Man's Problem and God's Solution

The Problem: The Bible teaches that God made you to be in a loving relationship with Him. But the problem is, like all humanity, you are guilty of sin—breaking God’s Law. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10), and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Consequence:  So, the problem is that you are guilty of sin and there’s a consequence for your sin. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). In other words, the penalty for disobeying God is a broken relationship with God and eternal judgment in hell. According to the Bible, sin isn’t just the things we do like lying, cheating, or stealing, but it’s even thinking about doing such things. If human judges do not let people go free when they have violated the law, how can we expect God’s justice to be any less? The Bible says “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Every man and woman will stand before God for judgment. The Solution: Although you deserve a serious judgment for your sin, the Bible says that God is love and doesn’t want that. God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sins. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is, Jesus took the punishment you deserve by His crucifixion on the cross. He endured death so you can receive eternal life. To get this life, the Bible says that “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Salvation is a Gift: God wants you to make Jesus your Master and believe what He did for you. The Bible teaches that it is “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God offers you the free gift of a relationship with Him and eternal life. There is no amount of good works that can pay for the cost of your sin to gain access into heaven. You must be born again: Jesus said that, “… unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The Bible says that if you make Jesus your Master and believe what He has done for you, you will be born again.  You must repent: Jesus said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repent means to change directions—to change your mind about your sins and agree with God that they are wrong. So if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead you will be saved.