ‘privilege’ of being told about my latest post that I think might actually pertain to them or who have the “luck” of clicking through the link I post on facebook) faithfully read this blog, so I think the real reason I need to do this is to keep myself accountable to keep writing and working on these questions.
I applied to counsel again this summer, and I have this crazy idea to make these into a booklet of questions and answers for reference, or to give campers. I want to somehow set it up so that, depending on your question, you jump in on a certain page. I want it to all run together and build on each other, but also have it separated by questions so you can read as little as you want. I still have to figure out the logical order for these questions. I think I want to end each question with options. Like, “the next questions this leads to are ________ and _________. Turn here to read _______ and here to read _____________. But each question would need at least one other question leading to it, and they’d still have to be in a logical order for those reading straight through. So yeah. I dunno. We shall see how it works out!
So for question number 1 (for now!):
Q: Once I’m a born again Christian, if I sin, will I still be a Christian, or should I pray to become a Christian again?
A: Once I’m born a human being, if I bark, will I become a dog and no longer a human being? No! That’s extremely silly!
If we look at what the Bible says about this question, we’ll find the same. I’ll type a few passages and a short explanation in brackets within the passage: “And I [Jesus] give them [believers] eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. [They are my followers whom I have given eternal life, and no one can take that from them.] My Father [God] who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. [God will keep true believers’ Salvation safe and secure because he is more powerful than anyone.]” (John 10:28-29)
“All that the Father [God] gives Me [Jesus] will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. [Every person who God wants to trust Jesus, will obtain Salvation. Jesus will not send away anyone who wants to trust Him for Salvation.] For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all he has given me, [true believers] I should lose nothing, [none of them will be lost from trusting Jesus for Salvation] but should raise it up at the last day [I will raise them up to spend eternity with Me]. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up at the last day. [This is why Jesus was on earth: to show himself to the world so they could trust in Him so he could raise them up at the end of the world, and give them eternal life.]” (John 6:37-40)
Bottom line: if you are truly trusting Jesus for Salvation and you sin, your Salvation is not permanently lost. Your joy and fellowship with Jesus will be lost for the moment until you repent, but you do not lose the gift of eternal life which Jesus has promised to you.
The Bible does, however, speak of those who fall away from the faith. These people never were truly Christians, but only pretended to be. Check out these verses: “They [fake Christians] went out from us [left the church of true believers; no longer claimed to be Christians], but they were not of us [they never really were Christians]; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us [if they had really ever been followers of Jesus, they would not/could not have left]; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. [God let them leave to show us they were not truly followers of Him]” I John 2:19 “But he who endures to the end will be saved [True Christians will endure to the end-death].” (Matthew 10:22)
If you are truly trusting Jesus for Salvation, don’t worry! God isn’t just gonna snap one day and say, “That’s it! She messed up one more time. No eternal life with Me for her. I’m cutting off her Salvation!” You don’t have to keep living in fear and praying every night for God to save you, or walking forward every year at camp to “accept Jesus” once again.
However, maybe you still need to be asking whether or not you’re truly a Christian, especially if you don’t see a change in your life from the time you “became a Christian” until now. The Bible NEVER describes becoming a follower of Jesus (a Christian) as praying a prayer, then living however you want because you can’t lose your Salvation. If you’re not a true Christian, you have a totally different problem to deal with.
This leads to two questions: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian? I believe in God and prayed a prayer asking Jesus comes into my heart. Isn’t that how I get and to heaven? How do I become a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
(Stay tuned for more!)
I applied to counsel again this summer, and I have this crazy idea to make these into a booklet of questions and answers for reference, or to give campers. I want to somehow set it up so that, depending on your question, you jump in on a certain page. I want it to all run together and build on each other, but also have it separated by questions so you can read as little as you want. I still have to figure out the logical order for these questions. I think I want to end each question with options. Like, “the next questions this leads to are ________ and _________. Turn here to read _______ and here to read _____________. But each question would need at least one other question leading to it, and they’d still have to be in a logical order for those reading straight through. So yeah. I dunno. We shall see how it works out!
So for question number 1 (for now!):
Q: Once I’m a born again Christian, if I sin, will I still be a Christian, or should I pray to become a Christian again?
A: Once I’m born a human being, if I bark, will I become a dog and no longer a human being? No! That’s extremely silly!
If we look at what the Bible says about this question, we’ll find the same. I’ll type a few passages and a short explanation in brackets within the passage: “And I [Jesus] give them [believers] eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. [They are my followers whom I have given eternal life, and no one can take that from them.] My Father [God] who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. [God will keep true believers’ Salvation safe and secure because he is more powerful than anyone.]” (John 10:28-29)
“All that the Father [God] gives Me [Jesus] will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. [Every person who God wants to trust Jesus, will obtain Salvation. Jesus will not send away anyone who wants to trust Him for Salvation.] For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all he has given me, [true believers] I should lose nothing, [none of them will be lost from trusting Jesus for Salvation] but should raise it up at the last day [I will raise them up to spend eternity with Me]. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up at the last day. [This is why Jesus was on earth: to show himself to the world so they could trust in Him so he could raise them up at the end of the world, and give them eternal life.]” (John 6:37-40)
Bottom line: if you are truly trusting Jesus for Salvation and you sin, your Salvation is not permanently lost. Your joy and fellowship with Jesus will be lost for the moment until you repent, but you do not lose the gift of eternal life which Jesus has promised to you.
The Bible does, however, speak of those who fall away from the faith. These people never were truly Christians, but only pretended to be. Check out these verses: “They [fake Christians] went out from us [left the church of true believers; no longer claimed to be Christians], but they were not of us [they never really were Christians]; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us [if they had really ever been followers of Jesus, they would not/could not have left]; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. [God let them leave to show us they were not truly followers of Him]” I John 2:19 “But he who endures to the end will be saved [True Christians will endure to the end-death].” (Matthew 10:22)
If you are truly trusting Jesus for Salvation, don’t worry! God isn’t just gonna snap one day and say, “That’s it! She messed up one more time. No eternal life with Me for her. I’m cutting off her Salvation!” You don’t have to keep living in fear and praying every night for God to save you, or walking forward every year at camp to “accept Jesus” once again.
However, maybe you still need to be asking whether or not you’re truly a Christian, especially if you don’t see a change in your life from the time you “became a Christian” until now. The Bible NEVER describes becoming a follower of Jesus (a Christian) as praying a prayer, then living however you want because you can’t lose your Salvation. If you’re not a true Christian, you have a totally different problem to deal with.
This leads to two questions: How can I know if I’m truly a Christian? I believe in God and prayed a prayer asking Jesus comes into my heart. Isn’t that how I get and to heaven? How do I become a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
(Stay tuned for more!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)