NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

Why you need to hear the Good News of Jesus and obtain salvation

The world in decline

Look around you. Everywhere in the world things are deteriorating, and the advent of Covid only escalated the process. Every area of life is in decline: the economy, the environment, morals, spirituality, technology (rushing forward blindly with no ethical brakes on, it seems), decline in marriage and family life, respect for elders and for authority, an increase in globalism, occultism, violence, fake news, lawlessness and lack of justice, deception… the list goes on. All around us is an increase in fear. Central to everything are events concerning Israel, which from God’s point of view is central to the culmination of history. The Bible, written thousands of years ago, predicted all these events in advance, and as we see a convergence of all these things coming at once, we know the end is near.

The Bible speaks of the final seven years of this age as being the worst the world has ever seen; there has never been a time like it. It is known as the Tribulation. God has promised to remove all true believers in Jesus to heaven before it begins, during which the active wrath of the righteous and just God will be poured out on a rebellious world, and the majority will not survive. The physical environment will be devastated as never before since the time of the Flood of Noah. This is not a scenario you would wish on your worst enemy, but worse is to come. A man empowered by Satan himself will rule the world until the return of Jesus to the earth, to set up His thousand-year kingdom based in Jerusalem.

Do you think me mad to be writing like this? These are not my ideas. They are clearly outlined in Scripture. I have good reason for accepting this, based in fact, and not blind faith. Bear with me for a little background, so that you know from the outset that I am not merely talking through my hat.

Proof of the truth and authenticity of the Bible

The Bible consists of 66 books, penned by approximately 40 different authors spanning a period of about 2,000 years. They could not have colluded with one another. It is an integrated whole, without error or contradiction. This is only possible through divine authorship.

The Bible is unique among the sacred writings of the world. None of the others contain prophecy. The Bible contains approximately 2,500 separate prophecies, some of which contain an extraordinary amount of very specific detail – places, named individuals, battles, empires, etc. Of these 2,500 prophecies, about 2,000 have been fulfilled, with staggering accuracy in every detail. This is confirmed by independent secular historical documentation and archaeology. No archaeological find has ever contradicted the Bible. The prophecies in the Old Testament relating to the first coming of Christ were all fulfilled to the letter, in every detail. All these fulfilled prophecies have been examined scientifically by various experts in the secular world, and they state that the probability of even a small number of them being fulfilled by chance is so astronomically remote as to be considered impossible. This is proof of divine inspiration and authorship from outside the space-time continuum in which we live.

Isaiah 46:9-10: Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”

The 500 remaining prophecies all relate to the “End Times,” and examining the events surrounding us in our own time, it is clear that we are now living in this period. If we are to accept that the bulk of Biblical prophecy has already been accurately fulfilled, which logically we have to do unless we are burying our heads in the sand, then equally logically it follows that the remaining prophecies are going to be fulfilled with the same degree of accuracy. We are seeing, in our present time, many of these prophecies being fulfilled to the letter.

What we are seeing now, Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows,” the “birth pangs” leading to His final appearing on the earth, when He will establish His Kingdom of righteousness, justice and peace, but before that time, much, much worse is to come than what we are currently experiencing.

If you are scared and anxious about what is going on, and worried about the future, there is a way to avoid going through this time of trial. Time is running out, and if you are serious about this, the time to decide what to do is NOW.

Where we are now

Since it can be proved logically that the prophetic aspects of the Bible are true and come from a divine source beyond our reality, then surely it follows that the rest of the content of the Bible is true also.

The Bible tells us that we are all sinners. You only have to look at history, and at the world today, to realise that this is true. When we look at ourselves as individuals, if we are being honest, we know that we are all naturally inclined towards selfishness and evil. We human beings are very good at making a total mess of things, and utterly hopeless at sorting out our messes. The religions of the world all teach some form of self-improvement – climb up the ladder by your own efforts and justify yourself before whatever god you happen to believe in – it really doesn’t matter because they are all basically the same, and they cannot save you from your predicament. Some teach that if you don’t make it, you’ll get another chance in a subsequent life when you are reincarnated, but this is not what the Bible teaches us.

