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How do I become a Christian?
But sin came into the world when man decided to do things his own way and disobeyed God (Gen 2:8-25). The bad newsThe sad truth is that, from the beginning, all of us have also rejected God because we don't like someone telling us what to do or how to live — least of all God — and so we rebel against him. Many people think of sin as something we do — like murder, robbery, etc. However, the Bible teaches that sin is any defiance of God's authority. We may ignore him, disobey his instructions for living in his world, or shake our fists in his face and tell him to get lost. However we do it, we don't live God's way. This rebellious, self-sufficient attitude is what the Bible calls "sin." The trouble is, in rejecting God we make a mess, not only of our own lives, but also of our society and the world. The result is the misery and injustice we see all around us, and it goes back to our rebellion against God. God cares enough about humanity to take our rebellion seriously. He hates sin because it makes our relationship with him impossible, and it harms us and all those around us. He will not force us to love or obey him, and he won't let the rebellion go on forever. God will call us to account for our actions. In the end, if we want God to leave us alone and we ignore him all our life, this is precisely what he will give us. He will cut rebels off from himself — permanently — which means an everlasting, God-less death. Think about what it would be like to spend all eternity with people who have absolutely no morals and do exactly what they want regardless of how their behavior effects others — like Hitler and Stalin. This is hell, and it's a prospect we all face since we are all guilty of rebelling against God. The good news!However, because of his great love, God did not leave us to suffer the consequences of our foolish rebellion. He did something to save us. He sent his own divine son into our world to become a man — Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus didn't rebel against God. He always lived under God's rule, and so he did not deserve death or punishment. Yet Jesus did die. Although he had the power of God to heal the sick, walk on water, and raise the dead, Jesus allowed men to execute him on a cross. Why? The Bible tells us that Jesus died as a substitute for rebels like us. He paid the debt we owe God by dying in our place. This is good news. God accepted Jesus' death as payment in full for our sins and raised him from the dead. The risen Jesus is now what God always meant humanity to be, and God has made him ruler of the world. If we want it, we have a lifeline. If we
turn back to God, admit our rebellion, and appeal for his mercy,
trusting in Jesus' death and resurrection, then everything changes.
God accepts Jesus' death as payment for our sins and freely forgives
us. He wipes our slate clean, pours his own Spirit into our hearts,
and makes us brand new people (2 Cor. 5:17) — Christians. He
also gives us the free gift of eternal life. This means that when
we die, the next phase of our life begins — spending eternity
with Jesus (John 27-29). We are now no longer rebels but part of
God's own family, his adopted sons and daughters. We now live with
Jesus as our Ruler. |
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originally intended that we would have an intimate relationship
with Him. He created us to be something like himself, and he put
us in charge of the world — to rule it, care for it, and enjoy
all its beauty and goodness — but always under his own authority,
honoring him and obeying his directions. If we look in the Bible,
we find that this was the way it was at the beginning in the Garden of Eden