A matter of life and death

I am dying. Someday soon my heart will stop beating, my internal organs will shut down, and my brain functions will cease. You, dear reader, are dying too. It's the one thing that we all share in common: we are born to die. But then what? Is there life after death? And if there is, what does it look like?

We in the church of Christ believe the Bible to be the word of God, which tells us that we will all experience an eternal life after death: either with God in heaven, or with the devil and his angels in hell. God has left that decision up to us, and we will all choose one, whether we are aware of our decision or not. And the decision we make is not a simple "YES" or "NO" response, but an active response to the sin in our lives.

But before you can make a choice, you have to believe that the Bible really IS God's word, and that it can be trusted as the reliable source of absolute truth. For a thorough examination of why we can believe the Bible to be the true word of God, please read In Defense of...the Bible's Inspiration at Apologetics Press.

Man's sinful condition

In order to make an informed decision, we must first understand what sin is. To put it in the simplest of terms: it's disobedience to the will of God. In the Bible, God has given everything we need to understand regarding His will, and anything contrary to what is written may be considered sin. For instance, God has said that we should not steal; if one steals, he has gone contrary to the will of God, and has sinned.

So who is a sinner?

Are YOU a sinner? Yes, God considers ALL men and women to be sinners (Romans 3:23). But does that make you a bad person? After all, you aren't out their murdering and pillaging (we hope not, anyway). Indeed, you probably consider yourself to be a pretty good and moral person, right? Many people believe that simply being a good and moral person will get them into heaven. After all, if one spent his or her time living and doing good things, wouldn't a loving God reward them for that? Certainly He will, but who is defining what is good and moral? Is YOUR definition of what is good and moral the same as God's definition of what is good and moral? More than likely, your conception of good behavior is reflected by what society considers good behavior. The problem is that society is constantly moving the line that divides good behavior from bad behavior. The reason for this constant state of flux is that men and women have selfish desires by which they develop a skewed sense of fairness. God's definition of what is good and what is bad, however, does NOT change with the times. His definition is based upon His unchanging word, the Bible.

In order to illustrate the point, let's compare just a few points of moral law according to man versus the moral law of God:

1) Do you ever lie or stretch the truth to get what you desire or to keep out of trouble? If so, then you disobey God's good and moral will that we always tell the truth (Colossians 3:9).

2) Do you ever take what does not belong to you, even things you consider insignificant, such as an ink pen from your place of employment? If so, then you disobey God's good and moral will that we not steal from another (Ephesians 4:28).

3) Do you ever have intense or obsessive sexual desires for someone outside of marriage? If so, then you disobey God's good and moral will that we not lust in our hearts (Matthew 5:28).

So, how does your concept of good and moral behavior match up with God's concept of good and moral behavior? I believe everyone reading this article probably agreed with God on the first two points, for society truly considers lying and thieving to be unacceptable and immoral behavior. But what about that third point? There was a time when society considered the cohabitation of an unmarried man and woman to be unacceptable and immoral behavior. Today, however, many would consider it odd that a couple NOT live together PRIOR to being married. The point can be proven simply by looking at popular television sitcoms. In the early 80's a sitcom titled "Three's Company" aired, which depicted two women sharing an apartment with a man. Though it was clear that there was no sexual activity going on between the three roommates, the show was considered "controversial" according to the moral standards of society. Sitcoms today depict men and women, women and women, or men and men sharing their homes in an openly sexual relationship, which society has deemed acceptable behavior. Not so according to God. God's standards have not and will not change with the times (Jude 1:3).

Still not convinced? Let's explore a more extreme issue: murder. In the animal kingdom the rule of life is kill or be killed, yet we humans have deemed murder to be socially unacceptable behavior. But what about some primitive societies in our world today who consider killing their neighbors necessary to their livelihoods? While YOU say it is wrong to kill one's neighbor, THEY say killing may be considered acceptable behavior under certain conditions. Who is right? What makes YOUR definition of good and moral behavior better than THEIR definition of good and moral behavior? Now let's change the topic back to sexual perversion. What society once considered bad behavior is now considered good behavior. Who changed the definition? Why was the definition changed? Men changed it, because men have selfish desires. God's definition of what is good and moral, however, does not change.

But what about those people who truly ARE out there murdering and pillaging? Surely God will send THEM to hell before He would send YOU to hell, right? Friend, I have bad news for you: God sees no difference between your "little" sins, and the "big" sins of those who live outside the moral law of society.

What's waiting for us after death?

The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

If you will recall the opening paragraph of this article, I mentioned that ALL men and women share one thing in common: we were ALL born and we will ALL die. If the Bible is true and correct, then there is one more thing that ALL men and women share in common: we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Matthew 25:31-32). To some He will say, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34)." To others He will say, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41)." The Bible tells us that the latter will go away into eternal punishment, but the former, who are righteous, will have eternal life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). Imagine, just for a moment, that it is YOU who are standing before a holy and blameless God. You are guilty, and you know it. He looks you in the eyes and says, "Depart from Me, accursed one, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." Are you prepared for that? You only have a limited time to make a decision that will spare you from being judged and sentenced, and that time expires when you die, for once you die, you will have nothing more to look forward to except judgment based upon the holy law of God.

Now for the good news: there is no person anywhere who has sinned so GREATLY that God isn't willing to forgive them of their sins, and that includes YOU.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote more of the New Testament Bible than any other inspired writer, considered himself CHIEF among sinners (1 Timothy 1:15 ), and rightly so. Saul of Tarsus, who later became known as the Apostle Paul, persecuted Christians to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons (Acts 22:4). Yet God forgave him. What about you?

Have you sinned so little that God will overlook it? No.

Have you sinned so greatly that God can not forgive you? No.