Atheism

Atheism is a form of religion; it is a belief system in its own right, requiring faith to believe that there is no God. In one sense it is no different from the world’s religions in that its adherents believe they can improve themselves by their own efforts, although without God. Belief that everything came into existence by blind chance provides no basis for morality, and logically the atheist is thrown back onto survival of the fittest, “nature red in tooth and claw,” with no room for altruism, justice or order. There is no reason or explanation for the universe being governed by physical laws or for it being comprehensible as a result. It actually takes more faith to believe the evolutionary paradigm than it does to believe in a divine Creator. The evidence is all around us, but how we interpret it depends upon our worldview.

Romans 1:20-23: For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Psalm 53:1: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

For the atheist, there is no hope, no reason to love, no explanation or purpose in beauty, no hope of justice, nothing to look forward to but oblivion. To state otherwise is delusion because none of these things have any logical basis without God.

The Good News

“The Gospel” means “Good News.” Genuine, Biblical Christianity is different from the world’s religions. I am not talking about people who say they are Christian because they go to church, or because they try to live a good life, but those who have been saved by Jesus.

The religions teach that you have to work to improve yourself before your god will accept you. The Bible teaches that it is impossible for us to do this, and God will accept us exactly where we are, and because of what Jesus has already done, if we are willing to receive Him, we are already worthy to stand before Him, and from that moment on, as we submit to Him and lean on Him, He will enable us to grow in maturity and holiness.

Philippians 1:6: …being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…

Christianity is not a religion (the word means “binding” – being bound by rules and regulations); it is a relationship, and it means freedom.

Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We do good works because we are saved, not to get saved. Christianity is radically different from the religions.

What does all this mean?

God is utterly holy and pure, without sin. There is no sin or evil in heaven, and if we were to go there in our sinful state, we would spoil it and make it just as evil as the earth. God loves us to the uttermost, but He is also our judge. To be true to His character, He must judge our sin, and ever since Adam fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, every human being has been contaminated by this inherited trait, and we all deserve the death penalty. However hard we try, we cannot get over this fact. The best long-jumper in the world can win all the Olympic gold medals, but he cannot jump across the Grand Canyon. However good we think we are, we can never be good enough to pass God’s litmus test and get into heaven.

We cannot solve our sin problem, but God already has. He has shifted the blame and punishment onto His Son, in order that we may walk free. All we have to do is believe it, and receive the free gift of our salvation.

God loves us all, to the uttermost, and does not desire that any should come under judgement and perish. We have been caught red-handed, convicted and sentenced under the just demands of God’s holy Law, but Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, born of a virgin and thus free of the sinful trait inherited from Adam and common to all mankind, died in our place. On the Cross, He took upon Himself all the sin of the world, from Adam right up to the end of the age. He paid our debt in full.

Because He was without sin, death – the wages of sin – could not hold Him, and after three days and three nights in the tomb, He rose from the dead. He went back to heaven and is now sitting at His Father’s side, praying for us. Until He comes again, He has given us the gift of His Holy Spirit to live within us and to guide us, if we put our trust in Him. This is the Gospel, the Good News.

At the end of this age – and judging by the signs we see all around us, this cannot be far off – Jesus will return to this earth and judge all the sinners who have rejected His free gift of salvation. These people will end up in the Lake of Fire, a place of eternal torment, because of the choice they have made to reject the only way to be rescued. Jesus went to the uttermost in order to purchase the salvation of all mankind, and the rejection of this free gift cannot be forgiven, because it is the only way to salvation. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). There are only two ultimate destinations: heaven and hell. There is no middle ground.

God wants to show His mercy to us. This means God not giving us what we deserve – the death penalty.
Salvation is God’s gift, through His grace. This is means God giving us what we do not deserve – eternity with Him in bliss.

We obtain salvation when we turn to Him and accept His free gift by faith. This is what “repentance” is – the word means “a change of mind.” We turn through 180 degrees from our sin, towards the One with the gift of salvation, and receive it.

