Spiritual Life Insurance
[This page is designed to encourage you toward personal faith in Jesus Christ, and is not intended to offend anyone of a different faith. In my business I am happy to serve folks of all faiths, creeds, and lifestyles.]
I also want to disclose that I am sharing my personal views here, not the view of any insurance company I represent. This page is not short because the topic is so important and consequential.
Soul insurance?
I know, how ridiculous! I mean, who can insure the soul? When we step back to consider what insurance is we recognize there are risks in life that we cannot afford to take. So we study the options, and put our faith and money in the insurance company we determine to be trustworthy to insure our life at the cost we feel we can afford.
If we're honest there's a lot of faith we put in our insurance carriers. We never go visit the home office to make sure they are there, nor read the actual policy from cover to cover, nor understand all of the plan limitations and exclusions as we should, but we still choose to make application in faith. We pay our premium 'in good faith' that the company will honor their promises made should we have a claim. We learn the companies track record and choose to place our trust in them.
'Faith' placed in an insurance company usually isn't a blind faith.
Although there are swindlers who sell bogus policies for companies that never existed. We buy in faith, based on the reputation of the company, its history, claims-paying experience, and from the personal testimony of others we know who have tried the insurance or had a claim.
We are always offered a policy contract to study so that we can understand what the company is offering, what we can expect to receive in return, and what our obligations are under the contract. Track with me as I apply this logic to spiritual matters regarding a faith in Jesus.
FEELINGS DO NOT DEFINE FACT NOR TRUTH
Our feeling a policy provision is true never makes it true.
Even if we think it should be true, truth as related to insurance contracts is objective, not subjective, nor really subject to personal interpretation. Although the company representatives do make claims, with insurance it comes down to the policy contract terms. When the big claim comes, pleading ignorance will not work, nor blaming the representative for misleading us.
The company will ask, did you read your insurance policy for yourself?
If we are offered the contract to read and chose not to so, we will suffer the consequences, sometimes to our financial ruin. If this is true of an insurance contract, how much more does the parallel apply to the Creator of the Universe and his relationship with us?
The story of Christianity claims that the Bible is God's "contract" with humanity. It was written by human hands, but reflects the communication between an eternal God and the mankind that God purposefully created.
Instead of the word contract, the Bible uses the term covenant to describe God's contract with the mankind he created. In ancient days a covenant was a binding agreement made between 2 parties. The Bible begins by tracing a covenant God made with the first humans--Adam and Eve, then with their descendents-- Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who was later renamed Israel by God.
As you continue the biblical story God made a righteous covenant of Law with Jacob's offspring through Moses in the Old Testament, revealing the perfection of God and the need all mankind has for a Savior. Sin and disobedience in the heart of mankind is the fatal flaw that separates God from his creation. The Law of Moses was perfect but impossible for a fatally flawed humanity to follow and find peace with God. A lasting forgiveness of sin was not possible and a better solution was needed.
Then the really Good News in the New Testament is revealed, the stuff of John 3:16-17 billboards. "for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have life eternal. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world may be saved through him".
God sees us as we are, with all of our flaws, but sent his own son Jesus to reveal a new contract of Grace and truth with all humanity. Or, as Jesus himself said in Luke 19:10 "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost".
Let me backtrack a little: The Bible begins as many stories do with an epic launch statement: "In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth".
From there the Old Testament tells a grand and unvarnished story of God's love for this creation he made. He describes his people's constant rebellion as they fall into darkness over and over again, and the many chances the God offers his people over the centuries to return to a loving relationship with their God.
The New Testament continues and tells the story of Jesus, described as the Prophet, Savior, Messiah, and King...God himself, come in human form to make things right with his creation directly. From beginning to end the Bible speaks of a coming ruler who will right the world of wrong and ultimately win the battle and end all evil. What we could not do, and would not do for ourselves, God himself offered a permanent solution for sin.
The Gospel--meaning Good News--really is the best news anyone could hear. God knows you, loves you, is constantly praying for you, and has a plan for you in this life and the next.
