Question:
I cant get to church every Sunday, I play video all day, and I tend to use
pro fain vulgarities on occasion. I pray every night and read the holy
bible. My friend told me we were just placed here on this earth to serve
god, and when we die and go to heaven all we do is serve god. I am a
Christian and I am confused about my religion. I was told, that god will
take all good Christians to heaven and unleash earth to Satan for a period
of time. Can somebody please explain this religion to me?
Answer:
Hi Evan,
I can understand your confusion. It is hard when you hear what other people think and it doesn’t seem to add up to what you think it is all about. The good news is that the bible is quite clear about what God has done and is doing and you can be certain about your faith. Confusion comes because people don’t know what the bible says. They think they do because they heard what some preacher said but in truth is they don’t. When someone starts to say something you don’t understand, ask them where in the bible it says it and then go to the bible and read it for yourself. Another thing that would be helpful is to join a bible study group from your church so you can regularly read and talk about the bible with other christians.
So lets have a look at what the Bible says about christianity.
The Bible says that there are no “good” people anywhere, not even “good Christians” (Rom 3:23). This means each of us has insulted God by rejecting Him and not obeying Him, and doing what we want to do on our own terms and conditions. God calls this sin. This can be anything that stands in opposition to God’s commands. The penalty for this rebellion is death (Rom 6:23).
If God were merciless, He would leave us in this state of hopelessness and allow us to rot and suffer for our rebellion. But, God is merciful and loving. He cares for us too much. He wants to rescue us from the destruction and separation we deserve.
How did He do this? It’s quite clear!
The Bible tells us Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, became a human being. He experienced pain and suffering as a human, just like you and me. Then, Jesus died on a cross, in your place. Now this is big. We’re talking about the creator of the universe dying. Think about it! It wasn’t an accident. It was part of God’s plan. It’s big!
In human terms, it’s like being charged $10million and the death sentence for a vicious crime. There is no way we can pay, But the judge stands up and offers to pay the penalty and takes your place, because he loves you. Wow! God, who is THE Judge, is the offering to take on your debt of rebellion.
The Bible also says that Jesus rose from the dead. The good news is that the resurrection of Jesus confirms that
1) Your debt has been paid for,
2) You have full assurance of eternal life.
Please understand, going to heaven has nothing to do with deserving it or earning it, or doing good things. It has to do with believing in Jesus, saying sorry to God for your rebellion against Him, and following Him. It’s about trusting and believing in Jesus Christ.
This is the Christian faith.
As a Christian, we have access to God’s promises. He’s made a lot of them. But here is a small sample:
1. You have eternal life and will be in heaven with God (1 John 5:11-12)
2. You become a child of God (Eph 1:5)
3. You will never be alone (John 14:16, Heb 13:6)
4. God will protect you and be with you always (John 17:15)
5. If you make a mistake, he promises to forgive you when you confess your mistakes (1 Jn 1:9).
And what is heaven is like? It’s like a big festival (Luke 13:29, Matthew 22:2, Matthew 25:10).
How cools that?
Armen