The Gospel

How do you know you’re going to heaven?

Important as that question is few have seriously contemplated it.

I sat across from a gentleman in Chick-fil-A. We were having lunch, a break from a board game convention we were attending. Although we were acquainted for years through our mutual pastime, it was the first time I asked him that question.

He replied, “I’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve always lived my life being good to others. So, if there’s a god, I’m ready to meet him when I die.”

I was alarmed by how certain he was, not knowing God, that he’d earned a passing grade. I guess I shouldn’t have been. He had the same understanding the culture has. That good people go to heaven, and that “I’m basically a good person.”

The Bible says something else.

It says no one is good and compares our good to filthy rags. That’s because the culture’s is nowhere close to God’s standard. It says only Jesus lived a life which pleased God. He alone deserves heaven.

The bad news is, because of your sin, it says you deserve hell.

The good news is Jesus took your sin and punishment upon Himself when He shed His blood on the cross. In return, He offers you His righteousness as a gift. Your part in the exchange is having the humilty to receive it.

You see, a holy God can’t overlook sin. That He would, would mean He wasn’t holy. But He is holy. The wrongs you do, even the things you consider no big deal, are grievious in His eyes. That’s why Jesus had to go to the cross. He died in your place to satisfy God’s perfect holiness.

The Bible says sin affects your standing with God and apart from Jesus you have no hope. When you trust in what He did on your behalf, you receive a new heart and are made clean in God’s sight. That new heart is what testifies you’re born again. Although you still sin, you begin to leave that lifestyle behind.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

With there being no guarantee you see tomorrow, don’t gamble with your eternity. Get saved today. Be ready to give an account for your life. I pray you put your confidence in Jesus and not in yourself.

Appeal

I care about you. This world is passing away and the time is coming when everyone will be judged.

The gospel is everything. I want to share it with family, friends, acquaintences, even strangers before it’s too late. I wrote about it with you in mind. I wanted to help you think carefully about a faith that saves.

I trust you agree, a worldview/religion/faith is worth clinging to only in as much as it comports with reality. That said, I have a telling question. If Christianity were true, would you become a Christian? Because, if not, then your hang up with it appears to be something other than whether or not it’s true.

I do not think I am better than you. I too am broken and just as much in need of a savior. However, as the Bible gives reason to doubt the salvation of the one who won’t pursue God, I entreat you to pursue the knowledge of God and of truth by reading the Bible and looking to credible resources.

I want you in heaven. It’s why, as best I could, I wrote about cultural misunderstandings that commonly trip people up. In them, I linked and included good resources. Beyond that, I recommend:

• Ray Comfort: Just Witnessing - to understand why you need a savior.
• Stand to Reason — clear-thinking Christianity, the podcast I most listen to.
• Got Questions? — for faith questions you want answers to.

I wanted to get you thinking. I am hoping you’re open to discussing eternity and truth. I relish the opportunity to talk about things which are important, given that most conversations are about things which aren’t.

With love and respect,
me@mlanza.com

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity