Matthew 16, verse 26 of the Bible reads, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Think about this: What if you could make your earthly years simply fabulous? Even if you could reach an exceptional lifespan such as 100 years with great health, prosperity and comfort, what is 100 years compared to your eternal soul’s existence? We all would do well to be more concerned for our eternal destiny than our earthly state!
According to the Bible, God created us in His image. We are a special creature, made to be in fellowship with God from the beginning. But because of sin, we are separated from Him. God’s holiness (His altogether perfect nature), prevents us from being able to be in proper fellowship with Him because of our sinfulness. This sounds very harsh, humanly speaking. But, consider how glad you are that our justice system puts away the very worst criminals from polite society. You can see how righteous it is for God, who possesses infinitely more goodness than man, to separate people like us from Himself. When you consider your lifetime and realize how many lies you’ve told, how many times you’ve stolen something (if you are honest), or how often you’ve looked upon another person to lust after them, how can you not fear God’s judgment and the expectation of Hell?
We’ve now identified the problem: God is righteously angry with you because of your sin. It doesn’t take a very in-depth look around to see that man has come up with many ways to solve this problem. Most world religions display an acknowledgement of our need to be forgiven of our sins and make things right (reconcile) with God. Even atheists are attempting to reconcile themselves to God by denying His existence and His righteous wrath against sin.
But our best deeds cannot wipe away the stain of our sin. God is not like a human judge who can be bribed to overlook an offense. But He is rich in mercy, and, in His kindness, He made a way for sinful people to be reconciled to Himself. God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. He was born of a virgin, became a man, lived a sinless life and was crucified and died. Three days later, Jesus miraculously arose from the grave, defeating death and sin. According to the Bible, He was raised for our justification. He became sin who knew no sin so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him. What this means is that the perfectly Holy God can have fellowship with sinners because of the washing away of their sins by the blood of His Son, Jesus.
Jesus’s death and resurrection does not secure a trip to Heaven for everyone. You must repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It is by grace through faith alone that anyone can be saved from God’s judgment. Faith in the Jesus of the Bible, that is! Jesus said, “unless a man is born again, He cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.” Are you born again? Does God’s Holy Spirit live within you? We are sinners who had no hope until Jesus Christ rescued us, and He is still our only hope. It is out of love for Him and your soul that we share this message of grace.