BLIND FAITH OR NOT?
Fortunately, we live in a time were the biblical contract can be carefully studied like never before. We can walk today where Jesus actually lived and taught. We can read and study the four different first-hand accounts of Jesus life, written by men not trying to create a religion, but testifying as to what they witnessed first-hand.
Historically, we know that at least 10 of the 12 original disciples of Jesus were killed for their faith. Some say these men were just trying to create a new religion, but history tells us they suffered and died for what they had witnessed first hand-the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ--that was their hope.
Author Josh McDowell in his book "Evidence that demands a verdict" concluded as he weighed Jesus life and teachings that he can only be one of 3 things; A Liar, a Lunatic, or a Lord. There is no room for him to just be seen as a misunderstood man or 'good teacher' or moralist.
Ignorance is not bliss and can be fatal.
The Bible speaks about how everyone has some sense of the existence of God.
Romans 1:20 states: For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
The biblical author Paul was actually a religious leader who vowed to persecute or kill all Jesus-followers in the name of God, thinking Jesus a fraud and danger to his Jewish faith. It wasn't until he had a first-hand encounter with the living Jesus that changed his life forever. He was convinced that Jesus was and is indeed the Savior that was promised, who offers eternal life to the most vile sinner who will extend simple faith in Him. I mean, what would be worse for the early church than to accept a man who killed the Jesus-followers? But they did.
Paul, in his inspired writings shares a truth that looking at our amazing world alone points to an infinite, powerful, and creative God. One single cell in my body is enough for me to believe in an Intelligent Designer. Consider:
THE MIRCLE OF A SINGLE DNA STRAND: If we just look at the 'book of life' within our own being. 46 chromosomes with over 3 billion DNA in a single human cell. These provide the instruction book for every living thing we see. Consider the faith it takes to believe all of this came together over millions of years. The faith to believe that all of this happened without an Author to the human book? Imagine a God able to write the human genome?
LOOK EVEN CLOSER! Science tells us there are and estimated 100 trillion atoms in a single human cell. Each is in motion. If the Christian God is the creator of every atom and keeps everything in motion, consider how infinite he must be? All evolved over billions of years without an intelligent designer? That would take more faith for me to accept.
CONSIDER OUR SOLAR SYSTEM! Science tells us that if your world was closer to the sun we would be fried, and farther and we would freeze. If it did not spin life would only be sustainable on a tiny part of the earth. The bible told the ancients in Genesis 1 that the earth was formless and void and by design God made the world sustainable. He created by design our continents, waters, and spun the earth so that we would experience day and night (yeah, read Gen 1:14-19 plainly and you will see God spun the earth so we experience day and night). It was not just cosmic good luck that most of our earth can sustain life.
However, we are not left to understand God by creation alone.
The only way to understand an infinite God is if that God decides to reveal himself to us: A God who can design everything we see and set in place the Universe is so far beyond us that communication would seem impossible without his using our words to share his heart with us: We need a revelation we can trust.
Paul's experience was not unique in that most people misunderstand Jesus today until they seek Him out for themselves and come to a personal encounter with the living God.
We can meet and experience God's presence, love, power, plan and invitation to eternal life by seeking him out through the Word of God. God left his own Holy Spirit in this world to draw us to himself. Part of the Spirit's work is to reveal God to us when we read the Bible.
That for me happened by just reading the bible for myself, particularly the book of John when I was about 14. Evangelicals stress a 'personal relationship with God' because that is what God intended for it to be. At the beginning of Genesis we see God, in some literal sense, walking in the Garden of Eden with Adam. Not sure what that looked like as God is Spirit, but the point is there was a closeness and proximity that God created and is His intent towards mankind. At the end of the book in Revelation 23 we see God again literally living with humanity--not in a garden, but in a massive garden city described as 'a new heaven and earth'.
God's intent in Jesus was to make a way for us to walk closely with God again. Sin creates a chasm between a sinful man and a holy God, therefore dealing with sin was why Jesus came to earth. Having walked with God for over 40 years I don't always feel close to God, but I suspect the problem is a Dan problem, not a God one.
