Opinions? Facts!

Opinions? Facts! When talking with people, I notice that we all have our opinions—which is good. But do we always base them on facts? Sometimes it’s important that our opinions are based on facts—especially in life and death situations! Here is a Bible fact: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Some people have this opinion: “God is love, therefore there is no hell.” Compare that opinion with this Bible fact: “If God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:4–6). This passage shows that God is love, but He is also just and He must deal with sin. For example, God sent angels that sinned to hell. God also destroyed the whole world with the flood because of the people’s sin, just as He also destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the same reason. But God saved Noah and Lot because of their faith in Him. Here is another common opinion: “I am a good person. I go to church, I help people in need, I work and support my family, and I volunteer a lot. I think I’m a pretty good person.” But consider these facts: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That includes me and you! “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). I remember someone sharing these facts with me and I told him, “you believe the way you want to believe, and I’ll believe the way I want to believe!” The fact is I had my opinions! It was years later when I started to study the Bible and found out the facts. God is love: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Some people have their opinion that there is more than one way to get to heaven. The fact is there is only one way! Believing in Jesus is the only way: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6). Are you ready to accept God’s facts—that you are a sinner in need of a savior—and put your trust in Jesus? I hope you choose the facts and not the popular opinion!