The world says that everyone is good, that as long as you don't murder anyone and you try to do good, then you will get to Heaven.  But according to the Bible, we are not good.  In fact, we all "fall short" of God's perfection (Romans 3.23).  The Bible calls this "sin," and God cannot allow sin into Heaven.  The Bible also teaches that sin deserves death (Romans 6.23), meaning that we, because of our sin, deserve to go to hell.  In a sense, we are all convicted and deserve the death penalty.  No one will admit that we are or can be perfect, yet this is what God requires.  So, how do we expect to get to Heaven?  How can we bridge that gap between us and God?

This is where Jesus stepped in.  He was God in human form; 100% God, 100% man.  He faced the same kinds of trials and temptations that we do, yet He never fell short of perfection; He never sinned.  But He didn't stop there.  Remember, we deserve to die because of our sin.  However, Jesus died for us; when He was wrongly executed on the cross, He took the death penalty that we deserve.  Of all the people in the world, He was the One who didn't deserve to die, yet He did, and He did it for us.  But He wasn't finished.  After 3 days in the grave, God brought Him back to life.  Why is this important?  First, it lets us know that He was more than a simple prophet like Mohammed or any others.  He was more than human.  He was God himself.  And because He did come back to life, those who trust Him with their lives have the hope that physical death is not the end, that there is life beyond this one.  Jesus is now the master of both life and death, and so we can trust Him with both.

Some may ask, "Why would such a good God send people to hell?"  God doesn't send anyone to hell.  Hell is the destination every man and woman will reach by doing absolutely nothing.  We choose hell when we don't choose the gift of life offered freely by God through the sacrifice of Christ.  God is sorrowful to see us apart from Him.  He truly wants for us to be with Him forever.  2 Peter 3:9b tells us that God is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

The truth is, not all roads lead to Heaven.  Only one road leads to eternal life, while the rest lead to eternal death.  The choice is up to you.  God wants you to trust Jesus with your life.  He wants you to choose the Truth, the Life, the Way.  So how do you do it?  It's as simple as ABC:

Admit.  Understand that you have fallen short of God's perfection and because of this, you deserve eternal death.  Admit that you are a sinner, that you are not and cannot be perfect.  Admit that you cannot be good enough or do enough good deeds to make it to heaven on your own, that neither you nor any other person can get you there.

Believe.  Understand that Jesus is real.  Believe that His life was real, that He lived the perfect life that none of us could live.  Believe that His death was real, that He died the death that we deserve.  Believe that He came back to life, becoming the master of both life and death.

Commit.  Understand that it is your choice.  God will forgive you and welcome you into his family, but you must choose to trust Him with your life.  Ask Him to forgive you of your sins.  Ask Him to take control of everything in your life, so that how you live is how God wants you to live.

If you have committed your life to Christ, there are some things you need to do that are crucial to your spiritual growth:

Tell.  Your new faith is not a private one.  A changed life will be evident to everyone.  So, you need to tell everyone you can about your decision.  Let them know the truth that you have discovered.  Especially try to find someone at a church, a leader or minister there, so that they can help you join a church where you will grow even more.

Join.  Your next step is joining a church.  This is where you will be connected to other Christians so that you can understand this new life even more.  Part of this is baptism.  In baptism (being dunked under water), you are telling everyone that you now belong to Jesus Christ and that your life is now dedicated to Him.  It is a symbol that you are buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life.  This is a very important act of obedience.

The next three are crucial not only for the new Christian, but also for every other Christian at every stage of life:

Bible Study.  This is God's Word; it is how He speaks to us.  If we are to understand Him, we must begin to understand the Bible.

Prayer.  This is our communication to God; it is how we speak to Him.  In prayer, God's Holy Spirit leads us in developing our relationship with God.  Remember, you are in a relationship with a real person.  The best way to get to know your friends is to spend time with them.  The same is true with God when we pray and study the Bible.

Worship.  This is our way of thanking God for who He is and what He has done.  This not only includes a worship service but also the way you live.  Everything you do in life should reflect your thankfulness to Him.

If you have decided to trust Christ with your life, we would love to know.  Please contact us at prayers@fairviewbaptist.com, or call us at (865) 687-5648.