Response:

The question is: Are you really a Christian? I don't mean someone who goes to church, or someone who has been baptized. I mean a Christian the way the Bible means a Christian. Have you been "born again"? Christ said in John 3 that no one could get to Heaven without being born again.

You mention that you believe in God;. I'm glad to hear that, but simple belief in the existence of God is not enough to save a man's soul. James 2 tells us that it is great that a person believes in God, but that the devils also believe in God. Obviously, the demons will not be in Heaven. Satan himself believes in the existence of God, but he will not be in Heaven for eternity. So, more than belief in God is necessary.

Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God. The sins that you commit may be different than the ones I commit, but we are all sinners. Because we sin, we do not measure up to God's standard, which is complete holiness. In order to be born again, I must first realize that I am a sinner, and need a Saviour. Ephesians 2:9 says that our salvation is "not of works". In other words, I can not be good enough to get to Heaven. Titus 3:5 says that our salvation comes "not by works of righteousness which we have done." Isaiah tells us that in God's eyes, "our righteousnesses are as filthy rags". You can go to church every day, do all the religious rituals, give your money, obey the law, and help old ladies across the street, and none of that will get you one step closer to Heaven. Why? Because God's standard is perfection, and you and I don't measure up.

Romans 6:23 tells us that "the wages of sin is death". In other words, there is a punishment for sin, and it is death. This has two meanings. First of all, people die because of sin. The Bible tells us that death entered into the world because of sin. If no one had ever sinned, no one would ever die. However, it means more than just physical death. Revelation 20:14-15 tells us that after the final judgement, "death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of Fire." In other words, the penalty for being a sinner is that we must be cast into Hell forever. God is holy, and He can not allow anything that defiles or is defiled into Heaven. Therefore, all sinners MUST be condemned to Hell.

That's a scary picture, isn't it? Thankfully, Romans 6:23 continues by saying, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What we can not earn because we are sinners, God offers to us as a gift if we will receive Christ as Saviour. Romans 5:8 tells us that God showed His great love to us in that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". What an amazing thing! Jesus Christ was God. The Bible tells us that He created the world. Yet He was willing to come to earth as a man. He was a perfect man, and never sinned. After 33 years on this earth, He was crucified. The One Who had never done anything wrong, and therefore did not deserve to die, was executed as a sacrifice for my sins. He was my substitute. Then, to prove His Deity, and to prove that He was an acceptable sacrifice, He rose from the dead. He paid the penalty for my sins, so that I would not have to go to Hell, but could go to Heaven.

Romans 10:13 tells us that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 16:31 tells us, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved". John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." In Matthew 4:17, Jesus said "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand". In Mark 1:15 Christ said: "Repent, and believe the Gospel." In Luke 13:3 He said: "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." What does this all mean? It means that I need to realize that I am a sinner, and that there is nothing that I can do to save myself. Because of my sin, I deserve to go to Hell. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross as my substitute. If I will admit to God that I need a Saviour because of my sin, repent of it , and receive what Jesus did on the cross for myself, then I will be saved. (Repent means to have a change of mind about it. In other words, I no longer view sin as a weakness, or not a very important thing. I see it as God sees it: something wicked and vile that offends a holy God and will keep me out of Heaven.) When I trust in Christ's work on the cross, and nothing else, for salvation, then I have been "born again", and am no longer condemned to Hell, but can go to Heaven.

________, has there been a time in you life when you repented of sin, and trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? When was it? Where were you? Did someone show you from the Bible how to be saved? If you can't answer these questions, then you need to be saved, and you should do it today. Once you have taken care of the salvation question, then you should begin to grow in your Christian life. Find a Bible preaching Baptist church to attend, and go to every service. Read your Bible and have a prayer life everyday. Follow the Lord in believer's baptism by immersion, and join the local church. By the way, don't just do it to get the girl. Do it because you love God, and want to be right with Him.

Hope this helps. Write back if you have further questions.

By Dr Mark Montgomery Ambassador Baptist Church 1926 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15209 (412)477-3210