You can read John 3:16-17 intellectually where Jesus said about himself these famous words: 16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him".
You could read and believe these words with your head and not be changed: It has to penetrate the heart and be combined with faith. What the apostle John recorded in Jesus words is either true or not.
Millions of Christians for 20 centuries have had their lives and hearts changed by believing that these words apply literally today to them.
Christianity as a international group of Jesus followers has many looks. It is not and an American religion, or for white people only, or for certain ethnic groups alone. Jesus came by his own admission first to his own people the Jews, then extended his message and blessing to all the people of the world.
That this God could love me enough to reach out to save me is remarkable. I am amazed that Jesus isn't judging me for my sin an rebellion but offering eternal life, forgiveness, restoration, and a loving eternal relationship through simple faith. Spend your lifetime trying to your head around that truth and you will be forever changed.
In the Life of Jesus, God personally introduced a part of himself in the form of a man, born in time and history. Jesus came in humility and used the title 'Son of Man, and the Son of God'. He was amazingly, surprisingly controversial in his day befriending women, strangers, foreigners, the weak and sick the outcasts, and the lower caste to be his followers.
His goal was to reveal a kingdom where all humanity could find grace and mercy aside from their personal worthiness. And why? Because compared with our Creator we all fall short and in need of restoration, we all need saving from sin. But maybe restoration is a poor way to put it. We were dying of cancer and needed a cure or we are on spiritual life support--better analogies.
During Jesus short 3 years of active ministry, he backed up his Kingdom message and claims by raising the dead to life, healing the sick, and showing that he is above even natural laws (through miracles and signs).
He died, and 3 days later rose from the grave, showing victory over death itself. He indisputably that he was who he claimed to be, not a gifted man, or good teacher, but the Son of God as he claimed. Jesus raising from the dead gives enormous hope to anyone who put faith in Jesus, that they too may rise from the dead through faith in Jesus, as he promised. Unlike others that have had near death or death-death experiences and returned to talk about it, Jesus is the only spiritual leader that claims to have come from Heaven, not just got a taste of it. Jesus alone is qualified to talk about eternity. Pay close attention before you judge his words untrue or not applicable to your life.
Those that trust Jesus Christ as savior hold a spiritual life assurance policy: And the Bible is God's contract with humanity.
God wrote the eternal life contract in his Word. He proved he can settle the claim through the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross, and paid the monthly premiums as we are bankrupt. The cost on our end is simple acceptance of his gift-simple belief. We cannot earn it through payment or good works, we do not deserve it. The analogy is correct even in earthly terms. We can choose not to accept a generous and undeserved gift. But how foolish!
Think of it from an earthly perspective as an example: Let's say you had a terminal heart condition and would die without a new heart. Let's say the only compatible heart in the entire world belonged to my only son Joe, and he wanted you to have it as a gift.
Now let's say I approached Joe to give up his life on earth for yours to save you. That would be heartbreaking for me, but amazing beyond words for you.
The catch is, you would need to accept Joe's sacrifice to save your life and humbly allow the heart transfer to proceed.
In the most real way this analogy is true and played out in the story of humanity.
This really is the heat-break of Christianity, not that Jesus died for the world, but most in the world cares little for what he did and sees no relevance for their lives as they live it. Jesus even in his teachings wrote that some would accept his words and others would not. How about you today?
God really did send his only son Jesus to earth to live as a man. All humanity suffered a terminal illness called 'sin' that leads everyone to death at some point and eternal separation with God. God's son really did die and was resurrected bodily to life, and lives victoriously today in Heaven. His suffering atoned for all sin, but the gift offer must be accepted by faith.
From the beginning of creation humanity was given free will to obey or reject God's moral laws. Nothing has changed since the beginning.
Many religions have added that we can somehow earn this great gift, or that our good works somehow give us a credit or favor with God. If I truly had sacrificed my son Joe for your sake, think how insulting it would be for me for you to try to somehow pay me for this sacrifice since I had offered it as a free gift?