It’s not just about the next life, either – if you put your faith in Jesus now, acknowledging your sin and receive His forgiveness, He will give you new birth (being born again) as a child of God, eternally adopted by our heavenly Father whose love knows no bounds. You become a new creation, sealed with His promise by the Holy Spirit, and can experience God’s blessing in this mortal life, and know peace and joy in abundance, with bright hope for the future, and become part of a wonderful new family whose members can be found across the globe. This does not mean that life will suddenly become a bed of roses with no problems, however. What it does mean is that you will never be alone with your problems, and that God will always be with you to support and encourage you through, and He will never test you beyond your strength to endure, but will use these things to help you to grow and mature.

Psalm 23:4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Romans 8:28: And we know that all things [the bad things as well as the good things] work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

To sum up, Jesus said:

John 3:16-18: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The Lake of Fire is the default setting for humanity. If you do not admit your sin, and you do not accept the free gift that God is offering you, there is no hope for you. In this life, you have been given the opportunity for salvation. If you reject it, and die in your sin, it will be too late.

The Roman Road to salvation

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome contains the path to salvation.

Step 1. The current state of affairs. We all need salvation, because we have all sinned.

Romans 3:10-12: There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.

Romans 3:23: …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Step 2. The consequence of sin.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death…

Step 3. What God has done about this.

Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us [i.e. in our place].

Step 4. We must receive this free gift in order to be saved. It is not enough just to know about it.

Romans 10:9-10, 13: 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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Step 5. The consequence of getting saved.

Romans 5:1: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How to respond

If you have been moved by what God says to you through His Word, the Bible, this is how to respond. It is literally as simple as A, B, C.

1. Admit that you are a sinner, and do not measure up to God’s standard, and that as a sinner, you deserve the death penalty.

2. Believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, in your place, in order to save you from sin and death – this is not what you deserve, but it is through His love for you, by His grace, that He has done this for you.

3. Confess that Jesus has risen from the dead and is that He is Lord, and receive, through faith in Jesus Christ, His free gift of salvation.

Next steps

If you have done this, it is important to move forward into the new life that God has graciously given you.

1. Ask God to guide you as you begin your journey of faith with Him through His Son.

2. Get a Bible – preferably a good translation (not a paraphrase) – I have used the New King James Bible for many years – this is based on the most reliable original manuscripts. Most people find the modern language easier to understand than the King James Bible, but for majesty and beauty of language, this translation is unsurpassed. Once you have a Bible, read it. If you are a newcomer to the Bible, a good place to start is the Gospels (the first four books of the New Testament), which are the account of Jesus’ life and work on earth, and also the Psalms (in the Old Testament). There are many helpful guides online and in book form to help you get started, and Christian friends will help.

3. Find a Christian whom you trust and tell them that you have taken this life-changing step. He or she will help you take your first steps in faith on the most wonderful journey of your life. If you do not know such a person, ask God to direct your steps to find someone.

4. If possible, find a church or Christian fellowship group which believes and teaches the Bible as the inerrant, eternal Word of God. There is much to learn, but it will be the greatest adventure of your life, getting to know your wonderful Saviour and growing in faith along with your new brothers and sisters in the family of Jesus. Unfortunately, in these End Times, apostasy is rampant, and many churches have fallen away from belief in the true docrine of the Bible, and as a result, there is lack of sound teaching and the universal problem of sin and judgement is not mentioned, thus leading to many false converts. After all, if one does not realise that one is a sinner, one cannot recognise one’s need for a Saviour. For many people who do not live where there is a sound local church, their only option for proper teaching is online. Having regular fellowship with other believers, even in twos and threes, is important, however, especially if you cannot access a decent church.

What to do when you continue to sin as a Christian

We all do this. We are still fallen, flawed individuals. However, God is faithful to His promise and He loves us and understands our weaknesses, and He will not cast you out. Turn back to Him, repent of the sin (turn from it), and ask Him to forgive you, and He will.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Remember…

God loves you, and wants the best for you. That is what this is all about.