(Taken from a tract I wrote, this page gives a good summary of what drives my life and ministry.)
When a cup of coffee is finished, usually it’s time to move on.
Maybe out the door to work on to the next item of the day, or on to another cup. Life is full of little transitions, but it also has some major ones.
Nothing is bigger than the change from this life to the next. A whole eternity awaits. Still, most of us don’t spend much time preparing. We have relationships, careers, children, entertainment, and all kinds of plans to occupy our time. But here are a couple of reasons to start thinking about the after-life:
#1 It’s eternity! Nothing is bigger or more significant than what by definition never ends.
#2, For many of us, it will turn out to be far worse than we ever imagined, if what the Bible says is true.
You may not read the Bible or even belong to a faith that considers it sacred. But, considering well over half of the world’s population (Christians and Muslims of all types) believes God has inspired this book, it's worth looking into…
So, what does the Bible say that could be such bad new for us? Here is a quick summary. It describes us as having “gone astray” from God like wayward sheep (Isa 53:6). It says we are “dead in our sins” (Eph 2:1). Not even one of us does good in God’s eyes (Psa 14:1)... We live in a state of separation from our Heavenly Father and many of the wonderful gifts He made for us to enjoy (Isa 59). It reveals that God is pure and just (Psa 36:6), which means sin must be punished (Exod 34:7). And the consequences described are startling: eternity apart from God’s presence (Rom 6:23, 2 Thes 1:9), eternal punishment (Mat 25:26), Hell (Mat 5:29), which is also described as the “second death” (Rev 21:8).
But how could a good God ever condemn the ones he loves?
It’s hard to believe that every one of us could deserve Hell. Still, most of us would agree that God should punish evil people such as hardened murderers, pedophiles, history’s great tyrants and the like. So, the question really isn't whether a good God would ever punish people. It should be this: have we sinned against God, and is our sin significant enough that we deserve to be punished in a way similar to these evil people?
The well known Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 are a good place to start answering this question. They are a concise summary of God’s ways for us. Take a moment to read them and seriously consider whether you have kept each:
1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make for yourself an image/idol to worship and serve. 3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. (Christ explained that to even lose your temper at someone was murder in the heart in Mat 5:22.) 7. You shall not commit adultery. (Christ also explained looking with lust is adultery of the heart in Mat 5:28.) 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet.
Consider what commandments you have broken. It should be fairly obvious that you have sinned against God. If we’re painfully honest, we’ll acknowledge we’ve done so too many times to count. The question that remains is how significant is it to sin against God?
The Bible’s answer is startling. It says plainly that if you’ve broken just one command, you are guilty of all (James 2:10). So, how could this be the case?
It isn’t as much about how we sin, as it is about the One we sin against. Think about what happens if you visit a friend and decide to break one of the rules of his house — like putting your shoes up on his new furniture. He would probably be offended but wouldn’t have grounds to have you arrested. However, if you were in court and chose to openly disobey a judge in the same way, you could be held in contempt of the court and face a serious fine or time in jail. Because a judge has more authority and deserves greater respect than a friend, an identical act of disobedience against a judge carries a much greater consequence.
Now let’s compare God to that judge. A judge could claim to have created a few things and have some measure of authority. God, however, created all things and rules creation as the perfect and final authority (Psalm 24:1). It’s impossible to compare the honor due a judge to God since God is infinitely greater in every way. As a result, violating a command of God is not a small thing. It is an offense of infinite magnitude, because God is infinitely important (Psalm 148). This is why the Bible describes “the wages of sin...” (not excessive sin, or terrible sin — just regular sin)“… is death (Rom 3:23),” a penalty that matches the infinite degree of our sin.
This is consistent with another major theme in the Bible: God’s passion for His glory (Isa 48:11, Psalm 19:1, 106:7, Ezek 36:22, Matt 5:16, John 12:27-28, Rom 1:18-25, Eph 1, Rev 21:23 ). These passages explain how God’s goodness and glory is meant to be expressed in everything in creation and especially human beings made in His image. The expression of His glory is at the heart of everything God does. Our choices to reject Him as God in favor of sin deny His glory and disrespect Him profoundly, provoking Him to anger (Num 32:13. Rom 1:18). Sin separates us from His goodness and overtakes our lives as a result (Rom 1:21-25). Our sin is so significant that God's attitude towards us is described as full of wrath (Eph 2:1-3).
But can’t God just forgive our sins?
It’s a common belief that God should just forgive our sins as long as we show some remorse for what we’ve done. This is a popular idea and it seems to be a practical way to deal with our sins. However, in the end it doesn’t hold water.
If the punishment for our sins against God were waived with only an apology required, it would nullify justice. Just like a good judge must punish someone who clearly defied the law, God has to punish us for sins as well. For example, it would be an outrage if someone endangered our safety by repeatedly driving drunk and then went unpunished just because he said he was sorry. For a judge to unconditionally forgive him of that kind of offense would deny justice. It would tell everyone that a drunk driver’s comfort is more important than the value of all the people he put at risk.
In the same way, if God simply forgave our sins, it would make sins of infinite disrespect against Him seem like nothing. It would deny the significance of our rebellion. Ultimately, it would cause a lie to be at the heart of God’s eternity, the notion that scores of blatant sins against Him do not matter.
The only way to remove this lie from existence is for God to punish sins as they deserve to be. God must uphold justice (Deut 32:4), and the evil of sin can only be accounted for with the infinite penalty of eternal Hell for you and me. At the final judgment this is described as an unending life in a lake of the fire of God’s wrath (Rev 21:8).
But this is our hope...
The good and amazing news is that God in His great love makes a way for each of us to return to Him. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came and suffered terrible humiliation, beating, and death on a cross. He was forsaken by God, His Father, to take our place and pay for our sins (Rom 3:24-26). 1 Peter 3:18 says “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.” God is perfectly just, but He is also full of love. By taking the just punishment for all our sins upon Himself, He upholds true justice, while in rich mercy He extends the invitation to come and be born again through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:1-16). This new life is for all who will repent (that is, to turn away from sin and toward God as Lord and their greatest treasure) by trusting themselves completely to the work Jesus Christ did on their behalf (Rom 7:14 - 8:28).
Jesus Christ is our only hope. Someone has to suffer sin’s consequences. Only Christ lived the perfect life required to stand in our place as a substitute (2 Cor 5:21). What we decide about Christ, will effect all of eternity. If you reject Christ, you reject God’s generous offer of reconciliation to you. But, if you embrace Christ, you embrace life, and God Himself will come and make His home with you (John 14:23).
This is the good news of the Bible! The Bible explains this is something God has been revealing to you throughout your life (Rom 1:20), and this simple tract may be how He is reaching out to you right now.
If this message is stirring your heart to seek God, even slightly, please don’t let this opportunity pass. We never know which opportunity will be our last. God promises, “you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart” (Deut 4:29). Please find a Bible and ask God to show Himself to you – if you are sincere you will be amazed at what He reveals. A good place to start is in the book of John, a book of the Bible specifically written “so that you may believe” (John 20:31). If you know a Christian, talk to them. They can point you a church that can help you on your journey.
Thanks for reading. May the Lord bless you by drawing you to Himself!