There is no repayment or service great enough for such a sacrifice. God's requirement to be saved today is for us to humbly accept the great gift being offered to us and put faith in God's son Jesus for life eternal.
Paul in one encounter while being unjustly jailed was asked by his jailer "What must I do to be saved?" Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord and you will be saved". (ref: Acts 16:31) Salvation is reduced to simple faith in the end. Jesus often taught "Believe in me" as the path to salvation.
Paul came to this simple understanding when he understood God's great sacrifice for Him in Christ on the cross. Will you as well?
In Romans, Paul echoed a similar sentiment about God's offer: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved". (ref Romans 10:9). Read the book of John and note how many times Jesus calls the people to put faith in him not just to solve the problem of eternity, but to offer life, hope, faith and power to live in our world today.
If you've never read the Bible for yourself, and just judged it based on what you're read or heard from others, I invite you to a life changing experience that can change your heart forever. It sure did mine.
An excellent starting place is the book of John in the new Testament. John was a close associate of Jesus who lived and first-hand experience all of his teachings and miracles. History shares that he was at the foot of the Cross when Jesus died, and he first-hand encountered the risen Savior. If you want a good depiction of what Jesus may have been like, watch the current series called 'The Chosen', based on the events of Jesus calling his original followers to faith. You can download "The Chosen" app on your phone, or watch the episodes on Youtube.com.
For sure the Bible can be really hard to understand. To better understand the books of the Bible as you read them, simple overviews of any book can be found at http://www.thebibleproject.com The Bible project has created short, concise, 6-8 minute video outlining and illustrating each book of the bible, so that you as a reader can better understand what is going on. On http://youtube.com search 'Bible Project book of John' as an example.
Coming into a personal relationship with God allows us to experience the very presence of God, which matures as a person grows in faith. If you just met your earthly father it would take no faith to believe he exists. However, to really come to know his heart, history and mind, you would need to spend time with him. Over time and experience you will learn new things about him, and with anyone who unconditionally loves you, you change for the good. We can experience God by reading his 'Word', the Bible, spending time with other 'family members' in the church, and through prayer. He called us to be his followers, and to try to imitate the things he did while walking this earth: to live in simplicity, to love and show mercy to others, to share his grace and truth with the World.
As we grow to know our heavenly father more personally his love changes us: our outlook, our priorities, our character, and how we interact with others are all affected for the good. We can be freed from anxiety, and worry, addictions, and fear that can smother us. You know what I'm talking about if you know Jesus. Not that a Christian doesn't encounter all of these life troubles, but God's love can help us overcome the fear that can paralyze.
The following meanders through similar themes as already stated and has some repetition from past editions of this page.
It's the most important thing I could ever pen on this website.
I have to talk about these things, and need to risk offending a few prospective clients who may be offended by my talking about Jesus. Jesus can be offensive: He challenges the notion that we can rule over our own lives better than following the guidance of our Creator. His teachings confront our sinfulness and rebellion and inner darkness.
Jesus gently call us to look up...come into the light (repent), and ask for forgiveness. Season 2 of The Chosen has a wonderful episode where Mary is ashamed of her life and Jesus forgives her and calls her back.
The Bible is a slowly unfolding love story between a loving Father, and children that went astray. It is a story of redemption, longing, and life. It has books with both gritty and joyful tales and filled with lessons of struggle and heartache, as humans fail to live up to the holy standards of a perfect God. The good, bad, and ugly side of humanity are shared fearlessly and unapologetically. It's the story of our ancient parents, your parents, and people today. It connects us all from the first human to the last. It talks about our beginning and the end of mankind as we know it.
What could be more important?
In Hebrews 1:1-2, the writer explained how the Old Testament shares about how God spoke to us in the Past, but in the New Testament Jesus is revealed as God in the flesh: Consider.
