THE GOSPEL

Heaven or Hell?

The Bible has the answers.

God has promised us that the Bible always has the right answer for life–both now and later.

2 Peter 1:3-4 “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The Bible gives us wisdom to live life, but also reveals to us the biggest problem mankind has in life. It’s not a lack of a money, friends, position, entertainment, time or relationships. It is a problem far greater than any of these because it is inevitable. It is the problem of sin.

The Bible has the answer to Mankind’s sin.

The Bible tells us that God originally created man to fellowship with Him and to glorify Him. However, the Bible also tells us how man disobeyed God and became a sinner (See Genesis 1-3). Thus, the main problem man has to deal with is sin. The Bible gives the answer to this problem. It tells us how to have sin forgiven and to know that you have eternal life.  Here are three simple steps whereby sin can be dealt with in your life.

The Bible says to admit that you are a sinner.

Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  

What is sin? Have you ever lied?  Have you ever cursed God? Have you desired something that did not belong to you? These are just a few examples of what God calls sin.  In fact, He stated them in the Ten Commandments.  For example:

Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.”

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s.”

If you have broken just one of these commandments, you are guilty of sinning against God.

The Bible says that God offers you eternal life.

Romans 6:23  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  

Because God is a just Judge, the penalty for anyone sinning against Him is death.  Not just physical death, but also an eternal punishment called the Second Death (Revelation 20:12-15). However, God graciously offers complete forgiveness of sin and eternal life because the penalty for sin has been fully paid by Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:24-26 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation (satisfactory payment) by His blood, through faith, . . . to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Therefore, God can justly forgive anyone of their sin.  He offers eternal life as a gift, no strings attached, for anyone to accept.

Romans 5:18-21 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Bible says God will hear and forgive you of your sin.

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  

By so doing, you will become a member of the family of God and will be a child of God.

Romans 10:9  “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  

God will never turn away anyone who is asking for the forgiveness of their sin. He will always forgive.

Romans 10:10-11 “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’

You can have eternal life right now by admitting that you are a sinner and accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

It is not too hard to do. There isn’t a certain formula or words or a certain prayer to be said. What you must do, is express with your mouth the belief in your heart. Tell God, that you admit you’re a sinner and deserve the punishment for your sin. Tell God that you believe that Jesus died in your place. Ask Him to forgive you for your sin because Jesus paid the penalty for you. Tell God you accept Jesus as your personal Saviour.

If you have made this decision, we would like to hear about it. Please contact us!

Further Resources

If you would like to explore more about the Gospel, The Won By One Bible Study may be helpful. Contact Pastor Tim about how to get started.