Why Should We Believe In Jesus?
“…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 Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished…”
(Romans 3: 22~25)
Among all the messages that you have heard and will hear in your life, this one could be the most important; it could change your everlasting destiny. I would like to share this short message, “Why should we believe in Jesus” with you.
1. We Should Believe Because Man Is An Eternal Being.
Man is not a being which lives for 100 years and disappears, but one which has eternal life after death. The American, William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), once found a 3,000 year-old grain jar while visiting a pyramid in Cairo. There was a dried bean in the jar, as hard as a stone. Although it showed no signs of life, he planted it anyway, and it soon sprouted buds and leaves and even bore fruit. If even an annual plant can live again 3,000 years after its “death”, then how can man, the Lord of all Creation, merely live less than 100 years and end his life with death? There will surely be resurrection, everlasting heaven and hell after death! If there were be no life beyond death, we would not need to believe in Jesus.
All living things can be divided into three levels. Plants, though alive, can’t move or think. Animals, - birds, fish, dogs – etc., have a body and soul, which enables them to move and think. Moreover, certain animals can calculate and even read traffic signs. Yet no matter how smart they are, they can neither seek God nor worship Him because they do not have a spirit. Only man has a spirit as well as a body and soul; even the savage seeks god and believes in a world after death. This is because man is a spiritual and an eternal being. Evolutionists have said that mankind evolved from the apes, yet this is a lie, for which there is no proof. If they were correct, we would have found some process of that evolution around us - but no-one has seen it. Apes cannot praise or worship God for they have no spirit.
Put near the lake, a chick never tries to swim; on the contrary, a duckling just goes into the lake and swims. Although it has never been taught how to swim, it has been born with the natural instinct and ability to swim, unlike the chick. In the same sense, man is a spiritual being, so he believes in Jesus and eternity. Man can never have true satisfaction or peace in life until he meets God.
2. Because The Wages Of Sin Is Death.
The reason why people say that God is dead is that their own souls are dead. A corpse doesn’t feel anything when pinched or pierced. Those spiritually dead are dull in God and the spiritual world because their spirit is dead, as meant by the saying, “The wages of sin is death”. Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As it says, we are unable to know God or enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Also, :24 says, “And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” “Redemption” means “the act of paying off.” Upon seeing an old man sold as a slave, a rich man paid for him instead and freed him, so that the old man could return again to his family. Like this, Jesus, the Son of God, came to the world in the flesh, taught us the way to heaven, and was finally crucified, shedding His blood copiously to pay for our sins. Now, only if a sinner repents and believes in Jesus, will he have eternal life and enter heaven. Why then should Jesus have died on the cross, bleeding copiously? The answer is in Hebrews 9:22, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” God said, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Leviticus 17: 11. No matter how much goodness you practice, your sins are not forgiven. Only by the Blood, can we become clean.
Why can only the Cross of Jesus give us salvation? Jesus was not born from a man, from Adam, but from God - the Holy Spirit. Thus, we can be redeemed only through our belief in Him. Romans 3:25 reads: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”
If any one repents his sins and believes in Him, he will receive Atonement through the precious Blood and be able to enter heaven. We cannot have salvation through our cultivation, education or accomplishments, but only through our belief. Jesus died. But - He was resurrected on the third day and conquered death forever. And anyone who believes in Him can join the Resurrection of Life. “God so much loved the world, that He sent His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16..
3. Countries With Many Believers In Jesus are Blessed.
When you travel around the world, you may find that many prosperous countries have churches adorned with bells and crosses, while undeveloped or poor countries display many idols - people bow down before idols such as cattle. Without exception, communist countries have destroyed many aspects of materialism. They have burnt the Bible, God’s Words, as well as churches, the ark of salvation. How could they then expect God’s blessing? Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” The most foolish thing you can say is that God is nowhere and the universe is a natural phenomenon.