Hebrews 1:1 " In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the Prophets, at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins (died on the cross), he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven (lives today and will come again in glory)"
We extend faith to many things we do not fully understand. I humbly submit that we can only understand God to the degree that he reveals himself to us. We learn most about God in the person of Jesus, for that is how he has revealed himself in our time.
If the Bible is the contract of eternal life and death, the contract we have been given to examine and reject or accept....have you studied it for yourself?
Finally, if you accept that Bible as God's revelation to humanity, Jesus cannot be contained and reduced to a human who lived and died 2000 years ago, or a dead teacher or prophet to be respected. The claim is he rose from the dead, and is the living God in Heaven today--alive and at work in this world today through his Followers, the Church.
NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO DESERVE HEAVEN
As we study the Bible we learn that we can do nothing to impress or buy-off God enough to give us a pass in the end, any more than we'd expect a life insurance plan to pay off if we stop paying premiums. Consider the self-evident truth written about eternity in the book of Psalms, written around A.D. 1000 or so: This was written 1000 years before Jesus came, but is still so true:
From Psalm 49 No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay".
King David understood this truth in 1000 BCE, do you today?
The Bible teaches that everyone has sinned and our sin holds a penalty of death. With certainty, physical death, but just as certain the Bible declares that dying with sin in your life produces an eternal separation with God. For a perfect and holy God refuses to live in the presence of evil, corruption, and sin. So how can a holy God and an unholy people be reunited?
THERE IS GREAT NEWS AND HOPE!
The Bible teaches that God sent his own son into the world to pay a ransom, and make clean an unclean people.
At our local sewage treatment plants, sewage is made clean and pure to drink again. How much more can God forgive and make our hearts pure again if we ask for forgiveness?
I John 1:9 states: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness"
This is the Gospel, which means good news! With his very blood, Jesus fully paid the debt of our sin and restored the broken contract made between humans and a Holy God. We can experience a relationship with Jesus today by faith alone, not by Good works.
When Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven, he left part of himself behind in the person of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul explained it this way:
Ephesians 1:13. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory"."
TRUSTING IN JESUS BRINGS YOU INTO A FAMILY: A WORLDWIDE CHURCH
So part of being a Christian is to be a part of something big, universal, and infinitely important. Believing in Jesus joins you and me with a family of over 1 billion people, known as the church (little c). The Greek word for Church simply meant, 'Sent Ones'. The point is, you belong to something big when you know Jesus. He views each of us as valuable intrinsically, not because of our good works or character, race or sex.
The Bible teaches that when we believe in Jesus as Lord, you are adopted into God's family as permanent heirs, sons and daughters. However, God never forces anyone to believe, much like we do not have insurance until we sign our acceptance of the terms and conditions, and make our premium payment. Our ongoing payment to God is simple faith expressed through love.
In John 4 Jesus was asked "What must we do to perform the works of God?
Jesus simply replied 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent"...then he said shortly after, 'He who believes has eternal life'. The mystery of eternal life is Jesus teaching that relationship with Him is the basis of eternal life for all humanity.
Christians for centuries have tried to add to the Gospel message: implying that you need to do so many works to be saved, or repent to a certain level of earthly cleanness, or be water baptized, give so much, and many other add-ons, but Jesus at the core of his message addressed a humanity that was bankrupt and in need of saving, not a re-payment plan. If a billionaire offers to repay all of your debts and you turn him down, you can't blame the offer, but the pride of the one receiving the offer.
Said in insurance terms, if a health insurance plan was offered to you for free, the plan would not go into effect without our consent....it doesn't happen. There are also always terms and conditions in all things, including things eternal.
A FEW WORDS ON 'HEAVEN', OR THE ETERNAL FUTURE
The bible teaches that Jesus left this earth alive, and currently is in the spiritual realm awaiting a day when God the Father will send him back to earth a second time.
When Jesus returns, he will work out a plan to judge both the living and the dead. The future world will once again be free of sin, and God will live with his people again. We read in the book of Revelation that God will once again will live with us where we can directly experience his presence.
