T H E  GOSPEL

Why Jesus?

Why Should I Consider Jesus as Lord and Savior?

“Aren’t all good people going to heaven?”
“Aren’t all religions just taking a different path to the same destination?”
“I already believe in God – isn’t that enough?”
“What real difference is there in becoming a Christian anyway?”

Have you ever heard these kinds of statements before?
Perhaps, you’ve even asked one of them yourself.
Let’s address each of the above questions:

Ok, since you’ve asked, we first have to determine whose yardstick we are going to use to determine who a good person is.

Since heaven is clearly God’s domain, it’s obviously that we must use His yardstick to determine who is good and who is not. So how can we understand His point of view on the topic? Well, let’s take a look at a few statements He has made, which everyone is likely to be familiar with from the Ten Commandments.

Let’s ask a few simple questions:

Have you ever told a lie? _____ Yes _____ No
Commandment # 9 – “You shall not lie.”

Have you ever stolen anything? _____ Yes _____ No
Commandment # 8 “You shall not steal.”

Have you used the name of the Lord as a curse Word? _____ Yes _____ No
Commandment #3 “You must not take the name of the Lord in vain”

Have you ever looked at someone and had lustful thoughts? _____ Yes _____ No
Commandment #7 “You must not commit adultery.”

Jesus said, “You have heard it said, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above it shows that you are guilty of violating God’s standards. What this means is that from His perspective you do not and cannot fit the definition of being a good person. And these are only four of the commandments from the Bible! Who is there that could say honestly that they’ve kept His commandments perfectly? “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)

Most of us attempt to measure goodness by comparing ourselves with someone who behaves or lives worse than we do. We see ourselves from a positive perspective compared to someone else, and therefore decide that we are a “good person.” But God has a different yardstick. Goodness is not determined by grading on a curve. His standard is absolute holiness – perfect “perfectness,” if you will. “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) According to God’s standard, no person is good enough to make it into heaven.

The truth is you might in-fact be better than another person, and your life may be filled with good things you have done for others and for God. But doing good deeds will not erase the fact that you have violated His standard. Think of it this way; if a person is guilty of murder, and then does several good deeds after he has committed his crime, would it be just for a judge to overlook his crime and not hold him accountable simply because of his good deeds? Of course not. Anyone who is guilty of such a serious crime must be held accountable, regardless of the other good deeds in his life. A good judge could not overlook such a serious matter. Neither can God overlook the sin that is your life. Many people think that because our Heavenly Father is so loving He will overlook the “transgressions” in their life. The exact opposite is true. Because God is good and loving, He cannot just wink at sin. The Bible declares, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” (Romans 3:23-24)

And it gets even worse – the bad news is that because we have violated His standards, there is a price to pay. Just like there is an accountability for violation of man’s law, there is a penalty attached to the violation of God’s law. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Our choice to disobey God has resulted in us earning the just penalty assigned it by our Creator. Not only are we eternally separated from Him because of His holiness, but we also deserve the penalty attached to our transgression.

Certainly this is a statement many of us have heard over and over. “It’s not important what religion you belong to,” some would argue, “because they all have the same basic message anyway. They’re all just different ways to see and approach the same God. Christians believe in Jesus, Buddhists believe in Buddha, Muslims believe in Mohammed and so on. The differences are just trivial.”

Unfortunately, this position just doesn’t square with the facts. It is true that many religions do address similar issues like the existence of good and evil, salvation, love and personal character. But it is completely inaccurate and uninformed to claim that they proclaim the same basic message and that their differences are trivial.

The reality is that much of religious “truth” is actually contradictory and not complimentary. For example, God in the Christian tradition is personal. In the eastern tradition God is impersonal. But God can’t be personal and not personal at the same time.

Christianity teaches that when you die, you will go to heaven or to hell. Eastern religions say you will be reincarnated. Maybe there is some third option, but one thing is for sure: you are not going to heaven or hell and also going to be reincarnated at the same time.

