Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is wrong with the world?
How can what is wrong with the world be made right?
The above are four basic questions that everyone has. Our society today can’t give very satisfying answers to these questions. For example, Atheism/agnosticism would answer these by saying:
1. You are a biological accident with no rhyme or reason.
2. You have no intrinsic purpose or value other than to consume and enjoy.
3. What is wrong with the world is that it is not sufficiently educated or governed.
4. More education and government will make things better.
Atheism’s answer to questions 3 & 4 above have not proven to be true. Some people become more dangerous as they get more educated. Our world is more educated now than it's ever been and it's not getting better. It also doesn’t answer the problem of pain, suffering, and death.
The God of the Bible has definite answers to these questions that are a reason for hope, a confident expectation that there is value and purpose to life, and an explanation and solution for life’s problems.
God's Plan:
The God who is eternal, created human beings in his image. Genesis 1:27 say:
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Because God created us in his image, we have intrinsic value and are loved. John 3:16 says:
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Satan, a created being, has tried to destroy what God created; God intends those he loves to have a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 says:
The thief’s (Satan’s) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Man's Condition:
Because the original human beings disobeyed God and believed the lies of Satan, we and all of our world have been adversely effected by sin. Because of sin, we are separated from God. Romans 3:23 says:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Our sin problem means that we will all die someday. Romans 6:23 says:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
After death and on a future day, God tells us there will be conscious judgment. Hebrews 9:27 says:
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.
God's Solution:
Because God is a righteous God, he will not only righteously judge sinners, but he has also made a way of salvation. That way of salvation involves his very own Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8 says:
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Because God gave his own Son to save us, there is salvation in no other. John 14:6 says:
Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
Man's Response:
In order to receive what God has already done for us, it requires repentance and faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead. Acts 17: 30-31 says:
God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.
Ephesians 2:8-9 describes how this salvation is obtained:
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
This tells us that salvation is by faith (belief) alone, not by any works that we have done. We are sinners; any works we perform are unrighteous works. Only Christ’s work is righteous and pays the penalty for sin that we deserve.
Having faith or believing is having total dependence on only what Christ has done for us. When we believe, we are saved. 1 Peter 3:18 explains how this works:
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
When we believe, we have eternal life already. John 5:24 says:
"I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."
Do you want eternal life and forgiveness of sins? Jesus is waiting for you right now to respond. Revelation 3:20 says:
"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends"
Do not wait any longer. Ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you today. Contact me if you have any questions.
All Bible quotations from the NLT Bible.