In the final scene of life from the book of Revelation, we walk with God once again not on pillowy clouds, but on a New and restored Earth. Not in a garden, but a massive garden city, no longer tempted by the presence or power of sin, decay, and death. No fear, anxiety, tears or evil.
In the meantime, prior to this restoration, when a person dies in Christ today, they can have confidence that they will be with the Lord in Heaven, which is simply the unseen realm where God lives.
My Dad died a few years back, and our family draws great comfort in believing that death is not the end, but the start of eternal life, and I'll see my Dad again, walking free from sickness and pain. His mind clear, his body strong, his spirit undivided by all the garbage of this world.
WHEN YOU THINK OF LIFE AFTER DEATH, DO YOU HAVE FAITH THAT YOU WILL LIVE in WITH A PERFECT GOD IN PEACE OR IS THERE A SENSE OF DREAD AND THE UNKNOWN. READ THE CONTRACT!
Consider from the book of Revelation 21 at John's prophetic description :
Revelation 21: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Some say Christianity is fine for you, but not really important for the world. C.S. Lewis was quoted as saying,
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true is of infinite importance. What it cannot be is moderately important."
JESUS IS GOD
Some people today challenge if the Bible really teaches that Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus is so central in the Bible as the focal point of our connecting with God, then the premise that the Bible teaches Jesus as God should be solidly established. To help you explore this notion please click on the link below
Jesus_is_God_Study.pdf
PICKING A BIBLE VERSION TO READ
So if you've managed to read this far and want to begin to start reading the Bible for yourself. Here are a few tips for what it's worth.
A great place to start is by reading the book of John in the New Testament. It's a story about Jesus and designed to present Jesus teachings in such a way as to promote faith.
What a great place to start. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell different accounts of Jesus life and teachings, offering different emphasis and details. I'm a huge fan of the Read Scripture App, because it embeds short videos to better help you understand what you are reading.
But before you start reading, you can begin to talk to Jesus. Send up a simple and humble prayer. Ask Jesus to help you understand what you are reading. Tell him you want to know him better. Then listen closely...and you may hear something in return.
The Gospels are like 4 first-hand observers describing a car accident. All of the authors either witnessed the event firsthand (John and Matthew), or were penning the recollections of firsthand witnesses (Mark and Luke) from different positions, but the story details have an amazing consistency, strengthening our ability to trust the accuracy of the accounts. They were not fabricated stories written centuries after the events in questions.
Although there are many great translations of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew, I would encourage you to try the New International Version (NIV), as it was translated over a 20 years period by scholars of different theological leanings and denominational slants. It's been updated recently as well.
I love the bible website http://www.biblegateway.com because it has an outstanding audio bible options. If you do listen to the bible, I encourage you to also read it as you listen. It's pretty tough to be impacted by just listening alone.
As a lifetime student of the bible, I can't say enough about the website http://www.biblehub.com Whether you're a pastor, a new follower, or in between, http://www.biblehub.com offers every tool imaginable to help you understand the Bible better. The Bible was written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek for the New Testament. Jesus and his followers spoke in Aramaic, which is more like Hebrew than Greek. You can study the Bible from the original language, breaking down every word...amazing stuff!
DON'T READ THE BIBLE FOR THE HEAD, BUT FOR THE HEART
I encourage you to not read about Jesus just to gain head knowledge alone, but to seek answers regarding eternal life. As per my prior example, learning second-hand about your earthly father is of little value unless you cultivate a personal relationship with him. God created and loves you, and is infinite enough and loving enough to be able to come as close to you as you are willing to come to him.
Life is just too short to wait. At age 54 now I've passed well beyond the 1/2 way point of life. As I age time continues to pass faster and faster. Tomorrow may be here faster than you expect. Death is not the end for a believer in Jesus, only the beginning.
JESUS CLAIMED TO BE THE ONLY WAY TO GOD
Jesus claimed in John 14:6 "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me. If you really knew me, you would know the Father as well".