Christianity teaches that salvation is impossible for people to earn on their own merits. It’s something that comes by faith in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. In his death, Christianity says, he paid the penalty for anyone who would simply believe. In every other religion, salvation is a product of human effort, ritual, sacrifice or subscribing to a particular creed. Basically, most religions pronounce you as being good as a result of jumping through religious hoops.

God has revealed in His Word there are not many paths that lead to heaven, but only one. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, and no comes to Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Well how do we know that Jesus really is the only way, the truth and the life? Do we just believe this just because he claimed it to be true? We believe it because no one else ever did want Jesus did. No one else has ever been victorious over death. No other event in all of human history has been more carefully researched than the resurrection of Jesus Christ – and this by believers and skeptics alike. Jesus literally rose from the dead on the first Easter morning. Arguments to the contrary are weak and can be easily dismantled. He predicted that he would be crucified and then rise victoriously over the grave. “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 13:10) By His resurrection and miracles, Jesus proved He was the Son of God who came to pay the sin debt of the world.

No one else in all of human history has accomplished what Jesus has done. Therefore it is not wise to place your hope in Buddha, Mohammed, Sung Yung Moon or any other great religious leader. No matter how great their teaching, the path they map out cannot lead a person to heaven.

When asked about their relationship with Jesus, people will sometimes respond by saying something like, “Hey I already believe in God – why do I need Jesus?” Believing in God is a good start – but it isn’t enough to take you to heaven. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” (James 2:19) Demons believe in God, but they certainly aren’t in good standing with Him! You see, it is one thing to believe that God exists – and it is something else to have the sin debt cancelled. Believing in God’s existence is not the same thing as trusting in His provision of salvation.

What real difference is there in becoming a Christian anyway?Trusting Jesus transforms you from sinful to holy. The truth of the matter is we are guilty and we can’t make ourselves innocent. It is only by trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins that you are made acceptable in God’s eyes. There is no hope of heaven without faith in Jesus. Revelation 20 tells us that those who do not turn their lives over to Jesus will be thrown into eternal hell for the punishment of their rebellion against the eternal God. It will be God’s fair judgment because apart from the righteousness of Christ, no one can be justified in His sight. But in His great mercy and love God has made provision for you through the Cross of Christ. “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)
God will not and can not allow sin into heaven and the Bible clearly states that all mankind has sinned. Doing good works does not erase that sin. No matter how good we are, our sin is still there. However, Christ took our sin upon himself and died in our place, taking our sins away. Once we have trusted in this finished work of Christ on the Cross we have forgiveness of sins and are seen by God as being as sinless as Jesus was. The righteousness of Christ is attributed to the believer.

Only by believing in God’s only provision for sin can a person have the sin debt paid and enter into heaven. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10) Being a Christian is about having a relationship with a living, risen Savior. It’s not about religion. What we couldn’t do, Jesus Christ has done! He lived the perfect life none of us can. He died on the cross to pay for each of our wrong doings. Then because of His love, He offers us the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

Trusting Jesus transforms you from sinful to holy. The truth of the matter is we are guilty and we can’t make ourselves innocent. It is only by trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins that you are made acceptable in God’s eyes. There is no hope of heaven without faith in Jesus. Revelation 20 tells us that those who do not turn their lives over to Jesus will be thrown into eternal hell for the punishment of their rebellion against the eternal God. It will be God’s fair judgment because apart from the righteousness of Christ, no one can be justified in His sight. But in His great mercy and love God has made provision for you through the Cross of Christ. “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

God will not and can not allow sin into heaven and the Bible clearly states that all mankind has sinned. Doing good works does not erase that sin. No matter how good we are, our sin is still there. However, Christ took our sin upon himself and died in our place, taking our sins away. Once we have trusted in this finished work of Christ on the Cross we have forgiveness of sins and are seen by God as being as sinless as Jesus was. The righteousness of Christ is attributed to the believer.

WHY JESUS?

Because He is God’s only provision for the forgiveness of your sin.

If you will be honest about your sins and put your trust in Jesus, God says he will forgive all your sins and grant you the gift of everlasting life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Why not pray to receive Him now?