Brothers, does your watch work by itself? No! It works because someone made it and put batteries in it. Job 26:7 reads: “He spreads out the northern skies over empty space he suspends the earth over nothing.” The earth rotates on its axis once a day and revolves around the sun in a year. It rotates every day but the waters on it are never hurled from it. Do you think this is a strange coincidence? It is because God the Creator made it that way and has been sustaining it ever since.
4. Judgment and Eternal Hell Exist.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” You and I also will die one day as we get older, if Jesus’ Second Coming is delayed. After judgment, heaven or hell will await us.
Farmers work hard sowing seeds in the spring and growing them in the summer, just for the moment of reaping them in the fall. At the harvest time, the good fruit is saved, while the rotten fruit is burnt. God also will divide us by His righteousness. There will come the time when God judges people according to His righteousness. For example, Hitler threatened to rule the world, but was judged and destroyed in God’s time. Japan also desired to dominate the earth, but surrendered after being attacked with the atomic bomb. Communism, coupled with atheism, tried to control the world, and all except one of its proponents has disappeared within 70 years. God judged them. Matthew 12:36 says, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
The saved will meet again on the day when they are rewarded for the actions of their lives, but the unsaved will perish and be cast into hell.
1) Does Hell Exist?
Hell surely exists. You might wonder how our loving God could make such a dreadful place for people. God actually made hell not for people but for demons and the angels who turned against Him, to torture people. Matthew 25:41 reads: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” But people follow the lies of demons, ignoring the truthful Words of God, and are thus cast into eternal hell along with the demons.
A pastor was preaching about hell one day, when an intelligent woman asked him, “Pastor, why preach about hell in the 20 century? I dislike hearing such preaching.” “You are right, sister. But, does the government make prisons and apply the death penalty in order to torment the people?” asked the pastor. People neither like prisons nor the death penalty, but for the sake of law and order in the country, we have them. Don’t think of God as a Santa Claus smiling at you from the sky all day. He is truly the God of love, but also of righteousness and judgment.
Voltaire (1694 - 1778), a French philosopher of the Enlightenment, and an atheist, insisted that he would destroy the established church in less than 50 years, and that not a single copy of the Bible would be in existence after 100 years. But, when he was at death’s door, he asked the doctor, “Help me to live just six months more, and I will give you half of my possessions.” “Sir, you don’t even have six weeks,” replied the doctor. Voltaire then yelled: “Then, I should take you with me because I’m heading for hell,” and died. After 20 years, the Swiss Bible Community bought his house and used it as a warehouse for Bibles, stacking them to the ceiling. Both The Bible and the Church which he once condemned to disappear forever still maintain their prosperity.
Francisco Newton a famous atheist said upon death, “I’m condemned forever! Who can save me, for God is my enemy. Alas!, only the unendurable pain of hell awaits me.” Thomas Scott, an atheist said, upon facing death, “I thought there was no God and no hell, but now I realize there are both. Ah!, I shall perish according to the righteous judgment.”
The Bible tells us about hell more than the atheists. And surprisingly, it tells us about hell more often than about heaven. Jesus also preached about hell more often than about heaven. Matthew 10:28 reads: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The great Apostle Paul said, “…And give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. The chief disciple Peter said, “Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:4. The apostle John also said in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
2) What Is Hell?
Hell is not a lie made up to scare people. It exists.
Hell is everlasting fire, with no hope of exit or escape. It is endless torment, exacted upon any and every kind of person.
3) There is Only One Way To Avoid Hell.
That one way is to believe in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins and resurrected, and to accept Him in our hearts. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. There is no way except Him. Believers and nonbelievers can be thought of as fertilized and unfertilized eggs. An unfertilized egg can never become a chick because it does not contain the seed of life. What then is its secret in becoming fertilized? Romans 10:10 gives us the answer, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” As it says, believe in Jesus and make your decision to accept Him as your Savior, confessing aloud, “Lord, this sinner believes in you as my Savior. Please cleanse my sins with your blood. Thank you for forgiving this sinner. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
The proof of your salvation can then be seen in your regular church attendance and in your leading a life faithful to Christ.
Hallelujah!