Now I may step on a few toes here, but Jesus clear understood premise defeats any notion that 'all religions lead to God' position. I sure like the idea personally that everyone will go to Heaven...but for that to be true my feelings would need to outweigh the facts. The biblical contract, if you read it closely, says that Jesus is the only way to God. There is no one who spoke more about a literal Hell to be avoided than Jesus.
I am happy that God freely offers eternal life to all who would accept it. God does not force salvation on anyone, that would strip us of the free will we were created with. He offered it as a free gift to all who will believe and put faith in Jesus. Does that mean our 'faith/action saves us...our free will...not at all! The gift is what saves, but a gift must be accepted.
Our contractual obligation to be saved is to accept the gift, which is the gift-giver, then work to fulfill our end of the contractual obligation-which is to hold onto faith until the end of our life. Sadly, the gift of life cannot be lost, but it can be voluntarily given back. It is sad when I meet someone that once had a close relationship with Jesus, then gave it up and now does not believe in God at all. What a loss.
If a person could end up in Heaven through another path (like Buddha's Enlightenment, or faith in Allah), then Jesus died for nothing (to use human and heavenly reasoning). Christian's offer sound narrow-minded, but it is because we embrace the logic above. Think about it: If God the Father sacrificed his only son for our eternal life, then said that this is the only way to be saved, imagine how he feels about the notion that there is another way to be saved?
We take Jesus at his word and take a little flack in this life for trusting his perspective on the matter without knowing all the answers. It's not for me to judge if anyone will be saved or not.
To seek eternal life implies rightly that you sense your spiritual deadness and need what only Jesus can provide. The Biblical claim is that our sins make us spiritually dead and polluted and that Jesus is the only one who can restore life and cleanse our hearts and make them clean.
If you had an earthly billion dollar debt and were unwilling to admit it, no one could help you, not even Bill Gates! Likewise, admitting our sins to God is called 'Confession'--admitting what God already knows. Asking for help to turn away from sin is called 'Repentance'. It's not just changing the mind, but setting the feet to walk another direction. Repentance to salvation at the heart is agreeing with God that faith in any other way to God is futile. God leads us to the truth, but we must freely accept it for ourselves.
If Jesus is God (as the bible declares), then the pursuit of Jesus is the very pursuit of God, which is the way to life, and the truth about everything important. Jesus said to his followers, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father". The journey of faith begins and ends with Jesus.
Do you have anything in your belief portfolio worth giving your life for?
A FINAL WORD ON SOUL INSURANCE
Soul Insurance is a contract first introduced by Jesus over 2000 years ago. The company is a worldwide, international corporation known as 'The Church", which boasts over a billion shareholders, a 2000 year track record, and has enrollees from every country on earth, a worldwide distribution system, and the same founder and CEO since inception. Every valid death claim has been paid in full, and the policy count has risen from a dozen enrollees to over 3 billion, with living benefits enjoyed by millions daily. Not a single client has ever returned from the dead and show regret in putting faith in Jesus.
"The catch" remains the fact that while the premiums are offered at no cost, but the policy must be accepted by faith to become valid.
Faith does not save you, but you must have faith to be saved.
Today's a great day to evaluate your faith portfolio and the object of your faith. Accept Jesus by faith and start a relationship with him today.
A NEW START...
Ok, now someone reading this rambling sermon must be cut to the heart, wanting to begin with Jesus but really feeling lost as to how to begin this new relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Well, take a little pressure off in considering that someone who can create the Universe may just know exactly how you feel.
Consider beginning a conversation with a simple prayer of faith. Something like this,
"Jesus, I've had no idea about you, and what I did know I dismissed or rejected. Thank you for opening my eyes to who you are. If you died for me, then that is every reason for me to spend my time getting to know you more. I chose to believe in you now, and thank you that you want us to have a relationship.
Help me in seek you out that I may come to know you better. Teach me through your Word, help me find a church family to be apart of to help me grow and serve you better. Thank you for much for dying for me sins and adopting me as your child. I don't know much now about you now, but I'm thankful and eternally grateful". Amen.
