“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 NKJV
There is only one religion that brings forth a relationship. This relationship is not found by works, but in One Person. It is not obtained through what someone does, but rather found in what someone is willing to give up. In order to come to Christ, one must repent; and through repentance, true and genuine belief in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior is established. Repentance, merely stated, is an action of both choosing and wanting to turn away from that which is not of God; based upon the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
It is an astounding thing that we have masses in the world today, going to-and-fro, without a second thought about tomorrow. They believe tomorrow will be waiting for them; yet, in my lifetime, I have lost friends due to health issues, accidents and suicides. Tomorrow is not guaranteed; and yet, we live as if we believe we are immortal.
If one would simply spend fifteen minutes in quiet time alone - turning off the phone and freeing oneself from technology and all distractions - and ponder these three questions; I believe they would bring forth a heartfelt desire to read God’s Word. Many do not want to read God’s Word, however, for they believe that “what you don’t hear can’t hurt you.” It is in this false precept, however, that many will not enter into the Kingdom of God (Heaven). They lived in a state of suppressing the search for Truth, in exchange for living their temporal life as their own “god”. Those who have lived their lives negligent to the call of God (and God’s call is uniquely done towards each individual), will face His coming wrath.
It is in these three questions, then, that one should partake in honest reflection; for their very soul depends upon it.
1) Where did I come from?
Many will give the biological and anatomical conditioning of sex in regards to this question; but they will think no further. It is a fascinating concept to understand that at one point we were nothing. We were not even a thought in mankind’s mind; and, through the beauty of sex, we suddenly became who we are today. It is unfortunate, however, that the conversation tends to stop here.
If we are honest with ourselves and take the time to look at DNA alone; we would come to the conclusion that this was not done at all by chance.
The Atheist, Fred Hoyle, was a former Astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. It was in his studies and findings that he came to recognize the impossibility of Darwinian evolution. He stated that “The likelihood of the formation of life from inanimate matter is 1 to a number with 40,000 noughts after it (1,040,000).... It is big enough to bury Darwin and the whole theory of evolution. There was no primeval soup, neither on this planet nor any other, and if the beginnings of life were not random, they must therefore have been the product of purposeful intelligence.”
That purposeful intelligence is what we Christian know as God; and the One and Only true God, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Though I will be doing additional writings on the existence of God; the point of this blog and section is to note that if the chance of life occurring from chance is beyond astronomical numbers; then certainly it must have had a reason for being made. This reason can be found in the personality of God; which can be found in the Scriptures.
2) Why am I here?
Many of us would say to this question “to further mankind”, “to be a good person”, “to live a happy life.” None of these, however, are directed towards the afterlife. Certainly, if we can take time to look at the complexity of ourselves (let alone the fine tuning of the universe), then certainly there is a life hereafter. We cannot believe that we simply are here and then gone forever; for what kind of life would that be? If there is no eternal punishment or reward for anything, then certainly we can live as we like without any eternal repercussions. One could live to be a Hitler or a Saint; and, in the end, it really doesn’t matter from an eternal perspective.
Horrific crimes committed are simply a blip in time and space, and then gone. Goodness done is soon forgotten. Living a life that does not look towards eternity is, to put bluntly, a waste. For if everything you do has no eternal purpose, what then are you living for? Why then do you believe that you are here? Certainly there is a meaning and purpose to your and I’s existence - there must be! For if there is not, then everything is vain.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV). God has a predestined plan for all of us. It is God alone Who brings forth meaning and purpose into our lives; He alone gives hope. His love of us, however, is greater than we can imagine. For in loving us, He has given us free-will. He allows us to freely accept or reject Him; and whichever decision is made, will have its eternal consequences.
“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” (Romans 1:20 NKJV). The One, True God can be understood and known; if sought after with a genuine, honest heart. It is Him alone that can give us an explanation as to why we are here.
3) Where am I going?
Whether we are humble enough to say it or not, we all know that there is an eternity. We may disregard the fact and tuck God in the back of our minds; but we know that there most certainly is a God. It is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ that gives all the answers to all things in all of life. There is nothing that cannot be answered by Him and Him alone. Those who choose to suppress God are simply satisfied with the lifestyle in which they live. Though they may believe they are good; the irony is found in one simple question: “May we place your thoughts over the last year upon a screen for all to see?”
If the answer is “no”, then we have found that they know they are not good. For the majority of earth judges a person based upon the externality; but it is what goes on internally that God assesses. ““Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV).
It is in our inner being that we know that there is a place beyond what we now know. God “has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV). God works in mysterious ways. He knows all and sees all, for He created all. It is only in Him that all things remain and are known. It is in us, however, that He “has put eternity.”
We must be willing to set aside what the world says, and take time to reflect on that which should be reflected upon. We cannot simply coast throughout this life; for the person who possesses a senseless and careless spirit, is a damned spirit.
Therefore, when the Christian presents the Gospel, he does it in love. He understands the redemption that has taken place within his life, and he wants you to have that same testimony. All Christians seek to have the Holy Spirit save you through Christ’s blood. We all long for you to be saved from Hell, sin and self; and walk into the glorious mysteries and life-changing wonders of having an intimate, living relationship with God Almighty. If there is a tug on your soul that you sense; it is the Holy Spirit speaking. This all may sound mystical to the outsider; but it is completely natural; and it only takes a step of faith to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, that you will begin your eternal destiny and purpose that God has for you. It is in worshiping Him as God that you will find your true resting place of peace.
Conclusion
One must be willing to accept that there is a God Who created all things. One must believe that they were made for a specific purpose and meaning. One must believe that they were created because they are loved. One must believe that there is such a place as Heaven and Hell; for there will be a day when those who chose to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be saved and brought into the Kingdom of God (Heaven). Those who rejected God and decided to live in sin and believe that they were a good person apart from Christ will face spiritual damnation (Hell).
It is important to note that Hell is not what is portrayed in an earthly sense. Hell is not torture, but rather torment. It is the continual drifting away into solitude from God Himself and all else. It is a place of darkness that can be felt and where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 25:30). For all eternity, men will receive their sole desire - a continual neglect and disposition of refusing God’s grace and mercy, based upon their free-will decision.
Choose this day, therefore, to say, “Lord Jesus, if You are real, make Yourself known to me. I want to believe that You are real, and I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. I repent of all sins. Come into my life, I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
It is not in the eloquence of a prayer, but it is the heart of it that God makes Himself known and man is saved. It is in being saved, that one can begin the journey towards eternal life.
May we all choose to meditate upon these three questions; as our Heavenly Father longs to answer the heart that is genuine and willing to seek and believe upon Him.
Lance VanTine