I have heard people talk about becoming a Christian for a better life. They talk about peace in your heart and a changed life, and all kinds of God’s blessings. Those are good things, but I am concerned that it may give a false impression that life is always perfect when you are a Christian. It isn’t! Christians still struggle with their own sin, they have ups and downs just like anyone else, and bad things still happen in their lives. There is something called “fruits of the Spirit” (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance - found in Galatians 5:22-23). But these do not come into a Christian’s life overnight. God will grow these qualities in us, but just like fruit which grows on a tree, they take time. They are benefits of being a Christian, but not the reason to become a Christian.

 

I became a Christian because I realized that I need God to save my soul. I believe there is a place called Hell, and as a person who has sinned (disobeyed God), this is the very place I deserve to go. I don’t want to go there! God doesn’t want that for me either. He provided one way for me so that I don’t have to, and that way is through Jesus Christ.

Let me explain. God gave us His law, the ten commandments. The commandments are:

  1. Have no other God before Him. (He needs to be first in our lives.)
  2. Do not worship idols. (Anything that is more important than God is an idol, taking His place in our lives.)
  3. Do not use God’s name in vain. (Using God’s name as a curse word. I wouldn’t want people using my name as a curse word either!
  4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. (Set apart one day to focus on God and what he has done.)
  5. Honor your mother and father. (For children, this means obeying them. For everyone, this means always treating them respectfully.)
  6. Do not murder. (Even in your heart. Did you know that Jesus said hating someone is murdering them in your heart?)
  7. Do not commit adultery. (Jesus said that looking at someone with lust is committing adultery in your heart.)
  8. Do not steal. (Even little things- a cookie from a family member, a pack of gum from the store – those count.
  9. Do not lie. (Not even little ones.)
  10. Do not covet. (Having jealousy over what someone else has.)

I have broken most (if not all) of these at some time in my life. God knew that I would. Even if I had sinned only once in my life (which would be a pretty incredible thing to do!) the Bible says that “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, is guilty of all.” If you break one small part of the law, you have broken the law, period. No one can use the commandments as a way to get to heaven, because no one can keep the commandments.

 

So why did He give laws that I can’t keep? The reason is that without these laws, I might think of myself as a good, innocent person who was not in any danger of judgment. The commandments act like a mirror. If I didn’t look in a mirror, I wouldn’t know if I had something on my face. Without God’s laws, I wouldn’t know that I have messed up my life and God isn’t happy about it!

 

God has a day planned when He will judge each of us. I am going to have to stand before Him. If He judges me by the ten commandments, I will be found guilty. There is absolutely nothing I can do to erase the times that I have broken His laws.

 

Even though I can't do anything to save myself from Hell, God can and did. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the fine in my place. Jesus never sinned, but yet he suffered and died on the cross. He did not have to die on that cross. He chose to do this willingly, to pay for the sins of the world. Because of what He did, I can be saved from paying my "fine" of an eternity in Hell. Then God raised Him from the dead, proving that Jesus is the Son of God and has power, even over death. We will be raised from the dead someday too, and if we put our trust in Him, we will go on to an eternity in Heaven.

 

An analogy that I have heard fromThe Way of the Master:

Imagine you have committed a terrible crime. You are in a courtroom and the judge sentences you to pay a $2 million fine, or face a lifetime in prison. You don’t have that kind of money and can not pay your fine. Imagine that as you are being led away to spend the rest of your life in prison, a man walks into the courtroom. He says to the judge, “I have sold everything that I own, and I am here to pay the fine for this person.” You would still be guilty of the crime, but you would now be allowed to go free. How grateful would you be towards this man? Well, that’s what Jesus did for us. He paid our fine, so that we could go free.

 

The Bible says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 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 the Scriptures say, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 10:9-11)


If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, I hope that you will pray and ask Him to save you from Hell. Praying is nothing difficult. It is simply talking to God. He already knows you – He created you, knows everything about you, and He loves you. He wants to save you, and He provided a way for you to be saved. But He won’t force you to turn to Him. That is up to you.

 

Here is my prayer for you:

 

“Father, I ask that you would speak to the hearts of anyone reading this who doesn’t know you. I don’t want anyone to go to Hell, and I pray they will listen. I ask that you would show them the truth in what I’m sharing here. I ask that you would guide them to call out to you and ask for your forgiveness of their sins. I ask that you would guide them to believe and put their trust in Jesus. I pray that you would help them to understand your Holy Bible so that they can come to know you more. I pray that you would place other Christians in their path who can encourage them, pray for them, and help them along. I pray that you would lead them to a good church where they can gather together with strong and faithful Christians and learn more of you there. I thank you for every person who has read this today and I ask that you would bless their efforts to seek after you. In Jesus’ name I pray.”

 

Here are a few websites where you can learn a lot and draw closer to God:

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