God could have left us helpless, considering ALL men and women are guilty and worthy of death, but He did not. In fact, He has chosen to overlook our ignorance, and has given ALL men and women everywhere the opportunity to repent -- turn away from -- their sins (Acts 17:30); He desires that ALL men and women be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), for He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). In other words, God substituted the life of His only Son (who is innocent) for YOU (who are guilty), so YOU wouldn't have to pay the price for YOUR sins. He did this NOT because we deserve it, nor that we could ever earn it; He did this because of His love for us, by His grace. It was God's gift, freely given to those who would accept it (Romans 5:15-16). Why? Because He loves us, and wants us to love Him, which we can't do if we are separated from Him.

Understanding this, which eternal destination will you choose? Will it be heaven or will it be hell? If you choose hell (and I sincerely hope you do not), then you've made the easiest decision there is. Just do nothing, and you will achieve your desire. If, however, you choose heaven (and I sincerely hope you do), then here is what you must do to be saved:

How to be saved in Jesus Christ

To be saved, you must believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), and that He took YOUR penalty for sin by shedding His blood, as a sacrifice to God, by allowing Himself to be put to death on a cross. But in order to believe, you must first hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, for faith in Jesus Christ can only come by hearing the words about the Christ (Romans 10:17).

If you have heard the good news about Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ), and having heard believe in your heart that He died for your sins, and that God raised Him from the dead, then you must confess His name as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), for Jesus has promised that whoever confesses His name before men, He will confess their name to God our Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32).

Is that all there to being saved? Many men teach that it is, but such teaching is not supported in the Bible, God's holy word.

In his first sermon after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, the Apostle Peter tells the gathered crowd that "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved," and he went on to tell them about the Christ, and what they had done by putting Him to death. Those who believed Peter were "pierced to the heart" and asked him what they should do to be saved (Acts 2:37). In other words, they wanted to know HOW they could call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Peter's response was this:

"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. (Acts 2:38-39)."

You are among those who the Lord our God has called to Himself (Acts 2:39, Acts 17:30). If you believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for YOUR sins, you must accept the gift by making a conscious decision to repent (turn away from) the sins in your life, for which He gave His life. He loved you so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice, standing in for you when it came to paying the price for your disobedience. Will you return His love by putting away sin and being ready to flee from anything you believe a Holy God would consider to be sin (Luke 5:32)?

The next step in acting upon your confession and living out a life where Jesus is Lord is to be baptized (immersed in water) into Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27) for the forgiveness of your past sins (Acts 2:38 ; Acts 22:16), which is our appeal to God for a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21), and is the means by which we come into contact with the shed blood of Jesus Christ, by which our sins are forgiven (Hebrews 9:22, Revelation 1:5).

Jesus made a promise to us in Mark 16:16 when He said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned," and it is this promise that the Apostle Peter gives in response to the question, "what shall we do?" in Acts 2:37. When we have believed and have been baptized, we show God that we ACCEPT His free gift of eternal life.

You may be asking, "What's so special about water that it can save you from your sins?"

The answer is NOTHING. There is nothing special about the water that it can wash away your sins. Then why be baptized in water if there's nothing special about the water? Because God commanded that we be baptized in this manner. And when we obey His command, He does the work (it is by grace you have been saved) of raising us up into the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:5-6, Colossians 2:12: compare the wording in these two passages to see the relationship between baptism and grace).

Again, it's not the water that leads to our forgiveness of sins; it's our obedience to God that leads to our forgiveness of sins.

The Biblical purpose for water baptism

But why baptism (immersion) in water? God gives us His purpose for baptism in His word. In Romans 6:3-7, the Apostle Paul says this about baptism:

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin?

In Colossians 2:9-14, the same Apostle Paul adds more depth to the meaning of baptism:

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Notice first that we are dead in our sins outside of Christ Jesus prior to stepping into the watery grave (Colossians 2:13). As we enter the water, repentant, yet still dead and alone and lost in our sins, we are buried with Christ (Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12 ). When we are raised up out of the water, we are subsequently raised up in Jesus Christ, resurrected from our dead condition, through faith in the working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4-5, Colossians 2:12-13).

One more time: please understand that it is NOT the water in baptism by which our sins are forgiven; it is the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ on the cross that pays our sin debt in full (Revelation 1:5). In baptism, we are appealing to God to forgive us of our sins (1 Peter 3:21), and raise us up in Christ Jesus to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:13). In other words, we come into contact with the cleansing blood of Christ when we are buried with Him through water, and raised up in Him by the working of God (Colossians 2:12). Remember, it is by GRACE that you have been saved (Colossians 2:9-14, Ephesians 2:4-7). In baptism it is God who is working; not man.

Finally, if you have heard and believe in your heart the gospel of Jesus Christ, and believe in Him who sent Jesus into the world, and have repented of your sins, and have confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord, Son of the living God, and have been buried with Christ in water baptism, having been raised up in the body of Christ by the working of God (by grace you have been saved), then hold fast the beginning of your assurance of salvation, firm until the end (Hebrews 3:14; Matthew 24:13).

So what does it mean to "hold fast the beginning of our assurance of salvation, firm until the end?" It means that those who believe and have been baptized, and are therefore sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-27), are expected to do their best to live holy lives (1 Peter 4:1-6). Those who seek to live holy lives continue to walk in the light, as Jesus Christ our example is in the light, and continue to be cleansed by the sacrificial blood of Christ. When we sin (and we will), we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1), and if we confess our sins to God through Jesus Christ, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

That's great news, isn't it? But in order to be considered sons and daughters of God, we must be found IN Christ, through faith, having been water baptized according to the will of God. In this manner we accept His free gift of life, for it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

If we at Hiawassee church of Christ can help you in making the most important decision of your life, please do not hesitate to contact us at (706) 896-1509 .